History Main / HellBentForLeather

* Leather armor is, fittingly enough, the armor of choice of rogue classes, especially in ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. Medieval leather armor actually came in two varieties: the less common type was similar to biker-style garments (which is probably what D&D et al are going for), and the more common one (''cuir bouilli'') was hardened by being boiled into rigid pieces and doesn't look or behave anything like leather clothing.
** Par for the course in the ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'' setting.
* The "Leather armor" card in ''TabletopGame/{{Munchkin}}''.
* In ''TabletopGame/VampireTheEternalStruggle'', the Leather Jacket is an equipment card. It prevents all damage from a single attack and is then destroyed. By comparison, the Flak Jacket can be used every round, but only prevents 1 damage.
* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', leather jackets made from tanned Squig skin are the go-to armour choice for most lower-class [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Ork Boyz]], because it looks tough and it does offer a bit of protection from primitive weapons like spears and arrows. It doesn't do much against most of the massively overpowered firearms of the setting, though, so if they get shot at, they drop like flies.

* [[VideoGame/{{Stranglehold}} Tequila Yuen]] sports a brown one and pulls it off. Maybe it's because he is Chow Yun Fat...
* Rachel from ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' is a [[HunterOfMonsters Fiend Hunter]] who dresses in a revealing leotard of black leather.

* All of Organization XIII in the ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' series wear long, black leather trenchcoats. Perhaps this has something to do with their DracoInLeatherPants status among the fandom.
** Also, [[EvilMakeover Riku]] and [[DressCodedForYourConvenience Va]][[ObviouslyEvil ni]][[MalevolentMaskedMan tas]] play this trope... [[PlayingWithATrope sideways]] with full bodysuits made of what looks to be ''muscle tissue''. Whether muscle counts as leather is left as an exercise for the reader.

** Etna from ''VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness'' has an outfit composed primarily of black leather... [[{{Stripperiffic}} though she's not wearing a lot of it]].
** In ''VideoGame/Disgaea4APromiseUnforgotten'', Fenrich: black leather pants, a red leather jacket, [[WalkingShirtlessScene and not much else]].
* Haken Browning from ''Super Robot Taisen OG: Endless Frontier''. His outfit is a black leather trench coat. He is ridiculed for complaining of overheating during the group's journey through East Elftale.

* Present Mic wears a leather jacket as part of his punk rocker style in ''Franchise/MyHeroAcademia''

* Etna from ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea|HourOfDarkness}}'' has an outfit composed primarily of black leather... [[{{Stripperiffic}} though she's not wearing a lot of it.]]
** In ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4| A Promise Unforgotten}}'', Fenrich: black leather pants, a red leather jacket, [[WalkingShirtlessScene and not much else.]]
* Haken Browning from Super Robot Taisen OG: Endless Frontier. His outfit is a black leather trench coat. He is ridiculed for complaining of overheating during the group's journey through East Elftale.
* ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', after ''Mad Max'' above. Complete with one arm missing.
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' has Leather Armor, along with Motorcycle Helmets, both of which have gender-specific variants.
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'' has the [[spoiler:cyborg]] assassin Kellogg, renowned and feared throughout the Commonwealth [[spoiler:and some parts of New California and the Mojave]] for his brutal methods. Unusually, he wears a dark brown coat instead of black. [[spoiler:Although, given how old Kellogg is, the coat could have been black when he started his career all those years ago.]]

* [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Psycho Mantis]]. The man is a villain, true, but given that his personal outfit is a few yards of leather away from being a gimp suit does help solidify his place as one of the most badass bosses in all the games. An interesting example in that, going by his death scene, he abhors sexuality.

* The most rebellious ComicBook/{{Superboy|1994}}, Kon-El, wears a black leather jacket over his super-suit (along with [[TooManyBelts two crisscrossed leather belts]]). His first jacket was a gift from the Newsboy Legion clones, which ended up destroyed in combat and replaced several times over. His second outfit replaced it with a bomber jacket. The leather jacket eventually made a comeback in ''ComicBook/YoungJustice2019'', now with more metal studs, along with red leather fingerless gloves.

* The most rebellious ComicBook/{{Superboy|1994}}, Kon-El, wore a black leather jacket over his super-suit (along with [[TooManyBelts two criscrossed leather belts]]) for his first outfit. The original jacket was gifted to him by the Newsboy Legion clones, but it ended up being destroyed in combat and replaced several times. The black leather jacket was gone from his second outfit; it eventually made a comeback in ''ComicBook/YoungJustice2019'', now with more metal studs.

* The most rebellious ComicBook/{{Superboy|1994}}, Kon-El, wears a leather jacket, leather belts, and tea shades with his spandex in his first and second outfits. Kon-El is back to his more traditional personality and back in leather, now with more metal studs, as of ''ComicBook/YoungJustice2019''.

** Humanoid demons would usually be seen in black leather clothes. In an episode where Phoebe and Paige go to a mirror universe where the Charmed Ones are evil, that universe's Darryl assumes they've been going undercover in the Underworld, which is good in this reality, due to the "bright happy colours" they're wearing.
** The episode "Ms Hellfire" sees a hitwoman trying to assassinate the sisters, and Prue then [[EmergencyImpersonation impersonates her]] to find out who sent her. She's naturally wearing a midriff-baring leather top and tight pants to go with it. Prue helps herself to two outfits from her closet - one being a LittleBlackDress that also appears to be leather, and a similar set of leather pants and basically a black bra. In the latter, she gets a slow motion SexyWalk in as Bane Jessup begins EatingTheEyeCandy.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In "[[Recap/TheTwilightZoneS5E138BlackLeatherJackets Black Leather Jackets]]", Scott, Steve and Fred wear the titular attire as part of their disguise as GreaserDelinquents.

* ''Series/Lucifer2016'': The demon Maze's wardrobe is almost exclusively black leather paired with the occasional corset and chains.

It ''will'' be ''black'' leather the vast majority of the time. Other colors just don't have the same effect in most cases, though white and red do sometimes work, as does the traditional brown. For increased badassery, have the black leather lit by a sodium lamp: Black leather, deep green highlights.

** The second incarnation, Blackadder spends most of his series in head-to-toe black leather. There's a reason this version of the character is considered the [[EvilIsSexy sexiest]] of the dynasty. According to WordOfGod, the entire female cast went "pwhoar" the first time Rowan Atkinson showed up on set in costume, including the very lesbian Creator/MiriamMargolyes.

* ''ComicBook/{{Catwoman}}''.
** Averted with ''Film/BatmanReturns'', where her catsuit was made out of latex, vacuum-sealed to the point of discomfort, and coated with a wet silicone lubricant to create the illusion of sheen, and to hide the fact that the stitches were not stitched into the fabric, but glued on after the fact because latex is notoriously easy to tear (so much so that the production team had to make more than 40 catsuits). The closest practical way to make this costume is wet-look spandex, but Catwoman's [[Film/Catwoman2004 solo film]] plays this trope straight, as the designers wanted to make it out of leather so it would be easier for commercial costume makers to reproduce.

* Because it's set on a world with rich animal life but sparse civilization, leather is extremely important in ''VideoGame//{{Rimworld}}'', as a source of clothing and for other constructions like armchairs and animal beds. The hides of the game's most powerful animals (rhinos, elephants, megasloths and thrumbos) can be turned into [[BadassLongcoat dusters]] that are tougher than a flak jacket and can be preferable even to power armour.

%%* Brian Kinney of ''Series/QueerAsFolk''.

* Velma in the Scooby-Doo movie dresses in leather to seduce Creator/SethGreen's character. Played for laughs because she sounds like she farts when she moves.

** Often seen on demons.
** On the Charmed Ones as well. Leather hit a peak from about 1998-2003.

* ''Series/PaperGirls'': Mac, a tomboy, loves to wear a leather jacket.

* The ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' is the TropeCodifier for MovieSuperheroesWearBlack as leather vests replace the bright spandex from the comics.

* When Yuuta of ''LightNovel/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'' [[OldShame was under the self-delusion]] of the "[[PlayingWithFire Dark Flame Master]]", this was his attire, complete with TooManyBelts.

* Fate Testarossa of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' has been fighting in a leather one-piece since she was ''nine''. Before her mother Precia was first shown to viewers, many of them wondered why she let her child dress like that. Turns out that, besides being the [[AbusiveParents worst mom ever]], she ''also'' dresses like that, and her device's most-commonly-used form is a whip.

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': When she still had Red She-Hulk power, Betty Ross wore a black leather suit that sometimes wouldn't be torn up when she's transformed. Though it was often [[NavelDeepNeckline unzipped to her navel]].

* Jason Todd[=/=]ComicBook/RedHood wears a leather jacket most of the time, to help illustrate his edgy "bad boy" persona.
* ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'''s Jakita Wagner. Black leather bodysuit with red trim. And a bit on the front she leaves unzipped at all times to expose some of her cleavage.
* Durham Red in ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'' is certainly fond of leather.
* The Raven royal family in ''ComicBook/{{Scion}}'' LOVE black leather.
* Most of the Front Line in ''ComicBook/NoHero'' wear non-porous leather with special masks for protection.

* ''ComicBook/WynonnaEarp'', especially in her original 1990s run. Her later series expand her wardrobe slightly.

* ComicBook/{{X 23}}'s dress style often involves lots of leather. Her two most {{iconic outfit}}s are a leather [[OfCorsetsSexy corset]], miniskirt, boots, and gloves; or leather PaintedOnPants and what essentially amounts to a leather sports bra.
* ComicBook/GhostRider wears a leather jacket. From Danny Ketch version on, spikes are also part of it.

* The ComicBook/BlackCat wears a figure-hugging bodysuit of black leather.
* ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'': The platoon of Giant Men use leather clothes while in giant size.
* The Batman Who Laughs from ''ComicBook/DarkNightsMetal'' wears this flamboyantly, including spiked visor goggles, several straps, and a set of chains. Compared to his previous suit which is made out of kevlar, his outfit seems to be [[AwesomeButImpractical unsuited for active combat, no less protective enough for him,]] but not like it matters to him because [[MemeticMutation he's the goddamn Batman (and half-Joker).]]
* As revived by Creator/GrantMorrison, ComicBook/AnimalMan is a vegetarian animal rights activist who generally averts this trope, but after [[spoiler: his family is murdered]] he suits up in a leather jacket from his {{punk rock}}er days to avenge them. [[spoiler: Their deaths are later undone by the author, if you're worried.]]

* ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' AU fanfic [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4777932/1/Firefly Firefly]] stars a human Bowser whose [[http://lightninglaveau.livejournal.com/990.html clothing tastes]] consist almost solely of leather and spikes, likely inspired by Nintendo's official [[http://raypc.webs.com/photos/Bowser/224252-bowser_1_.jpg designs]] [[http://www.bowsershrine.com/Images/Media/Renders/bowserdoubledash.jpg and]] [[http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/characters/images/bowser/bowser.jpg artwork]] for him.

* ''Fanfic/{{Bait and Switch|STO}}'': Eleya, a definite ActionGirl, has among her civilian clothes a black Klingon-made leather jacket that cost her a month's pay as a lieutenant.

* In ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy'', the Prowler is decked out from head-to-toe in leather and is a master thief skilled enough to elude the likes of All Might, [[WorldsGreatestWarrior Japan's greatest Hero.]] She can even go toe-to-toe with Spider-Man, ambushing him at the abandoned building he was staying at. She's also incredibly dangerous, having a penchant for [[LeaveNoWitnesses leaving any potential witnesses dead]].

* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'' addresses this, giving us a simple yet absolutely [[JustifiedTrope logical explanation]] for this fashion choice.
--> "The simple answer is that people like the style. The complicated answer is 'fucking warlocks'. You know how them frockwearers are always finding new ways to use magic to make people's lives miserable? Yeah, one of those wiseguys a few hundred years back got the bright idea that, hey, there had to be a way to [[XRayVision see through fabric]] to the skin below. There was. 'Nuff said."

* Creator/MarlonBrando in ''Film/TheWildOne''. In fact, that iconic image of Brando in the leather jacket is a big reason leather and badass became associated in popular culture.
* ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'':
** Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger in every single movie -- (stolen from a punk in [[Film/TheTerminator the first]], a biker in [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay the second]], and [[PlayedForLaughs a stripper]] in [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines the third]]).
** ''Terminator 3'' also has a female Terminator in a red leather suit.
* Absolutely everyone other than Agents in ''Film/TheMatrix'' dress in a combination of leather and latex. Originally the iconic {{Badass Longcoat}}s were meant to be leather, too, but fabric moved better in BulletTime.

* Late-night DJ Midnight Mark wears clingy leather trousers in ''Film/TheBoatThatRocked''. Later lampshaded by Quentin.
* ''Film/HomeAloneTheHolidayHeist'': Jessica is a burglar who wears leather pants and a leather jacket.
* Selene from ''Film/Underworld2003'' is why leather was invented.
* ''Film/RazorBladeSmile'': [[http://moria.co.nz/horror/razorbladesmile.htm Leather is a]] [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=razor+blade+smile&search_filter=0 popular fashion choice]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_Blade_Smile among vampires.]]
* Velma in the Scooby-Doo movie dresses in leather to seduce Creator/SethGreen's character. Played for laughs because she sounds like she farts when she moves.
* In ''Film/MadMax1'', the titular hero Max Rockatansky and the rest of the Main Force Patrol wear head-to-toe leather, although by the time of the sequels his clothing is so worn it's more like a NonUniformUniform.
* ''Film/AustinPowers'': Creator/MimiRogers in skintight black leather. And her daughter (Elizabeth Hurley), since Mrs. Kensington is a LegacyCharacter.

* Red is featured again in the Klingon dinner dress attire in ''[[Film/StarTrekVITheUndiscoveredCountry Star Trek VI]]''.

* ''Film/FightClub'': Tyler Durden wears red leather and goes as far as to say that in an ideal world a man will own just one set of clothes for his entire life, made of leather. [[spoiler: He's supposed to be a subconscious representation of the repressed protagonist's idea of masculinity.]]

* In ''Film/{{Eragon}}'', just about everyone of importance wears leather of some kind. This is extremely inaccurate. An EnforcedTrope, in that the wardrobe production was given little time to make the vast number of costumes needed, and someone had bought large quantities of leather; since further expenditures weren't allowed, they had to use what they had.
* In the ''Film/HarryPotter'' series, Bellatrix is constantly outfitted in a black dress and corset with notable leather trimming. Many of the other miscellaneous Death Eaters are seen with similar outfits.
* Aragorn in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' is rarely seen without his leather BadassLongcoat. Then he upgrades to one with the insignia of the White Tree in time for the final battle that's even ''more'' badass.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'':
** Anakin Skywalker wears a leather tunic (actually more of a tabard, like medieval knights used to wear) and leather boots in ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'', and in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' he wears a similar outfit but also has a leather gauntlet (to cover his prosthetic arm). To add to the coolness factor, his wardrobe goes from brown and black to almost all black, too. This foreshadows the [[DarkLordOnLifeSupport iconic black leather and metal suit]] we all know he'll be wearing for the rest of his life by the end of the movie...
** Han Solo has apparently picked up on this trope for ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/TheForceAwakens'', as he's shown wearing a brown leather jacket in place of his iconic black vest from the original trilogy.
* In ''Film/CharliesAngels2000'', Alex Munday (played by Lucy Liu) has a room full of computer nerds eating out of her palm thanks to her sexy leather powersuit (that squeaks every time she walks).
* The 1968 British-French film ''Naked Under Leather'' (a.k.a. ''Girl on a Motorcycle'') where the leather catsuit of the eponymous biker is openly played for {{fanservice}}.
* One of the most distinctive parts of Franchise/IndianaJones' wardrobe is his leather jacket, which was based on the A-2 flight jackets issued to World War II aviators. All of the jackets were custom pieces; the original jackets for ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'' were made (over a long and arduous process involving many samples and design rights arguments) by Leather Concessionaires (along with a Wilson jacket worn by the stuntman who climbed under a speeding truck).
* ''Film/TopGun'' is credited with not only popularizing leather aviator jackets in the 1980s, but with the US Air Force begrudgingly reissuing leather flight jackets to its aviators (while the Navy depicted in the film continued issuing G-1 flight jackets with only a short pause from 1979 to 1981, the Air Force discontinued them in favor of cloth jackets in 1943 and only surviving jackets and cottage industry replicas survived into the 1950s).
* In ''Film/{{Descendants}}'', it is practically a requirement for kids raised on the Isle of the Lost to be wearing leather at all times. The main four, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos, are no exception.
* Carla Rainer - the villainess in ''Film/ExceptionToTheRule'' - spends most of the movie wearing a black leather jacket and gloves. As might be expected for a psychotic female assassin.
* The HeadlessHorseman in ''Film/SleepyHollowHigh'' wears a black leather BadassLongcoat. His other sartorial decisions are more [[FashionVictimVillain idiosyncratic]].
* Once the protagonist of ''Film/{{Freaky}}'' has [[FreakyFridayFlip her body taken by a serial killer]], the ensuing makeover is highlighted by a [[LadyInRed red]] leather jacket.
* The 2021 Irish film ''Film/{{Spears}}'':
** Ashaki the HighClassCallGirl who's hired to infiltrate a club and help kidnap Vadik, has a pair of tight black leather pants. She has a leather jacket too, but this one is [[PurpleIsPowerful purple]].
** Jeff also has a black leather jacket that he wears out in the field, and it hints that even if he's a NonActionGuy, he's tougher than he seems.
* ''Film/{{Pistolera}}'': Apart from when she is undercover, Pistolera spends the movie dressed in a variety of skintight, {{Stripperific}} black leather outfits.
* ''Film/Masquerade2021'': Besides her fencing mask, Rose wears a leather jacket and tight-fitting black leggings for the second half of the movie.
* The SerialKiller in ''Film/NightAfterNightAfterNight'' dresses in black leather and a Beatles wig when he goes out hunting victims.
* In ''Film/TheSchoolForGoodAndEvil2022'', Sophie wears a leather corset during her time at the School for Evil. [[spoiler:Most notably when she gains Blood Magic from Rafal]].

* Arya from the ''Literature/InheritanceCycle'' wears black leather in combat, presumably for FanService. This may seem inappropriate given the characterization of elves as hardcore vegans, but then again they do make use of animals that die naturally (for example, an elf wearing a headdress of swan feathers gathered from dead swans and feathers swans had lost).

* Caine, the badass protagonist from ''Heroes Die'' always wears black leather.
* [[Franchise/TheWitcher Geralt]] is almost never seen out of his favorite leather jacket with ''lots'' of silver trim and studs and matching pants. Somewhat justified in that leather indeed was a material of choice for combat wear in TheDungAges, and silver is useful [[HeWhoFightsMonsters in his line of work]], but we sometimes almost get to ''hear'' [[TheDandy Dandelion]] cringe at his friend's fashion sense.
* Literature/KateDaniels bought her black leather jacket in her teenaged "bravo" days when she was deliberating trying to invoke this trope. [[CharacterDevelopment Developing]] into a more mature, sensible adult doesn't stop her from wearing leather at every chance, though, because leather affords some protection from attacks.
* In her first appearance in Literature/TimeScout, Margo Smith is wearing a nigh-heart-stopping tight leather miniskirt. A character later describes her as "doe-eyed one second, hell bent for leather the next".
* The Doctor's companion Fitz, from the ''Series/DoctorWho'' Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures, has a leather jacket. He also wears leather trousers once or twice.
* Harry Dresden's distinctive, enchanted black leather duster comes up frequently in ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', though the badassery of its leather is rarely explicitly stated. It ''is'' brought up when Harry needs clearance to enter a decidedly shifty night club, but Thomas is able to get him in because he's "A man in a black leather coat."

* In ''Literature/AutobiographyOfRed'', BadBoy Herakles wears a black leather jacket.

* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': In "The Separation", [[ActionFashionista Rachel]] is split into "Nice" and "Mean" versions of herself. One of the first things Mean Rachel does is express disgust at her preppy wardrobe and head out to buy some black leather.

** The tough as nails, motorcycle-riding Rosa Diaz usually wears a black leather jacket. Hell, for a Thanksgiving dinner with a suit-and-tie dress code, she promises to wear her "formal leather jacket" ("it's the one without any blood on it").

** Buffy and Faith are both seen wearing leather pants and jackets on more than one occasion, especially Faith. Angel and Spike both go in for leather jackets. Angel also famously wears leather pants while he turned evil.

* Max from ''Series/DarkAngel'' even had leather ''PANTS''. Hell, the whole X5 Escapees group were hell-bent on wearing leather jackets.

* ''Series/FlightOfTheConchords'': Bret and Jermaine use the budget for their tour to buy matching black leather suits for themselves [[spoiler:and Murray]], but mixed with accidentaly knocking over an amp, they suddenly gaina reputation as troublemakers and lose gigs. Then the suits get wet in the rain and shrink.

* Lord Tywin Lannister from ''Series/GameOfThrones'' is so fond of black leather jackets that one might confuse him for a Soviet commissar. Similarly, Jaime wears a grey badass leather longcoat.

* In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', leather jackets made from tanned Squig skin is the go-to armour choice for most lower-class [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Ork Boyz]], because it looks tough and it does offer a bit of protection from primitive weapons like spears and arrows. It doesn't do much against most of the massively overpowered firearms of the setting, though, so if they get shot at, they drop like flies.

* [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Psycho Mantis]]. The man is a villain, true, but given that his personal outfit is a few yards of leather away from being a gimp suit does help in solidifying his place as one of the most badass bosses in all the games. An interesting example in that, going by his death scene, he abhors sexuality.

* [[{{Tomboy}} Spinelli]] and [[BearerOfBadNews Butch]] in ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'' both wear black leather jackets.

* Gerard Way from Music/MyChemicalRomance used to wear leather jackets until they fell apart. See above, speculation on how bad Jim Morrison's pants smelled.

** Younger panzer crews in Nazi Germany, particularly in regiments which were formed in the middle to late war years, were fond of wearing U-boat crew leathers.

* Los Angeles-based clothing designers Lip Service are quite fond of this, as it's been their longest running line for about 15 years.
* Early aircraft pilots wore fur lined leather jackets for the warmth, and this was continued with practically every air force through World War II issuing leather jackets.
** The US Army Air Force began issuing the famous A-2 flight jacket in 1927 and they quickly became a status symbol among American military aviators to the point where non-aviators (including infantry) would do anything they could to get one, all the way up to buying replicas made by local European cottage industries. They were discontinued from issue in 1943 in favor of cloth jackets, but issued replacements and unofficial wear kept them going in the US Air Force into the 1950s. The Navy never stopped issuing their leather G-1 jacket except for a brief period, however, and the release of ''Film/TopGun'' is credited with the Air Force reissuing new A-2 jackets starting in 1988.