Good Is Not Dumb: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''"Just because you're an angel doesn't mean you have to be a fool."''|''[[Good Omens]]'', [[Terry Pratchett]] and [[Neil Gaiman]]}}

 

 

 

Almost inevitably, the [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|genuine goodness]] of the character will triumph, often accompanied by the [[Hoist by His Own Petard|comeuppance]] of the disbeliever. The [[Con Man]] will be thwarted, the [[Jade-Colored Glasses|sceptical cynic]] will be surprised by [[The Power of Trust]], and everyone will discover that [[Let's Get Dangerous|"good" is not a synonym for "clueless victim"]].

** ...except when [[Frank Miller|certain writers]] depict him as an idiot on the assumption that anyone that powerful ''must'' be [[Dumb Muscle]].

** It's ''because'' of his peerless strength that Superman is one of these by default. The only way to give him interesting stories is to give him opponents that work around his strength and test his wits. More often than not, Superman has to solve problems by ''highly specific and concentrated'' applications of force. In fact, he has as many if not more characteristics of a [[Guile Hero]] as an [[Action Hero]], especially when faced with foes stronger than him.

* [[Spider-Man]] certainly has his flaws, he's hot headed, neurotic and can occasionally descend into bouts of self-pity, yet he's still extremely loyal to his loved ones, lives by a very strict [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]] code and above all else, he values responsibility. He also happens to be a genius scientist.

* In [[Zatanna]]'s ongoing series she is confronted by Oscar Hampel, who claims that he was turned into a puppet because of a tragic series of events almost out of his control and that his violent actions were an isolated event. Zatanna accepts that her father, for all his wisdom and power, [[Humans Are Flawed|was only human]] and might have overreacted by turning Oscar into a puppet. She gives Oscar the benefit of the doubt and agrees to help him become human again...after she runs him through a magic [[Lie Detector]], that is. After all, just because her father was not perfect does not mean he was wrong ''this'' time, and she is going to make sure before she takes any actions.

* In ''[[The Hunger Games]]'', Peeta is kind and patient and {{spoiler|totally kills people in the arena, including finishing off one girl in cold blood while he's in the Career pack}}, besides being three steps ahead when it comes to manipulating the on-camera narrative.

* The ''[[Father Brown]]'' series, by [[G. K. Chesterton]], uses this heavily with its titular character. In his first appearance, the [[Gentleman Thief]] Flambeau is shocked that a quiet, unassuming priest can not only outwit him but knows more than him about criminal behaviour. Father Brown points out that of course priests know these things; people ''confess'' to them.

* [[Jim Butcher]]'s other series, ''[[The Dresden Files]]'', also uses this trope on the Knights of the Cross, Michael Carpenter in particular. Michael is a [[Church Militant]] [[Knight in Shining Armor]] and devout Catholic, but he's also a perceptive person. If it looks like he's falling for a [[Plan]], it's because he believes it's the only honorable way to get Harry out of the latest mess and/or God will see him through it, ''never'' because he hasn't noticed the risk.

** Also because Harry has risked the same for him.

* In [[Timothy Zahn]] [[The Thrawn Trilogy|novels]], Luke is written this way. While he may be one of the strongest Jedi, he is also able to outsmart his opponents when necessary.

* Wedge Antilles, in his [[Star Wars|film]] and early [[Star Wars Expanded Universe|EU]] appearances, was just an [[Ace Pilot]], leader of Rogue Squadron, and loyal to his friends and cause. His [[A Day in the Limelight|day in the limelight]], the [[X Wing Series]], showed some promising hints of interpersonal savvy, tactical insight, and further loyalty to principles rather than organization. This is turned [[Up to Eleven]] by the time of his [[Aaron Allston]]-written appearances in the ''[[New Jedi Order]]'' and ''[[Legacy of the Force]]''. He's adept at [[Xanatos Speed Chess]], an incredibly quick thinker, adept at cutting past what people are saying to what they ''mean'' and their underlying goals, [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|and a loving husband and father who is deeply principled and moral]]. Somehow, people keep [[Underestimating Badassery|underestimating him]].

* In the ''[[Firefly]]'' episode "Trash," Saffron assumes Mal is an idiot because he's being kind and compassionate to her. Then she walks headlong into his [[Batman Gambit]] when it turns out he expected her [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|sudden but inevitable betrayal]], and Inara beat Saffron to the drop point.

* Carly in ''[[iCarly]]'' sees the best in people, but if betrayed or oppressed, will come up with a scheme like having a massive in-school riot to get the good principal back.

* On Season 2 of ''[[The Amazing Race]]'', Tara & Wil and Chris & Alex constantly ragged on Blake for being an idiot, despite this, he made several brilliant strategic moves, including being the first team to beg for money, getting his bags on a flight when all the other teams had to check theirs, and getting preferred parking on a ferry, most of which were decried by the above teams as "cheating".

** Part of Boston Rob getting Uchenna & Joyce and Gretchen & Meredith on a faster flight in Season 7 (when Rob, in order to mess with their heads, mentioned a fictional earlier flight, which just turned out to exist) was him talking about how Uchenna & Joyce couldn't do anything for themselves.

* Does not even begin to describe [[Disgaea|Sereph Lamington]], a [[Chessmaster]] grade example.

* [[Mega Man X]], a [[Neutral Good]] [[Reluctant Warrior]] who lives in an increasingly [[Crapsack World]] infested with [[The Virus]], capable of turning even his best friend against him. Often referred to as 'too trusting' in-universe and 'emo' outside of it because he doesn't like killing people. He's also an [[Sealed Good in a Can]] [[Super Prototype]] [[One-Man Army]] with ''lots'' of combat experience and what he can't handle his aforementioned [[Mega Man Zero|best friend]] ''will.'' He also ends up ruling the world, basically because he's the only person that could manage it. There was talk of having him hit the [[Despair Event Horizon]], [[Knight Templar|lose that compassion]] and become the [[Big Bad]] of the [[Mega Man Zero|sequel series]]. That would have been ''bad.''

* Duessel from ''[[Fire Emblem the Sacred Stones]]''.

 

== Western Animation ==

* Arguably Ned Flanders from ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'', at least in [[Flanderization|the early seasons]]. He's smart enough to outsmart Homer, though that's not saying much.

** He's also a forensic scientist in his civilian job, and a ''good'' one too.

** You can tell that even Batman is almost envious of his ability to quietly shut down a super-foe, something he cannot imagine being able to do in Gotham.