In Tribute to Understated Badassery

[SuperFerret]

Nowadays, the "badass" is everywhere. Movies, video games, comics, TV, all have their badasses. This is a great character type, the guy (or gal) who, while not necessarily being the most relatable, always gets you to root for them because they're the ones who don't take any crap from anyone, they're at once anti-authority and authority figures.

But even then, I personally don't like the over-the-top badass, such as Kratos from the God of War game series, or Wolverine and the Punisher from Marvel comics, and countless others. I prefer the understated badass, the guy who you don't quite think of as one until you catch a glimpse of it. The way I see it, these guys top all the rest. So, if you agree with me, post your own examples of this oft unrecognized person.

I'll start, with two of the most unlikely men to be considered badass, one real, one fictional.

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First up, Superman. Sure, he gets more than his share of badass moments, but this is my favorite. The calm politeness in his voice as he challenges Zod to one of the best fights in any superhero movie simply and obviously shows what I've been saying here.

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This moment is one that I first read about on one of my dawdling trips across Wikipedia, and I can't sum it up better than the excerpt I found there.

During the 1997 Daytime Emmys, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Rogers. The following is an excerpt from Esquire Magazine's coverage of the gala, written by Tom Junod:

“ Mister Rogers went onstage to accept the award — and there, in front of all the soap opera stars and talk show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, "All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are. Ten seconds of silence."

And then he lifted his wrist, looked at the audience, looked at his watch, and said, 'I'll watch the time." There was, at first, a small whoop from the crowd, a giddy, strangled hiccup of laughter, as people realized that he wasn't kidding, that Mister Rogers was not some convenient eunuch, but rather a man, an authority figure who actually expected them to do what he asked. And so they did. One second, two seconds, seven seconds — and now the jaws clenched, and the bosoms heaved, and the mascara ran, and the tears fell upon the beglittered gathering like rain leaking down a crystal chandelier. And Mister Rogers finally looked up from his watch and said softly "May God be with you," to all his vanquished children. "

 

[Metamorpho1977]

Mr. Rogers was the man.

 

[Erzengel]

Batman vs. the Hyperclan

The Hyperclan take down the entire Justice League of America but forget about Batman.

Batman sneaks in and starts taking them out one by one because he figures out what they really are. Martians. And what their one weakness is.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

"And one other thing. I'm not sure what you are, or where you come from, but my instincts tell me you are to be trusted. Make no mistake, though. I have a $70,000 sliver of radioactive meteor to stop the one from Metropolis. With you, all I need is a penny for a book of matches."

 

[Kane52630]

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[SuperFerret]

Batman vs. the Hyperclan

The Hyperclan take down the entire Justice League of America but forget about Batman.

Batman sneaks in and starts taking them out one by one because he figures out what they really are. Martians. And what their one weakness is.

That's bordering on over-the-top. I'm talking about things that are more subtle, like the line that Blitzkrieg posted. Batman is capable of varying degrees of badassery.

 

[Franklin Richards]

So in a What If? issue, Annihilus delayed Reed, Ben, and Johnny from getting back to Sue with the Cosmic Control Rod so that they could save her life. In this universe Sue died in childbirth.

Reed blamed Annihilus.

...and he did.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

"I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you. I will find you and I will kill you."



"So here's how it goes, as of now you work for me. And your job is very simple. Give me my space. Understand? All I want is a little peace and quiet. Got it, fat boy?"

"Yes."

"Say it."

"I work for you, and you want peace and quiet."

"And who am I?"

"I don't know."

"That's right, you don't know. Let that little mystery keep you up at night."

 

[Addendum]

Ambrose aka Flycatcher, known in our fairy tales as The Frog Prince.

For proof of his badassery, read the comic Fables. You won't think much though until the arc called "The Good Prince". You'll never look at him the same.

 

[Maximum Carnage]

Mr. Rogers was my life when I was a kid.. haha!

and the Batman line was badass. :P

 

[Rob Lobo]

Ernest P. Worrell

An unstrung hero who did badass things

 

[Paradoxium]

So in a What If? issue, Annihilus delayed Reed, Ben, and Johnny from getting back to Sue with the Cosmic Control Rod so that they could save her life. In this universe Sue died in childbirth.

Reed blamed Annihilus.

...and he did.

Baddddd asss

 

[Maximum Carnage]

Ernest.. haha! Those were the old days......

 

[Wolfwood]

I know this is kind of cheesy, but I think it qualifies in a way:

Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat.


And I don't know if Doc Holiday is over or understated, but I'm tossing these two scenes into the mix:






I think the second one especially qualifies when Ringo nearly craps himself at the very sight of Doc Holiday.

 

[Maximum Carnage]

.. Badass. Haha!

 

[david icke]

Rosa Parks is not cheesey to mention, she is a perfect real life example of understated badassery

and for another real life example...what about that guy with the flags who stood in front of the tank, blocking it's way at every turn? They never found out who that guy was, they didn't have to, all they had to know was that he was an understated badass of the first degree.

 

[Erzengel]

That's bordering on over-the-top. I'm talking about things that are more subtle, like the line that Blitzkrieg posted. Batman is capable of varying degrees of badassery.

Over-the-top I would have said would be showing him kicking their ass. It's implied off panel as he's dragging them back to the rest of the JLA.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

One of my favorite Michael Corleone moments is not one of the more talked about scenes but I think fits perfectly into this thread. In the beginning of The Godfather II when Connie shows up with her new fiance asking for money, Michael tells her how and why to break up with him (while he's sitting right there). In an act of defiance, Connie reaches over and holds her boyfriends hand. Michael calmly responds "if you don't listen to me and marry this man...you'll disappoint me."

The way that line is delivered with so much authority is just chilling. You automatically know this is not a man you want to disappoint.

 

[Erzengel]

How can I forget my absolute favorite example of Badassery.
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[Blitzkrieg Bop]

 

[Erzengel]

Another favorite.

 

[Maximum Carnage]

OMFG! Erzengel.. that's the most badass movie scene. EVER. Period.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

I love how that scene came about because Ford had diarrhea that day and wasn't going to able to hold it in for the entire original scene.

 

[Maximum Carnage]

Period!

 

[Rumpy Bulge Dubz]

The calm politeness in his voice as he challenges Zod to one of the best fights in any superhero movie simply and obviously shows what I've been saying here.

see, I'm going to have to disagree with you here. The first two Superman movies may be classics, but they're far from superior (as some people make them out to be) as they're extremely dated, especially the fighting in movies 2-4 which were just horribly done. That may have been the best they could come up with at the time, but I'm sorry, the fighting is just cheap, slow, and, well, just flat out horrible.

"one of the best fights in any superhero movie" award goes to The Incredible Hulk VS Abomination.

another fight sequence that tops the Superman movies, Smallville's fight between Clark and Titan or even Season 9's finale with Clark VS Zod which was far superior to the Clark/Zod fight in SM2.

here's another: Daredevil VS Bullseye and Kingpin (in the directors cut at least, not sure how the theatrical went down). Was easily more watchable than anything in the Superman films.