Brains Evil, Brawn Good: Difference between revisions

 

{{examples}}

* Played with in ''[[Code Geass]]'', in that stereotypical heroic character with [[Charles Atlas Superpower]] Suzaku is actually an [[Anti-Villain]] working for the [[Big Bad]], while [[Squishy Wizard]] Lelouch [[Magnificent Bastard|who behaves like a stereotypical villain]] is actually the show's [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]] [[Byronic Hero]].

* Subverted in ''[[Bleach]]'', where Ichigo is an impulsive guy who goes through one [[Shonen Upgrade]] after another while the show's [[Big Bad]] Aizen establishes himself as a [[Magnificent Bastard]] after pulling off a [[Xanatos Gambit]] who fights through subterfuge rather than raw power. However, when the two meet, Aizen reveals himself to also be MUCH more powerful than Ichigo, and not only has [[A God Am I]] attitude, but later on actually TRIES TO LITERALLY MAKE HIMSELF ONE.

* Played with in ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'' in that both characters are technically "good guys." [[Gentle Giant|Kurita]] is enormous, strong, a bit dim, and one of the kindest characters in the series (just watch out for his hugs). [[Manipulative Bastard|Hiruma]] on the other hand is the [[Lean and Mean]] [[Trigger Happy]] [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]] whose total lack of physical skills is more than made up for by his evil genius. Together, they play football.

 

* As a ''general rule'', [[DC Comics]] tend to favor this trope pitting morally upright "average" icons against a [[Diabolical Mastermind]] (Lex Luthor, Ultra-Humanite, Sivana, etc.); while [[Marvel Comics]] as a rule tend to pit the [[Guile Hero]] against [[The Brute]] (Carnage, Juggernaut, Abomination, Sentinels).

* Superman vs. Lex Luthor. Not that Superman is a dummy, but he does solve many of his problems with his fists.

* Granted everyone in ''[[The Tick (animation)|The Tick]]'' seems to have a few screws loose, but The Tick himself is most definitely Brawn=Good.

 

* This seems apparent in [[Disney Animated Canon]] movies, especially the more recent ones.

** ''[[The Lion King]]'' has the strong and noble Mufasa versus the [[Lean and Mean]] Scar, who comments on their differences in strength and intellect before even revealing his evil nature.

* ''[[Despicable Me]]'' has the hulking [[Villain Protagonist]] Gru and the more sinister and intelligent but inept Vector.

** Well, Gru is a supergenius too - it's by no means a given that Vector is the smarter of the two, that's really the main point of their rivalry - and is only "hulking" in that he's taller than Vector and rather rotund ... on the other hand, Gru and Vector are both ''villains'', Gru just happens to be the more sympathetic one. So the movie definitely has the "Brains = Evil" part of the trope at the very least.

* ''[[Die Hard]]'': [[Cowboy Cop]] John McClane Vs criminal mastermind Hans Gruber. There's a reason it was the former [[Trope Namer]] of [[The Villain Makes the Plot]].

** Although it should be noted that McClane is far from stupid. While he isn't a genius at plotting like Gruber, he does a fairly awesome [[Sherlock Scan]] and proves himself to be [[Awesome By Analysis]] and pretty good at the [[Indy Ploy]].

* Averted in the ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' films, where Indy is a rugged tough adventurer and a clever scholar as well. The antagonists tend to be thuggish [[Mooks]] led by a [[Big Bad]] who, like Indy, is both smart and adventuresome.

 

** Inverted in the same author's ''[[Codex Alera]]''. [[Muggle Born of Mages|Tavi]], our hero, is physically unimposing and the only person in his civilization outside of small children not to have elemental powers, meaning that his enemies tend to heavily outpower him in terms of brute strength {{spoiler|and even after he gets millitary training and starts developing powers, his enemies scale accordingly}}. Consequently, he has to use his brain to get out of most of his problems and is a full blown [[Guile Hero]] by the second book.

* A prime source of [[Alternate Character Interpretation]] when it comes to [[Classical Mythology|Odysseus]], hero of ''[[The Odyssey]].'' According to different sources, Odysseus' cleverness and wiliness were what set him among the greats of the Greek heroes, or else they were signs of a weak and cowardly nature too pathetic to fight like a real man.

 

* Inverted with ''[[Doctor Who]]''. As Craig Ferguson put it, the one constant of the show is the triumph of "intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism".

* The selection of the two tribes during ''[[Survivor|Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains']]'' pre-production was geared toward this. Before the merge, the Villains won 7 out of 8 challenges on the merit of their cleverness—the only challenge the Heroes won over this stretch was an [[Flawless Victory|unprecedented 8-0 sweep]] in a purely physical, one-on-one sumo wrestling challenge.

 

* Most face/heel rivalries in [[Professional Wrestling]] play out like this with most of the drama centered around the heel cheating and tricking his way to victory against a more powerful and/or skilled babyface. Whereas a heel who's legitimately skilled gets cheered a lot of the time, the heel gets booed because the fans know he doesn't "deserve" to keep winning and are waiting until he finally gets demolished.

** Prominent examples (as heels, of course):

** A variant exists specifically as the standard psychology of a tag team match. Typically, the heel team will often times be more skilled at actual tag team wrestling, isolating one face and utilizing numerous tag team maneuvers. This builds tension for the Hot Tag, whereupon the fresh babyface finally tags in and demolishes the heels singlehandedly, usually until a pinfall is broken up, all parties end up in the ring, and anything goes from there.

 

* ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'' is a naive little robot who can bench-press a small building. His greatest villain is the brilliant but maniacal Dr. Wily. Then again, Mega Man has at least two benevolent scientists backing him up (one of which is Dr. Light, being Wily's equal).

 

* Slightly inverted in ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog]]'' with the [[Evil Genius]] Dr. Horrible, who is actually, a nice guy when he's not doing evil things, and the superhero Captain Hammer, who is a dumb [[Jerk Jock]]. The prequel comic seems to indicate that brains and brawn are polar opposites here. When Dr. Horrible previously tries to inject himself with a [[Super Serum]] made from Captain Hammer's DNA, he becomes as strong and tough as Hammer but also just as dumb. They just keep [[Megaton Punch]]ing each other until Dr. Horrible decides to go back to being smart.

** Averted with the other heroes and villains in the related comics. For example, Johnny Snow (mentioned in the show itself) is smart enough to build himself a [[Freeze Ray]], which he uses to stop the [[Department of Redundancy Department|Evil League of Evil]], when Captain Hammer is out of town.