Smug Snake: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}
[[File:Sirhiss01.jpg|link=Robin Hood (Disney film)|frame|...The hell are you smiling at?!]]
{{quote|''"Smiling poison and suspicious craft."''|'''Skek Sil''' as described in '''''[[
The Smug Snake is a type of character (usually cast as a villain) who tends to treat friends and enemies alike with equal disdain. They almost constantly [[Deadpan Snarker|speak in a sarcastic tone]] and punctuate most of their sentences with a smirk. Where they aspire to be a formidable and awe-inspiring adversary they often end up just being a [[Big Bad Wannabe]], failing in the face of [[Magnificent Bastard|more cunning villains]] or ending up as their servants, in which case they'll generally be [[The Starscream]]. Others that fall under this trope are [[Card-Carrying Villain|simply in it to bug the good guys]] and [[Flaw Exploitation|take advantage]] of their [[Slave to PR|moral insecurity]].
A key character trait common to [[Smug Snake|Smug Snakes]] is [[Pride|overconfidence]]. The Smug Snake is usually too arrogant to be [[A Worldwide Punomenon|rattled]]. Most often, they will think themselves to be the [[Magnificent Bastard]]. While they may believe that they have [[Evil Plan|the situation]] under control (whether they do so through [[Blackmail]], [[Manipulative Bastard|coercion]], or simply [[Evil Chancellor|being in a position of authority]]), there will usually be a [[Spanner in
Most of the time, a writer will purposely introduce a Smug Snake as a target for audience hate by making them [[Kick the Dog]] or [[Obstructive Bureaucrat|bend the rules to get their way]] and [[Dirty Coward|come out]] [[Karma Houdini|smelling like a rose]]. Basically, this is a villain that's made to be hated and the audience will enjoy hating. [[Tropes Are Tools|This, like all other tropes, can backfire if misused]]. If the writer still tries to foist the character as a [[Magnificent Bastard]] when their previous actions have proven otherwise, the audience will likely stop enjoying to hate the character, and instead genuinely ''hate'' them as much as they would [[The Scrappy]] or the [[Creator's Pet]]. [[Character Development|Evolving a Smug Snake into a true Magnificent Bastard]] could be doable, in theory, but shouldn't be attempted lightly, and has only been pulled off successfully in fiction a few times. Ever.
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Contrast [[Worthy Opponent]] and [[Magnificent Bastard]], who inspire respect and/or admiration from their opponents/the audience, and [[Awesome Ego]], whose brash cockiness is part of his or her charm. See also [[Smug Super]]. [[I Thought It Meant|Not to be confused with]] the player character of ''[[Metal Gear]]'', the criminal from ''[[The Simpsons]]'', or the principal of ''[[Degrassi]]''. When one of these guys is turned into an advertising icon, they can become a [[Spokes Sue]].
'''[[No Real Life Examples, Please
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