"Private military companies are best known for their bodyguard work. It's a big part of their business, but it's not the only part. For a big enough check, they'll rain hot lead down wherever you want. It's not work that attracts "service-with-a-smile" types."
Also known as mercenaries (mercs for short), soldiers of fortune, and a dozen other names. These characters can have a wide range of personalities, some with honor, or codes, or limitations, and others who will kill anybody to get the job done. The only common thread is that whatever they're into, it's a job, and they're getting paid. This is a Super-Trope of many, many tropes surrounding people who are hired to kill people or engage in other violent jobs in exchange for payment, from experienced Bounty Hunters and Professional Killers to lowly Mooks and anything else in between, as mentioned below:
Tropes:
- Adventure Guild
- Ambiguously Trained
- Army of Thieves and Whores
- Assassins Are Always Betrayed
- Assassin Outclassin'
- Bantering Baddie Buddies
- Battle Butler
- Bodyguard Babes
- Bodyguarding a Badass
- Bounty Hunter
- Bringing in the Expert
- Bumbling Henchmen Duo
- Cadre of Foreign Bodyguards
- Carnival of Killers
- Consummate Professional
- Contract on the Hitman
- Corporate Samurai
- Corporate Warfare
- Elite Mooks
- Evil Debt Collector
- Evil Minions
- The Expy With No Name
- Former Regime Personnel
- From Camouflage to Criminal
- Hero Secret Service
- Hired by the Oppressor
- Hitman with a Heart
- Holy Hitman
- Hunter of Monsters
- Immortal Assassin
- Indispensable Scoundrel
- Inexperienced Killer
- The Informant
- In Love with the Mark
- Knowledge Broker
- Law Enforcement, Inc.
- Legion of Lost Souls
- Lovable Rogue
- The Magnificent Seven Samurai
- Mercenary Units
- Mooks
- Murder, Inc.
- Mysterious Mercenary Pursuer
- Ninja Maid
- Nothing Personal
- Not in My Contract
- The One with a Personal Life
- Only in It for the Money
- Pinkerton Detective
- Price on Their Head
- Privateer
- Private Detective
- Private Intelligence Agency
- Private Military Contractors
- Professional Killer
- Psycho for Hire
- Punch-Clock Hero
- Punch-Clock Villain
- Recruiting the Criminal
- Rogue Agent
- Rogue Soldier
- Rōnin
- Shady Lady of the Night
- Sociopathic Soldier
- Street Samurai
- To Catch Heroes, Hire Villains
- "Wanted!" Poster
- We Help the Helpless
- Who You Gonna Call?
