History Main / TheGeneralissimo

Aside from Trujillo, common inspirations include UsefulNotes/FidelCastro[[note]]The TropeMaker for the guerrilla subplot and who likely inspired the WindbagPolitician part of this trope, 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.

The Middle East and North Africa is the other favourite location in fiction 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 for the Middle East and UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi for North Africa (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]].

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]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Laos}} Souphanouvong, and Phoumi Nosavan]]. But the most popular examples 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/{{Romania}} Ion Antonescu]], [[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.

Sub-Saharan Africa is another common location. Usually, generalissimos from this region are based on UsefulNotes/IdiAmin and [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Charles Taylor]]. Amin embodied the thuggish and arrogant military officer that was common during the Cold War, but has been overtaken in popularity by the present day by Taylor, who embodied the stereotypical [[AfricanTerrorists African warlord]] that has become the face of this trope for African settings. Other examples are [[UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}} Siad Barre]], [[UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent-Desire Kabila]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}} Yakubu Gowon, Sani Abacha]], [[UsefulNotes/BurkinaFaso Thomas Sankara]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Samuel Doe]], [[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, [[UsefulNotes/{{Iran}} Ayatollah Khomeini and his successor Khameini]] are frequently parodied in a similar manner to this trope, but often combined with TheTheocracy, CorruptChurch, or MiddleEasternTerrorists. UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser has influenced the MENA variant of this trope, but he himself is generally not portrayed as being like this; instead, he's often portrayed as a ''positive'' example compared to Gaddafi, who styled himself during his lifetime as the heir to Nasser's legacy.

* ''ComicBook/ChickTracts'': One tract set in a fictional Latin American country features a group of rebels fighting against the corrupt, repressive regime of the military dictator known only as "El Supremo". The RebelLeader and eventual Premier, a man named Carlos, [[FullCircleRevolution ends up becoming no better when he takes power]].

* Wrestling/FightingOperaHUSTLE was less about the title belts, {{tournament|arc}}s and [[ItsPersonal grudge matches]] usually associated with pro wrestling as the invading [[PowerStable Monster Army]], lead by [[Wrestling/NobuhikoTakada Generalissimo Takada]], usually took center stage. Unlike most examples, Takada actually did have supernatural powers to go with his grand self given titles(hence ''[[WrestlingMonster Monster]]'' Army) but despite these, and enough money to buy the HUSTLE promotion, he was frequently defeated.[[/folder]]

* General Viper in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', who rules El Nido with his Acacia Dragoons. [[spoiler:He's actually a rare heroic example; he might be authoritarian, but he's a good ruler and was only after Serge because he was being manipulated by Lynx]].

* ''VideoGame/AMCSquad'' has Prokhor Vilmos, the leader of the fascist political movement known as the Imperial Union and the ruler of Russia after his cronies take over the government. His reign of terror prompts Highwire, then a high-ranking officer in the Earth Defense Force, to go AWOL and lead a rebellion against Vilmos and the Union, with the help of his longtime friend James Stanfield.

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 Castro or Che {{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 repressive as the old one]]. A common twist is to make him a StrawHypocrite: he doesn't really care for his stated ideology at all, 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.

A SubTrope of EvilOverlord, as well as TheCaligula in some cases. The military dictator 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 tropical island, but regardless of setting, the general's residence is always steeped in wealth and luxury while his subjects 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. They typically have a wife and several mistresses, or a harem of trophy wives, and their views on women often lean towards the [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]]. In the field, they're always a GeneralRipper and ultimately a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.

Tends to be based on one or more real-life military dictators ([[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed living]] or [[NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed dead]]), and particularly Latin American ones, who experienced ''so many'' of these guys 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 especially popular statesmen 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 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, the infamous SIM (''Servicio de Inteligencia Militar''), in ''New York City''[[/note]]. His image as this was cemented once and for all in ''Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat''.

Tends to be based on one or more real-life military dictators ([[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed living]] or [[NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed dead]]), 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 especially popular statesmen 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 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]]. His image as this was cemented once and for all in ''Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat''.

[[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 often combined with TheTheocracy, CorruptChurch, or MiddleEasternTerrorists. UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser has influenced the MENA variant of this trope, but he himself is generally not portrayed as being like this; instead, he is often portrayed as a positive example compared to Gaddafi, who styled himself during his lifetime as the heir to Nasser's legacy.

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.

* ''Film/TheExpendables''' mission is to eliminate one such general. He is ''slightly'' more sympathetic than the usual examples.

Tends to be based on one or more real-life military dictators ([[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed living]] or [[NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed dead]]), 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 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]]. His image as this was cemented once and for all in ''Literature/TheFeastOfTheGoat''.

* Lieutenant Obsidian from ''Fanfic/InkopolisChaos'' got her way into power purely through using fear. She only became an elite because DJ Octavio was sick of her killing his own soldiers, and she became the leader due to the other lieutenants/commanders fearing her and giving her all the power once Octavio was imprisoned, crowning her the new octarian leader.

* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}''[='=]s DJ Octavio was a military commander during the Great Turf War, and is the military leader of the Octarians in the present day. Which given how much Octarian society has been driven by military needs ever since the war ended over a century prior -- helped by a steady flow of propaganda intended to keep anger towards Inklings as high as possible -- makes him one of the main leaders of their society as well (assuming there even are any other major political leaders). He's also seen in a positive light by his soldiers, as even defectors like Agent 8 and Marina don't give his command as a reason for leaving.

Sub-Saharan Africa is another common location. Usually, generalissimos from this region are based on UsefulNotes/IdiAmin and [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Charles Taylor]]. Amin embodied the thuggish and arrogant military officer that was common during the Cold War, but has been overtaken in popularity by the present day by Taylor, who embodied the stereotypical African warlord that has become the face of this trope for African settings. Other examples are [[UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}} Siad Barre]], [[UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent-Desire Kabila]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}} Yakubu Gowon, Sani Abacha]], [[UsefulNotes/BurkinaFaso Thomas Sankara]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Samuel Doe]], [[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.

Sub-Saharan Africa is another common location. Usually, generalissimos from this region are based on UsefulNotes/IdiAmin and [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Charles Taylor]]. Amin embodied the thuggish and arrogant military officer that was common during the Cold War, but has been overtaken in popularity by the present day by Taylor, who embodies the stereotypical African warlord that has become the face of this trope for African settings. Other examples are [[UsefulNotes/{{Somalia}} Siad Barre]], [[UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo Mobutu Sese Seko, Laurent-Desire Kabila]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Nigeria}} Yakubu Gowon, Sani Abacha]], [[UsefulNotes/BurkinaFaso Thomas Sankara]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Samuel Doe]], [[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.

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}} Yakubu Gowon, Sani Abacha]], [[UsefulNotes/BurkinaFaso Thomas Sankara]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Liberia}} Samuel Doe]], [[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.

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 for the Middle East and UsefulNotes/MuammarGaddafi for North Africa (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]].

Usually dressed in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and a Gaddafi-style CommissarCap (often a comically large one), 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).

Usually dressed in [[BlingOfWar fancy military garb]], with a ChestOfMedals and a CommissarCap (often a comically large one), 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).

[[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 often combined with TheTheocracy, CorruptChurch, or MiddleEasternTerrorists. UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser has influenced the MENA variant of this trope, but he himself is generally not portrayed as being like this; he is often portrayed as a positive example compared to Gaddafi.

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]].

[[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 often combined with TheTheocracy, CorruptChurch, or MiddleEasternTerrorists. UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser has influenced the MENA variant of this trope, but he himself is generally not portrayed as being like this.

[[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, CorruptChurch, and MiddleEasternTerrorists. UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser has influenced the MENA variant of this trope, but he himself is generally not portrayed as being like this.

[[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 than this trope. UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser has influenced the MENA variant of this trope, but he himself is generally not portrayed as being like this.

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 Castro or Che {{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 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.

* ComicBook/{{Tintin}} has encountered several of these, notably General Alcazar (although he becomes [[BlackAndGreyMorality relatively]] more heroic later) and General Tapioca. Notably, Alcazar's men in ''Tintin and the Picaros'' are modeled after Cuban revolutionaries, and Alcazar himself dresses like Fidel Castro.

* ComicBook/{{Tintin}} has encountered several of these, notably General Alcazar (although he becomes [[BlackAndGreyMorality relatively]] more heroic later) and General Tapioca. Notably, Alcazar's men in ''Tintin and the Picaros'' are modeled after Cuban revolutionaries, but Alcazar himself visually resembles Che Guevara rather than Fidel Castro.

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 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.

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 tropical island, but regardless of setting, the general's residence is always steeped in wealth and luxury while his subjects 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. They typically have a wife and several mistresses, or a harem of trophy wives, and their views on women often lean towards the [[StayInTheKitchen chauvinistic]]. 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. The most popular setting is a banana republic on a picturesque tropical island, but regardless of setting, the general's residence is always steeped in wealth and luxury while his subjects 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. They typically have a wife and several mistresses, or a harem of trophy wives, and their views on women often lean towards the [[StayInTheKitchen chauvanistic]]. 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. The most popular setting is a banana republic on a picturesque tropical island, but regardless of setting, the general's residence is always steeped in wealth and luxury while his subjects 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. They typically have a wife and several mistresses, or a harem of trophy wives, and their views on women are always StayInTheKitchen. In the field, they're always a GeneralRipper and ultimately a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.

[[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 than this trope. UsefulNotes/GamalAbdelNasser has influenced the Middle Eastern variant of this trope, but he himself is generally not portrayed as being like this.

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. They typically have a wife and several mistresses, or a harem of trophy wives, and their views on women are always StayInTheKitchen. In the field, they're always a GeneralRipper and ultimately a GeneralFailure to show that they're all swagger, no substance.