History UsefulNotes / OsamaBinLaden

* The movie ''Film/{{Osama}}'' -- the first film to come out of Afghanistan since the Taliban banned films in 1996--is actually not about ''that'' Osama. Well, not ''explicitly'' about him.

* The novel ''Osama'' by Lavie Tidhar is set in an AlternateUniverse to ours, where Middle Eastern terrorism does not exist (by implication, because the state of Israel was never created, either because the Holocaust never happened or more unpleasantly because it was more successful), but there is a series of VillainBasedFranchise technothriller novels about "Osama bin Laden" which echo al-Qaeda's actions in our universe. [[spoiler:It's also the IronicHell for the souls of al-Qaeda suicide terrorists, who find themselves ghosts in a universe where their motivations and actions are completely irrelevant and incomprehensible.]]

* An absolutely bizarre book entitled ''Where's Bin Laden?'' parodies the ''Literature/WheresWally'' series with bin Laden and his minions hiding around the globe, in the midst of their own terrorist plots.

!!Osama provides examples of numerous tropes:

* DeadAllAlong: Some people believed that was dead for a long time, before he was found and killed.
* EliteArmy: Osama had them in the form of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/055_Brigade these guys]].
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** When his compound was searched after his death, among the items found in his compound were American soft drinks (including Coke and Pepsi), Nesquik, and Vaseline, all items that seem contradictory to his anti-capitalism views.
** The CIA also found a significant PornStash on his computer, which flies in the face of his highly conservative views.
* LargeAndInCharge: An intimidating 6' 5".
* LeanAndMean: The FBI described bin Laden as [[http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/wanted_terrorists/usama-bin-laden having a thin build.]]
* MiddleEasternCoalition: He and his organization desired the restoration of the medieval Islamic caliphate.
* MissionFromGod: From Allah.
* MoeGreeneSpecial: News reports over the May 2 assassination of Bin Laden reveal that Bin Laden was either shot in the left eye when he refused to surrender, or the bullet went high and blew away part of Osama's skull. Creator/StephenColbert [[{{Squee}} squeed]] quite a bit at this particular detail.
* MultinationalTeam: His army of fanatics was said to consist of Arabs, Afghans, Pakistanis, Uzbeks, Chechens, Somalis, converted Western citizens, and others.
* TheStateless: From 1995 on, he was no longer a Saudi citizen because of his terrorist activities.
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For more information on global terrorism's overal influence on media, see TheWarOnTerror.

* Mentioned in ''Film/PlanetTerror'' as having been found and killed by Creator/BruceWillis' character.

* EyeScream: News reports over the May 2 assassination of Bin Laden reveal that Bin Laden was either shot in the left eye when he refused to surrender, or the bullet went high and blew away part of Osama's skull. Creator/StephenColbert [[{{Squee}} squeed]] quite a bit at this particular detail.
* {{Hypocrite}}: When his compound was searched after his death, among the items found in his compound were American soft drinks (including Coke and Pepsi), Nesquik, and Vaseline, all items that seem contradictory to his anti-capitalism views.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/osama_bin_laden2.jpg]]

* OneOfUs: Yes, actually - it was discovered after his death that he was a huge anime and video game fan. (Of course, being in the position he was in, he pirated said anime and games.)

* EliteArmy: Osama had them in the form of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/055_Brigade These guys]].

* MajoredInWesternHypocrisy: When his compound was searched after his death, among the items found in his compound were American soft drinks (including Coke and Pepsi), Nesquik, and Vaseline, all items that seem contradictory to his anti-capitalism views.

* TheStateless: Since 1995, he is no longer a Saudi citizen because of his terrorist activities.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' did one episode where Osama is already in the US working undercover as an accountant.
* He appears in a ''Webcomic/BobTheAngryFlower'' - ''Webcomic/SpaceCat'' crossover strip from way back in 1998 [[spoiler: or rather someone else with the same name as it turns out.]]
* {{Homage}}: ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' features an aging, bearded middle-eastern man of a fearsome disposition who speaks in quotations from the Qu'ran. His name is Osama. Coincidence? The character's first involvement in the series occurred ''before'' 9/11, his identity (as father of Iraqi AntiHero Oran) was revealed well afterwards, and his canon name is never mentioned in the series itself at all. Make of that what you will.
* Brazilian comedy group Casseta & Planeta has a sketch in their TV show depicting Osama living in Rio de Janeiro with an abusing wife.
* A Brazilian comedy website, Charges.com.br, have Osama (and sidekick "Zuanta", pun on "sua [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapir anta]]", "you ass") as frequent characters.
* Appeared in ''Series/DeadRingers'', particularly in one memorable sketch where he went on a Blind Date-style show.
* Music/{{Eminem}} plays him in the video for the {{D12}} song "Without Me".
* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Osama bin Laden is beaten up by [[EnfanteTerrible Stewie Griffin]] in the opening sequence of the episode "PTV", after being prevented from sending a hostile message to the United States.
* ''Fugitive Hunter,'' a [=PS2=] first-person shooter/fighting game, has Osama bin Laden as the final boss. You kickbox him to a gangsta rap about...beating up Osama bin Laden.
* The movie ''Film/{{Osama}}'' -- the first film to come out of Afghanistan since the Taliban banned films in 1996--is actually not about ''that'' Osama. Well, not ''explicitly'' about him.
* The novel ''Osama'' by Lavie Tidhar is set in an AlternateUniverse to ours, where Middle Eastern terrorism does not exist (by implication, because the state of Israel was never created, either because the Holocaust never happened or more unpleasantly because it was more successful), but there is a series of VillainBasedFranchise technothriller novels about "Osama bin Laden" which echo al-Qaeda's actions in our universe. [[spoiler:It's also the IronicHell for the souls of al-Qaeda suicide terrorists, who find themselves ghosts in a universe where their motivations and actions are completely irrelevant and incomprehensible.]]

* There was a "Bin Laden in a Blender" web site on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''. Implied in one episode (where Homer and Marge met each other as kids) that he was Homer's pen pal.
* ''Sore Thumbs'': He appears in an out-of-freakin'-nowhere context as the villain of a storyline in the webcomic.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': Osama bin Laden Has Farty Pants.
* Appears in ''WesternAnimation/TwoDTV'', usually in sketches where he gets annoyed by the Taliban's lack of high-tech weapons to fight the Americans with.
* Osama is the only guy the H-{{Doujinshi}} ''Viva Freedom'' who doesn't get to have sex. (And serve him right!) Specifically, his men kill him for interrupting their orgy.

* ''Fugitive Hunter,'' a PS2 first-person shooter/fighting game, has Osama bin Laden as the final boss. You kickbox him to a gangsta rap about...beating up Osama bin Laden.

Osama bin Laden was a Saudi Arabian [[AristocratsAreEvil noble]] and the leader of the international Sunni Muslim terrorist organization al Qaeda. He was responsible for both major terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, as well as the bombing of the ''USS Cole''.

* EliteMooks: Osama had them in the form of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/055_Brigade These guys]].

* AcceptablePoliticalTargets: Well, that's what he got for being an international mass murdering terrorist.
* AcceptableReligiousTargets: He was an Islamic [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist]], after all
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Numerous, be it as a Muslim [[LaResistance freedom fighter]] against [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets American injustices, crimes, and terrorizations in the middle east]] or [[TheManBehindTheMan as a mere patsy of a conspiracy]].
* AristocratsAreEvil: He was a Saudi noble, though his family effectively disowned him.
* BigBad of the WarOnTerror, from the POV of America and her allies.
* ComeOutComeOutWhereverYouAre: ''Encyclopedia Dramatica'' noted that "he is the world's reigning hide-and-seek champion."
* DarkMessiah

* DeadpanSnarker: One of his tapes responded to the USA's propaganda about "freedom" with him saying "if I was doing this because I hated freedom, I'd be bombing Sweden, not America".
* TheDragon: [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Ayman Al Zawahiri]] fulfilled this role for bin Laden.
* EliteMooks: Osama had them in the form of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/055_Brigade These guys]].

* FaceHeelTurn / TheStarscream: He fought against the Soviets as a Mujahadeen commander in Afghanistan in the 80s.
* KnightTemplar: [[UsefulNotes/TheCrusades Ironic trope name FTW!]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: He rose to his current position, unintentionally, with U.S. help to mujahideen against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
* OccupiersOutOfOurCountry: Except he regarded his country as the Islamic world, in general, and Palestine, specifically.

* KnightTemplar: [[TheCrusades Ironic trope name FTW!]]

* EyeScream: News reports over the May 2 assassination of Bin Laden reveal that Bin Laden was either shot in the left eye when he refused to surrender, or the bullet went high and blew away part of Osama's skull. StephenColbert [[{{Squee}} squeed]] quite a bit at this particular detail.