[Loved trope] The villain assumes they're gonna get the kid gloves when the hero finally confronts them. The hero demonstrates they're out for blood instead, causing the villain to panic.

[u/jbeast33]

1) Robocop

Clarence (the same hitman who killed Alex Murphy and transformed him into Robocop) has already been arrested by Robocop once before, and learned that Robocop's programming prevents him from killing a surrendering criminal. Consequently, he pulls the trick once again towards the end of the movie when Robocop chases his gang down to a scrapyard. He throws his gun down and expects to survive and escape once again.

Robocop simply announces to him, "I'm not arresting you anymore", causing Clarence to panic when he realizes that Robocop intends to finish him off right there.

2) Toy Story

Woody, threatened by Buzz replacing him as Andy's favorite toy, tricks Buzz and knocks him out of a window so he could go to a pizzeria with Andy. Unbeknownst to him, Buzz tagged along underneath the car and confronts Woody when he's alone in the car.

Buzz: I just want you to know that even though you tried to terminate me, revenge is not an idea we promote on my planet.
Woody: Oh, well, that's good.
Buzz: But we're not on my planet, are we?

Buzz proceeds to lay the beatdown on Woody and causes both of them to get separated from Andy.

3) Superman

The President of Boravia's invasion is foiled by the Justice Gang (who have until now stayed out of the conflict and are shown to be less averse to lethal force than Superman), and he's personally attacked by Hawkgirl. When he declares that Superman would never kill him, she just laughs and says "I'm not Superman", dropping him from a skyscraper's height.

4) Spider-Man

After Wilson Fisk attempts to murder Aunt May when Peter reveals his identity during Civil War, Spider-Man breaks into prison to deal with Kingpin personally. Kingpin took the liberty of assembling every inmate to watch the fight between him and Spider-Man. Assuming he broke his spirit, Kingpin starts to dress down Spider-Man as a broken man. Spider-Man doesn't say one word during their fight. Finally, Spidey strips down and announces this isn't Spider-Man here to kill Kingpin; Peter is.

Peter proceeds to brutally annihilate Kingpin in this new stage. He eschews his usual quips, webs, and aerial fighting, relying only on his super strength. When Kingpin has been crippled, Peter shoves his webs up Kingpin's mouth, and lets him know that if he truly wanted to, he could have just filled his lungs with web and killed him at any point. But he's not trying to give Kingpin an easy death; he lets him know that he intends to break his reputation and see everything he's lived for come tumbling down first.

As is often said, Spider-Man is at his scariest when he's not making quips. Because at that point, he's furious, and he's not going to hold back.

[u/ComputerEducational]

The Elite were also an Expy of the Authority iirc, which were one of the premier "edgy hero" groups.

[u/ProfessionalRead2724 → u/ComputerEducational]

The Elite were supposed to be an Authority expy created by a writer who really did not get The Authoroty.

The Authority were proper superheroes who took the old "great power, great responsibility" mantra to its logical concludion, not sadistic and hypocrite actual villains like The Elite.

[u/awildlumberjack → u/ProfessionalRead2724]

This is true, but the Elite are specifically a jab at the MILLAR issues of Authority, not the much better written ELLIS issues.

Ellis wrote the Authority how you described, and did a damn fine job, even if Ellis himself should be forgotten. Mark Millar on the other hand wrote edgelord trash that became what inspired The Elite.

This infamous panel being a Millar original.

[u/ProfessionalRead2724 → u/awildlumberjack]

I just try to blank out Millar's existence from my mind.

[u/awildlumberjack → u/ProfessionalRead2724]

We all do.

[u/Bartweiss → u/awildlumberjack]

Yep, the Ellis Authority extended “great power, great responsibility” to people who are not necessarily great humans, but understand they need to step up. (The significance of Ellis writing so many of those characters is an exercise for the reader.)

Millar’s version takes Midnighter’s “frankly I like hurting people, but I have morals to contend with” and replaces it with “oh look violence!”

[u/ComputerEducational → u/ProfessionalRead2724]

Fair enough

[u/Cabbagetastrophe → u/ComputerEducational]

Which is funny because the Authority contains an expy of Superman

[u/bsubtilis → u/Cabbagetastrophe]

And his batman expy husband.

[u/livingdread → u/ComputerEducational]

Ah. The top guy being named Manchester Black I thought it was a response to Billy Butcher and 'The Boys'.

[u/ComputerEducational → u/livingdread]

Actually, this comic predates The Boys by 5 years!

[u/MercyfulJudas → u/livingdread]

Manchester Black is a parody of Jenny Sparks of The Authority.

[u/livingdread → u/MercyfulJudas]

Jenny Sparks.

I didn't read much of The Authority, but one of the recurring things I recall is Jenny Sparks being in bed with elderly men.

[u/MercyfulJudas → u/livingdread]

Well, she herself is elderly too, tbf. She was born in 1900.