Instead of making The Expendables 3, maybe Hollywood could consider putting together a soldier‑of‑fortune tale with an actual plot. Thankfully, history’s done all the hard work already. Here are ten movie worthy stories that belong on the big screen.
10 Xenophon
Ten thousand Greek mercenaries found themselves stranded deep in hostile Persian lands after their patron Cyrus fell in battle and their general was assassinated. The desperate soldiers chose the philosopher‑soldier Xenophon to guide them home.
Rather than take the long, familiar route, Xenophon steered the Ten Thousand northward toward the Black Sea, crossing rugged mountains, battling through Armenia, and navigating a tangled web of clan alliances. When the surviving Greeks finally saw the Black Sea’s waves, they shouted, “The sea, the sea!” That triumphant cry would make a perfect cinematic climax.
9 Memnon of Rhodes
Memnon, a Greek mercenary commander hired by Persian king Darius, first clashed with Alexander the Great at the Battle of Granicus, where his forces were routed. Undeterred, Memnon proved to be the only commander capable of slowing Alexander’s eastward march.
He abandoned pitched battles, instead fortifying strategic cities such as Halicarnassus. Alexander’s siege of that citadel turned into a grueling, Pyrrhic effort, buying time for the Persian side. Memnon later tried to rally Sparta and other disgruntled city‑states against the Macedonians, but a sudden fever cut his campaign short.
8 The Varangian Guard
From the 10th to the 15th century, Scandinavians who once raided the Byzantine Empire found a new calling as elite mercenaries in the emperor’s personal guard. Their massive axes and fierce loyalty made the Varangian Guard a feared fighting force.
If one story had to be highlighted, it would be that of Harald Hardrada. After a failed uprising forced the young Harald to flee Norway, he sought refuge in Constantinople, rose through the Guard’s ranks, and became its captain. When his request to marry the empress’s niece was denied, Harald seized the woman, fled with a hoard of treasure, and returned to Norway as a legendary warlord.
7 The Catalan Company
The Catalan Company began as a mercenary force hired to tip the balance in the War of the Sicilian Vespers. After that conflict ended, the Company sold its services to the Byzantine Empire, which desperately needed fresh troops to replace those lost to the Turks.
Victorious but increasingly insubordinate, the Catalans attempted to carve out their own kingdom within Byzantine lands. Their leader, Roger de Flor, was assassinated, and the Company was expelled. They drifted to the Duchy of Athens, where they were promised land and titles. When the duke reneged and tried to pit the mercenaries against each other, the Catalans united, defeated the ducal army, and ruled Athens for the next seventy years.
6 Patrick Sarsfield
In the late 17th century, Ireland became a battlefield in the broader Catholic‑Protestant conflict that engulfed Europe. Patrick Sarsfield fought for the deposed Catholic king James II during the Williamite War.
Although the Irish effort failed, Sarsfield’s tenacity forced King William III to sign a treaty that allowed thousands of Irish‑Catholic soldiers to seek refuge in France—a migration known as the “flight of the wild geese.” In France, Sarsfield and his men formed the Irish Brigade, serving the French monarchy across Europe while hoping for a chance to return home. Sarsfield fell in the Battle of Landen, reportedly whispering, “If this was only for Ireland,” as he died.
5 Rolf Steiner
Rolf Steiner grew up in Germany, ran away to study for the priesthood, and then abandoned those plans after a romance went sour. He enlisted in the French Foreign Legion, only to be expelled for sympathizing with Algerian insurgents.From 1967 onward, Steiner offered his services to various African rebel movements. He led Biafran forces against Nigeria with modest success, then helped Southern Sudanese separatists challenge Khartoum’s dictatorship. After being captured and imprisoned for three years, he was released due to poor health.
4 “Mad” Mike Hoare
Mike Hoare began his career as an accountant before World War II thrust him into the British Army, where he saw action in India and Burma. After the war, he turned his love of African terrain into a safari business, which became a springboard for a mercenary career in the Congo during the 1960s.
Hoare’s fame grew after he helped rescue European hostages in Stanleyville. His downfall came in 1981 when he attempted a coup in the Seychelles, arriving disguised as a beer‑drinking charity group. A customs inspection uncovered weapons, sparking a gun battle. Hoare commandeered a passenger plane to escape, later serving three years of a ten‑year sentence before being released.
3 Bob Denard
Bob Denard epitomized the shadowy mercenary archetype—multiple aliases, covert operations, and a willingness to support whichever anti‑communist cause suited French interests. He fought in the Congo, Algeria, Yemen, Benin, and Nigeria, but his most lasting impact was on the Comoros Islands.
From 1975 to 1995, Denard staged four coups, effectively ruling the archipelago through a succession of puppet presidents. A final, unsuccessful coup in 1995 with just thirty mercenaries led to his arrest and a brief prison term before he faded into relative peace, shielded in part by French special services.
2 Tim Spicer
Tim Spicer represents the modern, corporate mercenary. A veteran of the Falklands and Northern Ireland, he founded a freelance military firm that secured contracts in Papua New Guinea and Sierra Leone—both ending in scandal.
After rebranding several times, Spicer launched Aegis Defense Services in 2002. Within two years, Aegis secured a $300 million U.S. contract to coordinate thousands of contractors in Iraq, a storyline reminiscent of “The Social Network” but with armored SUVs. Yet the venture was marred by videos showing Aegis personnel targeting unarmed Iraqi civilians, further tarnishing Spicer’s reputation.
1 Simon Mann
Simon Mann, a former SAS operative, masterminded a plan—dubbed the “Wonga Coup”—to seize Equatorial Guinea’s oil wealth. He gathered financiers, recruited mercenaries, and plotted a route through South Africa to Zimbabwe to acquire weapons before advancing to the target nation.
The operation unraveled when Zimbabwean authorities arrested the mercenaries, and a small advance party in Guinea was captured the next day. The scandal implicated Mark Thatcher, son of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who avoided serious punishment. Mann received a pardon in 2009, and his escapade continues to attract Hollywood interest.