History Main / AlmightyJanitor

* ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'':
** The BonusBoss is an elevator attendant. In a Jackie O. hat. [[spoiler:It's Elizabeth,]] and she will ''wreck you''.
** This is lampshaded in her playable appearance in ''Persona4Arena'', where the title she is given is "The Lethal Elevator Attendant". For [[GameplayAndStorySegregation obvious reasons]], however, her power is toned down considerably in order to make her competitively viable. [[spoiler:Until you face her in [[SNKBoss Score Attack Mode]], that is...]]
** ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' has [[spoiler: Igor's assistant Margaret]]. Also, the game's true final boss [[spoiler:is the gas station attendant from the very beginning of the game, actually [[BigBad the goddess Izanami]] in disguise.]]

** Some Espada deserve to have a higher rank than they have. Since the Espada are ranked by their Reiatsu, pretty much everyone from Starrk to Aaroniero could defeat [[spoiler:the Cero Espada Yammy Llargo, the MasterOfNone]]. Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuatro Espada is implied to be more powerful than the higher ranked Espada.
*** ...Only that the majority of the Espada cannot defeat Yammy.
** The Tres Bestias (when they use Ayon) are mere Numeros capable of eviscerating opponents stronger than Captains. Another Arrancar, Wonderweiss is a Numeros who oneshotted a Senior Captain.

** Rukia Kuchiki was one till she got [[spoiler: promoted to become a lieutenant.]], being an unseated officer who took down an Espada.
** Ichigo himself is actually just a Substitute Shinigami, but he's stronger than many Captains and he eventually surpassed [[spoiler:[[BigBad Sousuke Aizen]]]].

* Bill the Electrician in ''Film/HouseIITheSecondStory'' is an example of this trope. According to him, he has seen lot of things in his twenty-year career, and the portal to alternate dimension that he finds in the protagonists' house is nothing new. He just picks up his sword that he carries with him and joins the quest to retrieve the CrytsalSkull from extra-dimensional Mayans.

* Bill the Electrician in ''Film/HouseIITheSecondStory'' is an example of this trope, and the portal alternate dimension that he finds in the main location is nothing new, as he has seen many weird things in his career.

* Bill the Electrician in the excellent ''House II: The Second Story'' makes a cameo as an example of this trope.

*** Tom Paris. Junior Lieutenant. Best pilot in the Federation. Once took down a cruiser with a half broken shuttle craft. Saved ''Voyager'' multiple times single-handed. Built an engine that could do '''infinite speed'''.
* Merlin himself from ''Series/{{Merlin}}''. He appears to be a normal boy (and servant to Arthur), but he in fact is quite skilled in magic and can probably kick most people's butts. Arthur's made it so clear by now that Merlin's opinion is the one he values over all others -- but still forgets to pay his wages half the time, let alone make him an official advisor. Be honest, Arthur just likes throwing things at Merlin and wouldn't get to do that if Merlin had rank.

* In ''Series/DoctorWho''
** Donna Noble, best temp in Chiswick, discovers key information in several episodes by putting her paper-filing and administration powers to good use. In "The Sontaran Strategem", for example, she finds an empty sick-leaves folder that leads them to question the episode's suspicious company.
** In Waters of Mars, after observing some of his more stranger abilities Adelaide asks the Doctor "You the doctor or the janitor?" in which he replies: "I don't know. Sounds like me. The maintenance man of the universe."

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Donna Noble, best temp in Chiswick, discovers key information in several episodes by putting her paper-filing and administration powers to good use. In "The Sontaran Strategem", for example, she finds an empty sick-leaves folder that leads them to question the episode's suspicious company.

** Also Ratchet, a vet of the Great War and is bonded to the single most powerful Autobot weapon in existence. Which is also their ship. Seriously, outside of Bumblebee, the entire "lowly maintenance crew" are absurdly overqualified for their low station.
** And then the said [[spoiler:single most powerful Autobot weapon in existence, Omega Supreme, has been the team's simple "non-combat" repair/maintenance ship all along.]]

* In ''Film/PercyJacksonAndTheLightningThief'' the janitors in the replica of the Parthenon get knocked-out by Annabeth's tranquilizer darts, but when they awaken they turn into a massive five-headed hydra.

* A (sadly now defunct and lost to the internet) webcomic that took place at a magic academy had, near its start, a near riot by a bunch of magic using students picking on a non magic user. This is ended when a mysterious figure appears, sending everyone scattering. The figure is revealed to be an extremely intimidating individual, with, among other features, glowing gauntlets of power. Said individual then pulls out a mop and starts cleaning up the mess, revealing himself to be the janitor. Probably a JustifiedTrope, since it would require someone extremely powerful to fix the kinds of messes that a bunch of irresponsible kids playing around with the fabric of the universe could cause.

* Former Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck frequently called himself the team's "custodian", claiming that the fans were the real owners.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', this is the very basis of Vegeta's rivalry with Goku. Goku not only surpasses Vegeta in every way after the Namek Saga, but is the very first Saiyan to reach Super Saiyan Status in over 1,000 years and defeats their long time oppressor, Frieza. While Vegeta is still very powerful and usually second only to Goku in strength, the catch here is that Goku is a third class saiyan warrior while Vegeta is the prince of all Saiyans.

-->'''Sosuke:'''(On the ground, half conscience, chanting) ...Live ammunition...has no effect on this guy...

* Joel Robinson of ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''. Not only was he a genius inventor capable of creating robotic life capable of independent thought AND humor, but "he did a good job cleaning up the place."
** But his bosses didn't like him, so they shot him into space.
** They sent him cheesy movies, the worst they could find.
** He'll have to sit and watch them all, as they monitor his mind.
** Fa la la!
** Now keep in mind Joel can't control where the movies begin or end.
** [[EarWorm Because he used those special parts to make his robot friends.]]

* The Doctor in ''Series/DoctorWho'', who even refers to himself as "The Maintenance Man of the Universe" at one point. Particularly in regards to Earth, as noted in an exchange in "The Eleventh Hour".
--> '''Atraxi''': You are not of this world.
--> '''Doctor''': No, I've put a lot of work into it.
** Donna Noble, best temp in Chiswick, discovers key information in several episodes by putting her paper-filing and administration powers to good use. In "The Sontaran Strategem", for example, she finds an empty sick-leaves folder that leads them to question the episode's suspicious company.

** Mrs. Evadne Cake. A medium ([[IncrediblyLamePun verging on a small]]). She's feared by virtually every religious institution outside of [[LandDownUnder Fourecks]] and the Agatean Empire ([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and the Ankh-Morpork Post Office]]). This is a result of her habit of volunteering with every temple she can find, and gradually taking over the cleaning, the sacrifices, the prayer rotas, the Vestigial Virgins, and generally becoming this trope, before having a falling out with the relevant High Priest over her habit of talking with the dead and leaving, throwing the entire temple into disarray.

** Considering that Nukenins have no ranks anymore, some of them were never promoted to jounins. Sasuke was never promoted to a chunin, and [[spoiler:Obito Uchicha alias Tobi was never promoted to a jounin.]]

* Carla has nothing on Jordon, who holds so much power she is capable of single-handedly reversing major board decisions in under ten seconds. Carla has to nag Dr. Cox for weeks before she can get more nurses hired.

** Cruller could be a subversion: while he acts as the camp's janitor (and groundskeeper, and chef, and lifeguard...), [[spoiler: he's actually one of the most powerful Psychonauts around. He just has a multiple personality problem that can only be cured when he's in the vicinity of large hunks of [[AppliedPhlebotinum Psitanium]].]]
** Also, in the Level "The Milkman Conspiracy", [[spoiler: the Milkman is actually a real badass, throwing around milk bottle molotov cocktails.]]

* ''{{Half-Life}}'':

** ''Half-Life 2'' lampshades this when you overhear the BigBad broadcasting a speech to his {{Mooks}}, shaming them for their constant failure in stopping Gordon.