History ComicBook / MortadeloYFilemon

Created in 1958 [[PrintLongRunners and still running]], the strip has released more than 200 books so far (and even more short stories), it is the most popular and respected comic book series ever produced in Spain, and probably the only local franchise that can still compete in sales with {{Manga}} and American ComicBooks at this point in the Spanish market. The series has also had numerous [[CrossOver crossovers]] with both Ibáñez's other strips (like ''Rompetechos'', ''Pepe Gotera & Otilio'' or the wacky neighbors from ''13 Rue del Percebe'') and series from other Spanish comic book artists (like ''ComicBook/ZipiYZape'', ''Captain Trueno'', etc...). The series has been paused following Ibáñez's death in July 2023, but the editors have confirm other authors will take over when his family approves it.

Created in 1958 [[PrintLongRunners and still running]], the strip has released more than 200 books so far (and even more short stories), it is the most popular and respected comic book series ever produced in Spain, and probably the only local franchise that can still compete in sales with {{Manga}} and American ComicBooks at this point in the Spanish market. The series has also had numerous [[CrossOver crossovers]] with both Ibáñez's other strips (like ''Rompetechos'', ''Pepe Gotera & Otilio'' or the wacky neighbors from ''13 Rue del Percebe'') and series from other Spanish comic book artists (like ''ComicBook/ZipiYZape'', ''Captain Trueno'', etc...).

''Mortadelo y Filemón'' (''Mort & Phil'' in English, Russian and Japanese[[note]]Albeit just for the comics, the live-action film keeps the original Spanish names instead in this version.[[/note]]; check Website/ThatOtherWiki for their names in other countries) are two clumsy secret agents and the two main characters in the comic series of the same name, drawn and written by Spanish artist Creator/FranciscoIbanez. They are known by many other names throughout the world, specially Europe, such as Paling & Ko in the Netherlands and Clever & Smart in Germany and Arabic.

The comics follow the adventures of Mortadelo and Filemón, two agents of the fictional Spanish secret service T.I.A. (In Spanish 'tía' means 'aunt', making this a ShoutOut to ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'' and a pun on CIA.) The two are totally incompetent and especially Mortadelo is prone to major goofs. The basic setup is that Mortadelo has some wacky idea on how to complete their mission, it backfires, and Filemón gets hurt as a result, angering him and applying some kind of punishment to Mortadelo. However, this basic setup is twisted, subverted and inverted enough for it to never get boring. The action is very fast-paced much like a ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon, with StuffBlowingUp and AmusingInjuries all over the pages. Also, Ibáñez usually mixes his wacky stories with [[RippedFromTheHeadlines real world current events]] and fills the dialogues with [[{{Pun}} every single style of pun imaginable]]... which they usually work ([[LostInTranslation at least in the original Spanish]]).

Created in 1958 [[PrintLongRunners and still running]], the strip has released more than 200 books so far (and even more short stories), it is the most popular and respected comic book series ever produced in Spain, and probably the only local franchise that can still compete in sales with {{Manga}} and American ComicBooks at this point in the Spanish market. The series has also had numerous [[CrossOver crossovers]] with both Ibáñez's other strips (like ''Rompetechos'', ''Pepe Gotera & Otilio'' or the wacky neighbors from ''13 Rue del Percebe'') and series from other Spanish comic book artists (like ''Zipi & Zape'', ''Captain Trueno'', etc...).

* '''Filemón:''' Full name '''Filemón Pi'''. Slightly shorter than Mortadelo, usually wears a white shirt and red trousers, and has two hairs on the top of his head. He is Mortadelo's chief and always sent on assignments with him, a job which he doesn't enjoy since that makes him suffer the consequences of Mortadelo's goofs more often than anyone else. Of all the major characters, Filemón is the only one who displays some common sense. At least once, he has proved to have an [[PhotographicMemory extraordinary memory]] by reciting the whole ''Literature/DonQuixote'' by heart. Mortadelo calls him "Boss" for no real reason (see TheArtifact in the trope pages below).

''Mortadelo y Filemón'' (''Mort & Phil'' in English, Russian and Japanese[[note]]Albeit just for the comics, the live-action film keeps the original Spanish names instead in this version.[[/note]]; check Wiki/ThatOtherWiki for their names in other countries) are two clumsy secret agents and the two main characters in the comic series of the same name, drawn and written by Spanish artist Creator/FranciscoIbanez. They are known by many other names throughout the world, specially Europe, such as Paling & Ko in the Netherlands and Clever & Smart in Germany and Arabic.

* '''Doctor Bacterio:''' The resident Q ([[Film/JamesBond this one]], [[Franchise/StarTrek not that one]]) of the T.I.A. who sometimes provides Mortadelo and Filemón with the items which they need to complete their mission. His inventions almost always backfire in some improbable and spectacular way, and sometimes they drive the plot. The bearded inventor was directly responsible for Mortadelo's baldness, and for this Mortadelo hates him with a passion.

Created in 1958 [[PrintLongRunners and still running]], the strip has released more than 200 books so far (and even more short stories), it is the most popular and respected comic book series ever produced in Spain, and probably the only local franchise that can still compete in sales with {{Manga}} and American ComicBooks at this point in the Spanish market. The series has also had numerous [[CrossOver crossovers]] with both other Ibáñez's characters (like Rompetechos, Pepe Gotera & Otilio or the wacky neighbors from 13 Rue del Percebe) and characters from other Spanish comic book artists (like Zipi & Zape, Captain Trueno, etc...)

* '''Filemón:''' Full name '''Filemón Pi'''. Slightly shorter than Mortadelo, usually wears a white shirt and red trousers, and has two hairs on the top of his head. He is Mortadelo's chief and always sent on assignments with him, a job which he doesn't enjoy since that makes him suffer the consequences of Mortadelo's goofs more often than anyone else. Of all the characters, Filemón the only one displaying some common sense. At least once, he has proved to have an [[PhotographicMemory extraordinary memory]] by reciting the whole ''Literature/DonQuixote'' by heart. Mortadelo calls him "Boss" for no real reason (see TheArtifact below).

* '''Filemón:''' Full name '''Filemón Pi'''. Slightly less tall than Mortadelo, usually wears a white shirt and red trousers, and has two hairs on the top of his head. He is Mortadelo's chief and always sent on assignments with him, a job which he doesn't enjoy since that makes him suffer the consequences of Mortadelo's goofs more often than anyone else. Of all the characters, Filemón the only one displaying some common sense. At least once, he has proved to have an [[PhotographicMemory extraordinary memory]] by reciting the whole ''Literature/DonQuixote'' by heart. Mortadelo calls him "Boss" for no real reason (see TheArtifact below).

* '''Agent Bestiájez:''' A recurring character whose appearance, like that of the General Director, changes from time to time, but he is always a hulking brute who uses brawn before brains, just as his MeaningfulName suggests (Bestiájez, in Spanish is something like "[[TheBrute Brutesson]]"). When Mortadelo and Filemón want to skive off work or flee from a mission they consider too dangerous, the Súper always sends Bestiájez after them. Sometimes Mortadelo is able to fool him with his [[MasterOfDisguise innate talents]], but Bestiájez is a relentless hunter and always ends dragging the escapeés back to the T.I.A.

* '''Miss Ofelia:''' The blond, heavily overweight secretary of the Súper. She is in love with Mortadelo (well, kinda), but he is not at all interested in her, and usually makes fun of her... [[BerserkButton which is always a bad idea]], because Ofelia is extremely strong and prone to senseless violence [[WomanScorned when provoked]]. Sometimes, she makes passes at Filemón or even at the Súper, with the same predictable results.
* '''Supervisor Vicente:''' ''Superintendente Vicente'' in Spanish, [[DontExplainTheJoke written like that because it rhymes]], although he is usually called the "''Súper''" for short. He is Mortadelo and Filemón's direct boss. He is usually the person who assigns them their new missions, and the one who punishes them when they inevitably fail in just about every way imaginable. (Although sometimes they strike back at him, if it turns out that their "vital mission" was not that important after all.) Short-tempered, inconsiderate of his employees' needs and incredibly cheap, he is the ur-example of the BadBoss. In "De los ochenta p'arriba...", it is revealed that his full name is '''Vicente Ruínez''', ''Ruínez'' being a pun in both ''ruina'' (ruin) and ''ruin'' (vile).
* '''The General Director:''' T.I.A.'s Big Boss. His appearance varies greatly from comic to comic, but he is always a well-dressed old man, usually wearing glasses and sporting an impressive moustache. Even though he is normally portrayed in a more positive light than the Súper, he is not above being vain and tyrannical. He has very little relevance in the stories, and most of the time he is here just to get severely beat up and, subsequently, exert GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity on his underlings.

* MortadeloYFilemon/TropesGToL

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* SceneryCensor: In "¡Okupas!", the few times that the squatters' protest signs or banners have a swear word written on them, it is blocked from the reader's view by another conveniently placed sign or banner.
* SeanConneryIsAboutToShootYou / TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou: Parodied in "¡A las armas!". The agents have been tasked with testing a bazooka that fires automatically when placed in horizontal position. When they leave their apartment, the weapon accidentally hits the lintel of the door and leans down. Meanwhile on the outside, a bystander is looking at a movie advert that depicts the main character in the "about to shoot you" pose:
-->'''Bystander:''' What agressiveness in that face! You could say he's about to start shooting and...
-->''[Big boom. The wall has a massive hole where the advert was, while the bystander is stunned and not only has an AshFace, but [[UpToEleven his upper body is completely covered in ashes]].]''
-->'''Bystander:''' Th-they should ban such realistic adverts...
* SelfDeprecation: Francisco Ibáñez draws himself into the comics from time to time, and he's not afraid to use his cartoon version to poke fun at himself. For instance:
** The ending of "El pinchazo telefónico" reveals it was him who hired the VillainOfTheWeek to spy on his bosses and find out if his comics were selling well enough to ask for a pay rise. His editor punishes him by using him as a figurehead for her yacht.
** In the introductory story for "El ordenador... ¡qué horror!", Ibáñez depicts himself as someone HopelessWithTech, whose attempts to use a computer end up making it disappear before his eyes.
** Mortadelo and Filemón occasionally refer to Ibáñez as a "pintamonas", which is a Spanish word to describe a bad painter or cartoonist.
* SelfDisposingVillain: It is a rule in the comics that when a villain really tries to destroy the pair for real, he will fail miserably and get himself owned. A notable example is "El señor todoquisque" the bad guy is a man who can disguise himself and, in the first half of the album, humiliates our heroes in very painful ways. However, when he decides to take care of them himself and goes to the TIA, his plans brutally backfire on him, and, at the end, he goes insane.
* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: One comic features a government spokeswoman who is so fond of using long and overly complicated words that her speeches are almost impossible to understand. Mortadelo goes mad from trying.
* SexySecretary: Irma, the newest (and most short lived) member of the team that fits this trope to a T.
* ShaggyDogStory: if their mission is about searching something, 9 times out of ten will be revealed as this. For example: one long story is about having to search an envelope hidden in one of the Super's paintings he sold some time ago, which supposedly contains something important. In the end, after a long, grueling mission where they suffer at every turn and the Super punished them for not finding the envelope... it is just a recipe to make fish taste better.
** In ''La Gallina de los Huevos de Oro'', the duo seeks the eponymous golden egg-laying hen. After months of traveling, they succeed, and the hen lays an egg that Mortadelo angrily throws at Bacterio - only to learn that the eggs were perfectly normal eggs with some glitter on the shell, because Bacterio had botched the experiment and the supposed priceless eggs were useless.
** A part of a longer story has a message from the Super being stolen by enemy agents. The main characters fear repercussions for failure and endanger themselves to retrieve the secret message. Once retrieving it, they realize that the Super was simply instructing them to pick up some cigarettes for him from a local store.
** ''Hay un traidor en la T.I.A.'' has the main characters searching for TheMole in the organization's ranks, which is thought to be the explanation for a leak in its security systems. After stalking most of their work colleagues, alienating their friends, and nearly falling out with each other, the duo finally question the Super on how are messages from his office delivered. They realize too late that there is no Mole: the reason the enemy agents learn the plans is that the Super is ''shouting them to someone in the next building through an open office window''.
** In ''20,000 Leguas de Viaje Sibilino'', el Súper gives the duo a key he claims to be so important that, in order to avoid potential enemy agents trying to steal it, he orders them to go around the world to reach their destination in Vigo (just a few hundreds of kilometers from Madrid). When they finally arrive, thinking it has to be some important stuff, it turns out that the person at the place they are going is just the Super's brother-in-law and the key opens the door to the bathroom.
* ShakyPOVCam: Often used when something is thrown at someone's face.
* ShapeShifterShowdown: The most epic one happens at the end of "El disfraz, cosa falaz", although there had been an earlier one between Mortadelo and Ruiz Mosqueos, in the form of a disguise duel.
* SharePhrase: "Quite, quite ¿Qué le hace pensar que...?" ("Bah, bah, what does make you think that...?); "Tenía que hacerlo, ¿entiende? ¡Tenía que hacerlo!" (I had to do it, do you understand? I had to do it!). They're used by many characters in the comics.
* ShesAManInJapan: A strange case: in the German translations the title characters were originally British intelligence agents. Later this was changed to them just being Germans to open up possibilities for jokes relating to German culture, current events etc. However, there were often cases where the comic being originally from Spain just couldn't be written around (like when they actually go to Germany as foreigners). So, in Germany, they are German, except when they can't be anything but Spanish and somehow [[TheArtifact have English names]] (Fred Clever und Jeff Smart).
* ShoePhone: A very early example of this trope. Sometimes, both Mortadelo and Filemón have it, but usually it's only Mortadelo.
** Hilariously played with, as sometimes the Shoephone will have something that makes it ridiculous or painful (such as having an actual phone into the shoe, or an antenna that extends without warning into the ear of the listener) or Mortadelo has done something to the shoe that usually backfires on him (for example, making it sound like a cat and, the next time he is called, a huge bulldog is passing by).
** Another joke is having the phone ring at the worst minute possible. Mortadelo performs a mission needing some degree of stealth, for example a burglary. He has managed to not awake their sleeping enemy or bypassed a few guards. Then the phone rings, alerting everyone to his presence.
* ShoutOut / ReferenceOverdosed: There are ''tons'' of shout-outs, tributes to and parodies of political figures, actors, and characters of comic-books and animation.
** In a story, Mortadelo plants an electrified trap and he declares that it has power enough "to fry even ''Anime/MazingerZ''". Given that ''[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff Spaniards Love Mazinger-Z]]'', it is pretty normal finding a shout-out to that series.
** And in another story, Mortadelo and Filemón have to disguise themselves like {{Super Hero}}es (such like ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'', ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' or ''Franchise/{{Tarzan}}'') to scare the local miscreants.
** In a short stoy, they met ''Capitan Trueno''.
** A [[WholePlotReference story-long]] one to [[Literature/DonQuixote Don Quixote]] in ''Mortadelo de la Mancha''.
** "¡Silencio, se rueda!" has Mortadelo and Filemón in a journey through the history of cinema due to one of Bacterio's inventions. To cite just a few of the many nods of this story, the agents crash several scenes of ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'', and there are cameos by the Creator/MarxBrothers, [[Franchise/StarWars Darth Vader]] and Franchise/{{Rambo}}.
** In "El Preboste de Seguridad", the title character, who wants to improve security in the country so he can present his candidacy to president of the government, exclaims "[[ComicBook/{{Iznogoud}} I will be the president instead of the president!]]", with [[{{Cameo}} Wa'at Alahf]] passing behind him and wondering where he has heard that before.
* ShorterMeansSmarter: Played Straight
** While no genius and [[NotSoAboveItAll prone to do the same mistakes as his partner]], Filemón is far smarter and has more common sense than [[TheDitz Mortadelo]] when it comes to completing the mission; he is also shorter than [[BadBoss El Súper]]
** In the promotional album ''Dibujalos Tu Solito'', [[MadScientist Bacterio]] is revealed to be the shortest of the main cast, and he is the most prolific inventor of the series.
* ShowSomeLeg: In one album, SexySecretary Irma appears in bikini, so that Mortadelo and Filemón can open their mouths in astonishment and Bacterio can throw them his pills.
* {{Slapstick}}: Probably the best example in the medium.
* SlapstickKnowsNoGender: Secretary Ofelia is in the receiving end as often as everyone. Irma also finds herself in the receiving end on several stories. Minor female characters get targeted as well.
* SmugSnake: Mr. Todoquisque.
* SnipeHunt:
** The search for the titular traitor in the story "Hay un traidor en la T.I.A." ("There's a traitor in the T.I.A.") eventually turns into this. [[spoiler:The enemies knew all the secret plans because the Super transmitted them to Fulgencio, the service coordinator who is located in the building across the street from the T.I.A. headquarters, by yelling them at him from the window, so the enemies only had to place a spy waiting on the sidewalk below and record everything.]]
** In the movie ''Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure'', the main characters are told by their superior to go and find the Holy Grail (which they confuse with the Davis Cup) as a way to have them away from the real missions. At the end of the movie, [[spoiler:Mortadelo is about to die, and Filemón gives him a sip of water from a trophy cup. It instantly heals Mortadelo, Filemón is amazed and declares he has found the Davis Cup.]]
* SolveTheSoupCans: ''Balones y patadones'', one of the comic's official computer games, had a puzzle in which, in order to open a trophy cabinet, the player would have to flip a series of switches up or down in the correct manner. Most notable for the big fat {{lampshade|Hanging}} the character you're controlling when facing the puzzle (either Mortadelo or Filemón) will hang on it:
-->'''Filemón:''' Hmm... Looks like one of those combinatorial puzzles shoehorned in to slow down the game's pacing.
* [[{{Angrish}} Spangrish]]: A very common reaction of the characters whenever something goes wrong.
* SpringtimeForHitler:
** In the book ''El Tirano", the titular pair of agents are given the mission to eliminate a fascist dictator (a parody of UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet), but their constant failures actually stop murder attempts from other people (not to mention [[RightHandVersusLeftHand screwing with each other's attempts]]). When they are told that they have to protect the man so that he can be taken to Spain and judged for his crimes, they try, but their attempts at protecting him subsequently send him to the intensive care wing at the closest hospital.
** When the Spanish national soccer team decides to sit out the World Cup so that Mortadelo and Filemón won't join the team to go undercover, they completely throw the first leg of the repechage match, allowing themselves to lose 18-0 against Fartovakia. When they already think that they are safe, Mortadelo is also happy to not have to attend the World Cup and prepares a cocktail to celebrate with the Fartovakian players. Unfortunately, the cocktail goes horribly wrong and the squad suffers of a collective diarrhea during the second leg, which allows a player added at the last minute to the Spanish team (and who bears a striking resemblance to former Prime Minister José María Aznar) to turn the tie around as Spain wins the second leg 19-0 and qualifies for the World Cup.
* SpySpeak: The odd code languages used by the T.I.A. Usually people around take these words literally with odd results.
** It doesn't help that several arranged codes seem to be offensive. Requiring the agents to insult people having facial hair or a certain ideology or ethnicity. At that moment, an aggressive member of that group happens to overhear and deals with them accordingly.
*** Fun fact: In RealLife, Enrique Chicote, the only man who ever got the top prize in the Spanish version of ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'', answered one of the last questions correctly thanks to one of these jokes that he read in the comic books.
* StealTheSurroundings: A staple used to establish the competence of a thieving BigBad. In one album, a particularly crafty gang of car hijackers routinely make their hits on manned vehicles, stealing everything ''except'' the seat and the steering wheel, ''without the driver noticing''.
* StrictlyFormula: The series' run during the Bruguera years was pretty formulaic, with very few exceptions. Since stories would be published in eleven 4-page weekly installments, Ibáñez decided to make each one of those installments a short, mostly independent chapter, to make it easier to write and for readers to follow. The result is ''a lot'' of albums in which they have to find 10 {{McGuffin}}s, protect 10 people, catch 10 animals/monsters, investigate 10 places or just take 10 attempts to catch the VillainOfTheWeek, with the remaining chapter serving either as an introduction or as the finale in which they finally succeed.
* StuffBlowingUp: Very, very common, but since this comic follows the laws of cartoon physics, they are all NonFatalExplosions.
** Except for the villains. Sometimes.
* SuckinessIsPainful:
** Crappy music and films are used as a method of torture. The title characters are tortured by their boss with an LP of Spanish blockbuster songs (apparently repeated ad infinitum). They are driven mad, and other characters talk about the cruelty.
** [[TakeThat Also repeated speeches by a politician.]] In later albums these are often replaced with whatever [[TakeThat sensationalist TV show or politician speech]] Ibáñez seems to have a problem with at the moment.
* SuddenlySpeaking: Chapeau el Esmirriau was pretty much TheVoiceless in the album he was the BigBad from. In the 50 anniversary special that brings back many former villains, he talks like any other character.
* SymbolSwearing: Normally features Chinese symbols or images of animals.
* TeethFlying: Very common as a result of punches to the face or explosions. For example, there is one scene where Filemón gets hit by a boxer off screen, and Mortadelo asks him if he lost a tooth. Filemón comes back into view, counting a handful of loose teeth: "No, I think I got all of them... 22, 23, 24..."
* TemptingFate: In a short story, the Superintendent is checking the TIA's account book, and has just reprimanded Filemón over an incident that has cost them a lot of money. No prize for guessing what happens after this line:
-->'''Super:''' This is incredible! May my mustache fall if I find an even higher note of expenses!
** The Súper is telling the pair about their next assignment. It looks dangerous, but the Súper assures them that their lives will not be at risk. Filemón, worried, asks again whether it is true that they will be safe. "As true as this closet is made of wood!", the Súper replies, hitting a nearby closet for emphasis, "May the world fall on my head if I'm lying!". The desk globe that was on the closet falls right on his head.
** Filemon rattles off the LongList of AmusingInjuries he has suffered in that mission, that go from getting punched in the face to [[UpToEleven being transmutated]] into a [[TransformationHorror head walking on four legs]] by a biological agent and ends saying "I only miss being impaled!". Guess what happens in the following panel.
* ThereWasADoor:
** Played with: The two protagonists find themselves in a cell with a steel door. Filemón starts making a hole in the wall, all the while brushing off Mortadelo, who is trying to tell him something. When, after considerable time, he finally breaks through the wall, he finds Mortadelo there waiting for him -- it turns out that [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy the bad guys forgot to lock the door]]...
** In another case, a number of prisoners are discovered to have escaped through an equal number of [[ImpactSilhouette Man Shaped Holes]] ''from the same cell''. Lampshaded when Filemón comments on how stupid one would have to be to not just use the same hole for everybody... only to find out that the thought hadn't occurred to either his partner or his ''boss'', either.
** Yet another case was an [[InvertedTrope inversion]] of the standard scheme: Filemón attempts to pick the lock on a door but eventually has to give up, only to find that in the meantime, Mortadelo has made a very artistic new door by "having some fun with [his] penknife".
* ThisPageWillSelfDestruct: The comic often plays with this trope, too, but the methods by which the message is destroyed are usually bizarre.
** For example, one recorded message states, "This message will be destroyed within five seconds," then proceeds to play a song which one of the main characters apparently hates, causing him to destroy the record (and the player) in a fit of rage. In another, the tape player deploys a pair of legs and walks towards the edge of a table while playing the countdown. When it reaches zero, the tape player falls to the ground and breaks.
** Other examples: having Mortadelo burn a dynamite stick attached to the note - directly referencing "Mission: Impossible" - or making them eat the note.
** Hilariously subverted in a short story:
--->'''Super:''' ''(from a recording on a tape)'' This tape recorder will not self-destruct, because it is Japanese and costs a fortune. To make the tape useless, use the system X-28. Out! ''(cue Mortadelo eating the tape in the next panel)''
* ThrowThePin:
** A RunningGag. Mortadelo is given a grenade, wonders about how they are used, Filemón tells him to pull the pin, count to ten and throw it, and Mortadelo ends up throwing the pin.
** A common variation is that one of the two, after pulling the pin, attempts to throw the grenade with all his might, only to discover that the grenade is attached to his hand due to chewing gum, ultra strong glue, or whatever sticky substance he had previously held.
** A less frequent variation has Mortadelo lighting up a different explosive, for example, a stick of dynamite, with a lighter, and after the count and throw, realize too late he has thrown the lighter.
* TitleDrop: If the title of the comic is not pictured on the first page, expect it to be said in large, distinctive font by a major character soon after. (The author will sometimes appear [[RunningGag saying that he keeps forgetting to put the title on the first page.]])
* ToiletHumour: Specially in recent years.
* TooDumbToLive: Most of the cast, with only Filemón as a very occasional exception.
* TookALevelInDumbass: Filemón in the movies. While not very bright, he is still portrayed as clearly more intelligent than Mortadelo in the comics. In the movies, his intelligence is downgraded to the point that sometimes he is even dumber than Mortadelo (the scene where Mortadelo refers to him as "TheLoad" clearly shows this).
* ToxicWasteCanDoAnything: In "La cochinadita nuclear", a foreign country plans to send to Spain a massive dump of nuclear waste, just so that they can get rid of it. The man who informs the TIA staff of these plans so that Mortadelo and Filemón are sent to foil them is seen throughout the story suffering all kinds of body mutations as a result of exposure to nuclear radiation. And during the story's intro there are two more instances: a man who works with nuclear waste asking a doctor if it is normal to have three legs, and Mr. Escombriájez, the man in charge of deciding the fate of the aforementioned nameless country's nuclear waste, being warned by a cameraman on a TV interview to not turn around so that his dorsal fins aren't seen on screen.
* TranslationMatchmaking: ''The Big Adventure of Mortadelo and Filemón'', a 2003 Spanish comedy based on the comic book series was renamed for unknown reasons in Poland to... "Liga najgłupszych dżentelmenów" (''[[Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen The League Of The Dumbest Gentlemen ]]'').
* TrojanHorse: In 'Los Mercenarios' ("The Mercenaries"), Mortadelo and Filemón attempt this to access the titular mercenaries' camp. Needless to say, [[GoneHorriblyWrong the mercenaries use the horse to practice shooting]].
* TropeTelegraphing: Whenever the InstantBandages on a character last for more than a single panel, it is guaranteed that the bandaged body part will suffer at least one more {{Amusing Injur|ies}}y.
* TrustPassword: They have an [[SparseListOfRules arbitrarily catalogued]] amount of them. A RunningGag is said password to be very offensive to some group or collective that happens to be within earshot. [[HilarityEnsues A beating ensues]].
** One particularly extreme password was reciting Literature/DonQuixote ''in its entirety''. After unsuccessfully trying to convince the guard on the other side of the door to skip the password for once, Filemón just starts reciting aloud the whole book, [[PhotographicMemory which he proves to know by heart]]. Time passes, it rains, Filemón grows a beard, and right before he is done reciting the book, the door collapses. When Mortadelo and Filemón enter the building while shaving their beards, they notice that the guard has died of old age.
* {{Tsundere}}: Miss Ofelia. When her coworkers ''aren't'' being morons (read: very rarely), she is quite sweet to them (''deredere'').
* UltimateJobSecurity: The protagonists are never fired from the TIA, no matter how they screw up things. Explained in-story with the two incompetent agents being apparently the most competent agents that T.I.A. has, or even the bravest ones. One story has the Super fed up with the duo's refusal to accept a mission, so he asks for a volunteer agent to replace them. The building is nearly evacuated within seconds, as every other agent runs away in panic.
* UnexplainedRecovery: In the 50º anniversary album a lot of previously deceased enemies appear with little or no explanation.
* VagueAge: The actual age of the characters is never mentioned, but they seem to be somewhere between their late 30s and early 40s.
** Though in a different 50º Aniversary Album most characters are implied to be, well, 50 or more and have several (totally disproportionate for their age) health issues, which guide the plot/jokes. It is JustForFun though, and [[StatusQuoIsGod promptly forgotten in the next issue]].
* [[MonsterOfTheWeek Villain Of The Week]]: The plot of a sizable amount of the comic books hovers around capturing a criminal or gang of criminals that are rarely seen again. In part explained by the villains dying or retiring at the end of the story. In one story, the captured villain has blackmail information on high-ranking government politicians. So he is sentenced to "exile" on a Pacific island, actually living in luxury with his concubines.
* WalkingDisasterArea: Mortadelo and Filemón, being anywhere near them is very bad for your health. And this is '''in-universe'''. A lot of people recognize Mortadelo & Filemón as bad news and some even have ''attempted suicide'' before having to deal with them.
** In-story, the duo seem to have no secret identities. A number of their past crimes and the disasters which they have personally caused have been covered by the press, along with their real names and their photographs. Their are known by reputation even by people they have never met.
* WalkingTechbane: In "Los invasores", after Mortadelo and Filemón discover the alien which they have been fighting during the chapter is actually a robot, Mortadelo tells Filemón to just touch it, to invoke this trope with Filemón and destroy the robot. He succeeds.
* WalkIntoMordor: In "El Antídoto" ("The Antidote"), the titular characters must enter the country of Bestiolandia ("Beastland") to take a sample of a plant that only grows there. Notably, said country is ''very'' hostile to foreigners, and has gained a reputation of "nobody ever comes back". The protagonist, during the whole story, constantly face both the wild fauna (which includes giant snakes, man-eating ants and piranhas) and the aggresive guards.
* WetCementGag: Happens several times. For instance, on "La máquina del cambiazo", the titular characters are trying to run away so the Superintendent won't force them to enter the titular machine. During the escape, Filemón is thrown by Mortadelo over the wooden wall that marks the limit of a construction, and falls right into a pit of wet cement. The next thing we see is Mortadelo using a giant drill to try and get him out.
* WhatTheFuAreYouDoing: In "Los superpoderes", Mortadelo tries to show off his karate skills in front of the Super:
-->'''Mortadelo:''' Watch those five bricks, watch them! [[FunnyBruceLeeNoises IAIAAAAAAK!]] \\
''[Mortadelo hits a karate chop on the pile of bricks, to no apparent effect]'' \\
'''Mortadelo:''' That's it! All five broken! \\
'''Super:''' Broken? They don't even look bruised to me... \\
'''Mortadelo:''' ''[showing his badly injured hand]'' I mean all five fingers! Ow! I don't have a healthy bone left in them!
* WhereItAllBegan: In many stories where the heroes have to travel across the city or the world, the last chapter takes place on the T.I.A. headquarters, where they were assigned their mission.
* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: A short story has the agents investigating allegations of some {{Corrupt Cop}}s taking bribes from TheMafia.
* WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing: A running gag in the album "El ascenso" is that Mort and Phil do all the work to catch criminals that by a series of {{Contrived Coincidence}}s always end up falling in the hands of rival agent Migájez, who then takes all the credit.
* WomenDrivers:
** Exploited by Mortadelo. One trick he has pulled once or twice to shake off pursuers in a car chase consists in disguising himself as a woman, then [[BatmanGambit using blinkers properly]].
** "¡El carnet al punto!" shows that Ofelia is a terrible driver, going so far off the road that she ends up driving ''on the city roofs''.
** A former story has Ofelia having to give the guys a ride in a very challenging road. When they doubt she can drive at all, Ofelia proudly produces her license. An alarmed Mortadelo looks at the license and notices: "Yesterday! She was given her license ''yesterday''!". She was also named the driving school's honorary daughter, because they were able to pay for large reforms with her payments, and her instructor decided to join a monk order out of stress.
* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Kamikaze Regúlez, the BigBad of the story that bears his name. A MadBomber TragicVillain who wants to [[DrivenToSuicide blow himself up]]... [[PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery and take other people down with him]].
* WrongParachuteGag: Very likely to happen at the end of any segment involving planes.
* YankTheDogsChain: Sometimes Mortadelo and Filemón seem to have successfully carried out a mission before some mistake comes back to foil them.
** In a short story, the agents try to gather evidence of police officers accepting bribes from the mafia. Unfortunately, Mortadelo's dubious timing when taking the pictures results in a judge issuing a search warrant against Filemón, whom he gives a LongerThanLifeSentence for attacking an officer, coercing a citizen with fraudulent use of a uniform, and assaulting another officer at knife-point.
** In "¡El carnet al punto!", they are gathering evidence against corrupt policemen, and Filemón repeatedly bribes agents who approach them to fine them while Mortadelo records everything. Too bad that what Mortadelo thought was a recorder turns out to be an alarm clock.
** In one story, the main duo competes with other T.I.A. agents for promotion to a directorial position that would come with a large increase in their salaries. After they win the desired promotion, it is revealed that the department which they were supposed to head is suffering major budget cuts and that their salaries are consequently reduced. They don't even have enough money to buy food.
** In a story taking place in Hong Kong, the agents have caused a diplomatic incident between various world leaders and there is a threat of war. But the duo have apparently managed to keep their role in the incident secret, and they seem to suffer no consequences. Until UsefulNotes/FidelCastro sends them medals for apparent services to Cuba (one of the few countries benefiting from the incident), and the act convinces the Super that they are double agents. They end the story as wanted men.
[[/folder]]