Super Loser: Difference between revisions

Part of the appeal of fiction is the conceit that gaining super powers, becoming a vampire, or generally just making contact with the [[Masquerade]] changes ordinary characters into cool, debonair, threatening or just generally ''[[Badass]]'' versions of themselves. No matter how [[Muggle|mundane]] they were in life, the supernatural is the great cosmic equalizer and [[Wish Fulfillment]] for the audience.

Usually getting [[Stock Super Powers]] or being [[Cursed with Awesome]] makes you, well, ''awesome.'' However, some characters are just so snot-nosedly uncool no amount of [[The Undead|undeath]], [[Viral Transformation|lycanthropy]], [[Artificial Limbs|cyborg implants]], or [[Super Serum]] can change that. It takes a certain ''[[Gratuitous French|Je ne sais quoi]]'' that this character lacks.

Maybe it's because they're too much of a [[Jerkass]], [[Extreme Doormat|aren't assertive at all]] or maybe are hopelessly [[Geek|geekygeek]]y/[[Nerd|nerdynerd]]y/[[The Ditz|ditzy]] etc. Rather than become a fearsome vampire, they won't even inspire fear in old ladies... who [[Apron Matron|will kick]] [[Badass Bystander|their ass]]. Rather than a [[Superman]] [[Expy]], the guy who just became a [[Flying Brick]] is still a dork, just with heat vision. Kind of like a [[Laws and Formulas|Law of Conservation]] for [[Butt Monkey]] status. If lucky, but only then, and not likely then, they'll escape the [[Pretender Diss]].

This trope can apply to characters of any kind, from protagonist to minion (though not usually antagonist, unless [[Harmless Villain|they're]] a [[Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain|minor one]]). A Hero who starts off as a Super Loser does usually [[Action Survivor|manage to get the hang of it]] eventually, either [[Took a Level Inin Badass|taking a level in badass]] or becoming competent in the use of their powers while being, personality wise, the same loser they were pre-change. Interestingly, this kind of Super Loser can be very endearing. Minor antagonists and minions are usually [[Smug Super|Smug Supers]]s with an [[Jerk with a Heart of Jerk|overinflated ego]], frequently due to a bad case of [[Transhuman Treachery]]. Expect the [[Comic Relief]] to take them down most satisfyingly, and force them to help talk about the [[Big Bad]]'s plan. Naturally, they are often [[Boisterous Weakling|Boisterous Weaklings]]s, when they can't use their powers properly at least.

* Even though he's earned the general respect of the superhero community, [[Spider-Man]] has always been and will always be this to some degree. Face it, he's not [[Captain America (comics)|a war hero]], [[Iron Man|a millionaire playboy]], or [[The Mighty Thor|a god]]; he's the dweeb that swings around in red-and-blue tights. [[Joe Quesada|Some people]] [[One More Day|enforce the "loser" part]] more than others.

== Film ==

* Subverted in ''[[Kung Fu Hustle]]''. As a criminal, Sing is a total loser. When confronted with The Beast, he does a [[Heel Face Turn]]. He subsequently gains superhuman powers and defeats The Beast in super-heroic fashion.

* Most vampires in the ''[[Buffy|Buffyverse]]verse'' are either badasses or nameless cannon fodder. However, Buffy mentions staking a few pimply teenage vampires who called themselves [[The Vampire Chronicles|Lestat]].

* Dan Hibiki from the ''[[Street Fighter]]'' series. He trained for years to become a skilled martial artist, and actually developed superhuman abilities -- justabilities—just to nowhere near the level of the rest of the cast.

* Vilbert von Vampire from ''[[8-Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight Bit Theater]],'' a (surprise surprise) vampire who still lives with his parents and who dabbles in [[LARP|LARPing]]ing.

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