History LetsGetDangerous / Literature

** Another example from the same series is Shannon "Oops!" Foraker. She's the quintessential techno-nerd and GeniusDitz, apparently a wizard at tactical problems with no particular care for the real world. But once she marks the Havenite StateSec as an enemy, the organization's days are numbered, culminating with [[spoiler: an entire main battle fleet's fusion plants being blown by a computer virus]]. Now remember, kiddies, never mess with {{adorkable}} nerd girls.

* While everyone else thinks of Literature/CiaphasCain as a full-time hero, his own first-person narration makes out his every adventure to go something like "I'd been making excuses to avoid the action and make myself as comfortable as possible all along, but then I had terrible luck and just ''had'' to go lead a dangerous mission to save everyone, and duel that über-monster myself." He goes on about how he's a DirtyCoward until any time he's forced to do something, at which point he's usually proven hypercompetent (or sometimes just really lucky), whether it's at leadership or fighting.

* While everyone else thinks of Literature/CiaphasCain as a full-time hero, his own first-person narration makes out his every adventure to go something like "I'd been making excuses to avoid the action and make myself as comfortable as possible all along, but then I had terrible luck and just ''had'' to go lead a dangerous mission to save everyone, and duel that über-monster myself." He goes on about how he's a DirtyCoward until any time he's forced to do something, at which point he's usually proven hyper-competent (or sometimes just really lucky), whether it's at leadership or fighting.

* While everyone else thinks of Literature/CiaphasCain as a full-time hero, his own first-person narration makes out his every adventure to go something like "I'd been making excuses to avoid the action and make myself as comfortable as possible all along, but then I had terrible luck and just ''had'' to go lead a dangerous mission to save everyone, and duel that über-monster myself." He goes on about how he's a DirtyCoward until any time he has to do something, at which point he's usually proven hyper-competent (or sometimes just really lucky), whether it's at leadership or fighting.

* While everyone else thinks of Literature/CiaphasCain as a full-time hero, his own first-person narration makes out his every adventure to go something like "I'd been making excuses to avoid the action and make myself as comfortable as possible all along, but then I had terrible luck and just ''had'' to go lead a dangerous mission to save everyone, and duel that über-monster myself." He goes on about how he's a DirtyCoward until any time he has to do something, at which point he's usually proven hyper-competent, whether it's at leadership or fighting.

* While everyone else thinks of Literature/CiaphasCain as a full-time hero, his own first-person narration makes out his every adventure to go something like "I'd been making excuses to avoid the action and make myself as comfortable as possible all along, but then I had terrible luck and just ''had'' to go lead a dangerous mission to save everyone, and duel that über-monster myself."

** Wizards in general are not usually classed according to the amount of energy they can output, but their ability to control that output. Most of them have some aspect of natural talent that they normally have to mechanically tone down using a tool, or abstain from using entirely. Harry has three separate tools designed to limit the amount of fire he instinctively conjures, so when he starts it up without his shield bracelet or a rod or staff pointed at you, you're not in danger of being set aflame so much as the entire city block on which you're standing.

** You'd think that a known badass couldn't have these moments, but when Ebenezer [=McCoy=] pulls [[spoiler:the Blackstaff]] out of a pocket dimension, EliteMooks start ceasing to exist.
** When Injun Joe goes full-on shapeshifter.

** Arthur Langtry, The Merlin of the White Council, is, for most of the series, portrayed as primarily a politician and behind-the-scenes mover-and-shaker. However, when pushed into action, he proves to be a serious match for pretty much anything.
*** Normally wards take great time and effort to set up, and must be anchored to a house's Threshold. The Merlin manages to create a ward which holds ''the entire Red Court of vampires'' (the strongest of which is a PhysicalGod and whose lieutenants are only marginally weaker) without a Threshold, in a fraction of a minute.
*** At one point, a non-corporeal malicious entity attacks a White Council meeting. The Merlin manages to contain it, formulate a battle plan and telepathically communicate said plan to about 200 people (complete with 3D visual aids) in less than three minutes. Without losing his cool for a second.
* In Jim Butcher's other work, ''Literature/CodexAlera'', damn near everyone with a name who isn't primarily known for being a badass has these moments.

** The broom-sweeping elder monk/janitor [[RetiredBadass Lu Tze]] from Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' spends most of the book bluffing and letting other people do the work for him, repeatedly saying that people should be cautious around wizened little men (i.e. himself). Only in the last few pages of the book does he show that his reputation is perfectly justified, as he is a legendary martial arts master capable of taking down the [[spoiler:[[AnthropomorphicPersonification Incarnation of Time]]]] in single combat. He's their best secret agent and the finest unarmed combat expert alive.
** Otto Chriek from ''Discworld/TheTruth'' also qualifies. As a vampire who's sworn off biting the living, he's portrayed throughout the book as a silly but sympathetic figure. And then his employer is threatened, and the resulting fight scene borrows heavily from the then-recent ''Film/TheMatrix'' film. In Thud, he explains that he works hard to appear silly and pathetic, because if he didn't he'd be creepy and genuinely frightening. There's a couple of hints now and then that he might be a retired complete monster.
** Magrat of ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'', who until that book had been the GranolaGirl. She practically embodies this trope the whole way through. As the book says, "The thing about small, furry creatures is that some of them are [[LightningBruiser mongooses.]]"

** Then there's Stanley in ''Discworld/GoingPostal''. A preternaturally neurotic postal worker (he was raised by peas. [[MakesAsMuchSenseInContext That is not a typo]]), he's usually just very polite and obsessive about certain topics - unless you push him too far, in which case he has a Little Moment and hits you very hard in the face with something unpleasant. And he's so wound up that it doesn't take much to put him over the edge.

** Mr. Bent from ''Discworld/MakingMoney'', a top-class accountant for most of his life, he nevertheless manages to kill two thugs near the end of the book, at least one of whom had trained at the Assassins Guild.

** Also, Susan, Death's grand-daughter technically counts (particularly by ''Thief of Time''). She may be a teacher and may spend most of her time looking after six year olds, but if you make her angry she ''can'' and ''will'' bend time and space (more like time and space don't mean anything to her) ... oh and she's technically Death's successor. (And anyone want to take a bet what Death will do to you if you mess with his grand-daughter?)
*** And the scene in the same book about her abilities as a teacher. She inspired one of her students, who had until then been terrified of the monster under the bed, not only to face her fear, but to ''go after it with her father's sword''. When confronted with parental worries that she'd been introducing children to the occult, Susan replied that she had, "so it won't come as a shock".
** Death himself. He's this relaxed, philosophical figure, quite uncharacteristic of the normal image people have of the Grim Reaper... until you mess with the Balance of Life and Death. Then he [[spoiler:gets on a fucking motorcycle. That's all there really is to say on the matter.]]
*** In "Reaper Man", Death spends most of the novel in retirement, bumbling through the life of a human with the [[LineOfSightName improbable name]] of Bill Door. Then, when his replacement comes for him Death [[spoiler: becomes truly angry, seeing that the new Death is not a reaper and shepherd but a ruler, and sharpens an ordinary scythe ''with the power of his own fury'' and takes back his job.]]
** Oh, and Albert, Death's butler. He spends his days complaining, smoking thin, soggy cigarettes, making food that tastes as bad as it is for your health, and oh by the way just happens to be [[spoiler:the greatest wizard who ever lived and the founder of Unseen University, Alberto Malich.]]

** The broom-sweeping elder monk [[RetiredBadass Lu Tze]] from Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/ThiefOfTime'' spends most of the book bluffing and letting other people do the work for him, repeatedly saying that people should be cautious around wizened little men (i.e. himself). Only in the last few pages of the book does he show that his reputation is perfectly justified, as he is a legendary martial arts master capable of taking down the [[spoiler:[[AnthropomorphicPersonification Incarnation of Time]]]] in single combat.
*** [[RetiredBadass Lu Tze]] isn't a monk. He's a temple *janitor*. He's just also their best secret agent and the finest unarmed combat expert alive.

** If Rincewind takes off one of his socks and puts a half a brick in it, it means he's decided to stop running and fight. The first time it happens he winds up [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome beating off an entire army]] of Eldritch Abominations by himself. He doesn't always win when he does this in subsequent books but it always marks a moment where he's suddenly quit being a [[TheSoCalledCoward Coward]] and decided to be a badass instead. In Unseen Academicals, when he quietly starts pulling his sock off another mage notices and immediately brings the impending riot to a stop before Rincewind has to act.

** Including, among other things: [[spoiler:'''Molly Weasley ''kills'' Bellatrix Lestrange'''. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Singlehandedly, while Bellatrix was shown to singlehandedly fight three members of Dumbledore's Army to a standstill at once!]] [[MamaBear Don't mess with her kids.]]]]

** Gandalf himself gets a little of this. He comes across a little bumbling in the first book, a tad of the archetypal distracted wizard. Then, [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome facing the Balrog of Moria]], he reveals both his power and his identity, fights the demon for three days and annihilates it - at the cost of his own life.

** If Rincewind takes off one of his socks and puts a half a brick in it, it means he's decided to stop running and fight. The first time it happens he winds up [[CrowningMomentofAwesome beating off an entire army]] of Eldritch Abominations by himself. He doesn't always win when he does this in subsequent books but it always marks a moment where he's suddenly quit being a [[TheSoCalledCoward Coward]] and decided to be a badass instead. In Unseen Academicals, when he quietly starts pulling his sock off another mage notices and immediately brings the impending riot to a stop before Rincewind has to act.

** Including, among other things: [[spoiler:'''Molly Weasley ''kills'' Bellatrix Lestrange'''. [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Singlehandedly, while Bellatrix was shown to singlehandedly fight three members of Dumbledore's Army to a standstill at once!]] [[MamaBear Don't mess with her kids.]]]]

** Gandalf himself gets a little of this. He comes across a little bumbling in the first book, a tad of the archetypal distracted wizard. Then, [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome facing the Balrog of Moria]], he reveals both his power and his identity, fights the demon for three days and annihilates it - at the cost of his own life.

* In ''ThePhantomTollbooth'', the demons are pursuing the escaping heroes and princesses when the heroes reach the [[TheCavalry assembled armies of Wisdom]], all the goofy {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s that Milo met his journey.

** Then there's Stanley in ''Discworld/GoingPostal''. A preternaturally neurotic postal worker (he was raised by peas. [[MakesAsMuchSenseInContext As in, the vegetable]]), he's usually just very polite and obsessive about certain topics - unless you push him too far, in which case he has a Little Moment and hits you very hard in the face with something unpleasant. And he's so wound up that it doesn't take much to put him over the edge.

* No-one really pays that much attention to Agatha Christie's Jane Marple because she's just a little old lady - an impression Marple's only too happy to have them maintain. But she's [[ObfuscatingStupdity not as harmless as she pretends to be]].

* The ''Literature/WheelOfTime'' has a world ''full'' of these. Most notably:

* Literature/SherlockHolmes "The Three Garridebs" when [[LivingEmotionalCrutch Watson]] is wounded. Holmes ''[[TranquilFury threatens to kill]]'' the idiot if his friend died on him. Seriously. Attempting to do Watson (any) harm ''is bound to get a detective very pissed off at you.''

* In TheTomorrowSeries, Ellie and her friends are perfectly normal, everyday Australian rural and small-town teenagers. Then, after they find out that [[spoiler: Australia has been invaded and occupied and they're among the very few Australians who're still at liberty]] they decide to get serious.

** If Rincewind takes off one of his socks and puts a half a brick in it, it means he's decided to stop running and fight. The first time it happens he winds up [[CrowningMomentofAwesome beating off an entire army]] of Eldritch Abominations by himself. He doesn't always win when he does this in subsequent books but it always marks a moment where he's suddenly quit being a [[TheSoCalledCoward Coward]] and decided to be a BadAss instead. In Unseen Academicals, when he quietly starts pulling his sock off another mage notices and immediately brings the impending riot to a stop before Rincewind has to act.

* In Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''A Civil Campaign'', Olivia Koudelka, an unarmed young woman in a party dress, on Barrayar, a very sexist world, is not considered a threat to the villain's mooks. However, she's the daughter of the Emperor's former bodyguard...and [[spoiler: doesn't stay unarmed long.]]

* Mátyás, Liam's uncle-mentor introduced in ''[[{{Deryni}} King Kelson's Bride]]'', proves to be [[GoodIsNotSoft adept and ruthless at intrigue]] and a powerful mage in thwarting his brothers' attempted ''coup d'etat'' against Liam.

* A prime example of this is the last battle in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows''. The professors and faculty of Hogwarts, along with other formerly comedic secondary characters, upon [[spoiler:being confronted with an attacking Death Eater army]], finally demonstrate why they are teaching their subjects.

* TheKingkillerChronicles teaches us important things, like ''for the love of Tehlu, do '''not''' break Kvothe's lute''. Or kill his family. Or threaten innocents. He will call lightning and annihilate you, he will stab you from afar with voodoo, and he will call the Name of the Wind, and rend you in its power.
* The WheelOfTime has a world ''full'' of these. Most notably: