Karmic Trickster: Difference between revisions

 

{{examples}}

* The [[Marx Brothers]], making it [[Older Than They Think]]. Groucho's line "Then it's war!" from ''[[Duck Soup]]'' might be the inspiration for Bugs Bunny's similar line. In the film there was, in fact, a literal war. Complete with footage from [[World War I]].

* Mahoney from ''[[Police Academy]]'' is given a choice between joining the police or facing jail for his Karmic Trickster actions. Note that becoming a police officer only curbed him ''slightly'' (or not at all where [[Jerkass]] superiors are involved) but at least it gave him a badge to indulge in his true heroic tendencies.

* Eddie Murphy plays this role as Chandler Jarrell, [[The Hero]] and [[Chosen One]] of ''[[The Golden Child]]''. Once he learns that Sardo Numspa is the [[Big Bad]], he [[I Shall Taunt You|taunts him]] at every opportunity and takes a sort of childish glee in making him look foolish.

* The titular character played by [[Audrey Tautou]] in ''[[Amelie]]'', who sets out to drive a jerkass grocer insane by making [[Gaslighting|barely noticeable changes in his apartment.]]

* The main protagonists of ''[[Brain Donors]]'' play this role against egotistical ballet dancer Roberto Volare.

 

* Randall Patrick McMurphy of ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' is a somewhat more realistic version of this, with a touch of [[Messianic Archetype]] thrown in.

* Pumphutt in ''[[Krabat]]'' walks from mill to mill and punishes the masters who treat their apprentices like shit.

 

* On ''[[Supernatural]]'', this is the [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Trickster's]] MO: he seeks out people who he thinks are assholes or who annoy him, and punishes them in some manner he deems appropriate, generally killing them in the process.

 

* Br'er Rabbit, moreso in the original stories than in the [[Disneyfication|Disneyfied]] ''[[Song of the South]]''. Bugs Bunny was partially based on this character.

* The Norse god Loki, although sometimes a [[Screwy Squirrel]], brought Karmic Trickery to bear against the villains for the greater good on several occassions. Loki would often [[Voluntary Shapeshifting|tart himself up]] in drag to trick his enemies - a classic Karmic Trickery ploy - and often teamed up with Thor for a mix of [[Brains and Brawn]].

* Jesus Christ in [[The Bible|the Gospels]]. He is responsible for giving the Pharisees a bad name and exposing the hypocrisy of temple priests.

 

* The character [[Eddie Guerrero]] portrayed in the late part of his [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] career was very much a Karmic Trickster; he'd jokingly use [[heel]]ish tactics against heels, but because they were all bad guys, and he was so funny about it, the crowds ate it up. One of his favorite tactics would be to pound the mat with a steel chair, throw it into an opponent's hands, and collapse to the mat, so that when the [[Easily-Distracted Referee]] turned back around, he'd naturally assume that the heel hit Eddie with the chair. And then, when the ref turned around to chastise the heel (on the occasions where he didn't outright disqualify him), he'd mug for the crowd and pose for the heel, such as putting his hands behind his head, as if he were relaxing in a hammock.

 

 

* Definitely Beltane of the ''[[Whateley Universe]]'', who's notorious on campus for playing pranks on deserving [[Jerkass]] classmates, particularly if said classmate is picking on one of Beltane's friends. Has the power of controlling ectoplasm, so can perform spectacular tricks.

** Also the recent character Thorn, who has the same power set. Thorn's also fond of just general silliness, using himself as the 'butt'. Yes, they have apparently met, and are currently engaged in a prank war.

 

** Note that it was not from the start: In his early days, Bugs was more of a [[Screwy Squirrel]].

** Tweety is another [[Looney Tunes]] example.

* The Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister) in ''[[Animaniacs]]'' (although Wakko is closer to being a [[Screwy Squirrel]]) are somewhat offset by the fact that they can be cheerful and annoying to ''anybody'', but are generally harmless until someone starts being a [[Jerkass]]. Then he gets labeled their "Special Friend", and all bets are off. In one episode, they're being driven crazy by a parody of the nanny from ''[[The Sound of Music]]''... but can't bring themselves to clobber her, because she's not doing anything ''wrong''. {{spoiler|They hire [[Screwy Squirrel|Slappy]].}}

* Most of the Tiny Toons from ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'' fit into this category. Especially Babs and Buster. Makes sense, considering the entire show is an ''[[Affectionate Parody]]'' of old [[Looney Tunes]] cartoons, featuring [[Expy|Expies]] of old [[Looney Tunes]] characters being ''taught'' by said characters.

** Cartman also qualifies as a (very dark) Karmic Trickster in "Scott Tenorman Must Die!"—perhaps as a kind of one-upsmanship of Scott Tenorman, who himself is also a Trickster.

* Loud Kiddington from ''[[Histeria!]]'', particularly in a sketch featuring him as a Mountie in the episode "North America".

 

{{reflist}}