History Main / TheGeneralissimo

A SubTrope of EvilOverlord, as well as TheCaligula in some cases. The militaristic leader of a [[FictionalCountry fictional third world state or nation]] (often located in [[BananaRepublic Latin America]], [[{{Ruritania}} Central or Eastern Europe]], [[{{Bulungi}} sub-Saharan Africa]], or [[{{Qurac}} the Middle East/North Africa]]). Almost invariably rules a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny or a BananaRepublic, though other flavors of [[TheDictatorship dictatorship]] are not unheard of. The most popular setting is a banana republic on a picturesque Caribbean island, with the general's residence surrounded by wealth and luxury while most people live in utter poverty. Almost AlwaysMale, and often either LargeAndInCharge or TheNapoleon[=/=]MisterBig. If they do have families, they will naturally be ThePatriarch as a parent. In the field, they're always a GeneralRipper and ultimately a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.

A SubTrope of EvilOverlord, as well as TheCaligula in some cases. The militaristic leader of a [[FictionalCountry fictional third world state or nation]] (often located in [[BananaRepublic Latin America]], [[{{Ruritania}} Central or Eastern Europe]], [[{{Bulungi}} sub-Saharan Africa]], or [[{{Qurac}} the Middle East/North Africa]]). Almost invariably rules a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny or a BananaRepublic, though other flavors of [[TheDictatorship dictatorship]] are not unheard of. Almost AlwaysMale, and often either LargeAndInCharge or TheNapoleon[=/=]MisterBig. If they do have families, they will naturally be ThePatriarch as a parent. In the field, they're always a GeneralRipper and ultimately a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.

If European, usually expect them to be based on fascist dictators such as UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, [[UsefulNotes/{{Croatia}} Ante Pavelić]], and [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Engelbert Dollfuss]]; or communists, such as UsefulNotes/LeonidBrezhnev, [[UsefulNotes/{{Romania}} Nicolae Ceausescu]] and UsefulNotes/JosipBrozTito if Eastern. Other prototypes include UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco[[note]]Who gave himself the official title of caudillo[[/note]], UsefulNotes/AntonioDeOliveiraSalazar[[note]]Who started off as part of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditadura_Nacional military junta]] that he later succeeded[[/note]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Ioannis Metaxas]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} Miklós Horthy]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Belarus}} Alexander Lukashenko]], [[UsefulNotes/TheChechnyaWars Ramzan Kadyrov (and his father Akhmad)]], and UsefulNotes/SlobodanMilosevic. Franco was a popular inspiration for this trope during his lifetime and for some time after he died, but Milosevic and Lukashenko have replaced him in pop culture for the 21st century.

The Middle East and North Africa is another favourite location for these types of rulers to thrive, especially in more contemporary works set after UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar or during UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. The most popular are UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein and UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi (even after their deaths), but other objects of satire are UsefulNotes/BasharAlAssad (and his father Hafez), [[UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}} Ali Abdullah Saleh]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}} Abd al-Karim Qasim]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}} Omar al-Bashir]], [[UsefulNotes/Algeria Houari Boumédiène]] and [[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Hosni Mubarak]].

* In the chilean comic ''Zombies en la Moneda'', after a ''second'' zombie apocalypse, the president of the country ends up being an [[spoiler: UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet zombie… ]]... something like that, it's a bit confusing. None other than one of the real life inspirations for this trope.

Tends to be [[NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed based on one or more real-life military dictators]], and particularly Latin American ones, who experienced ''so many'' that they created their own term to describe such leaders, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudillo caudillo]][[note]]Caudillo can also be an affectionate term used to describe populist reformers or military leaders that have positive reputations in their home countries, such as UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar, Uruguay's Jorge Batlle y Ordonez, and Colombia's Jorge Elicier Gaitan[[/note]]. The TropeCodifier is likely [[UsefulNotes/DominicanRepublic Rafael]] [[Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat Trujillo]], who had the chest of medals, megalomania, {{Egopolis}}, brutality, corruption and Caribbean island to match; he was and is still considered one of the cruelest and outright tyrannical of all Latin American caudillos, and even funded terrorist activities in neighboring nations, including the United States[[note]]Where a Dominican exile and U.S. citizen named Jesus Galindez was kidnapped and killed by Trujillo's secret police in New York City[[/note]].

If East or Southeast Asian, expect them to be an Expy of [[UsefulNotes/NoMoreEmperors Yuan Shikai]], UsefulNotes/ChiangKaiShek, UsefulNotes/HidekiTojo, [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Khorloogiin Choibalsan]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Suharto]], UsefulNotes/FerdinandMarcos, [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Park Chung-hee (and his successor Chun Doo-hwan)]][[note]]Who ''are'' this trope in South Korean media even today[[/note]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} Lon Nol, Hun Sen]], [[UsefulNotes/ThatSouthEastAsianCountry Ne Win, Than Shwe]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Laos}} Souphanouvong]]. But the most popular examples by far are naturally UsefulNotes/TheRulersOfNorthKorea.

The Middle East and North Africa is another favourite location for these types of rulers to thrive, especially in more contemporary works set after UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar or during UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. The most popular are UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein and UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi even after their deaths, but other objects of satire are UsefulNotes/BasharAlAssad (and his father Hafez), [[UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}} Ali Abdullah Saleh]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}} Abd al-Karim Qasim]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}} Omar al-Bashir]], UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser and [[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Hosni Mubarak]].

[[GodwinsLaw Surprisingly]], UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is rarely parodied in this manner, perhaps because he himself is enough of an [[AcceptableTargets acceptable target]] (although one of his henchmen, Hermann Goering, did famously dress this way). UsefulNotes/JosephStalin is sometimes parodied in this way and has influenced the communist variant of this trope, but, like Hitler, he is uniquely infamous enough to represent a specific archetype of his own. Like Stalin, UsefulNotes/MaoZedong sometimes gets parodied like this and has influenced fictional examples (especially East Asian communist ones), but also like Stalin, he's iconic enough to be a stand-alone archetype. While never an actual head of state, UsefulNotes/CheGuevara is sometimes parodied in such a manner as well, as is fellow beret-wearing rebel [[UsefulNotes/{{Angola}} Jonas Savimbi]], although Savimbi was an anti-communist and the polar opposite of Che politically. In the Middle East, [[UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} Ayatollah Khomeini and his successor Khameini]] are frequently parodied in a similar manner to this trope, but they fall more under TheTheocracy and MiddleEasternTerrorists.

Usually dressed in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and a comically large CommissarCap, though if he's a Castro or Che imitation (particularly with characters who are part of the standard guerrilla subplot), he might wear plain olive drab fatigues and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_cap Ridgeway cap]] or Che-style black beret instead. If he wants to project an image of holding legitimate authority beyond force, he may don an [[ManOfWealthAndTaste expensive suit]]. Common traits include [[BeardOfEvil facial hair]] of some sort, [[CigarChomper cigar smoking]], [[SinisterShades dark sunglasses]], [[DemocracyIsBad a hatred of democracy]], a [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard long list of]] [[TheMagnificent self-bestowed]] [[LargeHamTitle grandiose titles]], and [[{{Egopolis}} naming cities and monuments after himself]]. Because Generalissimos often have little political credibility but plentiful self-delusions of grandeur, they are often also called Tinpot Dictators (not to be confused with {{Tin Tyrant}}s).

** ''Film/LicenceToKill'', [[http://www.universalexports.net/Movies/license-cast.shtml Hector Lopez]]. He is portrayed as more PunchClockVillain than dictator, as his country is effectively a [[PuppetKing puppet]] of TheSyndicate.

* Colonel Allende in ''Videogame/RedDeadRedemption'', who perfectly fits the archetype of "Corrupt Mexican military leader" as befits the adherence of the game to various kinds of Western films. John Marston does some work for him in order to get to his target Bill Williamson [[spoiler:but eventually works completely against the government after Allende tries to have him executed (who turns out to be sheltering Bill).]]

** Pagan Min of ''VideoGame/FarCry4'' is the military dictator of the nation of Kyrat, having started off as a [[TheTriadsAndTheTongs Triad gangster]] who ingrained himself within the royal family before overthrowing them and taking over in a bloody civil war. He uses his position to take his anger out on the Kyrati populace while also cultivating a CultOfPersonality. Interestingly, while certainly a military dictator, Pagan doesn't dress like one, preferring a pink suit instead.

Aside from Trujillo, common inspirations include UsefulNotes/FidelCastro[[note]]The TropeMaker for the guerrilla subplot and who likely inspired the tendency of such characters to be a WindbagPolitician, being one himself[[/note]], UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista, UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron, [[UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} Juan Manuel de Rosas]], UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, [[UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}} Francisco Solano Lopez, Alfredo Stroessner]], [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta]], [[UsefulNotes/ElSalvador Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} the Somoza dynasty]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} Jorge Ubico Castenada]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} Manuel Noriega]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} Juan Vicente Gomez, Marcos Perez Jimenez]], and UsefulNotes/HugoChavez. The many generals that led the [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine]] and [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime Brazilian]] military regimes are also favorites.

Usually dressed in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and a comically large CommissarCap, though if he's a Castro or Che imitation (particularly with characters who are part of the standard guerrilla subplot), he might wear plain olive drab fatigues and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_cap Ridgeway cap]] or Che-style black beret instead. If he wants to project an image of holding legitimate authority beyond force, he may don an [[ManOfWealthAndTaste expensive suit]]. Common traits include [[BeardOfEvil facial hair]] of some sort, [[CigarChomper cigar smoking]], [[SinisterShades dark sunglasses]], [[DemocracyIsBad a hatred of democracy]], a [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard long list of]] [[TheMagnificent self-bestowed]] [[LargeHamTitle grandiose titles]], and [[{{Egopolis}} naming cities and monuments after himself]]. Because Generalissimos often have little political credibility but plentiful self-delusions of grandeur, they are often also called Tin Pot Dictators (not to be confused with {{Tin Tyrant}}s).

The Middle East and North Africa is another favourite location for these types of rulers to thrive, especially in more contemporary works set after UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar or during UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. The most popular are UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein and UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi, but other objects of satire are UsefulNotes/BasharAlAssad (and his father Hafez), [[UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}} Ali Abdullah Saleh]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Iraq}} Abd al-Karim Qasim]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}} Omar al-Bashir]], UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser and [[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Hosni Mubarak]].

If European, usually expect them to be based on fascist dictators such as UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, [[UsefulNotes/{{Croatia}} Ante Pavelić]], and [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Engelbert Dollfuss]]; or communists, such as UsefulNotes/LeonidBrezhnev, [[UsefulNotes/{{Romania}} Nicolae Ceausescu]] and UsefulNotes/JosipBrozTito if Eastern. Other prototypes include UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco[[note]]Who gave himself the official title of caudillo[[/note]], UsefulNotes/AntonioDeOliveiraSalazar[[note]]Who started off as part of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditadura_Nacional military junta]] that he later succeeded[[/note]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Ioannis Metaxas]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} Miklós Horthy]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Belarus}} Alexander Lukashenko]], [[UsefulNotes/TheChechnyaWars Ramzan Kadyrov (and his father Akhmad)]], and UsefulNotes/SlobodanMilosevic. Franco himself was a popular inspiration for this trope during his lifetime and for some time after he died, but Milosevic and Lukashenko have replaced him in pop culture for the 21st century.

Tends to be [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed based on one or more real-life military dictators]], and particularly Latin American ones, who experienced ''so many'' that they created their own term to describe such leaders, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudillo caudillo]][[note]]Caudillo can also be an affectionate term used to describe populist reformers or military leaders that have positive reputations in their home countries, such as UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar, Uruguay's Jorge Batlle y Ordonez, and Colombia's Jorge Elicier Gaitan[[/note]]. The TropeCodifier is likely [[UsefulNotes/DominicanRepublic Rafael]] [[Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat Trujillo]], who had the chest of medals, megalomania, {{Egopolis}}, brutality, corruption and Caribbean island to match; he was and is still considered one of the cruelest and outright tyrannical of all Latin American caudillos, and even funded terrorist activities in neighboring nations, including the United States[[note]]Where a Dominican exile and U.S. citizen named Jesus Galindez was kidnapped and killed by Trujillo's secret police in New York City[[/note]].

He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He may have also studied at an institution run by a [[SinisterSpyAgency sketchy foreign intelligence agency]], [[ColdBloodedTorture getting trained in the art]] of [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealing with difficult citizens"]]. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common feature is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow them, with a Che or Castro {{Expy}} as their leader. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train [[FormerRegimePersonnel his own insurgents]] to overthrow the new revolutionary government, [[FullCircleRevolution that is just as corrupt and repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.

He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He may have also studied at an institution run by a [[SinisterSpyAgency sketchy foreign intelligence agency]], [[ColdBloodedTorture getting trained in the art]] of [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealing with difficult citizens"]]. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common feature is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow them, with a Che or Castro {{Expy}} as their leader. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train his own revolutionaries to overthrow the new revolutionary government, [[FullCircleRevolution that is just as corrupt and repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.

Usually dressed in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and topped with a CommissarCap, though if he's a Castro or Che imitation (particularly with characters who are part of the standard guerrilla subplot), he might wear plain olive drab fatigues and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_cap Ridgeway cap]] or Che-style black beret instead. If he wants to project an image of holding legitimate authority beyond force, he may don an [[ManOfWealthAndTaste expensive suit]]. Common traits include [[BeardOfEvil facial hair]] of some sort, [[CigarChomper cigar smoking]], [[SinisterShades dark sunglasses]], [[DemocracyIsBad a hatred of democracy]], a [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard long list of]] [[TheMagnificent self-bestowed]] [[LargeHamTitle grandiose titles]], and [[{{Egopolis}} naming cities and monuments after himself]]. Because Generalissimos often have little political credibility but plentiful self-delusions of grandeur, they are often also called Tin Pot Dictators (not to be confused with {{Tin Tyrant}}s).

[[GodwinsLaw Surprisingly]], UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is rarely parodied in this manner, perhaps because he himself is enough of an [[AcceptableTargets acceptable target]] (although one of his henchmen, Hermann Goering, did famously dress this way). UsefulNotes/JosephStalin is sometimes parodied in this way and has influenced the communist variant of this trope, but, like Hitler, he is uniquely infamous enough to represent a specific archetype of his own. Like Stalin, UsefulNotes/MaoZedong sometimes gets parodied like this and has influenced fictional examples (especially East Asian communist ones), but also like Stalin, he's iconic enough to be a stand-alone archetype. While never an actual head of state, UsefulNotes/CheGuevara is sometimes parodied in such a manner as well, as is fellow beret-wearing rebel [[UsefulNotes/{{Angola}} Jonas Savimbi]], although Savimbi was an anti-communist and the polar opposite of Che politically. In the Middle East, [[UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} Ayatollah Khomeini and his successor Khameini]] are frequently parodied in a similar manner, but they fall more under TheTheocracy than this trope.

A SubTrope of EvilOverlord, as well as TheCaligula in some cases. The militaristic leader of a [[FictionalCountry fictional third world state or nation]] (often located in [[BananaRepublic Latin America]], [[{{Ruritania}} Central or Eastern Europe]], [[{{Bulungi}} sub-Saharan Africa]], or [[{{Qurac}} the Middle East/North Africa]]). Almost invariably rules a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny or a BananaRepublic, though other flavors of [[TheDictatorship dictatorship]] are not unheard of. Almost AlwaysMale, and often either LargeAndInCharge or TheNapoleon[=/=]MisterBig. If they do have families, they will naturally be ThePatriarch as a parent. In the field, they usually tend to be a GeneralRipper and ultimately a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.

A SubTrope of EvilOverlord, as well as TheCaligula in some cases. The militaristic leader of a [[FictionalCountry fictional third world state or nation]] (often located in [[BananaRepublic Latin America]], [[{{Ruritania}} Central or Eastern Europe]], [[{{Bulungi}} sub-Saharan Africa]], or [[{{Qurac}} the Middle East/North Africa]]). Almost invariably rules a PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny or a BananaRepublic, though other flavors of [[TheDictatorship dictatorship]] are not unheard of. Almost AlwaysMale, and often either LargeAndInCharge or TheNapoleon[=/=]MisterBig. If they do have families, they will naturally be ThePatriarch as a parent. In the field, they usually tend to be a GeneralRipper, and sometimes a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.

Note that generalissimo (Latin ''generalissimus'', the absolute superlative of "general") ''is'' a legitimate rank in some militaries, denoting a '''seven-star general'''.[[note]]In the United States, the equivalent is ''General of the Armies'', only held by John J. Pershing after World War I and posthumously to UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur was proposed to be promoted in preparation for the Invasion of Japan, as the invasion would involve enormous amounts of manpower and a would have a large command staff[[/note]] The trope namers come from many dictators who awarded themselves with this rank primarily due a big ego and bloated sense of self-importance, but you don't necessarily need to be a dictator to be a Generalissimo -- many RealLife Generalissimos have been brilliant and competent field commanders. The first to bear the rank was Albrecht von Wallenstein, the Imperial commander-in-chief in the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar. A similar (theoretical) naval rank of ''admiralissimus'' exists; so far, only Haireddin Barbarossa of the Imperial Turkish Navy and Albrecht von Wallenstein have borne it.

His reign tends to be characterised by human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, [[KangarooCourt judicial killings]], extrajudicial killings, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections nepotism]], corruption (particularly embezzlement and bribery), and [[ThePurge frequent purges of any subordinates he finds suspicious.]] His political viewpoints ([[StrawmanPolitical if he even has any]]) usually veer towards [[DirtyCommunists Communism]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Fascism]], [[CommieNazis some combination of the worst aspects of both]], or just no-frills authoritarianism. Of course, none of this will stop him from [[GloriousLeader proclaiming himself "The People's Liberator"]] or otherwise [[FakeUltimateHero billing himself as a great hero]].

He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He may have also studied at the CIA, [[ColdBloodedTorture getting trained in the art]] of [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealing with difficult citizens"]]. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common feature is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow them, with a Che or Castro {{Expy}} as their leader. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train his own revolutionaries to overthrow the new revolutionary government, [[FullCircleRevolution that is just as corrupt and repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.

Aside from Trujillo, dommon inspirations include UsefulNotes/FidelCastro[[note]]The TropeMaker for the guerrilla subplot and who likely inspired the tendency of such characters to be a WindbagPolitician, being one himself[[/note]], UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista, UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron, [[UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} Juan Manuel de Rosas]], UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, [[UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}} Alfredo Stroessner, Francisco Solano Lopez]], [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta]], [[UsefulNotes/ElSalvador Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} the Somoza dynasty]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} Jorge Ubico Castenada]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} Manuel Noriega]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} Juan Vicente Gomez, Marcos Perez Jimenez]], and UsefulNotes/HugoChavez. The many generals that led the [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine]] and [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime Brazilian]] military regimes are also favorites.

If East or Southeast Asian, expect them to be an Expy of [[UsefulNotes/NoMoreEmperors Yuan Shikai]], UsefulNotes/ChiangKaiShek, UsefulNotes/HidekiTojo, [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Khorloogiin Choibalsan]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Suharto]], UsefulNotes/FerdinandMarcos, [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Park Chung-hee (and his successor Chun Doo-hwan)]][[note]]Who ''are'' this trope in South Korean media even today[[/note]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} Hun Sen]], [[UsefulNotes/ThatSouthEastAsianCountry Than Shwe]]. But the most popular example by far are naturally UsefulNotes/TheRulersOfNorthKorea.

If European, usually expect them to be based on fascist dictators such as UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, [[UsefulNotes/{{Croatia}} Ante Pavelić]], and [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Engelbert Dollfuss]]; or communists, such as UsefulNotes/LeonidBrezhnev, [[UsefulNotes/{{Romania}} Nicolae Ceausescu]] and UsefulNotes/JosipBrozTito if Eastern. Other prototypes include UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco[[note]]Who gave himself the official title of caudillo[[/note]], UsefulNotes/AntonioDeOliveiraSalazar[[note]]Who started off as part of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditadura_Nacional military junta]] that he later succeeded[[/note]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Ioannis Metaxas]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} Miklós Horthy]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Belarus}} Alexander Lukashenko]], [[UsefulNotes/TheChechnyaWars Ramzan Kadyrov (and his father Akhmad)]], and UsefulNotes/SlobodanMilosevic. Franco himself was a popular inspiration for this trope during his lifetime, but Milosevic and Lukashenko have replaced him in pop culture for the 21st century.

The Middle East and North Africa is another favourite location for these types of rulers to thrive, especially in more contemporary works set after UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar or during UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. The most popular are UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein and UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi, but other objects of satire are UsefulNotes/BasharAlAssad (and his father Hafez), [[UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}} Ali Abdullah Saleh]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}} Omar al-Bashir]] and [[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Hosni Mubarak]].

Sub-Saharan Africa is another common location. Usually, generalissimos from this region are based on UsefulNotes/IdiAmin and [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Charles Taylor]], but others, such as [[UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}} Siad Barre]], [[UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent-Desire Kabila]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}} Sani Abacha]], [[UsefulNotes/BurkinaFaso Thomas Sankara]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Mali}} Moussa Traoré]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Zimbabwe}} Robert Mugabe]], [[UsefulNotes/CentralAfricanRepublic Jean-Bedel Bokassa]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}} Yoweri Museveni]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Ethiopia}} Mengistu Haile Mariam]], and [[UsefulNotes/{{Chad}} Hissene Habre]] are also fairly common.

[[GodwinsLaw Surprisingly]], UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is rarely parodied in this manner, perhaps because he himself is enough of an [[AcceptableTargets acceptable target]] (although one of his henchmen, Hermann Goering, did famously dress this way). UsefulNotes/JosephStalin is sometimes parodied in this way and has influenced the communist variant of this trope, but, like Hitler, he is uniquely infamous enough to represent a specific archetype of his own. Like Stalin, UsefulNotes/MaoZedong sometimes gets parodied like this and has influenced fictional examples (especially East Asian communist ones), but also like Stalin, he's iconic enough to be a stand-alone archetype. While never an actual head of state, UsefulNotes/CheGuevara is sometimes parodied in such a manner as well, as is fellow beret-wearing rebel [[UsefulNotes/{{Angola}} Jonas Savimbi]], although Savimbi was an anti-communist and the polar opposite of Che politically. In the Middle East, Ayatollah Khomeini and his successor Khameini are frequently parodied in a similar manner, but they fall more under TheTheocracy than this trope.

Usually dressed in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and topped with a CommissarCap, though if he's a Castro or Che imitation (particularly with characters who are part of the standard guerrilla subplot), he might wear plain olive drab fatigues and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_cap Ridgeway cap]] or Che-style black beret instead. Common traits include [[BeardOfEvil facial hair]] of some sort, [[CigarChomper cigar smoking]], [[SinisterShades dark sunglasses]], [[DemocracyIsBad a hatred of democracy]], a [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard long list of]] [[TheMagnificent self-bestowed]] [[LargeHamTitle grandiose titles]], and [[{{Egopolis}} naming cities and monuments after himself]]. Because Generalissimos often have little political credibility but self-delusions of grandeur, they are often also called Tin Pot Dictators (not to be confused with {{Tin Tyrant}}s).

* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' had [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Abdul_Fakkadi_(G1) Abdul Fakkadi]], Supreme Military Commander, President-for-Life, and King of Kings of the [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Socialist Democratic Federated Republic]] of [[{{Qurac}} Carbombya]], pictured above. He is a not-so-subtle TakeThat at UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi (with his [[TheMagnificent long list of titles]] a probable reference to UsefulNotes/IdiAmin). (Which makes him the ''least'' racist thing about the episodes set there). Regardless, it was enough to make Creator/CaseyKasem (the voice of Cliffjumper, who had survived the crucible that was [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformersTheMovie the 1986 film]]) quit the series out of disgust.

He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He may have also studied at the CIA, getting trained in the art of [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealing with difficult citizens"]]. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common feature is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow them, with a Che or Castro {{Expy}} as their leader. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train his own revolutionaries to overthrow the new revolutionary government, [[FullCircleRevolution that is just as corrupt and repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.

[[GodwinsLaw Surprisingly]], UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is rarely parodied in this manner, perhaps because he himself is enough of an [[AcceptableTargets acceptable target]] (although one of his henchmen, Hermann Goering, did famously dress this way). UsefulNotes/JosephStalin is sometimes parodied in this way and has influenced the communist variant of this trope, but, like Hitler, he is uniquely infamous enough to represent a specific archetype of his own. Like Stalin, UsefulNotes/MaoZedong sometimes gets parodied like this and has influenced fictional examples (especially East Asian communist ones), but also like Stalin, he's iconic enough to be a stand-alone archetype. While never an actual head of state, UsefulNotes/CheGuevara is sometimes parodied in such a manner as well, as is fellow beret-wearing rebel [[UsefulNotes/{{Angola}} Jonas Savimbi]], although Savimbi was an anti-communist and the polar opposite of Che politically.

Aside from Trujillo, dommon inspirations include UsefulNotes/FidelCastro[[note]]The TropeMaker for the guerrilla subplot and who likely inspired the tendency of such characters to be a WindbagPolitician, being one himself[[/note]], UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista, UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron, [[UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} Juan Manuel de Rosas]], UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, [[UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}} Alfredo Stroessner, Francisco Solano Lopez]], [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta]], [[UsefulNotes/ElSalvador Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} the Somoza dynasty]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} Jorge Ubico Castenada]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} Manuel Noriega]], UsefulNotes/HugoChavez, and [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} Marcos Perez Jimenez]]. The many generals that led the [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine]] and [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime Brazilian]] military regimes are also favorites.

Aside from Trujillo, dommon inspirations include UsefulNotes/FidelCastro[[note]]Who likely inspired the tendency of such characters to be a WindbagPolitician, being one himself, and whose career was the undisputed inspiration for the guerrilla subplot[[/note]], UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista, UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron, [[UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} Juan Manuel de Rosas]], UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, [[UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}} Alfredo Stroessner, Francisco Solano Lopez]], [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta]], [[UsefulNotes/ElSalvador Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} the Somoza dynasty]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} Jorge Ubico Castenada]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} Manuel Noriega]], UsefulNotes/HugoChavez, and [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} Marcos Perez Jimenez]]. The many generals that led the [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine]] and [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime Brazilian]] military regimes are also favorites.

Tends to be [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed based on one or more real-life military dictators]], and particularly Latin American ones, who experienced ''so many'' that they created their own term to describe such leaders, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudillo caudillo]][[note]]Caudillo can also be an affectionate term used to describe populist reformers or military leaders that have positive reputations in their home countries, such as UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar, Uruguay's Jorge Batlle y Ordonez, and Colombia's Jorge Elicier Gaitan[[/note]]. The TropeCodifier is likely [[UsefulNotes/DominicanRepublic Rafael]] [[Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat Trujillo]], who had the chest of medals, megalomania, {{Egopolis}}, brutality, corruption and Caribbean island to match; he was and is still considered one of the cruelest and outright tyrannical of all Latin American caudillos, and even funded terrorist activities in neighboring nations, including the United States[[note]]Where a Dominican exile and U.S. citizen named Jesus Galindez was kidnapped and killed by Trujillo's secret police in New York City[[/note]]. Common inspirations include UsefulNotes/FidelCastro[[note]]Who likely inspired the tendency of such characters to be a WindbagPolitician, being one himself, and whose career was the undisputed inspiration for the guerrilla subplot[[/note]], UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista, UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron, [[UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} Juan Manuel de Rosas]], UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, [[UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}} Alfredo Stroessner, Francisco Solano Lopez]], [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta]], [[UsefulNotes/ElSalvador Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} the Somoza dynasty]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} Jorge Ubico Castenada]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} Manuel Noriega]], UsefulNotes/HugoChavez, and [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} Marcos Perez Jimenez]]. The many generals that led the [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine]] and [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime Brazilian]] military regimes are also favorites.

If East or Southeast Asian, expect them to be an Expy of [[UsefulNotes/NoMoreEmperors Yuan Shikai]], UsefulNotes/ChiangKaiShek, UsefulNotes/HidekiTojo, [[UsefulNotes/{{Mongolia}} Khorloogiin Choibalsan]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Indonesia}} Suharto]], UsefulNotes/FerdinandMarcos, [[UsefulNotes/SouthKorea Park Chung-hee (and his successor Chun Doo-hwan)]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Cambodia}} Hun Sen]], [[UsefulNotes/ThatSouthEastAsianCountry Than Shwe]] and ''especially'' UsefulNotes/TheRulersOfNorthKorea.

If European, usually expect them to be based on fascist dictators such as UsefulNotes/BenitoMussolini, [[UsefulNotes/{{Croatia}} Ante Pavelić]], and [[UsefulNotes/{{Austria}} Engelbert Dollfuss]]; or communists, such as UsefulNotes/LeonidBrezhnev, [[UsefulNotes/{{Romania}} Nicolae Ceausescu]] and UsefulNotes/JosipBrozTito if Eastern. Other prototypes include UsefulNotes/AntonioDeOliveiraSalazar[[note]]Who started off as part of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ditadura_Nacional military junta]] that he later succeeded[[/note]], UsefulNotes/FranciscoFranco[[note]]Who gave himself the official title of caudillo[[/note]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Greece}} Ioannis Metaxas]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hungary}} Miklós Horthy]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Belarus}} Alexander Lukashenko]], [[UsefulNotes/TheChechnyaWars Ramzan Kadyrov (and his father Akhmad)]], and UsefulNotes/SlobodanMilosevic.

He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He may have also studied at the CIA, getting trained in the art of [[DeadlyEuphemism "dealing with difficult citizens"]]. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common feature is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow them. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train his own revolutionaries to overthrow the new revolutionary government, [[FullCircleRevolution that is just as corrupt and repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.

His reign tends to be characterised by human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, [[KangarooCourt judicial killings]], extrajudicial killings, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections nepotism]], corruption (particularly embezzlement and bribery), and [[ThePurge frequent purges of any subordinates he finds suspicious.]] His political viewpoints ([[StrawmanPolitical if he even has any]]) usually veer towards [[DirtyCommunists Communism]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Fascism]], [[CommieNazis some combination of the worst aspects of both]], or just no-frills authoritarianism. Of course, none of this will stop him from [[GloriousLeader proclaiming himself "The People's Liberator"]] or otherwise [[FakeUltimateHero billing himself as a great hero]]. He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common feature is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow them. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train his own revolutionaries to overthrow the new revolutionary government, [[FullCircleRevolution that is just as corrupt and repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.

His reign tends to be characterised by human rights abuses, political repression, ethnic persecution, [[KangarooCourt judicial killings]], extrajudicial killings, [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections nepotism]], corruption (particularly embezzlement and bribery), and [[ThePurge frequent purges of any subordinates he finds suspicious.]] His political viewpoints ([[StrawmanPolitical if he even has any]]) usually veer towards [[DirtyCommunists Communism]], [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Fascism]], or [[CommieNazis some combination of the worst aspects of both.]] Of course, none of this will stop him from [[GloriousLeader proclaiming himself "The People's Liberator"]] or otherwise [[FakeUltimateHero billing himself as a great hero.]] He may have attended a prestigious UsefulNotes/IvyLeague or {{UsefulNotes/Oxbridge}} university in his youth, where he MajoredInWesternHypocrisy. He is often the target of American assassination attempts and rebel groups, who may or may not be figments of his own paranoia. A common feature is to have a (frequently [[DirtyCommunists communist]]) Cuba-style guerrilla movement training to overthrow them. Once their revolution happens, the general goes into hiding to train his own revolutionaries to overthrow the new revolutionary government, [[FullCircleRevolution that is just as corrupt and repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology, but uses it to cement his hold on power. He also has a tendency to make [[WindbagPolitician extremely long and winding speeches]] in public or over the national airwaves.

Tends to be [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed based on one or more real-life military dictators,]] and particularly Latin American ones, who experienced ''so many'' that they created their own term to describe such leaders, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudillo caudillo]][[note]]Caudillo can also be an affectionate term used to describe populist reformers or military leaders that have positive reputations in their home countries, such as UsefulNotes/SimonBolivar, Uruguay's Jorge Batlle y Ordonez, and Colombia's Jorge Elicier Gaitan[[/note]]. The TropeCodifier is likely [[UsefulNotes/DominicanRepublic Rafael]] [[Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat Trujillo]], who had the chest of medals, megalomania, {{Egopolis}}, brutality, corruption and Caribbean island to match; he was and is still considered one of the cruelest and outright tyrannical of all Latin American caudillos, and even funded terrorist activities in neighboring nations, including the United States[[note]]Where a Dominican exile and U.S. citizen named Jesus Galindez was kidnapped and killed by Trujillo's secret police in New York City[[/note]]. Common inspirations include UsefulNotes/FidelCastro[[note]]Who likely inspired the tendency of such characters to be a WindbagPolitician, being one himself, and whose career was the undisputed inspiration for the guerrilla subplot[[/note]], UsefulNotes/FulgencioBatista, UsefulNotes/JuanDomingoPeron, [[UsefulNotes/{{Argentina}} Juan Manuel de Rosas]], UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet, [[UsefulNotes/{{Paraguay}} Alfredo Stroessner, Francisco Solano Lopez]], [[UsefulNotes/TheMexicanRevolution Porfirio Diaz, Victoriano Huerta]], [[UsefulNotes/ElSalvador Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nicaragua}} the Somoza dynasty]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Honduras}} Jorge Ubico Castenada]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Panama}} Manuel Noriega]], UsefulNotes/HugoChavez, and [[UsefulNotes/{{Venezuela}} Marcos Perez Jimenez]]. The many generals that led the [[UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess Argentine]] and [[UsefulNotes/BrazilianMilitaryRegime Brazilian]] military regimes are also favorites.

Usually dressed in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and topped with a CommissarCap, though if he's a Castro or Che imitation (particularly with characters who are part of the standard guerrilla subplot), he might wear plain olive drab fatigues and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_cap Ridgeway cap]] or Che-style black beret instead. Common traits include [[BeardOfEvil facial hair]] of some sort, [[CigarChomper cigar smoking]], [[SinisterShades dark sunglasses]], [[DemocracyIsBad a hatred of democracy]], a [[TryToFitThatOnABusinessCard long list of]] [[TheMagnificent self-bestowed]] [[LargeHamTitle grandiose titles]], and [[{{Egopolis}} naming cities and monuments after himself.]] Because Generalissimos often have little political credibility but self-delusions of grandeur, they are often also called Tin Pot Dictators (not to be confused with {{Tin Tyrant}}s).

Note that generalissimo (Latin ''generalissimus'', the absolute superlative of "general") ''is'' a legitimate rank in some militaries, denoting a '''seven-star general'''.[[note]]In the United States, the equivalent is ''General of the Armies'', only held by John J. Pershing after World War I and posthumously to UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington, UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur was proposed to be promoted in preparation for the Invasion of Japan, as the invasion would involve enormous amounts of manpower and a would have a large command staff[[/note]] The trope namers come from many dictators who awarded themselves with this rank primarily due a big ego and bloated sense of self-importance, but you don't necessarily need to be a dictator to be a Generalissimo - actually many RealLife Generalissimos have been brilliant and competent field commanders. The first to bear the rank was Albrecht von Wallenstein, the Imperial commander-in-chief in the UsefulNotes/ThirtyYearsWar. A similar (theoretical) naval rank of ''admiralissimus'' exists; so far, only Haireddin Barbarossa of the Imperial Turkish Navy and Albrecht von Wallenstein have borne it.

The Middle East and North Africa is another favourite location for these types of rulers to thrive, especially in more contemporary works set after UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar or during UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. The most popular are UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein and UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi, but it's also popular to paraody UsefulNotes/BasharAlAssad (and his father Hafez), [[UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}} Ali Abdullah Saleh]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}} Omar al-Bashir]] and [[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Hosni Mubarak]].

The Middle East and North Africa is another favourite location for these types of rulers to thrive, especially in more contemporary works set after UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar or during UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror. Prototypes include UsefulNotes/SaddamHussein, UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi, UsefulNotes/BasharAlAssad (and his father Hafez), [[UsefulNotes/{{Yemen}} Ali Abdullah Saleh]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sudan}} Omar al-Bashir]] and [[UsefulNotes/ModernEgypt Hosni Mubarak]].

[[GodwinsLaw Surprisingly]], UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is rarely parodied in this manner, perhaps because the man himself is enough of an [[AcceptableTargets acceptable target]] (although one of his henchmen, Hermann Goering, did famously dress this way). UsefulNotes/JosephStalin is sometimes parodied in this way and has influenced the communist variant of this trope, but, like Hitler, he is uniquely infamous enough to represent a specific archetype of his own. Like Stalin, UsefulNotes/MaoZedong sometimes gets parodied like this and has influenced fictional examples (especially East Asian communist ones), but also like Stalin, he's iconic enough to be a stand-alone archetype. While never an actual head of state, UsefulNotes/CheGuevara is sometimes parodied in such a manner as well, as is fellow beret-wearing rebel [[UsefulNotes/{{Angola}} Jonas Savimbi]], although Savimbi was an anti-communist and the polar opposite of Che politically.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'': Scar murders his way to power by killing his brother Mufasa, tries to kill his nephew Simba, crushes all dissent, and annihilates his land's natural resources. [[ItsAllAboutMe "I'm the king, I can do whatever I want"]] sums his rule up. Scar's rule over Pride Lands [[TheCaligula proves to be disastrous]] mainly because of his incompetence and laziness. A JustifiedTrope, as he wasn't properly raised to be king, so he [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome doesn't realize]] that there's more to this than just openly threatening others whenever they complain about his reign. Because of this, he refuses to acknowledge his disastrous rule, [[BerserkButton openly threatens]] those that complain, and earns a ZeroPercentApprovalRating from all animals for his tyranny, including his hyena lackeys, who secretly think Mufasa was a better king than Scar could ever be.