History Main / TrenchcoatBrigade

* Alucard from ''{{Hellsing}}''. The guy's a cold-hearted bastard who loves to taunt his foes, but occasionally sides with the good as an OccultDetective.
* Inspector Zenigata from {{Lupin III}} Although the guy much more of a comedic foil for the protagonist,he nonetheless wears a trench coat and smokes.
** Zenigata elevated more on the trope during the ''The Woman Called Fujiko Mine'' series, where he becomes more serious, cynical, and more morally ambigious.

* Alucard from ''{{Hellsing}}''. The guy's a cold hearted bastard who loves to taunt his foes, but occasionally sides with the good as an OccultDetective.

For the trenchcoat itself, see BadassLongcoat.

* Marv from ''SinCity'' is this trope in its most violent shade. (Of course, almost ''every'' protagonist wears a trenchcoat in Sin City. FrankMiller loves this trope.)
** Though unlike most of the examples, Marv is less of a SnarkKnight and more a BloodKnight.

* {{Gravel}}, another Warren Ellis invention (a writer of Hellblazer), is an example of this trope.

* Spider Jerusalem fro ''{{Transmetropolitan}}'' is an obvious example.

* In ''[[OneHundredBullets 100 Bullets]]'', Agent Shepperd wears brown trench coat and a billionaire cigar on his lips. Not to mention the bastard attitude.

* Rodney Skinner (when he's visible) in the movie version of ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen''.

* Carlito Brigante in ''CarlitosWay''. His black leather trenchocat, snarky attitude, and ever present cigar tells it all.

* Previous Hellblazer writer Mike Carey created Felix Castor in ''{{The Devil You Know}}''.

** TropeNamer "Trenchcoat Brigade" was coined in the ''BooksOfMagic'' MiniSeries by Creator/NeilGaiman. There was even a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trenchcoat_Brigade four issue Trenchcoat Brigade mini-series]]. In the minis - and in the main ''BooksOfMagic'' series - Constantine was teamed with DC characters ThePhantomStranger, [[OccultDetective Doctor Occult]], and Mister E; the Trenchcoat Brigade functioned as something of a mystical/magical {{Justice League| of America}}.

-- ThePhantomStranger, ''BooksOfMagic''

-->-- '''[[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]]''', ''Comicbook/BooksOfMagic''

-->-- '''[[ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}} John Constantine]]''', ''BooksOfMagic''

* Aiden Pearce frm the upcoming video game ''Watch_Dogs'', though he doesn't know magic, he's a snarky hacker.

Members of the Trenchcoat Brigade are those characters who are strongly influenced by, inspired by, or out and out {{expy}}/copies of the character of JohnConstantine, first introduced in 1985 by DC Comics. He has all of the above characteristics, as well as being British, blond, and pretty much a loner. (The strings of loved-and-lost women -- or occasionally men -- they may take up with don't count.)

* Most accurate example; Alucard from ''{{Hellsing}}''. The guy's a cold hearted bastard who loves to taunt his foes, but occasionally sides with the good as an OccultDetective.

* Balthazar Blake from ''Film/{{TheSorcerersApprentice}}''. Guess what... he's a sorcerer too.

* Roy Mustang from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is another example of this trope complete with a BadassLongcoat and occational witty personality.

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* Most accurate example; Alucard from ''{{Hellsing}}''. The guy's a cold hearted bastard who loves to taunt his foes, but occasionally sides with the good. You might as well call him the John Constantine of manga.
* Damien from ''{{Nightschool}}''. He doesn't have stubble, but when you can [[spoiler:''stop bullets from reaching your skin, break bones by thinking about it, and can flatten NYC'']] then you can be a nitpicker.
* Roy Mustang from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is another example of this trope complete with a BadassLongcoat and occational witty personality.
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* Samuel Burke from ''{{Spawn}}''. Although overweight, the guy sees everything in the shades of grey. He smokes from time to ime and when he taggles along with Spawn in his adventures, he becomes an OccultDetective.

Many creators figure that if they give a bloke a [[BadassLongcoat trenchcoat]], a pack of [[SmokingIsCool smokes]], and a [[PermaStubble five o'clock shadow]]; a [[DeadpanSnarker quick wit]], [[FirstPersonSmartass hard-boiled and self-referential dialogue]] and a [[MysteriousPast mysterious]] and [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark past]], they've got themselves a MagnificentBastard of an {{antihero}} that they can send out to fight [[EldritchAbomination occult foes]].

Members of the Trenchcoat Brigade are those characters who are strongly influenced by, inspired by, or out and out copies of the character of JohnConstantine, first introduced in 1985 by DC Comics. He has all of the above characteristics, as well as being British, blond, and pretty much a loner. (The strings of loved-and-lost women -- or occasionally men -- they may take up with don't count.)

* {{Nick Fury}} has been known to wear a brown trenchcoat over a three-piece business suit, or more usually his SHIELD jumpsuit.
* In ''[[OneHundredBullets 100 Bullets]]'', Agent Shepperd wears brown trench coat as a signature piece of wardrobe and the guy proves why he's the only one in the series who can wear it.
** It appears to be a status-symbol of the trust's Warlord [[spoiler: As Lono is shown to be wearing it when he takes over the job after Shepperd is killed.]]
* Though an older bastard, Rorschach from ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' becomes on of this.
* Comicbook/DoctorStrange wore a tan trenchcoat or a green duster while a member of the New Avengers during Heroic Age. Back when he had his own title, he once modified the Cloak of Levitation into a flowing red trenchcoat with a broad collar.
* Batman villain Hush. The two major aspects of his costume are a Bandaged Face and a tattered trenchcoat.

* Carlito Brigante with his black leather trenchcoat in ''CarlitosWay''.

* Some incarnations of the Doctor in ''DoctorWho''.
** As well as most of the ''{{Torchwood}}'' cast.

* Roy Mustang from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' is another example of this trope. Check out his badass coat.
* Tooya from ''AyashiNoCeres'' wears a trench coat (with shades and stoicism, to boot) at the beginning of the series, while he's still working for the Mikages. Additionally, he wears a labcoat when he disguises himself as a doctor at Aya's school, pulling off a couple of wicked rescues while he's there.

* Magic hater Roland Deschlain from the ''{{The Dark Tower}}''.

* ShadeTheChanging Man

** Jack Carter from WarrenEllis' ''{{Planetary}}'' goes from a John Constantine analogue to a [[{{Transmetropolitan}} Spider Jerusalem]] analogue. (WarrenEllis, of course, created Spider Jerusalem.)

* Michael Jones from ''{{Desolation Jones}}''. Another of Ellis' characters to take the Hellblazer tone of a darker world. Note the blond hair and Trench Coat.

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* Though an older bastard, Rorschach from ''{{Watchmen}}'' becomes on of this.

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* Roy Mustang from ''{{Fullmetal Alchemist}}'' is another example of this trope. Check out his badass coat.

* In the Modern Age of Comics, {{Doctor Strange}} wore a tan trenchcoat or a green duster in New Avengers. Back when he had his own title, he once modified the Cloak of Levitation into a flowing red trenchcoat with a broad collar.

* Some incarnation of the Doctor in ''{{Doctor Who}}''.

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-->-- '''AmbroseBierce''' in PhilFoglio's ''StanleyAndHisMonster''

** PhilFoglio uses AmbroseBierce for his series ''StanleyAndHisMonster''. He even gives him a bit of LampshadeHanging as shown in the above quote.