Deadpan Snarker/Western Animation

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Twilight: Now tell me, what exactly have you actually seen Zecora do?
Rainbow Dash: Well, once a month she comes into Ponyville.
Twilight: Ooh.
Rarity: Then, she lurks by the stores.
Twilight: Oh, my.
Fluttershy: And then... she digs at the ground...
Twilight: Good gracious.

    • As mentioned above, Rainbow has her fair share. After Derpy somehow destroys the roof of the Town Hall:

Derpy: (jumping up and down on a storm cloud) I just don't know what went wrong! (electrocutes herself)
Rainbow: Yeah, it's a mystery.

    • And more recently, Princess Luna of all ponies.

Twilight: Princess, I'm sorry it hasn't worked out how we wanted, but you have to believe me when I tell you that Nightmare Night is one of the most popular celebrations we have!
Luna: Yes. I can tell by all the adoring shrieks of the children as they run away.

  • Daria from Daria is a deadpan snarker and patron of all Snark Knights.
    • See also Jane Lane.
    • See also, on occasion, Trent Lane, Tom Sloane, Jodie Landon, and Michael Jordan MacKenzie (a.k.a. Mack).
  • Brian and Stewie from Family Guy, but especially Brian.

Brian: What's it called?
Stewie: Susie.
Brian: Wow, a song named after a girl. There aren't a million of those already.

    • Sometimes Stewie manages to outsnark Brian, though.

Brian: I didn't even know I even had a son until today, and besides, it's not like Tracey ever asked for my help.
Stewie: Yeah, it seemed like they were all set without you, she's done a fine job creating a child-friendly environmen-ta-re-mi-ooh, buh de buh boo, buh buh buh THPTHPTHPTHPT...
Brian slaps Stewie.
Stewie: Great parenting.

  • Jen from Downtown is this almost all of the time. She also gets the aforementioned deconstruction, admitting that her constant sarcasm comes from her own insecurities, and that the reason she picks on Alex the most is because he's her best friend.
  • Hovis in Catscratch. THE Trope Exemplifier par excellence.
  • Tyrone from The Backyardigans plays this role both audibly and more often visually. Somehow, despite him not wearing pants, he manages to give the impression he's slouching with his hands stuck in his pockets.

(from "To the Center of the Earth", after Tyrone loses his penny a second time because of Uniqua's invention)
Tyrone: See? I could have just walked over to get it. Now it's lost!
Professors Uniqua & Pablo: Poppycock! Inventions are always the way!
Tyrone: The way to drop my penny.

  • Spider-Man, especially in the most recent series.
  • Scourge occasionally plays this to Cyclonus in Transformers.

Cyclonus: (in reference to hearing something moving) Must be the wind.
Scourge: There is no wind in space.

Katara: If it looks like trouble, we'll leave.
Sokka: Yeah, because we always leave before we get into trouble....

Toph: "It looks just like him to me."
Sokka: "Thank you, I worked really... Why did you feel the need to do that?"

    • Mai:

Guard: What are you doing?!
Mai: Saving the jerk who dumped me.

    • Katara occasionally gets the chance to be a wise-ass, usually when Sokka does something stupid.

Sokka: Ah! Hot! Hot!
Katara: Flaming Fire Flakes. Hot. Imagine that.

    • Even Zuko has his moments, especially in the second season.

Iroh: Ugh! This tea is nothing but hot leaf juice!
Zuko: Uncle. That's what all tea is.

Shego: Okay, let's get Plan Too-Complicated-To-Actually-Work over with.
...
Drakken: Would it hurt you to show a little enthusiasm?
Shego: Woohoo, extra hoo. Happy?
...
Shego: Y'know, for someone who's supposedly a mad genius, I'm not seeing much of the "genius".
Dr. Drakken: Keep it up Shego, and you'll see plenty of the "mad".
Shego: Ooh, scary man.

    • Fun-fact: Shego wasn't originally planned to be like this, but after the directors realized how much talent her voice actress had in doing the Deadpan Snarker, they changed her whole script.
    • Kim herself also has her moments.
  • In the latter episodes, Stan from South Park has a habit of pinching the bridge of his nose and sigh, when other character does something stupid. He often exclaims "Dude, this is pretty fucked up right here" and, in "Child Abduction is Not Funny", he remarks to Kyle, "Dude, sometimes I think our parents are really stupid," and as they rejoin their families at the conclusion of the episode, "Jesus Christ, dude, they've done some stupid crap before, but, Jesus Christ...".
    • And there's Craig :

Craig: This is fun. Let's walk for miles through a spooky jungle. It just keeps getting better and better.
...
Stan: Dude, what is this place?
Random guy: It's like... an unknown valley that time forgot, where everything grows huge.
Craig: That's a shock. I decided to follow you, guys, and now I'm in land of a giant's lost world.
...
Stan: Let's see what's in there.
Craig: Let's see what's in there. That's why you guys get into these situations. Because when you come across a spooky, ancient ruin, you say: "Let's see what's in there."

      • By the end of the episode, the four becomes very annoyed with his remarks and tell him things happen you just run with it.
  • Rattrap from Transformers: Beast Wars fits this role perfectly. He is snide, cynical, and sarcastic. He's notable for his frequent use of the phrase "We're all gonna die.", and constantly bickers with Dinobot, and, later, Depth Charge. He is, however, a capable soldier and, if need be, leader, though Jerk with a Heart of Gold may be stretching it.

Rattrap: Eh, command's a pain in the tail... especially with this pack of hyenas. You can keep it.

Beast Boy: See? [Blackfire] thinks I'm funny.
Raven: Statistically, I suppose someone has to.
Beast Boy: >:O

    • And:

(unicorn statuette causes a secret door to open)
Raven: Well, that's not suspicious...

Robin: (about Starfire) I have to find out if she's a threat.
Cyborg: (behind his back) More like find out if she'll give him another kiss...

  • Hawkgirl from Justice League, who especially had a talent for dishing verbal ownage out on Flash:

Flash: Fastest man alive.
Hawkgirl: Which probably explains why you can't get a date.

    • In his few brief appearances, villain Shade has his moments:

Shade: Lex Luthor? The plot thins.

    • As does General Wade Eiling, especially after becoming the General. He spends most of his battle against the League's Badass Normals mocking them.
    • Batman and Green Lantern at times, especially in later seasons.
  • Jamie from Megas XLR is, while being a strong coward and womanizer, a decent example of the trope. He is often well aware of and comments on the lunacy and danger of Coop's actions and, sometimes, dialogue. That being said however, he seems to enjoy the destruction Coop's actions brings, so may or may not comment if it doesn't directly affect him.
    • Coop's button of doom would occasionally get in a good one. For example, it was once labeled "Do Something Stupid, Coop".
  • Dougal in The Magic Roundabout, at least in the English language version. Adapter and voice artist Eric Thompson based his portrayal of Dougal on Tony Hancock's radio and TV persona.
  • Lula the talking sword in Dave the Barbarian.
  • Tecna in Winx Club sometimes acts like this.
  • Lawrence Limburger in Biker Mice From Mars.
    • Throttle fits this trope, too.
  • Courage's computer in Courage the Cowardly Dog. Being forced to do research on zombie film directors and methods of exorcising a mattress will do that to anyone, though.
  • Laura in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist.

Ben: So... you're my father's receptionist. You know, I mean, in a way, we're sort of related, you and I, like siblings or something, because we both work for my Dad. I mean, you're his receptionist, and I'm his son. So, you know, fantastic, super.
Laura: Could you go now?

  • Norm the Genie from The Fairly OddParents.Every sentence is a Deadpan Snark. In the episode "Back to the Norm", Norm teams up with Crocker and constantly Deadpan Snarks him. An example is when Crocker is spazzing, Norm makes him hold a mousse shake thing. When Crocker finishes, Norm says, "That's how I like my shakes. Spazzed, not stirred." From the same episode, Norm asks Crocker, "That thing on your neck...is that your ear?"
  • The Simpsons.
    • Comic Book Guy to the point where he causes a sarcasm detector to self-destruct.
    • Lisa often fills this role occasionally, especially when interacting with the severely less intelligent Bart and Homer. While Lisa fought for things that she believed in the earlier seasons and actual took concern in Homer or Bart's dilemmas, she has been reduced to a pure example of this in the current seasons. "Beware of My Cheating Bart" is a text book example of this [dead link].
    • Bart can also act in this role when dealing with Homer.
    • Deconstructed briefly in "Homerpalooza" when Homer gets up on stage to perform his newfound skill of taking cannonballs to the gut:

Teen #1: Oh, here comes that cannonball guy. He's cool.
Teen #2: Are you being sarcastic, dude?
Teen #1: I don't even know anymore...

Sarcastro: Oh, sure, I'm gonna fight you. (runs away)

  • Digeri Dingo from Taz-Mania is by far the most sarcastic character on the show.
  • D. W. from Arthur often switches between being the Deadpan Snarker and a Large Ham.

D.W.: (while at the Washington Monument) First we were down there looking up here, and now we're up here looking down there. What's the point?

  • Darkwing Duck; biggest factor in the title character's humor. For example:

Gosalyn: There's something strange about that Bug Master.
Darkwing: Yeah, she's in a bug costume threatening a cockroach. I'd call that strange.

  • Gosalyn too, as well. Her response on almost being dropped to her death is, "And to think I used to buy tickets for rides like that."

Zoidberg: [runs in] Friends, friends! I have barnacles on my butt! [shows]
Hermes: The long search is over.

  • Zap, in one rare instance, calls Kif out on his attitude

Zap Brannigan: Kif, arrest them! And for once, spare me the weary sigh.

  • Fry has his moments.

Leela: The tracks lead here.
Fry: Thanks, eagle eye.

Obi-Wan: You seem a bit on edge.
Anakin: There's a good chance that we're about to destroy all life on this planet, including ours and the senator's. So, yes, I'm a bit on edge! Why aren't you?
Obi-Wan: (shrugs) I'm better at hiding it.

Cutman: Almost got him!
Protoman: "Almost" only counts in horseshoes, Cutman.

  • Though quite a few characters engaged in snark on Dungeons and Dragons, it was a particular specialty of Eric's: "Now why didn't I think of that? A game of patty-cake will stop an army of raging orcs any day!"
  • In the show Liberty's Kids, both Sarah and James switch off in playing this role. More often than not, it's James snarking about how stuffy the high society that Sarah was born into is. Though Sarah has been known to throw a great deal of snark right back at him about how infantile Americans in general -- and James specifically -- can be.
    • Baron von Steuben, despite only being in one episode, has his moments:

American Soldier: Sir, you may not appreciate our brand of military discipline, however...
Baron von Steuben: How can I appreciate what you don't have?

Danny: (to Tucker) You can get your own date for the dance like I did.
Sam: Does he have to take off his pants and act like a dweeb, or will either one do?

    • Tucker actually has his moments like this, as well:

Jazz: (after accidentally trapping Danny in the Fenton Thermos) Think I should work on my banter?
Tucker: Start with your aim.

  • Nikki Wong on 6teen.
  • Raggedy Andy in the Chuck Jones Raggedy Ann and Andy shorts.
    • From "The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile":

Raggedy Andy: Why don't we just take someone else's pumpkin?
Raggedy Ann: You can't make someone happy by making someone else sad!
Raggedy Andy: Ever try it?

Doc: (while jailed up in a dungeon) Dear Miss Etiquette. I'm a Galaxy Ranger with a serious problem. I'm about to be executed on a distant planet, and I have no idea about the proper attire. Can you advise me? Signed, Embarrassed.

Doyle: Yeah, I was planning on a radio jingle, but I can cancel that.

    • His sister is the same. But then, what else can you expect from the voice actress of Shego?
  • Tino Tonitini of The Weekenders.

(a girl who humiliated Carver is waving at him at the beach)
Carver: She's waving at me? Isn't there a law against that?
Tino: (deadpan) Yeah, it's enforced by the Federal Bureau of Waving.

Chum Chum: Hey, Kyle! Meet our new friend Yum Yum! We made him out of gum!
Kyle: That's the only way you could make a friend.

Robin Hood: Hey, that's my tree you're cutting down!
King Arthur: Oh? This is your tree? Well, good for you then.
Lancelot: Look, I don't want to cause doom and despondency, but I really think we oughtta GET OUT OF HERE!!!!!
Lancelot: That's the fountain of youth? I expected it to be more.....impressive.

Pinky: "Egad, Brain, you astonish me!"
Brain: "That's a simple task, Pinky."

Dib: "Did you hear that, Gaz? Humans don't have squeedlyspooches!"
Gaz: "I've got a squeedlyspooch."
Gaz: "Why do you have to have a head?"

Rodimus: Don't panic yet. Stay calm until we know what's going on. Then we'll panic.

Coconuts: I only wanted to tell you I saw one of those F.O.U's - I mean, C.I.A's, uh, or C.O.D's...
Robotnik: Get to the point or your name will be M.U.D.

"He's not only from another planet, he's from a whole different dimension. So naturally, he speaks English."

  • Mrs. Dink, Porkchop (who can't even talk), and Beebe from Doug
  • T.J., Vince, and Spinelli on Recess
    • King Bob, when he's not being a Large Ham
    • Apparently, Miss Grotke when she needs to be one
  • Sgt. Mike Cosgrove from Freakazoid! is probably one of the biggest examples of this, he rarely changes his attitude.
  • Brandy and Margo from Brandy and Mr. Whiskers. Also, Ed has a very dry, sarcastic sense of humor if you pay close attention to his dialogue.
  • Each lead of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes has demonstrated snarking capabilities, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Wasp, and Hawkeye ranking among those who snark most often.
  • Bloo, Frankie, Jackie Khones, and Fluffer Nutter in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends
    • Mac becomes one around season three-ish
  • Rocko from Rocko's Modern Life, but only when he's annoyed.
  • Pip in Kerwhizz is a voiceless example, growling in frustration at Ninki's wrong answers.
  • Animaniacs: While all of the Warner siblings could indulge in this a bit, Yakko was the standout.
  • The main characters of WITCH all have their moments, with Irma Lair being the resident queen of snark.
  • Dee Dee from Dexter's Laboratory is a bit of a snarker.
  • Simon in the 80's cartoon version of Alvin and The Chipmunks got deadpan snarkier as the series went on, from occasionally snarky in the first couple of seasons to practically every response being sarcastic.
    • Theodore had his moments as well.
  • Raimundo from Xiaolin Showdown, although not exactly deadpan, is still very snarky.
  • Almost every single character from The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. This show's humor ran on two things: playing with, subverting or deconstructing fantasy tropes and pure grade-A snark. Most prominent in this regard was probably Monroe, the talking, Scotish dog.
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