Complexity Addiction: Difference between revisions

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{{quote|''I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless, little flea, and then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives *evil laugh*, [[Large Ham|'''I'LL SMASH IT WITH A HAMMAH!''']] It's ''brilliant'', ''BRILLIANT'', '''''BRILLIANT''''', I tell you! Genius, I say!... [[Comically Missing the Point|Or, to save on postage]], [[Subverted Trope|I'll just poison him with this.]]''|'''Yzma''', ''[[The ~~Emperors~~ New Groove (Disney)|The Emperors New Groove]]''}}

{{quote|''I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless, little flea, and then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives *evil laugh*, [[Large Ham|'''I'LL SMASH IT WITH A HAMMAH!''']] It's ''brilliant'', ''BRILLIANT'', '''''BRILLIANT''''', I tell you! Genius, I say!... [[Comically Missing the Point|Or, to save on postage]], [[Subverted Trope|I'll just poison him with this.]]''|'''Yzma''', ''[[The Emperor's New Groove (Disney)|The Emperors New Groove]]''}}

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There's a simple... um... explanation. This character has a Complexity Addiction. They are [[Genre Blind]] and addicted to trying [[Xanatos Gambit|Xanatos Gambits]]. They simply can't help but make [[No Kill Like Overkill|an overdone, overblown plan]].

Maybe [[You're Insane|they're insane]]. Maybe they're [[Ax Crazy]]. Maybe they're bored. Maybe they view it as being artistic. Maybe simple plans [[It Amused Me|aren't as amusing]] or [[For the Evulz|as evil]] or are [[Victory Is Boring|just too boring]] for them. Maybe they consider their enemies [[Worthy Opponent|worthy opponents]] and that only an equally worthy plan should be used to defeat them. Maybe they [[Hand Wave|don't even know]] the reason. [[Rule of Funny|It's Funny]], or [[Rule of Drama|it's Dramatic]], or [[Rule of Cool|it's Cool]]; that's all that matters.

Maybe [[You're Insane!|they're insane]]. Maybe they're [[Ax Crazy]]. Maybe they're bored. Maybe they view it as being artistic. Maybe simple plans [[It Amused Me|aren't as amusing]] or [[For the Evulz|as evil]] or are [[Victory Is Boring|just too boring]] for them. Maybe they consider their enemies [[Worthy Opponent|worthy opponents]] and that only an equally worthy plan should be used to defeat them. Maybe they [[Hand Wave|don't even know]] the reason. [[Rule of Funny|It's Funny]], or [[Rule of Drama|it's Dramatic]], or [[Rule of Cool|it's Cool]]; that's all that matters.

Expect a more [[Genre Savvy]] character to [[Stating the Simple Solution|point out the existence of a simpler solution]], often something along the lines of "[[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him]]". These characters frequently suffer from [[Bond Villain Stupidity]].

Expect a more [[Genre Savvy]] character to [[Stating the Simple Solution|point out the existence of a simpler solution]], often something along the lines of "[[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]]". These characters frequently suffer from [[Bond Villain Stupidity]].

Compare to [[Idiot Plot]], in which the plan requires everyone else involved to be an idiot, and works anyway. See also [[A Simple Plan]], where a very simple plan should have worked but goes horribly awry.

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See also [[Didn't See That Coming]] and [[Cutting the Knot]]. Additionally, see [[Rube Goldberg Device]] for machinery built by people with a Complexity Addiction.

== Anime & Manga ==

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== Comics ==

* Justified for [[Batman|the Joker]], who creates these elaborate plots to see if they'll ever kill his nemesis, but they never work. He wants to kill his enemy with a '''bang''', not a simple gunshot (even though he ''has'' resorted to a gun before).

** Harley Quinn once even asked him out right, "[[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him]]" (and may be the [[Trope Namer]] for the trope).

** Harley Quinn once even asked him out right, "[[Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?]]" (and may be the [[Trope Namer]] for the trope).

** Batman villians have this like it's contagious. The Riddler, despite "going straight" for a while, [[Status Quo Is God|eventually got back into the habit]]. The Cluemaster, on the other hand, managed to kick the clue-leaving compulsion, and became a (comparatively) more cunning villain.

** Riddler tried to do normal crimes at one point, but was caught because he was leaving riddles... that he never actually intended to leave and was terrified after discovering he'd left. This convinced him he was actually mentally ill and needed professional help.

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== Films ==

* As the page quote implies, Yzma from the ''[[The ~~Emperors~~ New Groove (Disney)|The Emperors New Groove]]'' (and the [[Spin Off]] series ''[[The ~~Emperors~~ New School (Animation)|The Emperors New School]]'') has an affinity for making complex plans to destroy Kuzco, which of course never work. Kronk [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] this at least once.

* As the page quote implies, Yzma from the ''[[The Emperor's New Groove (Disney)|The Emperors New Groove]]'' (and the [[Spin-Off]] series ''[[The Emperor's New School (Animation)|The Emperors New School]]'') has an affinity for making complex plans to destroy Kuzco, which of course never work. Kronk [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] this at least once.

* In the Tim Conway/Don Knotts movie ''The Private Eyes'', a witness to the Morley murder calls the title characters to Morley Manor, then arranges for every single person in the Manor other than the killer to appear to be murdered, in order to trick the murderer into confessing in front of two police officers. Why he couldn't just go to the police and ''tell'' them who the murderer was never got brought up. {{spoiler|Of course, Lord Morley never could get ''anything'' right.}}

* ''[[Austin Powers]]'' spoofs this trope as it commonly appears in spy films. [[Big Bad|Dr. Evil]] is notorious for making his plans to kill the titular character exceedingly complicated, such as in the first movie where he ties Austin and Vanessa to a pole suspended over a pool of water with mutated, enraged sea bass ready to eat them, in a secluded room with the door closed and one easily defeatable guard stationed there. [[Genre Savvy|Dr. Evil's son, Scott]], is [[Lampshade Hanging|usually the one who calls him out]] on these things and [[Stating the Simple Solution|states much easier ways]] to kill Austin.