History Main / HenchmenRace

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%%* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': The Saibamen.

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* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}''': In ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'' it is revealed that the [[EvilOverlord Evil Emperor]] of {{Uberwald}} did the same thing [[spoiler: except he just used humans -- although most people think he used goblins]]. It's also revealed [[spoiler: the orcs were driven into battle by men with whips -- which Glenda points out means you can't judge them as AlwaysChaoticEvil based on that]].
* {{The Igor}}s also count, though most of them don't work for outright villains anymore, and one is even employed by the Ankh-Morpork City Watch.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': This is SOP for many [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Sparks]], particularly those well-disposed towards biology. Those more inclined towards metalworking may settle for an army of [[MechaMooks Clanks]] instead. The most notable example is, of course, the Jägerkin, created as fanatical, nigh-unstoppable and [[NeverBareheaded hat-obsessed]] footsoldiers by the old Heterodynes... the fact that they're still around today, and prospering despite the absence of their masters, is testament to their impressive engineering.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': This is SOP for many [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Sparks]], particularly those well-disposed towards biology. Those more inclined towards metalworking may settle for an army of [[MechaMooks Clanks]] instead. The most notable example is, of course, the Jägerkin, created as fanatical and nigh-unstoppable footsoldiers by the old Heterodynes... the fact that they're still around today, and prospering despite the absence of their masters, is testament to their impressive engineering.

* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'': The Minions were apparently created by Gru, thought as of [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} their very own movie]] they were retconned into a race that has existed since prehistoric times serving any bad guy they find.

* ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'': ''[[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Koreans]]''. Auric likes them because they are "[[YellowPeril the cruelest people on Earth"]]. [[ValuesDissonance Yeah...]]

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[[caption-width-right:300:Even Daleks need someone to do the heavy lifting.]]

* ''Anime/{{Macross}}'': As established in ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'', the Zentradi were created by the Protoculture as giant warriors to police their space. Wary of the threat of a Zentradi rebellion, the Protoculture implanted in them a directive to not attack the human-sized Protoculture members, which came to bite them in the ass when their experiment to create a more powerful Henchmen Race [[GoneHorriblyWrong went horribly wrong]], becoming the [[Anime/{{Macross7}} Protodeviln]], who started raising an army of mind-controlled Protoculture that the Zentradi were unable to fight. To contain the threat, the free Protoculture deactivated the directive. That bit them in the ass too: the Zentradi used their numerical superiority to wipe out the enemy army and allow the Protoculture to [[SealedEvilInACan seal away the Protodeviln]], but then rebelled and destroyed their masters before they could reactivate the directive that kept them under control.

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' films have the Orcs. Neither Saruman or Sauron are orcs but that doesn't stop them from using them for their armies -- the Orcs' pact with evil goes back a long way, right back to their creation by Morgoth, in fact. Saruman even created his own superior breed of Orc based off the "Uruk-Hai" template first used by forces of Mordor just a few hundred years beforehand. That said, the orcs seemingly use trolls to this effect as well.
* ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'': ''[[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Koreans]]''. Auric likes them because they are "[[YellowPeril the cruelest people on Earth."]] [[ValuesDissonance Yeah...]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': Thanos the Mad Titan has a couple of henchmen races under his employ that he lets his allies borrow. In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'', he gives a [[KeystoneArmy Chitauri army]] to [[TheEvilPrince Loki]] so he can take over Earth, while [[TheFundamentalist Ronan the Accuser]] has [[InsectoidAliens Sakaarians]] working as mercenaries for him in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''. Thanos himself deploys his Outriders -- four-armed Xenomorph-looking monsters -- to invade Earth in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.

* In Creator/GarthNix's ''Literature/KeysToTheKingdom'' series, the Piper creates the New Nithlings in order to be his servants and army.

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}}'s ''Literature/UnseenAcademicals'' it is revealed that the [[EvilOverlord Evil Emperor]] of {{Uberwald}} did the same thing [[spoiler: except he just used humans--although most people think he used goblins]]. It's also revealed [[spoiler: the orcs were driven into battle by men with whips--which Glenda points out means you can't judge them as AlwaysChaoticEvil based on that]].

** And the Taxxons, who voluntarily became a henchman race in exchange for the Yeerks helping them to sate their eternal, mind-breaking hunger.

* ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'': the Inchoroi are masters of OrganicTechnology and have created a number of "weapon races" for the express purpose of wiping out humanity.

-->''Bond intended to stay alive on his own terms. Those terms included putting Odd-Job or any other Korean firmly in place, which in Bond’s estimation was lower than apes in the mammalian hierarchy.''
* ''Franchise/StarWars'' [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] has many examples (especially the ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]'' continuity):

** The Tivoli are an unusual example in that they naturally evolved that way: they are a race of rat people who have the dubious honor of living on the most easily conquerable alien planet ever; "ruled by alien warlord" has been the default form of government for most of their history, and they eventually decided to just go along with it.

* The Tinkerbats of the ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}'' series, which are a race of shadowy humanoids that loyally serve Risky Boots, [[spoiler:and previously, the Pirate Master]]. As their name suggests, they're very good at tinkering with gadgets in top of the traditional henchmen jobs of {{Zerg Rush}}ing and plundering.

* Possible RealLife example: Dogs. Before mankind had even managed to figure out agriculture, we managed to take [[TheRival a competing predator]], the wolf, and through selective breeding turned it into something that often looks nothing like a wolf, wants nothing more than to please us, and serves dozens of functions. Somewhat subverted in that the devotion isn't one way and, according to some studies, neither was the modification. The Soviets repeated the process in a much shorter time frame by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox domesticating the silver fox]] in less than fifty years. It helped that they knew what they were doing and had the ability to restrain the undomesticated generations. Lacking either of those, the original dog domestication probably took quite a while longer.

* ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'': The Zentradi and [[Anime/{{Macross}} its sequels]] had been created by Protoculture as giant warriors to police their space and to fight an unidentified threat (possibly the [[Anime/MacrossFrontier Vajra]]). Wary of the threat of a Zentradi rebellion, Protoculture implanted them a directive of not attacking the human-sized Protoculture members, that came to bite them in the ass when their experiment to create a more powerful Henchmen Race [[GoneHorriblyWrong went horribly wrong]], becoming the [[Anime/{{Macross7}} Protodeviln]], who started raising an army of mind-controlled Protoculture that the Zentradi were unable to fight. To contain the threat, the free members of Protoculture deactivated the directive. That bit them back in the ass too: the Zentradi used their numerical superiority to wipe out the enemy army and allow the Protoculture to [[SealedEvilInACan seal away the Protodeviln]], but then rebelled and destroyed their masters before they could reactivate the directive that kept them under control.

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}}'s ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'' it is revealed that the [[EvilOverlord Evil Emperor]] of {{Uberwald}} did the same thing [[spoiler: except he just used humans--although most people think he used goblins]]. It's also revealed [[spoiler: the orcs were driven into battle by men with whips--which Glenda points out means you can't judge them as AlwaysChaoticEvil based on that]].

** Many races, including humanity, have origins serving this function for the [[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Rakata]]. The Noghri however regain the hat after the decline of the {{Precursors}} after Darth Vader tricks them back into this role until Leia uses her status as heir to release them.

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[[caption-width-right:300:Even Daleks need someone to do the heavy lifting.]]

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

[[folder:Film -- Animation]]

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

* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' films have the Orcs. Neither Saruman or Sauron are orcs but that doesn't stop them from using them for their armies -- the Orcs' pact with evil goes back a long way, right back to their creation by Morgoth, in fact. Saruman even created his own superior breed of Orc based off the 'Uruk-Hai' template first used by forces of Mordor just a few hundred years beforehand. That said, the orcs seemingly use trolls to this effect as well.

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': Thanos the Mad Titan has a couple of henchmen races under his employ that he lets his allies borrow. In ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', he gives a [[KeystoneArmy Chitauri army]] to [[TheEvilPrince Loki]] so he can take over Earth, while [[TheFundamentalist Ronan the Accuser]] has [[InsectoidAliens Sakaarians]] working as mercenaries for him in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''. Thanos himself deploys his Outriders -- four-armed Xenomorph-looking monsters -- to invade Earth in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': This is SOP for many [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Sparks]], particularly those well-disposed towards biology. Those more inclined towards metalworking may settle for an army of [[MechaMooks Clanks]] instead. The most notable example is, of course, the Jägerkin, created as fanatical and nigh-unstoppable footsoldiers by the old Heterodynes... the fact that they're still around today, and prospering despite the absence of their masters, is testament to their impressive engineering...

* Possible RealLife example: Dogs. Before mankind had even managed to figure out agriculture, we managed to take [[TheRival a competing predator]], the wolf, and through selective breeding turned it into something that often looks nothing like a wolf, wants nothing more than to please us, and serves dozens of functions. Somewhat subverted in that the devotion isn't one way and, according to some studies, neither was the modification. The Soviets repeated the process in a much shorter time frame by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox domesticating the silver fox]] in less than fifty years, It helped that they knew what they were doing and had the ability to restrain the undomesticated generations. Lacking either of those, the original dog domestication probably took quite a while longer.

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* ''VideoGame/ORB'' has this as a major plot point. The two playable races were created by a {{Precursors}} race and they're at war because they believes the other destroyed their creators. The main enemy race is also an example, and it's never settled if the fourth race is or not.

* Originally, the Abh from ''LightNovel/CrestOfTheStars'' were this. They are now at war with descendants of their creators.
* The Zentradi of ''Anime/SuperDimensionFortressMacross'' and [[Anime/{{Macross}} its sequels]] had been created by Protoculture as giant warriors to police their space and to fight an unidentified threat (possibly the [[Anime/MacrossFrontier Vajra]]). Wary of the threat of a Zentradi rebellion, Protoculture implanted them a directive of not attacking the human-sized Protoculture members, that came to bite them in the ass when their experiment to create a more powerful Henchmen Race [[GoneHorriblyWrong went horribly wrong]], becoming the [[Anime/{{Macross7}} Protodeviln]], who started raising an army of mind-controlled Protoculture that the Zentradi were unable to fight. To contain the threat, the free members of Protoculture deactivated the directive. That bit them back in the ass too: the Zentradi used their numerical superiority to wipe out the enemy army and allow the Protoculture to [[SealedEvilInACan seal away the Protodeviln]], but then rebelled and destroyed their masters before they could reactivate the directive that kept them under control.
* The Saibamen from ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.

* Creator/MarvelComics

* The Imperial Minions from ''[[http://alaxr274.deviantart.com/gallery/37280372 Hottie 3: The Best Fan Fic in the World.]]''
* In the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures''/''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'' crossover ''Fanfic/{{Kage}}'', it's revealed that about a thousand years ago, Meridian didn't have any other [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]] than the bestial Mogriffs. By the time Prince Kronos usurped the throne, he had his sorcerers to study the Mogriffs' abilities and instill them into members of Meridian's sentient races. The first created shapeshifters helped Kronos to rule with an iron fist until his downfall. Those not imprisoned scattered amidst Meridian's population, with most of their descendants living as recluses these days. There are still [[FantasticRacism unfounded accusations]] of them all being vile and serving Prince Phobos, partly because of Cedric's status as TheDragon.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{Ripples}}'', in a similar way to the example in ''Fanfic/{{Kage}}'' above, the first shapeshifters (or Changelings) were [[WasOnceAMan originally human]] criminals and other social outcasts taken from Earth (the early Roman empire, specifically) and transformed to serve as the EliteArmy of the royal family. It was not until one of the following queens attempted to exterminate them out of fear that they rebelled. The survivors and their descendants have lived as rejects of Meridian's society since then. After Phobos takes the throne, he reinstates them to their original purpose.

[[folder:Film]]
* Clone Troopers in ''Franchise/StarWars''. They're obviously genetically members of an existing race, but they were specifically manufactured as soldiers, maturing at an accelerated rate and made genetically inclined to be docile and obey orders (probably including "ignore orders from the enemy").
* ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' films have the Orcs. Neither Saruman or Sauron are orcs but that doesn't stop them from using them for their armies - the Orcs' pact with evil goes back a long way, right back to their creation by Morgoth, in fact. Saruman even created his own superior breed of Orc based off the 'Uruk-Hai' template first used by forces of Mordor just a few hundred years beforehand. That said, the orcs seemingly use trolls to this effect as well.
* ''[[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea Koreans]]'' in ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}''. Auric likes them because they are "[[YellowPeril the cruelest people on Earth."]] [[ValuesDissonance Yeah...]]
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': Thanos the Mad Titan has a couple of henchmen races under his employ that he lets his allies borrow. In ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', he gives a [[KeystoneArmy Chitauri army]] to [[TheEvilPrince Loki]] so he can take over Earth, while [[TheFundamentalist Ronan the Accuser]] has [[InsectoidAliens Sakaarians]] working as mercenaries for him in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy''. Thanos himself deploys his Outriders - four-armed Xenomorph-looking monsters - to invade Earth in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''.

* In Creator/GarthNix's ''Literature/KeysToTheKingdom'' series, The Piper creates the New Nithlings in order to be his servants and army.
* The Orcs of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' were created by Morgoth from corrupted Elves. ([[FlipFlopOfGod Maybe.]]) Several thousand years and some changes in the nature of reality itself later, the wizard Saruman managed to make them stronger and properly resistant to sunlight ([[HalfHumanHybrid probably by crossbreeding them with Men]]). Saruman didn't pioneer this technique - the forces of Mordor were the first to develop the ''Uruk-Hai'' - but his specimens were arguably of un-rivaled quality.
** Trolls, too, were created by Morgoth in mockery of the Ents. In the Third Age Sauron took the use of them to new heights with the creation of the 'Olog-Hai', a superior breed of trolls which were trained to use armour and weaponry. They were employed to devastating effect in the Siege of Gondor.

* The Howlers from the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' books are a particularly interesting example since instead of the usual blind obedience or aggression, their creator made them so that they had almost child-like minds and thought that fighting and killing was a game.

** And the Taxxons, who voluntarily became a henchman race.
* The various shadowspawn from ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' were created by [[MadScientist Aginor]] to serve [[BigBad the Dark One]] and [[QuirkyMinibossSquad the Forsaken]]. Most, such as the Trollocs and Myrdraal, do so without problems- others, like the Gholam, are much more dangerous and difficult to control.
* Young Uplifted species from the ''Literature/{{Uplift}}'' series. Client races are indentured to their Patrons for 100,000 years or more. They can also be treated (badly) as traditional Henchmen, including being used as cannon fodder. Some semi-legal species are specially made as weapons. Non-evil examples from the 'good' Patrons happen, but indentured servitude is generally insisted upon anyway [[GrandfatherClause because this has been the accepted practice since the dawn of sentience.]] Humans, being universally loathed anyway for having no creator race, consider the tradition to be a major reason for the ModernStasis every other race is stuck in and subvert it meticulously with their own client races: neo-chimpanzees, dogs and dolphins, monitoring them as supervisors and counsellors but otherwise granting them as much independence as their competence allows.

* The eponymous shadows Philonecron steals in ''[[Literature/CronusChronicles The Shadow Thieves]]'' are the souls of Zee and Charlotte's friends and fellow students, which Philonecron was using to make an army to overthrow [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Hades]].

** Many races have origins serving this function for the [[KnightsOfTheOldRepublic Rakata]]. The Noghri however regain the hat after the decline of the {{Precursors}} after Darth Vader tricks them back into this role until Leia uses her status as heir to release them.
** The Arkanians, a race of {{mad scientist}}s, genetically engineered various sub-species of their own race, generally referred to as "Arkanian Offshoots," as servants. They had a distinctly different appearance than baseline Arkanians, and were treated somewhere between second-class citizens and vermin.
** Ever wondered why the Hutts have the Nikto, Klatooinians, and Vodrans amongst them? They're all vassal races of the Hutts.
* Deconstructed in Creator/DaveLuckett's ''Literature/TenabranTrilogy'': Goblins are a peaceful and artistic people of ancient lineage, but as a species they have a low resistance against telepathic domination that makes them really handy to anyone with mind-control powers and a sudden desire to field an army. Because they generally keep to themselves when they're not being forced to do an evil overlord's bidding, most humans have only encountered them on the battlefield and think they're an AlwaysChaoticEvil henchman race.

* The Jaffa out of ''Series/StargateSG1'' are examples of the 'take an existing race and modify it' variety.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'' has had some like these, most notably the Ogrons, who have been mooks of the Daleks and The Master. Even the Daleks, though not completely original, were created by Davros by heavily mutating and converting an existing race, the Kaleds, in order to fight under him. The Daleks themselves had a race of pig slaves under their command in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E4DaleksInManhattan Manhattan]].
** The Tivoli are an unusual example in that they naturally evolved that way, they are a race of rat people who have the dubious honor of living on the most easily conquerable alien planet ever, ''ruled by alien warlord'' has been the default form of government for most of their history, eventually they decided to just go along with it.
* The Jem'Hadar and ''maybe'' the Vorta in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' are this to the Founders. WordOfGod says that the Jem'Hadar were an existing race whose DNA the Founders messed around with, though this is never made explicit on the series, and the Vorta are a bit complicated. The first Vorta we meet claims that they threw in their lot with [[TheEmpire the Dominion]] voluntarily at first and some of them are having second thoughts, but she turned out to be TheMole, meaning [[UnreliableExpositor this should be taken with a large grain of salt]] even if it doesn't fall under EarlyInstallmentWeirdness. A later Vorta tells a story that sounds much like an Aesop's Fable that points to their being a pre-existing but non-sentient species that was "uplifted" by the Founders. What ''is'' certain is that the Vorta are {{Middle Management Mook}}s and/or some sort of officer class with the Jem'Hadar being the [[WeHaveReserves disposable grunts.]]
* Rita of the original ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' series had minions she had to create on her own, known as Putties. Later seasons gave us [[Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers the Tengas]], [[Series/PowerRangersTurbo the Piranhatrons]], [[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy the Sting Wingers]], [[Series/PowerRangersLightSpeedRescue Batlings]], [[Series/PowerRangersWildForce Putrids]], [[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm Kelzacks]], [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Tyrannodrones]], [[Series/PowerRangersMysticForce Hidiacs/Styxoids]], [[Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive Lava Lizards/Chillers]], and [[Series/PowerRangersSamurai Moogers/Spitfangs]].
* The {{Golem}} soldiers from ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger''.
* The [[spoiler: Sebaceans]] in ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' are a strange example. The Eidelons created them by genetically modifying [[spoiler: primitive humans]] and used them to assist with negotiations and peacekeeping, not violence. Given what they turned into after the Eidelons vanished, though, they could certainly be considered a more traditional henchmen race as well.
* The Drakh were this to [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien the]] [[BigBad Shadows]] in ''Series/BabylonFive'', making their home on the same planet [[spoiler: until it was blown up]]. [[TheGreys The Streib]] were also Shadow lackeys--[[PlanetOfHats they were the ones we saw doing the creepy]] [[PlayingWithSyringes surgical work]] to prepare captive sentients for things like [[spoiler: becoming [[LivingShip battlecrab]] [=CPU=]s]], or taking on Keepers. The relationship between these races and the Shadows, and their roles, is further detailed in [[ExpandedUniverse the Technomage Trilogy novels and their prequel ''The Shadow Within'']].

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Planescape}}'', as stated on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_(Dungeons_&_Dragons) "The Tanar'ri]] are a race of numerous demons originally created by the AlwaysChaoticEvil Obyriths as slaves."
** The Obyriths bit is a {{Retcon}} from [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons 3rd Edition]], which used the planes but not ''Planescape''. However, most other planar races can be divided up by whether they are "naturally occurring" expressions of their plane, or created as servitors for the gods. Oddly enough, the most clearly identifiable Henchmen Races work for the ''good'' gods, as the good gods share what works - the Aasimon (angels) are available to all the good gods, and some other races (like the Asuras, Per, and Einhariar) are shared among subsets of the good gods or specific pantheons. Evil gods are more secretive and create their own agents or recruit from the dead souls of a particular race.
* Technically speaking, every existing species in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' was intended as this (although it was most overt for the Dragon Kings to the gods and the Jadeborn to Autochthon), and the Exalted have a few of their own as well (the Solars engineered numerous races, and the Lunars typically breed [[HalfHumanHybrid beastmen]]). Primordials/Yozis have the most direct examples in their First Circle Devas/Demons (custom made spiritual servitor races, in contrast to the Second and Third Circles, who are their patrons' literal souls).
* The [[PlanetOfHats hat]] of the Old Ones of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' is this. Of course, every time it backfired horribly: to fight the Necrons and their masters [[EldritchAbomination C'tan]], the Old Ones created various psychically-gifted races (including the [[SpaceElves Eldar]]) to exploit their enemies weakness against the power of the Immaterium, succeeding in driving them back but with the collateral effect of twisting the Immaterium into the Warp and unleashing the Enslaver Plague on the galaxy; to fight the Enslaver Plague, they created the Orkz, a {{Proud Warrior Race|Guy}} that loves [[AlwaysChaoticEvil fighting for fighting's sake]] that fought off the Enslavers with enormous collateral damage. It's not clear if the Slann are what remains of the Old Ones or another Henchmen Race of theirs, but in both cases the Old Ones are not that important anymore.
** The Kroot fill this role to the Tau Empire, as they are hired guns who serve in close quarter combat, which the Tau are fall short of.
** In turn, the Tau Ethereal Caste was created by the Eldar, although the precise reason why is unknown.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy'' has Hobgoblins, who act as this for Chaos Dwarfs, as there are very few in number, and utilize them as slavers, and auxiliaries to fill out their ranks.
*** At one point, when the Dawi-Zharr were more numerous, they used all the races of Greenskins as well as Ogres as servants. Then they decided to create a new, perfect, slave race-stronger, smarter, more obedient, and more cooperative than the others. The resulting Black Orcs led a massive slave revolt that reduced the Chaos Dwarfs to their limited numbers and then ran off. After that, they mostly stuck with Hobgoblins and the occasional Ogre; both of which can at least be generally bribed to stay loyal.
** The Lizardmen are a HenchmenRace ''to'' a HenchmenRace. The Slann were the froglike servants of the Old Ones, and are extremely powerful wizards (one of them is a ''corpse'' and still kicks more ass than a standard wizard), who then created the Saurus and Skinks serve as basic troops and priests, having a much less developed intellect, and domesticated the local dinosaurs.

* Technically speaking this is more or less the point of a KingMook, for example [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] leads the Koopas and Goombas (bar the good ones). Often though the Mook King is more of a general overall in the villain's army.
* Sligs from the ''VideoGame/{{Oddworld}}'' series. They're essentially the same as their bosses, the Glukkons, only less enterprising. Unlike some of the examples of this trope, they're completely unsympathetic, as they are shown to be totally sadistic, conniving jerks. They're also examples of the 'modification' variety, since they weren't created by the Glukkons, but they were outfitted with legs and guns by them.

* The obscure strategy game ''O.R.B'' as this as a major plot point. The two playable races were created by a {{Precursors}} race and they're at war because they believes the other destroyed their creators. The main enemy race is also an example, and it's never settled if the fourth race is or not.
* The Reapers in the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series have [[spoiler:the Keepers]] and [[spoiler:the Collectors]]. The former were kept as docile as possible to keep their ArtifactOfDoom InWorkingOrder without attracting attention, while the latter were highly genetically modified to serve as general muscle. Husks of assorted types are the "converted" types. Also, [[spoiler:the Keepers]] have since been sabotaged, so they no longer work completely as intended [[spoiler: because they don't respond to the Reaper signal to shut down the Citadel.]] A splinter faction of the Geth were actively trying to gain this status in the first game by helping them.
* In ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', the [[HiredGuns Jackals]], [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Elites]], and [[KillerSpaceMonkey Brutes]] serve primarily as military muscle for the Covenant's Prophets, while the [[InsectoidAliens Drones]] all think of said Prophets as their "queens". However, the trope is played with in that the Elites also have substantial political power of their own within the Covenant (being the only other race with High Council representation), while the Jackals are at heart independent-minded pirates who spend as much time robbing their superiors as they do fighting for them.
** After [[spoiler:the Covenant falls apart post-''VideoGame/{{Halo 3}}'']], its various races have largely tried to go their own ways (with varying degrees of success), with the Elites having the most to relearn about how to maintain their own society.

* This is SOP for many [[ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder Sparks]] in the ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' 'verse, particularly those well-disposed towards biology. (Those more inclined towards metalworking may settle for an army of [[MechaMooks Clanks]] instead.) The most notable example is, of course, the Jägerkin, created as fanatical and nigh-unstoppable footsoldiers by the old Heterodynes... the fact that they're still around today, and prospering despite the absence of their masters, is testament to their impressive engineering...
* The "[[OurGhoulsAreCreepier ghouls]]" from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' were these for [[spoiler:Leono, an alien who bred them by sleeping with random women. Because "asexual reproduction is for wussies!"]]

* WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes: The Instant Martians employed by Marvin the Martian in "Hare-Way to the Stars".
* The Minions from ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' were apparently created by Gru, thought as of [[WesternAnimation/{{Minions}} their very own movie]] they were retconned into a race that has existed since prehistoric times serving any bad guy they find.
* The Amphonids from ''WesternAnimation/FreeWilly''.
* The Grubs and the Brain Pods (scientists) serving under Emperor Zurg in ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand''.
* The Bears in ''WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons'' as workers of Cyril Sneer.
* Momo's Blub Blubs in ''WesternAnimation/StarStreetTheAdventuresOfTheStarKids''.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'' the Ogres as servants of Duke Igthron and the Troggles (jackal-like creatures) to Lady Bane.
* The Goblins as servers of Samhain in ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'', Samhain also has the power to control every spirit or ghost in town.
* The Tomatoes in ''WesternAnimation/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes'' are the henchmen race of Dr. Gangreene, and are fully sentient.

* The Instant Martians employed by [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Marvin the Martian.]]

* The Orcs of ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' were created by [[BiggerBad Morgoth]] from corrupted Elves. ([[FlipFlopOfGod Maybe.]]) Several thousand years and some changes in the nature of reality itself later, the wizard Saruman managed to make them stronger and properly resistant to sunlight ([[HalfHumanHybrid probably by crossbreeding them with Men]]). Saruman didn't pioneer this technique - the forces of Mordor were the first to develop the ''Uruk-Hai'' - but his specimens were arguably of un-rivaled quality.