History Main / BenevolentDictator

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'': The Harmonious Collective [[NonPlayerCharacter NPC]] personality is a benevolent dictatorship in a nutshell: a clearly authoritarian personality type that tends to concern itself with the needs of absolutely all strata of its society, including the lowest and poorest of them, while also being highly averse to violence. Unlike the Decadent Hierarchy, which is another similar personality, they generally do not allow slavery in their empire (although, as authoritarians, they can technically have it). In addition, they sincerely believe that in order to maintain the delicate balance within their society, they need to spread a collectivist mentality throughout their entire population [[IndividualityIsIllegal while simultaneously eradicating individualism]] in all its manifestations as a [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill possible source of disagreement and separatism within society]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'': The Harmonious Collective [[NonPlayerCharacter NPC]] personality is a benevolent dictatorship in a nutshell: a clearly authoritarian personality type that tends to concern itself with the needs of absolutely all strata of its society, including the lowest and poorest of them, while also being highly averse to violence. Unlike the Decadent Hierarchy, which is another similar personality, they generally do not allow slavery in their empire (although as authoritarians they can technically have it). In addition, they sincerely believe that in order to maintain the delicate balance within their society, they need to spread a collectivist mentality throughout their entire population, [[IndividualityIsIllegal while simultaneously eradicating individualism]] in all its manifestations as a [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill possible source of disagreement and separatism within society]].

* ''Manga/Overlord2012'': Ainz desperately ''wants'' to be this, despite being reincarnated as a disturbingly overpowered lich, even running his kingdom in the way he (a former overworked {{salaryman}}) would have wanted his company to be run. Unfortunately, while he has the benevolence part down, his direct underlings are nearly all [[OverzealousUnderling truly and profoundly evil yet devoted to him]], leading to a lot of needless suffering because they think he's the epitome of evil (when he tries to give vacation time, they beg to know how they've failed him) and think humans unworthy of living (when he invites humans to Nazarick, he has to make it abundantly clear they are not to be harmed). Eventually he starts gaining more willing adherents after he accidentally vassalizes [[spoiler:the Empire]], since all that changes for them is that condemned criminals are sent to Nazarick for execution (and get sent back if they were innocent) and the borders are manned by undead troops, leaving the PuppetKing with a lot of freedom to rule (and as a bonus, anyone complaining about said puppet's decisions is told "take it up with Nazarick").

** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': The Cardassian Dukat who was the overseer of the occupied planet of Bajor who deluded himself that he was a benevolent ruler to the Bajorans in Terok Nor, aka Deep Space Nine. He constantly remarks that he ruled over them with a "softer hand" and that any other Cardassian would have been way worse. One example being that he didn't kill any Bajorans after the Cardassian fleet left Bajor despite it being the standard practice. This is despite there still being slave laborers and executions of any uprising Bajorans. He often gets called out by either Kira or Sisko and told he was just another dictator.

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Princess Bubblegum has complete control and power over her candy citizens, having created them herself. However, the show mostly depicts her as being a genuinely caring, if often authoritarian, ruler.
* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': In the original continuity, Vilgax conquered his home planet and renamed it after himself. But he's actually kind to his own race and is a UniversallyBelovedLeader to them. Sadly, in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' he comes through {{Flanderization}}, losing sympathetic and cool traits and turns into a simple tyrant.

** Beneath that veneer, however, all the problems the city claims to have done away with have really only been driven underground, things like [=STDs=] have been eradicated not by medical breakthroughs, but instead banning physical intimacy outside of procreation, and the crime-free society is maintained by a surveillance system so intrusive that even private homes are fitted with automated monitors that fine people for swearing. Plus, there is [[IndubitablyUninterestingIndividual no spark, personality, or ruggedness to the society]]; entertainment is about as baseline as it can get, and ''then some'', and that aforementioned "underground"? It's a literal one, filled with ''thousands'' of people who couldn't tolerate an oppressive existence under Raymond Cocteau's watchful eye, and preferred to live free even if it meant living in squalor and poverty. Even worse, he believes San Angeles' modern society could stand to be '''''more''''' lacking and submissive!
** Raymond Cocteau, the central figure of San Angeles, [[KnightTemplar believes strongly in the superiority of his own beliefs]] and makes a [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans series of warped and terrible decisions to deal with these so-called troublemakers threatening his seemingly harmonious society.]] [[spoiler: He decides to unleash a murderous SerialKiller on the population, hoping to use the psycho to kill his opponent Edgar Friendly. This leads to several excess deaths as Phoenix is too tough for the pacified police of San Angeles to fight, and eventually, Cocteau's own demise when [[EvilIsNotAToy Phoenix himself decides]] he [[EvenEvilHasStandards can't stand Cocteau and his prissy ways.]] ]]

** After the [[TheCaligula Mad King's]] rule, it's easy to understand why most people like King Robert, who took over the throne with the help of an associate of other nobles. Downplayed, since he ''was'' a possible heir (although very far down the line), and the form of state was still a hereditary monarchy, and even though most people adore him, he isn't the one running things: it's the council.

* ''VideoGame/{{Tropico}}'': You yourself can play a Benevolent Dictator if you so choose. You can be prone to avoiding elections, having citizens you don't like... erm, [[TheCoronerDothProtestTooMuch go missing]] at a moment's notice, and be partial to skimming money off the top for your SwissBankAccount, along with erecting ostentatious statues of yourself everywhere ([[GoldMakesEverythingShiny gold optional]]). But at the same time, you could do your damndest to keep your population happy, healthy, and well-fed, along with enacting edicts to keep your BananaRepublic as well-run as possible.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'': In the original continuity, Vilgax conquered his home planet and renamed it after himself. But, he's actually kind to his own race and is a UniversallyBelovedLeader to them. Sadly, in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' he comes through {{Flanderization}}, losing sympathetic and cool traits and turns into a simple tyrant.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Parodied and played straight at the same time in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E18SimpsonsBibleStories Simpsons Bible Stories]]": When King David (Bart) challenges Goliath II (Nelson) for killing his friend Methuselah (Grandpa), David is soundly defeated by being sling-shotted into the mountains. David tells a random Ralph Wiggum shepherd (as himself) of being usurped by Goliath, and Ralph decides to go try defeat Goliath. He seemingly dies in the process. David returns to his city and fights Goliath. David seems to defeat him, until Goliath rises from the rubble of the fight, ready to fight again; however, a very much alive and well Ralph, with his own tombstone, stabs Goliath in the back, killing him. When David proclaims his return to the city, it turns out that Goliath was a much better king than David, instituting several reforms. David is then arrested, as a movie-style ending credit plays over the scene.

** Raymond Cocteau, the central figure of San Angeles,[[KnightTemplar believes strongly in the superiority of his own beliefs]] and makes a [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans series of warped and terrible decisions to deal with these so-called troublemakers threatening his seemingly harmonious society.]] [[spoiler: He decides to unleash a murderous SerialKiller on the population, hoping to use the psycho to kill his opponent Edgar Friendly. This leads to several excess deaths as Phoenix is too tough for the pacified police of San Angeles to fight, and eventually, Cocteau's own demise when [[EvilIsNotAToy Phoenix himself decides]] he [[EvenEvilHasStandards can't stand Cocteau and his prissy ways.]] ]]

[[folder:Multi-Media Franchises]]
* ''Franchise/TheWitcher'': Emhyr var Emreis [[PlayedWith plays with this trope]]. After successfully retaking the Nilfgaardian Throne from a man simply named the Usurper, who had led a successful coup against (then later assassinated) Emhyr's father, Emhyr quickly established himself as a ruthlessly cold and pragmatic emperor when he had the traitors hunted down, and personally attended their executions, whereafter he treated the affair as if it was a simple diversion from his work. His political enemies would suffer the same fate during the ensuing power struggles, and over the course of his rule, he would contend with several more plots on his life and would just as brutally have the conspirators executed. His military was not exempt from his wrath either, as despite an incredibly successful campaign against the Northern Kingdoms and expanding the Nilfgaardian Empire, after he suffered a disastrous defeat during the Second Battle of Sodden Hill (which ended the First Nilfgaardian-Nordling War), he had most of his commanders executed or replaced. Yet, in their place, he promoted younger and more ambitious officials as he prepared his next grand expansion. Likewise, under his rule, Nilfgaard entered a golden age and flourished with trade, while vastly improving the quality of life for its people, and in stark contrast to the Northern rulers, he highly favored the elves.
[[/folder]]

* Downplayed in ''Creator/IDWPublishing'''s original ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' continuity, Optimus Prime was increasingly seen as and acted like one of these in his own ongoing comic. After awakening a [[GeniusLoci Titan]] on Earth and thus claiming Earth as one of Cybertron's colony worlds, he begins taking action unilaterally, ignoring the Council of Worlds set up on Cybertron as a parliament for the various colony worlds. [[note]]This means that while the various members can protest, they can't actually ''do'' anything about how he governs "his" world since they have a strict "no interference" clause in regard to each other's worlds.[[/note]] While many Transformers [[note]] including both former Autobots and Decepticons, some of whom begin worshiping him to the point of donning faceplates like his[[/note]] flock to his banner due to his divine act of awakening a Titan, others view him as becoming a tyrant using his divinity to justify his rule. One of the biggest bones of contention is him using Cybertronian technology to aid the humans (e.g. seeding clouds to bring rain, restoring desolate wasteland) whether or not the humans actually ask for or want his help. The Council of Worlds protests that this is against the [[Main/AlienNonInterferenceClause Tyrest Accord]], but Optimus brushes them off by pointing out that the Tyrest Accord forbids sharing technology with non-Cybertronian races, [[LoopholeAbuse but Earth is a Cybertronian colony under his rule]] and he isn't '''''[[ExactWords sharing]]''''' technology with the humans, merely using it to make "his" world better. While he does help humans, not all of them like him: they are still bitter from when the Decepticons conquered Earth.