History Main / StandardizedLeader

!!Examples

[[folder: Film]]

** Discussed as early as book 16 (of 54) - Cassie tries to convince Jake that he doesn't have to be like this 24/7, but he disagrees. If he admits that he's scared, then so can everyone else, at which point the whole team will be paralysed.

* Bridei of Juliet Marillier's Bridei Chronicles.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* Jack of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' was never without his own issues, but because he had to fulfill the role of WastelandElder, he never seemed to face his problems head on and develop like his followers. Eventually, he does manage to subvert the trope, [[spoiler:when after finally leaving the island,]] his personal demons follow him and escalate, and he slowly falls apart. [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap The fandom seems to like him now]].
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries,'' especially in the early episodes, frequently played up the idea that Kirk (or any Starfleet captain) was obliged to make sure the crew perceived him this way--seeing him as always unflappable and dependable, to ensure order on board ship. According to the [[WordOfGod writer's bible]], the reason Kirk plays so hard and gets into so many romantic entaglements when he's off the ship is to relieve the stress of maintaining this idealized image when on board.

** [[{{Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine}} Sisko]] is the [[{{InvertedTrope}} Inversion]] of this trope. The station is full of people with their own narratives, agendas, and personal baggage, most of whom aren't even under his command. [[{{Main/BadassBureaucrat}} A big part of his job is saying no to people when they're about to so something short-sighted or politically dangerous]].
* The majority of earlier ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' Red Rangers, up until the 90s, are basically this trope incarnate. This is probably because in most of the earlier series, the Sentai teams were an elite squad of a military organization, so the red ranger is more or less the squad captain who needs to be the stable pillar of the team. Later ''Sentai'' start to move away from this type of Red Ranger, with HotBlooded {{Rookie Red Ranger}}s becoming the norm. The the early team leaders of the American adaptation ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' also fell under this trope.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Discussed in [[http://www.digitalpimponline.com/strips.php?title=movie&id=251 Joe Loves Crappy Movies]], where they decide that the appropriate title for Leonardo and Cyclops is "Jacktard"
* Mark, while far from leading the cast of weregeek, is TheHero and protagonist. His only real trait is his burgeoning geekiness, and his naivety. The other members of the cast get way more personality.

* Leonardo is this in some incarnations of the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles, most notably in the 80 cartoon. His 2003 incarnation, on the other hand, subverts this trope. His 2012 incarnation actually seems to be ''inverting'' the trope.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' Robin has a weird relationship with this trope. If he's not the focal character of an episode, he'll usually [[PlayingWithATrope play this trope very straight]], but when he ''does'' take the spotlight, we get a pretty good look at his imperfections. In fact, Robin's major flaw is that he takes his job as the team's leader ''too'' seriously; he'll become so obsessed with defeating a villain (usually his ArchEnemy Slade) that he'll do anything, no matter how reckless, to bring them down, and will often become shockingly insensitive to his friends' feelings in the process.
** He's also considered the "coolest" member his team by the alien princess, the cyborg, the shapeshifter, and the half-demon witch. The Aesop of the episode where we learned this was him learning that he doesn't have to be the best at everything, and he shouldn't take things personally.
** WordOfGod is that he was visually designed to be appealing to teenagers. For example, the big, clumsy feet represent how teenagers may feel about their changing bodies. He's also somewhat vain about his hair.
--> "As much as I hate to admit it, he and I are kind of alike. But there's one big difference between me and Slade: he doesn't have any friends."
** Averted in the successor series ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo'', where Robin has the IdiotBall superglued to his body and is mainly leader only because anyone else (except possibly Cyborg, who in this series functions as a mentor or co-leader) as leader would be ''worse'' (in one episode, Beast Boy becomes the "Alpha Male" ... somehow ... and he, Starfire, and Raven begin acting like gorillas).
* Fred from the original ''ScoobyDoo''.
** Some of the later shows and movies try to remedy this, to the point where the Fred in one incarnation can seem like a totally different character from the Fred in another.
** Most notably averted in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', which turns him into a world-class {{Cloudcuckoolander}} -- with the same [[Creator/FrankWelker voice actor]] as in the original 1969 show, making it all the more jarring.

* Aqualad of ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'' is chosen as the group's leader because he is more thoughtful and less reckless than the rest of the team, and he has a sound grasp of group tactics and discipline. However, he's uncomfortable with the burden and considers himself merely a temporary leader until Robin can mature into the position.

%% Please see thread to discuss a new image.

[[quoteright:252:[[Webcomic/JoeLovesCrappyMovies https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/JoeLovesCrappyMovies2_5673.jpg]]]]

* ComicBook/{{Nightwing}}[=/=]Dick Grayson, possibly the default guy for leadership in the DC universe, subverts this astoundingly by being one of the most popular characters. It probably helps that he has a ''very'' long, detailed, and sometimes painful history of growing up as a sidekick, and whenever he works with Batman he seems fine with letting Bats take the lead.
** In fact, during the Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans run, Dick was chosen by Raven to lead the team she assembled because he fit this trope so well.

* The majority of earlier Franchise/SuperSentai reds are basically this trope incarnate. Prime examples include [[FlatCharacter Tsuyoshi]] from the original ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger'', [[CreatorsPet Masao]] from ''Series/BattleFeverJ'', [[BigDamnHeroes Ken'ichi]] from ''Series/DaiSentaiGoggleV'', [[ChickMagnet Hiryū]] from ''Series/DengekiSentaiChangeman'', [[TeamDad Jin]] from ''Series/ChoushinseiFlashman'', [[PromotionToParent Gaku]] from ''Series/ChikyuuSentaiFiveman'', [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority Ryū]] from ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman'', [[CainAndAbel Geki]] from ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' and [[IKnowKarate Gorō]] from ''Series/ChourikiSentaiOhranger''. Later Sentai Reds, such as [[Series/KousokuSentaiTurboranger Riki]],[[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Marvellous]] and [[Series/UchuSentaiKyuranger Lucky]], avert this.
** On the side of the pacific, a number of Red Franchise/PowerRangers fall into this, most notably Jason in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', Scott in ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', and Jason's {{Expy}} Jayden in ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai''.
** Which is in direct contrast to Jayden's ''Series/SamuraiSentaiShinkenger'' counterpart; Takeru Shiba, who is somewhat of a subversion by the fact that he appears to try and keep up the trappings of a StandardizedLeader but eventually slips more and more as his backstory is revealed. It becomes one of the centerpoints for the latter parts of the show.

* ComicBook/CosmicBoy from the ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}} is much more dour and serious than his drama generating teammates, it's ''why'' he's usually the leader.

* ComicBook/CosmicBoy from the ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}} is much more dour and serious than is drama generating teammates, it's ''why'' he's usually the leader.

* Cosmic Boy from the ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}.

** Despite all this, he ''does'' have a personality and gimmick; just not as memorable as the others. Many episodes highlight his role as TheBarnum, such as turning Rick's bedroom into a roller-skating dance club or bribing his way through college, as well as his CassanovaWannabe status (one episode shows him cover his bedroom floor with panties, take out his inflatable sex doll, and put on a tape recorder of a woman swooning "oh Mike, oh Mike", revealing that despite his charm he's as big of a liar as Rick.

* The majority of earlier Franchise/SuperSentai reds are basically this trope incarnate. Prime examples include [[FlatCharacter Tsuyoshi]] from the original ''Series/HimitsuSentaiGoranger'', [[CreatorsPet Masao]] from ''Series/BattleFeverJ'', [[BigDamnHeroes Ken'ichi]] from ''Series/DaiSentaiGoggleV'', [[ChickMagnet Hiryū]] from ''Series/DengekiSentaiChangeman'', [[TeamDad Jin]] from ''Series/ChoushinseiFlashman'', [[PromotionToParent Gaku]] from ''Series/ChikyuuSentaiFiveman'', [[LawOfChromaticSuperiority Ryū]] from ''Series/ChoujinSentaiJetman'', [[CainAndAbel Geki]] from ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' and [[IKnowKarate Gorō]] from ''Series/ChourikiSentaiOhranger''. Later Sentai Reds, such as [[Series/KousokuSentaiTurboranger Riki]] and [[Series/KaizokuSentaiGokaiger Marvellous]], avert this.

* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:'' Steve Rogers / Captain America, TheLeader of the Avengers is a StaticCharacter who is emotionally balanced, serious and morally upright. Unlike some other members of the team who face heavy internal conflicts, his arc revolves mostly about gaining experience in dealing with changing circumstances around him.

* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'': Played straight with [[Characters/XMenFilmSeriesProfessorCharlesXavier Professor Charles Xavier]] in [[Film/XMen1 the]] [[Film/X2XMenUnited original]] [[Film/XMenTheLastStand trilogy]], where he's a StaticCharacter who doesn't really get to be more than TheMentor to the X-Men. It's averted with the [[Film/XMenFirstClass First]] [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast Class]] [[Film/XMenApocalypse trilogy]], where he's upgraded to the HeroProtagonist and becomes a RoundedCharacter.

* The nominal leader (the one wearing [[GogglesDoNothing the goggles]]) in any ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' series, especially [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 Davis]]. They're usually the most courageous and have the [[DysfunctionJunction least issues]], though the later ones verge more on IdiotHero. Though this is notably averted with [[Anime/DigimonTamers Takato]] who is the drastic opposite in that he ''lacks'' any confidence at the beginning of the story, and does get a good part of development. Then there's [[Anime/DigimonXrosWars Taiki]] who is far by a super genius compared to the rest of the previous ones.

* In most groups he's a part of, Batman will be the leader or at least a leading member. He tends to skirt this trope by maintaining his cold demeanor but the lack of focus means that a lot of his depth is glossed over.

* A number of Red Franchise/PowerRangers fall into this, most notably Jason in ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', Scott in ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', and Jason's {{Expy}} Jayden in ''Series/PowerRangersSamurai''.

* Jason Grace, from ''TheHeroesOfOlympus''. Well, until he gets some serious CharacterDevelopment in ''House of Hades''.

* This is an explicit feature of ComicBook/{{Cyclops}}, leader of the ''ComicBook/{{X-Men}}''. The traits which make him, or anyone, a good leader are also the traits that make him the least fun at parties. To a certain extent, the two are mutually exclusive. Recent writers have given Cyclops a good deal of character development by [[TropesAreNotBad embracing this trope.]]

** Various events, especially the death of Jean and most recently ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', have however lead to deconstructing this trope hard. As the only thing he had close to a personal life died, he basically threw himself into work 24/7, and as mutants plummeted in numbers and things got DarkerAndEdgier, he pushed the team into darker territory to keep everyone safe, resulting in some morally ambiguous decisions. He's now frequently compared to Magneto (who he gave a spot on the team to when he came asking for a HeelFaceTurn), due to his willingness to use extreme measures others would find appalling or a last resort.

** On the flipside, his counterpark Mark in ''Anime/BattleOfThePlanets'' plays this pretty straight.

* Despite not being a single main protagonist (for there isn't one), Mike can fit this in TheYoungOnes. He's not standard in any way, but compared to the craziness of Neil, Rick, and Vyvyan, Mike seems much calmer and notably less funny (and by extension, popular). However, he leads the housemates into many of the main events and rather than acting as an audience surrogate, he acts as a set up for some of the jokes, without causing as many laughs himself. He is also involved in barely any of the slapstick violence compared to the other three, but he is usually in charge of what happens in the "story". A lot of people don't think much of Mike, but he provides a contrast that make the other three so funny.

Happens quite a bit in HighFantasy and [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness Science Fantasy]] series in general. The main hero shoulders the burden of being the standard [[TheHerosJourney Campbellian hero]], generally a standard white male protagonist who [[ComingOfAgeStory grows from a boy to a man]] to a MessianicArchetype. His companions' role in the plot is not so strictly defined, and are allowed to be quirky, flawed and hint at HiddenDepths.

* In most [=RPG=]s, the {{PC}} (player-created or otherwise) is this character. Such tropes as {{AFGNCAAP}} and HeroicMime come under this trope, so examples include [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]], most Franchise/FinalFantasy or FireEmblem player characters, and nearly all characters on those two pages.
** Rare subversions tend to be in games which shade towards InteractiveFiction (where the PC is a fleshed-out character with their own personality) or towards WideOpenSandbox gaming (where the KarmaMeter and responses you choose in dialogue give your character personality. Creator/BioWare {{RPG}}s, especially the ''Franchise/BaldursGate'' and ''Franchise/MassEffect'' series, provide good examples.
** In fact, the Bioware games go to almost the exact opposite of this trope, acknowledging that the player's character becomes an awe-inspiring demigod before the first story's even over, leaving plenty of room for the world to be even more impressed in the sequels. The player's uncanny and sometimes unlikely ability to lead (despite whatever other flaws they might have) is just as often called out.

* While not an example of this in the main platformers since there's never any team to lead, [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] fulfills this role in the RPG spinoffs, which generally feature very quirky party members in contrast to his intentionally flat character seen across all media.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'', Roland fulfills this role for the Crimson Raiders and the former Vault Hunters, as both the leader of the resistance and as the StraightMan to his companions.

* Averted in ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation'', where, unlike in the games, [[CanonName Yu Narukami]] fits the "calm, collected leader" image, but [[DeadpanSnarker he]] [[SeriousBusiness has]] [[TheGadfly his]] [[CovertPervert fair share]] of [[TheComicallySerious humorous]] [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} quirks]] [[LargeHam to keep things]] interesting; In addition to being a certified badass. [[spoiler: Also, like the rest of his team, Yu's got his own [[BeneathTheMask share of issues]]. Deep down, he's actually an insecure BrokenAce with a low self opinion. He get's his strength from the [[ThePowerOfFriendship bonds he shares with his friends and family]], something he never had before coming to Inaba, and thus develops an intense fear of losing people he's close to.]]

* Leonardo is this in some incarnations of the Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles, most notably in the 80 cartoon. His 2003 incarnation, on the other hand, subverts this trope. His 2012 incarnation actually seems to be ''inverting'' he trope.

** [[{{Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine}} Sisko]] is the [[{{InvertedTrope}} Inversion]] of this trope. The station is full of people with their own narratives, agendas, and personal baggage, most of whom aren't even under his command. [[{{Main/BadassBureaucrat}} A big part of his job is saying no to people when their about to so something short-sighted or politically dangerous]].