Greatest Badasses in Literature

[salinea]

I agree with lots of these. I'd like to add Gerald Tarrant. And also Olenna Tyrell.

[Caine]

I'm glad Stover's Caine was brought up a couple times

Unlike Mieville's "badasses", who are mostly seen from other characters' perspective, Stover lets us into Caine's head.

[Arakasi]

Uther Doul from the Scar is another one, although I don't know that he's been mentioned.

[Ender]

I'd say:

-Drizzt Do'Urden: I mean a scimatar + 5, wtf? In the Forgotten Realms campaign setting he is pretty much unbeatable. He does lack any kind of mental 'badassery' though. Not that you could really call R.A Salvatore literature

By what measure? That those holding the Forgotten Realms license won't let Salvatore kill him off? Pretty much every uber powerful character in the FR carries a +5 weapon and Drizzt doesn't have the levels or spells to compete with epic characters, and especially epic magic users, the true powerhouses of the FR. I'd go so far as to say that there are hundreds of official characters that could obliterate him in a matter of seconds. Drizzt isn't even as "badass" as his archrival Artemis Entreri.

Anyway, Some Notable Badasses: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris , James Bond, Jack Bauer, Megatron...

In literature, I find myself marveling at Corwin of Amber for his badassness despite not actually caring for the series that much. The "300"+ Spartans in Gates of Fire are badasses (as they seem to have been in real life). Ender Wiggin is a total badass.

Also, though we haven't seen much of him, Lyn Corbray scares the hell out of me.

[oneeye]

Feanor, Locke Lamora

Richard St. Vier

Mini badass: Arya!

[DanteGabriel]

Cohen the Barbarian from Discworld. He and his Silver Horde conquered the Agatean Empire. Remember, they have almost a millennium of barbarianing experience.

Iorek Byrnison, the (restored) king of the armored bears in His Dark Materials. The baddest of the bears, can't be fooled by humans (unless he gets drunk), armored in sky-iron, skillful enough to reforge the Subtle Knife in an improvised forge... Total bad-ass.

I'll also echo the love for Big-Wig from Watership Down.

[Arakasi]

Feanor acts petulent, makes some pretty stuff, makes some good rhetorical hate speeches, his father gets butchered, gets all riled up, makes more speeches and starts a rebellion, goes off and marches and gets a bunch of innocent people killed, swears a foolish oath, then abandons half the people who had followed him and lets lots die in the ice, lands in middle earth and prompty gets himself killed. Why is he a badass?

I retract my Drizzt comment. Artemis yes is much more badass than him.

I would agree with Arya though.

[Jhogo's Evil Twin]

Not from lit but somebody has to mention Tony Montana. Idolized by gangsters and wannabes everywhere.

[ants]

I generally prefer some of the mental bad asses, so I'd nominate:

Admiral Thrawn: So bad, and yet you respected him. Dominated most battles, and you had to pull something out of your ass to beat him. So cold and calculating.

Isladar: This is the mother of all manipulative bastards. Willing to throw himself on a sword if it improves his position, and yet nobody can figure out yet what his game plan is. Epitomises the theory "know your enemy".

greatest badass?

that's easy: BIGWIG. Woundwort never had a chance.

Agreed

[Quijote Light]

Randall Patrick McMurphy. Never gives up, and is eventually lobotomized just to prove a point. And if you disagree, think about what the other patients would say.

[PhoenixFlame]

Oh, I thought of a few more!

- The Headless Horseman. Undead, gallops around on a horse, and decapitates people for now reason other than being pissed.

In regards to biblical figures, I'd say the Archangel Michael was pretty badass. No further explanation needed.

[Arakasi]

Yes Takeshi Kovacs is very badass. Shogo Kawada from Battle Royale too.

[Yrael]

- The Hound, for braving an angry mob, fighting his worst fear, and beating the hell out of everyone.

I think the Hound should be disqualified. He chickens out everytime he's near a fire. Can you see him fighting when Dany arrives with her dragons?!

Richard St. Vier

Please tell me you're kidding.

[The Marquis de Leech]

didn't you just describe Randyll Tarly?

Randyll Tarly is definitely one of ASOIAF's genuine badasses.

[Brude]

"Half-Cocked" Jack Shaftoe/L'Emmerdeur/The King of the Vagabonds/Al-Zaybak (The Quicksilver)/The Sword of Divine Fire from "The Baroque Cycle" by Neal Stepheson - It is hard to make a complete list of the exploits of Half-cocked Jack, but I'll try to hit a few that come to mind (oh, and realize he does all of this while posessing, quite literally 1/2 of a cock, the other half having been burned off during an ill-fated attempt to cure a very bad case of venereal disease...with fire, no less).

/many spoilers

- Jack's first job as a young boy was yanking on the legs of men hanged at the gallows to snap their necks to make their deaths less agonizing (a service he did for caring family members who were willing to toss him a few coppers).

- When he became an adult became a legend in Europe as the King of the Vagabonds, the world's greatest thief and highwayman. In France he was known as "L'Emmerduer" which means "the one who covers everything in shit" or "the pain in the ass." Novels were written about him and read at Versaills by lords, ladies and likely even LeRoy, himself. All the while he was still active as a criminal and had a price of death on his head in France and probably most of the rest of Europe, too.

- He did get himself captured and held by one of the most powerful Duke's in all of France, however he then managed to escape while the entire nobility of France, including the King, was at this Duke's home for a massive costume ball. L'Emmerdeur crashed the party, robbed every noble woman in France of all of their jewelery, right in front of the king (who was dressed as L'Emmerdeur for the ball), and then fled into the night unmolested (the king just laughed at his audacity!).

- rowed as a galley slave for the Turkish navy

- overcame two years of syphilitic madness ("The French Pox" they called it)

- Captured a Spanish treasure ship for his Turkish masters then proceeded to escape with said treasure, making it all the way to India.

- Lost his treasure when his ship was captured by Kotakkal, the Pirate Queen of Mahlabar

- Worked as a human feeder for hundreds of thousands of blood-sucking vermin by underbidding a family of Untouchables for the job (he was rather desperate for work at the time...)

- Led a small force in battle and won for himself the throne of a minor kingdom, winning the name "The Sword of Divine Fire"

- Became the consort of Kotakkal, the Pirate Queen of Mahlabar (as did both of his nephews)

- Was forced to swim a river infested with hungry crocodiles when he angered Kotakkal by winning back his treasure

- Circumnavigated the Earth

- Became the most wanted man in England, by then known as Jack the Coiner, an infamous counterfeiter.

- Helped rob the British Crown Jewels from the Tower of London as an after thought to breaking in there for other reasons (oh, and he flew into the place on a rocket).

/end many spoiler

[MoP]

Yes, Half-Cocked Jack Shaftoe is a magnificent choice!

[Shadiou]

By what measure? That those holding the Forgotten Realms license won't let Salvatore kill him off?

yep, thats exactly what I mean. The official Wizards of the Coast ruling is that Drizzt cannot be beaten by players in a PnP game. He was also bloody hard to beat in Baldur's Gate 1 and 2.

[Samalander]

Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn is full of badasses:

Kelsier- for surviving where other men failed, for daring what other men can't, for his kick-ass magical powers and for nurturing his own legend.

His brother Marsh - for being smart and convincing the Obligators he was one of them, and for his willingness to give up his humanity for the greater good.

Vin- For being so stubborn as to not know when to quit, for finishing off the Lord-Ruler single-handedly by sheer force of will.

Brandon Sanderson's Elantris :

Hrathen - for being willing to poison himself, for his fighting skills and for wearing real, honest to god armor all the time.

William King's Gotrek the Slayer : The dude is so badass he's starting to think no-one will be able to give his heroic doom!! He spent decades seeking death in battle, and hasn't managed it thus far (suicide is strickly forbidden... ).

Eve Forward's Villains by necessity :

Samalander - for always getting his man, no matter how powerful.

Blackmail - reminds me of the Terminator, in armor and riding a horse.

Patricia Mckillip's Riddle Master trilogy:

Deth - can anyone say puppetmaster?

Simon R.Green :

Razor Eddie from the Nightside novels.

Hawk and Fisher - the most badass husband-wife duo in fantasy literature!!

Edaward Bolme's Orb of Xoriat :

Teron is Sooo badass.

some quotes :

"Great Sovereigns " said the innkeeper, "what is that all over you?"

Teron : "Gnoll Blood", he said between gasps, "They... don't listen."

"We haven't discussed penalties, Praxle", said Teron. "If you break any of these rules, the entirety of the Quiet Touch will hunt you down and kill you.We've been trained, Praxle. Trained to infiltrate, trained to blend in, trained to look just like people. The conductor on the lightning Rail. The person who takes your garbage. A student at the University. Break your promise, and we will kill you, slowly and painfully. It may take a few years to infiltrate, but we will do it. You've shown me how better to blend in with the peacetime world, and I'll make sure to pass this knowledge to everyone else in the order."

Praxle considered this. "So, uh.. how many of you are there?"

"I'll never tell".

(Teron is actually bluffing. He's the last of the Quiet Touch ).

[Centrist Simon Steele]

At the risk of copying those who came before...

Michael from Paradise Lost--he puts the smackdown on Satan in the first rebellion causing the devil to rely on deception and lies to corrupt humans in his next planned attack.

Ajax from the Iliad. One of the best Greek warriors (I think Hector was mentioned?).

Odysseus, for all his craftiness, sure becomes a total badass in the end of the Odyssey when he finally meets all the suitors.

Bwiulfy (or however you spell it) from the 13th Warrior.

[Jhogo's Evil Twin]

i forgot richard sharpe. he just killed, beat or fuck everyone met (well almost).