History Main / EliteAgentsAboveTheLaw

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** The Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition. In addition to their totally unfettered powers of requisition (ranging from safehouses to entire fleets of starships), Inquisitors have no limits on their authority save what the Inquisition imposes on them, allowing them to do things (like summon daemons and traffic with aliens) that would get any other citizen burned alive. Finally, they are one of two groups (the other being the Emperor's [[SuperSoldier Space Marines]]) empowered to enact [[EarthShatteringKaboom Exterminatus]] if they deem it necessary (with the caveat that all but the highest-ranking Inquisitors can only ''request'' it: it has to be carried out by the Space Marines or the Imperial Navy).
*** They aren't above any law, however: Inquisitors ''are'' answerable to other Inquisitors (many of whom consider the aforementioned daemon summoning and xeno-trafficking to be heresy no matter the motive), with potential penalties for abuse of power including defrocking or even death, but the only office above them is that of the incapacitated GodEmperor of Mankind. So far the only other Imperial organization to successfully stand up to them has been the Space Wolves, who are some of the most renowned of the aforementioned Space Marines and so both politically and militarily capable of resisting retribution. %% Do not re-add comments about the Inquisition being a Trope Codifier: it does not qualify for the term.
** The Imperial Guard's commissars are theoretically outside the chain of command, meaning they could cap anyone up to the local Lord General himself if he disobeys an order. In practice, doing so would require one hell of a good explanation to other members of the Commissariat.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Council Spectres are operatives with a vague mandate to, "preserve and protect peace and stability in the galaxy", who are only answerable to the [[FictionalUnitedNations Citadel Council]]. Unlike other examples of this trope, they are [[WithThisHerring not provided with any particular resources]] by their employers, but since they can do anything they like without legal repercussion, they're free to cut deals, steal, and even raise private armies to accomplish their missions. The ethics of this are {{discussed}} in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' when the Head of Citadel Security criticizes the Spectres' lack of accountability, and the main plot of the game involves Commander Shepard hunting down a rogue Spectre named Saren Arterius, who is plotting to the help initiate the [[MechanicalAbomination Reaper]] Invasion and bring about the destruction of all civilization.

* The Website/SCPFoundation is a [[TheMenInBlack shadowy]] [[NGOSuperpower non-governmental organization]] which works outside of all national or international laws and in ''absolute'' secrecy, only answering to their own central leadership (the O5 Council and the Ethics Committee). They follow the bare minimum of ethical standards, just enough to keep morale afloat and (theoretically) prevent themselves from [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becoming total monsters]]. So why do they still receive funding from every nation on Earth? Because only the Foundation has all the power, resources, and knowledge necessary to keep global human civilization from being destroyed or drastically altered by all sorts of extremely harmful supernatural threats.

*** They aren't above any law, however: Inquisitors ''are'' answerable to other Inquisitors (many of whom consider the aforementioned daemon summoning and xeno-trafficking to be heresy no matter the motive), with potential penalties for abuse of power including defrocking or even death, but the only office above them is that of the incapacitated GodEmperor of Mankind. So far the only other Imperial organization to successfully stand up to them has been the Space Wolves. %% Do not re-add comments about the Inquisition being a Trope Codifier: it does not qualify for the term.

* The Wiki/SCPFoundation is a [[TheMenInBlack shadowy]] [[NGOSuperpower non-governmental organization]] which works outside of all national or international laws and in ''absolute'' secrecy, only answering to their own central leadership (the O5 Council and the Ethics Committee). They follow the bare minimum of ethical standards, just enough to keep morale afloat and (theoretically) prevent themselves from [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becoming total monsters]]. So why do they still receive funding from every nation on Earth? Because only the Foundation has all the power, resources, and knowledge necessary to keep global human civilization from being destroyed or drastically altered by all sorts of extremely harmful supernatural threats.

* The main conflict of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' is set off by this trope. With [[spoiler:the collapse of SHIELD]] in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', the Avengers are now effectively an NGOSuperpower with no civilian oversight or accountability. As a consequence of the missions in [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron Sokovia]] and Nigeria going pear-shaped and causing massive civilian casualties, the world's governments enact the [[SuperRegistrationAct Sokovia Accords]] in an attempt to [[DefiedTrope bring the Avengers back under civilian control]]. Reaction from the Avengers themselves is mixed: the increasingly traumatized Tony "Film/IronMan" Stark is in favor, while Steve "Captain America" Rogers worries that the Avengers will be subordinated to political objectives over the broader goal of protecting the planet, and chooses to quit. It gets worse when the Accords signatories appoint [[GeneralRipper Thaddeus Ross]] ([[Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008 infamous for hunting the Hulk]]) in charge of enforcing the Accords on the superheroes: his pursuit of Bucky "Winter Soldier" Barnes pushes Tony and Steve into open conflict.

* [[Wiki/SCPFoundation The SCP Foundation]] works outside of international law and in ''absolute'' secrecy, only kept in check (at least on paper) by the O5 Council and the Ethics Committee. They follow the bare minimum of ethical standards - just enough to keep morale afloat and prevent themselves from [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becoming monsters.]] So why do they still receive funding from every nation on Earth? Because the SCP Foundation is the only group that is truly responsible for protecting humanity from anomalies that threaten normality, society, civilization and even ''reality itself.''

* [[Website/SCPFoundation The SCP Foundation]] works outside of international law and in ''absolute'' secrecy, only kept in check (at least on paper) by the O5 Council and the Ethics Committee. They follow the bare minimum of ethical standards - just enough to keep morale afloat and prevent themselves from [[HeWhoFightsMonsters becoming monsters.]] So why do they still receive funding from every nation on Earth? Because the SCP Foundation is the only group that is truly responsible for protecting humanity from anomalies that threaten normality, society, civilization and even ''reality itself.''

** ''Literature/TheTeethOfTheTiger'', ''Literature/DeadOrAlive'', ''Literature/LockedOn'', and ''Literature/ThreatVector'' revolve around a private counterterrorism [[ProfessionalKillers hit squad]] called the Campus, secretly established by former President Jack Ryan. Ryan supplied the group with [[ArtisticLicenseLaw a stack of pre-signed presidential pardons]] to shield its operatives from prosecution. (Which is legally and [[ArtisticLicensePolitics politically]] nonsense: blanket pardons aren't allowed in US common law, and the President cannot pardon crimes prosecuted by foreign governments--several assassinations the Campus performs in the first book take place in London--or even US states. To say nothing of the StrawmanPolitical stuff also involved.)

* Section Nine in ''Literature/TheMillenniumTrilogy'' was powerful enough to make even several Prime Ministers let them do their thing. They were able to abusively institutionalise a witness ([=Lisbeth Salander=]) and even commit murder ([=Salachenko=]).

Compare / Contrast ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem (when enforcers only think they are above the law). Often an example of ArtisticLicenseLaw and/or ArtisticLicensePolitics if applied to agents ostensibly of a RealLife government (particularly modern liberal democracies), as the state's actual laws and structure may not permit such an agency to exist, at least on paper. May overlap with:

* ''Series/TheProfessionals''. In "Old Dog With New Tricks, [[DaChief George Cowley]] states the charter under which [=CI5=] operates. "''To detect, deter and prevent, and or take suitable action and or actions against those transgressors against the law outside the norm of criminal activity. To contain and render ineffective such by whatever means necessary.''--That's our official brief. ''By any means necessary''--that's our [[LoopholeAbuse loophole]]." However Cowley has to take account of political realities; when a suspect dies in [=CI5=] custody in "The Rack", [=CI5=] has to submit to a court of inquiry due to the adverse publicity. Cowley also makes sure to cover himself with the bureaucracy, indicating he prefers to work with the system rather than buck it. In the short-lived ''[=CI5=]: The New Professionals'', his successor Harry Malone is shown to have a tougher time of it, because in TheNineties [=CI5=] operate internationally and have to get the cooperation of foreign governments.

** Section 31 is a super-secret Federation intelligence agency that isn't accountable to ''anyone at all''. It's named after Article 14, Section 31 of the United Earth Starfleet Charter (the Federation Starfleet inherited it), which voids other restrictions placed by the charter in times of "extraordinary threat"--and as an operative wryly remarks in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', "Earth's got a lot of enemies." Section 31 also demonstrates some of the pitfalls of having such an agency: the lack of oversight leads to Section 31 going to increasing extremes to "safeguard the Federation" in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' (the series that first introduced them), including using biological weapons to try to exterminate the Dominion's Founders and framing a (Federation-friendly) Romulan senator for treason in order to put one of their [[TheMole moles]] into a higher position. They're even said to have an operative in the Federation President's Cabinet--in a series where there has already been [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E12ParadiseLost one attempted coup]] by a WellIntentionedExtremist Starfleet officer.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': The All-Seeing Eye are the Realm's secret police, intelligence service, and, at need, assassins, tasked by the Scarlet Empress with overseeing the dealings of the Great Houses, the Realm's bureaucrats, merchant conglomerates and other powerful factions and ensuring that they do not threaten the stability of the realm. They ultimately answer only to the Empress and to the Sidereals secretly manipulating the Realm and exist entirely outside of its normal system of laws, politics, and regulations. The Empress' disappearance, however, has been a serious problem for them, as they now lack any overarching direction in their mission and no longer possess a sponsor to protect them against the retribution of the Houses.

** The Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition. In addition to their totally unfettered powers of requisition (ranging from safehouses to entire fleets of starships), Inquisitors have no limits on their authority save what the Inquisition imposes on them, allowing them to do things (like summon daemons and traffick with aliens) that would get any other citizen burned alive. Finally, they are one of two groups (the other being the Emperor's [[SuperSoldier Space Marines]]) empowered to enact [[EarthShatteringKaboom Exterminatus]] if they deem it necessary (with the caveat that all but the highest-ranking Inquisitors can only ''request'' it: it has to be carried out by the Space Marines or the Imperial Navy).

* ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'': The Zero Squadron (a.k.a. Wings of Justice) is an "unofficial" part of the NOL's army, who answers only to the Imperator. Their job is to watch the other members of the army and find anyone who might rebel and bring them to justice.
* ''VideoGame/TheDivision'': The Strategic Homeland Division, who are [[ElitesAreMoreGlamorous glamourous elites]], and are given the authority to do "whatever is necessary" to restore order where they are deployed, including the "elimination" of all threats to their mission.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'': Council Spectres are operatives with a vague mandate to, "Preserve and Protect peace and stability in the galaxy", who are only answerable to the [[FictionalUnitedNations Citadel Council]]. Unlike other examples of this trope, they are [[WithThisHerring not provided with any particular resources]] by their employers, but since they can do anything they like without legal repercussion, they're free to cut deals, steal, and even raise private armies to accomplish their missions. The ethics of this are {{discussed}} in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' when the Head of Citadel Security criticizes the Spectres' lack of accountability, and the main plot of the game involves Commander Shepard hunting down a rogue Spectre named Saren Arterius, who is plotting to the help initiate the [[MechanicalAbomination Reaper]] Invasion and bring about the destruction of all Galactic Civlization.

* ''Series/BabylonFive'': [=PsiCorps=] theoretically works for the government of the Earth Alliance, with the job of putting telepaths to work while protecting the privacy rights of [[{{Muggles}} "mundanes"]]. In practice, [=PsiCorps=] has become a rogue agency answering only to itself, experimenting on mundanes and telepaths alike and giving [=PsiCops=] the effective authority to kill anyone at will with little consequence. [[spoiler:By ''Series/{{Crusade}}'', [=PsiCorps=] is overthrown by LaResistance and telepaths are brought into the Earth Alliance's normal legal structure.]]

* ''ComicBook/StarWarsLegacy'': The Galactic Empire's Imperial Knights are Force-users who answer directly to the Emperor. However, they use the light side (and dislike the term "gray Jedi" used for them by the Galactic Alliance's mainstream Jedi Order), and also have the responsibility of ''stopping'' the Emperor should he ever fall to the dark side.

* ''Fanfic/BaitAndSwitchSTO'': Rachel Connor's story arc deals a great deal with the existence of Section 31, which acquired her as a Borg drone and turned her into a SuperSoldier immune to Borg assimilation. S31 certainly ''believe'' themselves to be safeguarding the Federation; however, expanding on their original portrayal in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', they're shown working to disrupt neighboring countries, including ostensibly friendly ones like the Klingon Empire and Romulan Republic, and even [[WellIntentionedExtremist plotting the assassinations of Federation officials they think aren't militant enough in advancing the country's interests]]. This escalates to the point where [[spoiler:the Federation is forced to disavow the agency entirely and designate it a terrorist organization]]. {{Discussed}} in [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21102830 "Rock Bottom"]]: Starfleet Captain Kanril Eleya, Rachel's CO, believes that the lack of accountability made S31's FaceHeelTurn inevitable.

* The Impossible Mission Force in the ''Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries'' is a US agency that appears to answer only to a mysterious "Secretary". ''Film/MissionImpossibleRogueNation'' even shows IMF officer William Brandt stonewalling a Congressional subcommittee on grounds that there currently is ''no'' Secretary who can permit him to discuss the group's missions--which apparently continue despite the present lack of a boss. Nope, not even the elected representatives of the people of the United States get to perform oversight of IMF if it doesn't want them to. [[spoiler:Alan Hunley is given the job of Secretary at the end of the film.]]

* ''Film/{{Swordfish}}'': The mysterious, charismatic Gabriel Shear is revealed to be the head of a government ghost cell tasked with dishing out DisproportionateRetribution on terrorists and other threats to the United States, and has a massive arsenal and bank account to do it with. Even THIS turns out to not be enough for him, and he plots to rob the World Bank and go fully renegade, killing his only Senate handler along the way.

** Recurring character Mara Jade is a Force-sensitive who was trained by Emperor Palpatine to be an "Emperor's Hand", a spy and assassin answering directly to him. ''Literature/TheThrawnTrilogy'' and later-written {{prequel}}s such as ''[[Literature/StarWarsAllegiance Allegiance]]'' give some indications as to the scope of her duties: in ''Dark Force Rising'' she tries (and fails) to ForceChoke Grand Admiral Thrawn after he betrays her, and implies that she was permitted to kill even Imperial military personnel more or less at will if she had a reason. Palpatine's death left her unemployed; she found work as a smuggler and gun for hire, and Luke Skywalker begins training her as a Jedi in ''The Last Command''.
** {{Discussed}} in the ''Literature/NewJediOrder'' novel ''Destiny's Way''. Luke, by now the official Grandmaster of the Jedi Order, has a less-than-cordial encounter with a New Republic politician named Fyor Rodan, who wants to remove this trope from the Jedi. He seeks to make the Jedi Order a formal branch of the New Republic military, which among other things would make it possible to CourtMartial Jedi Knights who fall to the dark side or otherwise go rogue. Luke prefers to keep the Order independent, feeling, as the Old Republic's Jedi did, that their purpose is to serve the Force rather than the political and military needs of the Republic.

** Section 31 is a super-secret Federation intelligence agency that isn't accountable to ''anyone at all''. It draws its authority from the eponymous section of the Federation Charter, which voids other restrictions placed by the charter in times of "extraordinary threat"--and as an operative wryly remarks in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', "Earth's got a lot of enemies." Section 31 also demonstrates some of the pitfalls of having such an agency: the lack of oversight leads to Section 31 going to increasing extremes to "safeguard the Federation" in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' (the series that first introduced them), including using biological weapons to try to exterminate the Dominion's Founders and framing a (Federation-friendly) Romulan senator for treason in order to put one of their [[TheMole moles]] into a higher position. They're even said to have an operative in the Federation President's Cabinet--in a series where there has already been [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E12ParadiseLost one attempted coup]] by a WellIntentionedExtremist Starfleet officer.

* The main conflict of ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'' is set off by this trope. With [[spoiler:the collapse of SHIELD]] in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', the Avengers are now effectively an NGOSuperpower with no civilian oversight or accountability. As a consequence of the missions in [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron Sokovia]] and Nigeria going pear-shaped and causing massive civilian casualties, the world's governments enact the [[SuperRegistrationAct Sokovia Accords]] in an attempt to [[DefiedTrope bring the Avengers back under civilian control]]. Reaction from the Avengers themselves is mixed: the increasingly traumatized Tony "Film/IronMan" Stark is in favor, while Steve "Captain America" Rogers worries that the Avengers will be subordinated to political objectives over the broader goal of protecting the planet, and chooses to quit. It gets worse when the Accords signatories appoint [[GeneralRipper Thaddeus Ross]] ([[Film/TheIncredibleHulk infamous for hunting the Hulk]]) in charge of enforcing the Accords on the superheroes: his pursuit of Bucky "Winter Soldier" Barnes pushes Tony and Steve into open conflict.

* Council Spectres from ''Franchise/MassEffect'', operatives with a vague mandate to "preserve peace and stability in the galaxy," are only answerable to the Council itself, which takes pains to not inquire too deeply into what they do and how they do it. Unlike other examples of this trope, they are [[WithThisHerring not provided with any particular resources]] by their employers, but since they can do anything they like without legal repercussion, they're free to cut deals, steal, and even raise private armies to accomplish their missions. The ethics of this are {{discussed}} in ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'': DaChief of Citadel Security criticizes the Spectres' lack of accountability, and the main plot of the game involves Commander Shepard hunting down a Spectre who has gone rogue, blundering into his plot to [[spoiler:summon the Reapers and bring on TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]] as a result.

* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Holy Orders of the Emperor's Inquisition. In addition to their totally unfettered powers of requisition (ranging from safehouses to entire fleets of starships), Inquisitors have no limits on their authority save what the Inquisition imposes on them, allowing them to do things (like summon daemons and traffick with aliens) that would get any other citizen burned alive. Finally, they are one of two groups (the other being the Emperor's [[SuperSoldier Space Marines]]) empowered to enact [[EarthShatteringKaboom Exterminatus]] if they deem it necessary (with the caveat that all but the highest-ranking Inquisitors can only ''request'' it: it has to be carried out by the Space Marines or the Imperial Navy). Inquisitors ''are'' answerable to other Inquisitors, with potential penalties for abuse of power including defrocking or even death, but the only office above them is that of the incapacitated GodEmperor of Mankind. So far the only other Imperial organization to successfully stand up to them has been the Space Wolves. %% Do not re-add comments about the Inquisition being a Trope Codifier: it does not qualify for the term.

** In the 16th century, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oprichnik the Oprichnina]] were both bodyguard and enforcers for none other than Ivan the Terrible. Operating under his direct and unquestionable command, they scoured Russia for his enemies (or people he just didn't like or looked at him funny). However, they only lasted seven years: after they failed to defend Moscow against the Tartars ([[RealityEnsues terrorizing helpless citizens isn't the same as being actual soldiers, after all]]), Ivan purged and then disbanded them.

* ''Fanfic/BaitAndSwitchSTO'': Rachel Connor's story arc deals a great deal with the existence of Section 31, which acquired her as a Borg drone and turned her into a SuperSoldier immune to Borg assimilation. S31 certainly ''believe'' themselves to be safeguarding the Federation; however, expanding on their original portrayal in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', they're shown working to disrupt neighboring countries, including ostensibly friendly ones like the Klingon Empire and Romulan Republic, and even [[WellIntentionedExtremist plotting the assassinations of Federation officials they think aren't militant enough in advancing the country's interests]]. {{Discussed}} in [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21102830 "Rock Bottom"]]: Starfleet Captain Kanril Eleya, Rachel's CO, believes that the lack of accountability made S31's FaceHeelTurn inevitable.

** Section 31 is a super-secret Federation intelligence agency that isn't accountable to ''anyone at all''. It draws its authority from the eponymous section of the Federation Charter, which voids other restrictions placed by the charter in times of "extraordinary threat"--and as an operative wryly remarks in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'', "Earth's got a lot of enemies." Section 31 also demonstrates some of the pitfalls of having such an agency: the lack of oversight leads to Section 31 going to increasing extremes to "safeguard the Federation", including using biological weapons to try to exterminate the Dominion's Founders and framing a (Federation-friendly) Romulan senator for treason in order to put one of their [[TheMole moles]] into a higher position. They're even said to have an operative in the Federation President's Cabinet--in a series where there has already been [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E12ParadiseLost one attempted coup]] by a WellIntentionedExtremist Starfleet officer.
** Both the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order may have started out as intelligence arms for their respective governments, but by the 24th century both had become so powerful that they could effectively run their governments simply by "disappearing" anyone who disagreed with them or framing them as disloyal to the state. The Dominion ''specifically'' targeted both organizations for annihilation prior to the Dominion War precisely because they considered both of them to be the greatest threat to the Dominion's takeover of the Alpha Quadrant. And then by the ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' we learn that there's an even deeper and more powerful cabal within the Tal Shiar called the ''Zhat Vash'' that scares even hardened Romulan operatives.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': The Blades, originally an order of elite dragon-hunters from Akavir, became the SecretPolice and PraetorianGuard of the Empire after aiding General Tiber "Talos" Septim in the Battle of Sancre Tor. They answer directly to the Emperors of Tamriel until their disbandment in the backstory to ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'' under the terms of the peace treaty with the Thalmor. The PlayerCharacter is an operative of the Blades in ''VideoGame/{{Daggerfall}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Morrowind}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Oblivion}}'', and receives the survivors' allegiance in ''Skyrim''.

* ''Fanfic/BaitAndSwitchSTO'': Rachel Connor's story arc deals a great deal with the existence of Section 31, which acquired her as a Borg drone and turned her into a SuperSoldier immune to Borg assimilation. S31 certainly ''believe'' themselves to be safeguarding the Federation; however, expanding on their original portrayal in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', they're shown [[WellIntentionedExtremist plotting the assassinations of Federation officials they think aren't militant enough in advancing the country's interests]]. {{Discussed}} in [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21102830 "Rock Bottom"]]: Starfleet Captain Kanril Eleya, Rachel's CO, believes that the lack of accountability made S31's FaceHeelTurn inevitable.

** Section 31 is a super-secret Federation intelligence agency that isn't accountable to ''anyone at all''. It draws its authority from the eponymous section of the Federation Charter, which voids other restrictions placed by the charter in times of "extraordinary threat". Section 31 also demonstrates some of the pitfalls of having such an agency: the lack of oversight leads to Section 31 going to increasing extremes to "safeguard the Federation", including using biological weapons to try to exterminate the Dominion's Founders and framing a Federation-friendly Romulan senator for treason in order to put one of their [[TheMole moles]] into a higher position. They're even said to have an operative in the Federation President's Cabinet--in a series where there has already been [[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E12ParadiseLost one attempted coup]] by a WellIntentionedExtremist Starfleet officer.

* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': The Blades, originally an order of elite dragon-hunters from Akavir, became the SecretPolice and PraetorianGuard of the Empire after aiding General Tiber "Talos" Septim in the Battle of Sancre Tor, and answer directly to the Emperors of Tamriel until their disbandment in the backstory to ''VideoGame/{{Skyrim}}'' under the terms of the peace treaty with the Thalmor. The PlayerCharacter is an operative of the blades in ''VideoGame/{{Daggerfall}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Morrowind}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Oblivion}}'', and receives the survivors' allegiance in ''Skyrim''.

** Torchwood was established by UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria to counter supernatural and extraterrestrial threats and is answerable only to the current monarch of the UK. When Torchwood was first introduced, it's established that [[NoSuchAgency even the Prime Minister is not supposed to know they exist]]. [[Series/{{Torchwood}} They got their own spin-off series later.]]

* in ''Series/DoctorWho''
** When Torchwood was first introduced, it's established that [[NoSuchAgency even the Prime Minister is not supposed to know they exist]]. Torchwood was established by UsefulNotes/QueenVictoria to counter supernatural and extraterrestrial threats and is answerable only to the current monarch of the UK. [[Series/{{Torchwood}} They got their own spin-off series later.]]

* {{Defied}} in the ''Franchise/StargateVerse''. Despite the {{Secret War}}fare nature of the stargate program and General Hammond having the President of the United States on speed dial, the SGC and related agencies such as NID are still very much subject to the normal US and eventually UN legal structures. There's repeated tangles with Congress over the budget (recurring antagonist Senator Kinsey originally gets read in because he was chairman of the Appropriations Committee at the time), and a couple of times, operators who went rogue end up with federal death sentences for offenses they legally aren't allowed to discuss because they happened on other planets.

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': The Sith Warrior class story sees the PC named the "Emperor's Wrath", a title making them the personal enforcer and executioner of Sith Emperor Vitiate (at least in theory: nobody has in fact seen Vitiate for years, [[spoiler:because he's preparing to conquer the galaxy at the head of the Eternal Empire]]). This makes them autonomous from the Dark Council, which normally ''de facto'' rules the Sith Empire and especially the Sith religious order on a day-to-day basis.