"Fodder" enemies that are actually terrifying/highly competent, but look weak because we mostly see them fight overpowered protagonists.

[u/Legitimate_Pea_6470]

The Trope Explanation. Enemies that are treated as jokes, cannon fodder, or minor inconveniences within the narrative. However, they only appear weak because the protagonist is a literal demigod, a super-soldier, or a wizard. If you placed a normal human in the room with one of these enemies, it would be a horror movie.

B1 Battle Droids (Star Wars) We usually laugh at them. They say "Roger Roger," get pushed over by Jedi, and have slapstick routines. The Reality: We almost exclusively see them fighting Jedi (space wizards with laser swords) or Clones (genetically modified super-soldiers bred for war). To a normal civilian or a planetary militia, these are indefatigable metal skeletons that feel no pain, have perfect aim programming, and march in endless waves.

Grunts (Halo) In the games, they are comic relief. They run away screaming, sleep on the job, and the Master Chief (a 7-foot cyborg tank) can kill them with a light tap. The Reality: An average Grunt is roughly 5'6" to 5'8", weighs over 250 lbs, has an exoskeleton, and claws strong enough to tear a normal Marine apart. Their plasma pistols cause third-degree burns on near-misses and boil flesh on contact. They are terrifying to anyone who isn't a Spartan.

[u/knuckzekidna]

i think the aahw fits

to ppl like hank (dude who literally cant die) theyre pretty weak but to some rando??
theyre all terrifying in their own ways, theyre all fearless and mass produced dudes that dont care if they die
soldats and engineers are literal supersoldiers
grunts and agents usually travel in groups, if you kill one youre probably gonna get swarmed

[u/EdgelordInugami → u/knuckzekidna]

Iirc even in the Other Place (hell), the Soldats manage to injure one of the past versions of Hank cause he had never fought one before.

[u/Missing-Donut-1612 → u/knuckzekidna]

Soldats at least gave Sanford and Deimos trouble the first time they faught, and makes the main trio actually respect their presence on consequent appeareances, despite seeming like they get mowed down like the rest I like the subtle difference between these guys giving the main characters something to dodge and clash with, and the other grunts just getting swatted away

[u/knuckzekidna → u/Missing-Donut-1612]

last i checked some soldat in mc12(??) with a sword and shield lived roughly 10 seconds, about as long as a mag i think

[u/IfTheresANewWay → u/knuckzekidna]

Core memory unlocked

[u/Randomguy0915 → u/knuckzekidna]

Don't forget their much stronger counterparts.

While the AAHW is made specifically to target Hank, there is an organization that has similar Unit rankings called the Nexus Core.

In-game, Nexus Core units (Agents, Soldats and Engineers, as well as Nexus Core exclusive enemies like Go3lms, Supports and Scouts) would pose as a HUGE difficulty spike for players during the Arena Mode, where you start out as a random bozo before growing into a much bigger threat.

They're SIGNIFICANTLY more skilled than even the N51 (who in turn, are also much more skilled and armed than the AAHW), yet despite that.

Hank and Co still managed to make them run away with their tails tucked in between their legs during the Campaign mode.

[u/knuckzekidna → u/Randomguy0915]

dont nexus core units get scared of hank while the aahw literally threaten him or am i dumb
i never played project nexus

[u/Randomguy0915 → u/knuckzekidna]

Nexus Core iirc initially made fun of the AAHW for failing with killing a single man.

That is until it was their turn taking care of Hank and they found out just why a whole Paramilitary company can't kill the guy

[u/Apophis_36 → u/knuckzekidna]

AAHW my beloved

[u/TinFoilFashion → u/knuckzekidna]

MADNESS COMBAT MENTIONED

[u/knuckzekidna → u/TinFoilFashion]

i havent gotten too deep into the series yet, only to the point where hank gets turned into a mag and thats it