"For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
Tropes about the different effects and displays of authority, leadership, and obedience.
Contrast Rebel Tropes.
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Tropes about authority in general
See also:
- 0% Approval Rating: An authority figure hated by all.
- Alien Non-Interference Clause: Aliens are forbidden from meddling with the affairs of humans.
- The Alleged Boss
- Anti-Nepotism
- Artistic License – Education: In the case of teachers and other school staff exerting their authority over students when, in real life, they should not have that much authority.
- Artistic License – Politics
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: The best fighter becomes the one in charge.
- Authoritative in Public, Docile in Private: Someone in a position of authority is markedly submissive when it comes to their personal life and romantic relationships.
- Authority in Name Only: An authority figure who doesn't really have any power at all.
- Authority Sounds Deep: An authority figure's status is signaled by their deep voice.
- Badass Bureaucrat
- Bad Boss: An employer who is cruel, abusive and unfair towards their subordinates.
- Bait-and-Switch Tyrant
- Bald of Authority
- Bavarian Fire Drill: Deceiving people by pretending to be an authority figure.
- Beleaguered Boss
- Benevolent Boss: An employer who is cordial, kind and fair to the employees.
- Big Bad: The main antagonist of the work, who is often in charge of all the lesser evils the heroes confront.
- Big Good: The highest in authority who is on the good guys' side.
- Blaming "The Man"
- Blind Obedience
- Bookshelf of Authority
- Bothering by the Book
- Bring Them Around: A hero or villain switching sides needs to convince her underlings to jump ship with her.
- Captain Smooth and Sergeant Rough
- The Chain of Command
- The Chains of Commanding
- Challenging the Chief
- Clipboard of Authority
- Clocks of Control
- Clueless Boss
- Color-Coded Patrician
- Cool People Rebel Against Authority
- Cop Hater
- Corporal Punishment
- Corrupt Bureaucrat
- Delayed Leadership Ascendance
- Delegation Relay
- Depending Upon the Undependable: An authority figure keeps hiring or promoting incompetent people even though they know (or should know) disaster will always result.
- Disobeyed Orders, Not Punished
- A Doormat to His Men
- Earned Stripes
- Ermine Cape Effect
- Evil Overlord List: A list of things one must consider if they ever decide to become an evil overlord in order to prevent ever being defeated.
- Forgot I Could Change the Rules: An authority figure forgets that it's within their power to change the rules.
- Go-Getter Girl
- Gracefully Demoted: Someone with a position of power accepts or even wants their demotion.
- Grand Inquisitor Scene
- Hat of Authority
- Hates Defiance
- Head-in-the-Sand Management
- The Hero
- Humans are Leaders
- In Its Hour of Need
- Iron Lady
- Just Giving Orders
- King on His Deathbed
- Klingon Promotion
- Large and in Charge: The leader is also the largest of the group.
- The Last DJ
- Lawful Evil
- Lawful Good
- Lawful Neutral
- Lawful Pushover
- Lazy Boss
- The Leader: The member of the group who calls the shots.
- Leader Forms the Head
- The Man Behind the Monsters: A human/someone resembling a human who leads an army of monsters that look less human.
- Menacing Notetaker
- Mean Boss: An employer who is impolite and petty towards their subordinates, but still fair.
- Might Makes Right
- Mister Big
- Mistress and Servant Boy
- Nepotism: Employing your relatives.
- Nested Ownership: Subordinates have their own subordinates, and this goes beyond the usual for the setting situation.
- Nominal Subordinate: Someone who on paper is subordinate, in practice is not.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: A bureaucrat who makes people file assloads of paperwork before they can be allowed to do anything.
- Obstructive Code of Conduct
- Ordered to Die
- Pen-Pushing President
- Physical Fitness Punishment
- Please Spare Him, My Liege!
- Punctuality Is for Peasants
- Rank Scales with Asskicking: Your skill in combat is equivalent to your rank in the hierarchy.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: An authority figure who is fair and unbiased, choosing not to take sides and allow all parties to defend themselves.
- Reasonable Request Rejected
- Risking the King
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: An authority figure believes that being in charge makes them above the law.
- Self-Appointed Leader: When the group's leader has no actual authority to hold the position.
- Sexual Predator Boss: A boss sexually abuses their subordinates.
- Sham Ceremony
- Short-Lived Leadership
- Silk Hiding Steel
- Sliding Scale of Leadership Responsibility
- Staff of Authority
- Stamp of Rejection
- Standardized Leader
- Still the Leader
- Supporting Leader
- Sword of Damocles
- Teenage Wasteland
- That's an Order!
- Tough Leader Façade
- Tyrant Takes the Helm
- Under New Management
- Under Strange Management: An organization is run by unexpected or unqualified people.
- Unfit for Greatness
- Universally Beloved Leader
- Vast Bureaucracy
- Vertical Power Play: A character positions themself to appear bigger as expression of power, or smaller as an expression of submission.
- Volatile Second Tier Position: The second-highest job in a hierarchy, but with some very demanding drawbacks.
- Whip of Dominance: Using a whip as a symbol of dominance, control, authority, or sadism.
- Young and in Charge
- You Rebel Scum!
- Zen Slap
Authority and Love
- Bodyguard Crush
- Ignored Enamored Underling
- Lady and Knight
- Power Dynamics Kink: Power and subordination serving as an erotic "turn-on".
- Powerful People Are Subs: An authority figure with an iron fist is ironically very submissive in the bedroom.
- Subordinate Excuse
- Unequal Pairing
Corporate Authority
- Army of Lawyers
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The head of a corporation is evil or at least very unscrupulous.
- Grade-School C.E.O.
- Honest Corporate Executive: The head of a corporation is honest and refuses to use their company to do anything illegal or unethical.
- Majority-Share Dictator
Governmental Authority
- Action Politician
- Adipose Rex: A ruler who is overweight.
- Ambadassador
- Anarcho-Tyranny: A corrupt government or tyrannical regime creates a state of Anarchy Is Chaos so everyone is too busy fighting each other to worry about them, criminal neglect on a nationwide scale.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning
- Benevolent Dictator
- Benevolent Mage Ruler
- The Caligula: A ruler who is insane.
- A Child Shall Lead Them
- Cincinnatus
- Corrupt Politician
- Court Mage
- Court Physician
- The Creon
- Divine Right of Kings
- Easily Elected
- Emergency Authority
- The Emperor
- Emperor Scientist
- Evil Chancellor
- Evil Overlord
- Feudal Overlord
- Fisher King: A ruler whose very presence causes the land to become the same way they are.
- Founder of the Kingdom
- The Generalissimo
- The Ghost King
- God Save Us from the Queen!
- The Good Chancellor
- The Good King: A benevolent ruler.
- Government Conspiracy
- Government in Exile
- The High Queen
- I Own This Town
- Just the First Citizen: A monarch with a modest title.
- The Kingslayer: Killing a ruler.
- Mayor Pain: A mayor who is either sketchy or incompetent.
- My Country, Right or Wrong
- The Necrocracy
- Offered the Crown
- Paranoid Autocrat
- The Performer King
- Permanent Elected Official: An elected official who is always in office.
- Pointy-Haired Boss: An incompetent employer.
- The Philosopher King
- Planet Baron: The ruler or owner of an entire planet.
- Politically Active Princess
- President Superhero
- Princesses Rule
- The Puppet Cuts His Strings
- Puppet King
- Reclining Reigner
- Regent for Life
- Reluctant Ruler
- Royal Favorite: Their authority is often second only to the monarch, due to the high regard the monarch has for them, regardless of actual position in society.
- Royally Screwed Up
- Royal "We": Royalty addressing themselves with plural pronouns.
- Royals Who Actually Do Something: A ruler who doesn't just sit around on the throne giving orders and actually does things to help their people.
- Ruler Protagonist
- Ruling Couple
- Shadow Dictator
- She Is the King: A female ruler is addressed with a title that typically goes to men.
- Skeleton Government
- Sorcerous Overlord
- Super Civil Services
- Supernatural Elite
- Suspiciously Solo Cop: When a Corrupt Cop is called out for acting alone and not calling for backup, indicating that their actions are not lawful (can also be applied to rogue members of a military or criminal organization).
- Tyrannical Homeowners' Association
- Tyrannicide
- Ultimate Authority Mayor: The mayor has more power than they would in real life.
- Vampire Monarch
- Warrior Prince
Military Authority
- Anti-Mutiny
- The Captain
- Colonel Badass
- Commanding Coolness
- The Conqueror
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: A military officer who tends to yell at and berate his charges.
- A Father to His Men: A leader who is like a father figure to the soldiers he leads.
- Field Promotion
- Four-Star Badass
- Frontline General
- General Failure: A general who is very incompetent.
- General Ripper: A military leader who insanely pursues a vendetta against the enemy.
- Majorly Awesome
- Mook Commander
- The Mutiny
- The Neidermeyer
- Officer and a Gentleman
- Sergeant Rock
- Time to Step Up, Commander
- The Warlord: A military leader with power and authority beyond legal or official status.
- You Are in Command Now
School Authority
- Absurdly Powerful Student Council: The student body president and school council have way more power than they should have.
- Alpha Bitch: The most popular and meanest girl in school who leads a Girl Posse and rules over the students, or at least acts like she does.
- Apathetic Teacher: A teacher who doesn't give a damn how well their students do.
- Badass Teacher
- Big Jerk on Campus: The most popular guy in school who rules over the students, and a total jerk on top of that.
- Big Man on Campus: The most popular guy in school who rules over the students, although is actually a pretty decent guy.
- Cool Teacher: A teacher who is considered awesome by the students.
- Creepy Gym Coach
- Dean Bitterman: A school principal who hates everyone.
- Evil Principal: A principal who is evil.
- Evil Teacher: A teacher who is evil.
- Fired Teacher
- Hippie Teacher
- Hot Librarian
- Loony Librarian
- Misplaced Kindergarten Teacher
- Non-Giving-Up School Guy: A person who won't rest until children playing hooky are forced to go class.
- Peer as Teacher
- Politically Motivated Teacher
- Psychologist Teacher
- Putting the "Pal" in Principal: A school principal who wants the students to see him as their friend.
- The Quarterback
- Red Armband of Leadership: Red armband signifying prefects or student council members in Japanese schools.
- Sadist Teacher: A teacher who enjoys tormenting their students and making things unreasonably hard for them.
- Save Our Students
- Scary Librarian
- Schoolmarm
- Stern Teacher: A teacher who may be a bit harsh at times, but actually does care about the students and is only being hard on them because they want them to do well.
- Yellow Sash of Power: Hall monitors having unreasonable amounts of power.
Subordinates
- Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate
- Breaking Out the Boss: A gang of criminals break their incarcerated boss from prison.
- Desperately Needs Orders
- Ditch the Bodyguards
- The Dragon: The villain who is second-in-command to the main villain.
- Elite Mooks
- Evil Minions
- Faceless Goons
- I Control My Minions Through…
- Just Following Orders
- Loyal to the Position
- Mecha-Mooks: Robotic minions.
- Mook Lieutenant: The villain's henchmen are led by one who has slightly more depth and difference from the rank-and-file goons.
- Mooks: The generic underlings of the main villain.
- More Senior Subordinate
- My Master, Right or Wrong
- No Badass to His Valet
- No Hero to His Valet
- The Pawns Go First
- Psycho Supporter
- The Quisling: Someone betrays the rest of his kind to side with the invading forces.
- Sane Boss, Psycho Henchmen
- Weak Boss, Strong Underlings
Other
- Animal Lord of the Wilds: When an animal claims authority over a significant portion of territory and becomes respected and/or feared for it.
- Badass Preacher
- The Commissioner Gordon
- Cranky Landlord
- Deadly Doctor
- Dimension Lord
- Doctor's Orders
- The Don
- Felon's Failson
- Gang Lord
- The Gangster Council
- Heroic Team Revolt
- Highborn Unicorn: Unicorns are associated with elite distinction, leadership eligibility, and exceptionalism—either as possessions, companions, or symbols.
- High Priest
- Insect Queen
- King of Beasts
- King of the Homeless: A leader who rules over homeless people.
- King of Thieves
- Nurarihyon: Humanoid with a deformed head regarded as the leader of all youkai.
- The Patriarch
- Playing the Age Card: An older character feels that their age gives them authority over younger people.
- The Queenpin
- Rebel Leader
- Rebellious Rebel
- Repulsive Ringmaster
- Showrunner
- Wardens Are Evil