Gadgeteer Genius: Difference between revisions

* The original, pre-Crisis version of [[Lex Luthor]] was the archetype of all comic book [[Mad Scientist|Mad Scientists]], but he most displayed his juryrigging skills with his trademark jailbreaks. For instance, a substitute prison warden was dumb enough to get him to fix a printing press and he turned it into a tank like escape vehicle to smash his way out. Sometimes he would smuggle tools inside with him when he was carted off to jail -- tiny tools hidden under a false patch of skin on his thumb for example -- but he was perfectly capable of building an escape device without them.

* In [[Warren Ellis]]'s ''newuniversal'' (based on ''[[The New Universe]]''), this is the power provided by the Cipher [[Power Tattoo]]. Of the three known bearers, one was a prehistoric woman who invented electric lighting and energy weapons, but believed they were gifts from the gods; one was this world's version of [[Iron Man|Tony Stark]]; and the most recent is [[Humongous Mecha]] designer Dr Jennifer Swan.

** There's also Tom Thumb and Master Menace from Marvel's ''[[Squadron Supreme]]'' alternate universe.

* Gyro Gearloose can build literally anything. In one story he built a functional space rocket out of a couple of toasters and duct tape, overnight.

* One of the most famous gadgeteers of TV was ''[[MacGyver]]'', although he was more of a tinkerer. The series that spawned the term "[[MacGyvering]]." Usually worked alone, without a sidekick. Oddly enough, though, there was an episode of ''MacGyver'' where he teamed up with a classic Gadgeteer Genius girl -- an ultra-intelligent schoolgirl who could match him move-for-move.

* Micah from ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]'' is a ten-year-old boy whose mastery of machines allowed him to make his own circuitry for his computer. This is later explained to be {{spoiler|[[Technopath|his superpower]], control and knowledge}} of machines.

* Basically ''every'' Chief Engineer from ''[[Star Trek]]'' is an engineering genius: Scotty, Geordi La Forge, Miles O'Brien, B'Elanna Torres, "Trip" Tucker.

** Starfleet Engineers in general seem to have a reputation for this. In the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine|Deep Space Nine]]'' episode "Rocks and Shoals," a wounded Vorta says of a broken transmitter system, "It needs repair, but I'm willing to bet that you've brought one of those famed Starfleet engineers who can turn rocks into replicators." Further, in the [[Expanded Universe]] there's an entire novel series ''called'' "Starfleet Corps of Engineers."

* If a character in any ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' game is called Cid, two things are almost certain: 1. He's a Gadgeteer Genius and 2: His specialty will be [[Cool Airship|Airships]], for example:

** Never seen, but Cid of the Lufaine in ''[[Final Fantasy I]]'' (at least all it's remakes) was the inventor of the first airship.

** ''[[Final Fantasy III]]'' gives us Cid Haze, skilled enough to convert a [[Cool Ship]] into a [[Cool Airship]].

** Cid Pollendina of ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' was the first playable Cid, who refuses to let little things like [[Riding the Bomb|riding a nuke into an enemy vessel]] and an Avalanche of millions of tons of rock and magma stop him from fixing up your airship. He's also a [[Cool Old Guy]] / [[Boisterous Bruiser]] which would become recurring Cid traits.

* Rattrap in ''[[Beast Machines]]'' was stripped of all weapons upon being reformatted, so compensated by developing all sorts of handy devices to stop the Vehicons.

* AJ from ''[[The Fairly Odd Parents]]''.

* [[Scooby Doo|Velma Dinkley]] produces a number of remarkably sophisticated pieces of equipment in her spare time in ''What's New, Scooby-Doo?'' In the same series, Fred also makes [[Sarcasm Mode|a few minor modifications]] to the Mystery Machine, such as equipping it to transform into a submarine at the press of a button.

* Similar to Fred's modification of the Mystery Machine, Alan of ''[[The Amazing Chan and The Chan Clan]]'' programmed the iconic Chan Van to be able to transform into just about anything. Even a dynamite truck.