| rdfs:comment | - This mission is important. The fate of the battle, nay, the war, nay, the entire world rests on the outcome. Who has the capability to stick it out, to give the good guys the victory they desperately need? This calls for a special team. The group of experienced, highly skilled, professional, team-oriented experts? Not them. The assorted group of ex-con lowlife inexperienced jerkasses who are trying to off their commander when they aren't trying to kill each other? Yeah, them. Compare with Character-Magnetic Team, Cosmic Comic Story, and Hitchhiker Heroes.
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| abstract | - This mission is important. The fate of the battle, nay, the war, nay, the entire world rests on the outcome. Who has the capability to stick it out, to give the good guys the victory they desperately need? This calls for a special team. The group of experienced, highly skilled, professional, team-oriented experts? Not them. The assorted group of ex-con lowlife inexperienced jerkasses who are trying to off their commander when they aren't trying to kill each other? Yeah, them.
* Despite their flaws, they're still the best at what they do. See Bunny Ears Lawyer.
* They have talent but not much tolerance for traditional procedure, and/or they're the only ones who can stand to work with each other.
* Or, they are really good and not at all flawed, but really want everyone else to see them that way: making sure that the Big Bad does not realize that the Mildly Military goofballs are a Badass Crew is part of the plan.
* They're the best team that could be put together at short notice and/or budget.
* There simply isn't anyone else.
* If trouble blew up at a remote outpost, and there isn't time to get help, those characters who were Reassigned to Antarctica have to deal with it. Since they all did something to get themselves Reassigned to Antarctica, they tend to be a miscellaneous bunch.
* The villains, no fools, took out everyone that looked like they could stop their Evil Plan; this is what's left.
* In case the mission fails, they're expendable.
* Alternately, they are expected to fail, so their commander will be free to take Nuke'Em like he wanted to in the first place.
* A mix of all the above, they may be sent in with people knowing they are the best, but not caring if they get killed either due to jealousy or just not liking them that much.
* Sending in more experienced/skilled/powerful teams would have drawn too much attention. Indeed, the better-suited teams may be deliberately deployed elsewhere to distract from them.
* More powerful teams would not put up with the person ordering them about.
* This can be that the Only Sane Man does not have authority to get the best.
* Conversely, the man in the know can be such an annoying bully that no one would work with him, and such a control freak that he can not give his knowledge to a Reasonable Authority Figure.
* The authorities haven't actually noticed (or are) the problem, and the heroes have to gather whoever they can.
* There was a better first choice that DID get sent, but they screwed up badly. These guys were the backup plan nobody wanted to be forced to use.
* They need them to do something untoward or outright illegal, and they know these folks will keep quiet about it.
* They're the only ones crazy enough to even try.
* They're random survivors of some apocalyptic event who more or less stumble across each other. Your basic Ragtag Bunch Of Misfits consists of a Hero, a Sidekick, a Big Guy, a Smart Guy, an Old Guy, a Young Guy, and a Funny Guy - But you can call them The Magnificent Seven Samurai or even Bunny Ears Lawyers. Of course, the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits will eventually have a Misfit Mobilization Moment to get their act together and win the day. Most often it produces casualties: typically, the guy forced to go on the mission despite being the Convicted Innocent, or the Officer and a Gentleman who's been stodgy and uptight just before making a Heroic Sacrifice. If the characters were not forced on the team -- Condemned Contestant, Boxed Crook -- they often join to be Lonely Together. To contrast their diversity, their enemies will likely be all homogenous in one way, typically by being highly collaborative professionals. Compare with Character-Magnetic Team, Cosmic Comic Story, and Hitchhiker Heroes. In the world of sports, this trope counts double. Last year's Super Bowl champions don't stand a chance against a random group of ex-cons, couch potatoes, and farm animals, with Improvised Training, who are almost guaranteed to pull out a last-minute win. See also Army of Thieves and Whores for when this trope is magnified to the size of an army. Examples of Ragtag Bunch of Misfits include:
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