History Literature / TomSwift

* BrainsAndBrawn: George and Len (whose names are a ShoutOut to ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''), the henchmen of Tom's evil alternate universe counterpart in the 90s book "The Negative Zone" are a thug and an engineer. They get tricked into helping the real Tom when he ends up in their world.

** Zigzagged in "The Aquatech Warriors" from the 90s series. After Tom and the others save the surviving crewmen from The Black Dragons undersea base from drowning, they end up held at gunpoint. The leader of the group says its not that they aren't grateful, it's just that they'd prefer not to stand trial for piracy and murder by going quietly, although they ''do'' plan to leave Tom and the others with the materials to make a raft of their own (on the rapidly sinking land platform) as well as the scientific data which had brought Tom to the area in the first place. Naturally though, Tom and the others turn the tables.

** The 90s series crosses over with ''Literature/TheHardyBoys Casefiles'' for two "Ultra Thriller" books, "Time Bomb" and "The Alien Factor", which seem to chronologically take place after the 13 books of Tom's solo series.

As early as the 1910s, plans were made to adapt the books to live-action, but nearly every single one of them have failed, with progress being usually no further than a finished script. The only screen adaptation of the books in the 20th century is a 1983 television special called ''The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour'', starring Willie Aames and Creator/LoriLoughlin and airing on Creator/{{ABC}}. A television pilot starring Gary Vinson was completed in 1958, but it was not greenlit because of legal problems. Tom's unlucky streak ended in 2022, as Creator/TheCW ordered [[Series/TomSwift2022 a series]] focusing on him (with Tom now being a gay African-American man), set as a spin-off of the network's ongoing ''Series/{{Nancy Drew|2019}}'' series.

As early as the 1910s, plans were made to adapt the books to live-action, but nearly every single one of them have failed, with progress being usually no further than a finished script. The only screen adaptation of the books in the 20th century is a 1983 television special called ''The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour'', starring Willie Aames and Creator/LoriLoughlin and airing on Creator/{{ABC}}. A television pilot starring Gary Vinson was completed in 1958, but it was not greenlit because of legal problems. Tom's unlucky streak ended in 2022, as Creator/TheCW ordered [[Series/TomSwift2022 a series]] focusing on him, set as a spin-off of the network's ongoing ''Series/{{Nancy Drew|2019}}'' series.

As early as the 1910s, plans were made to adapt the books to live-action, but nearly every single one of them have failed, with progress being usually no further than a finished script. The only screen adaptation of the books to date is a 1983 television special called ''The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour'', starring Willie Aames and Creator/LoriLoughlin and airing on Creator/{{ABC}}. A television pilot starring Gary Vinson was completed in 1958, but it was not greenlit because of legal problems. Tom's unlucky streak ended in 2022, as Creator/TheCW ordered [[Series/TomSwift2022 a series]] focusing on him, set as a spin-off of the network's ongoing ''Series/{{Nancy Drew|2019}}'' series.

As early as the 1910s, plans were made to adapt the books to live-action, but nearly every single one of them have failed, with progress being usually no further than a finished script. The only screen adaptation of the books to date is a 1983 television special called ''The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour'', starring Willie Aames and Creator/LoriLoughlin and airing on Creator/{{ABC}}. A television pilot starring Gary Vinson was completed in 1958, but it was not greenlit because of legal problems. Tom's unlucky streak is set to end as Creator/TheCW ordered a series focusing on him, set as a spin-off of the network's ongoing ''Series/{{Nancy Drew|2019}}'' series.

As early as the 1910s, plans were made to adapt the books to live-action, but nearly every single one of them have failed, with progress being usually no further than a finished script. The only screen adaptation of the books to date is a 1983 television special called ''The Tom Swift and Linda Craig Mystery Hour'', starring Willie Aames and Creator/LoriLoughlin and airing on Creator/{{ABC}}. A television pilot starring Gary Vinson was completed in 1958, but it was not greenlit because of legal problems. Tom's unlucky streak may set to end in 2021, however, as Creator/TheCW ordered a series focusing on him, set as a spin-off of the network's ongoing ''Series/{{Nancy Drew|2019}}'' series.

* BluffTheImposter: in the 90s book ''Monster Machine'' in the aftermath of the main cast being kidnapped Tom and Rick are trying to rescue their girlfriends from a room when a computer sensor tells them it's filled with poison gas. They ask the girls (really dummies lying next to a radio transmitter) to answer specific (trick) questions which they are unable to do. A little later, when they find the real girls (wearing gas masks) they ask the same questions just to make sure and this time they know the right answers.

** In the comic book series ''The Hardy Boys and Literature/NancyDrew : The Big Lie", Tom is a minor character who is the Hardys' old friend and finds information for them.

* BigBad: David Luna, during the 80s series and Xavier Mace, a.k.a. "The Black Dragon", in the 90s one, both {{Corrupt Corporate Executive}}s out to crush the Swift's.

* BigBad: David Luna, during the 80s series and Xavier "The Black Dragon" Mace in the 90s one, both CorruptCorporateExecutive's out to crush the Swift's.

* BadBoss: Roscoe in the final 90s book is willing to brianwash his henchmen, use them as test subjects for a forcefield device (while using bullets) and even outright shoot a loyal one who hasn't done anything just to make his own attempted escape go smoother. And while none of this is completely unique to the series, Roscoe is a lot scarier because of how he ''succeeds'' [[KnightOfCerebus in killing multiple people.]]

* SaidBookism

** Zigzagged in "The Aquatech Warriors" from the 90s series. After Tom and the others save the surviving crewmen from The Black Dragons undersea base from drowning, they end up held at gunpoint. The leader of the group says its not that they aren't grateful, it's just that the'd prefer not to stand trial for piracy and murder by going quietly, although they ''do'' plan to leave Tom and the others with the materials to make a raft of their own (on the rapidly sinking land platform) as well as the scientific data which had brought Tom to the area in the first place. Naturally though, Tom and the others turn the tables.

Revived in the early 1980s, in [[HollywoodCalifornia Southern California]] in the 1990s and [[http://tomswift.bobfinnan.com/ts5.htm in the first person]] in the 2000s.

Revived IN SPACE! in the early 1980s, in [[HollywoodCalifornia Southern California]] in the 1990s and [[http://tomswift.bobfinnan.com/ts5.htm in the first person]] in the 2000s.

* BrainsAndBrawn: George and Len (whose names are likely a ShoutOut to ''Literature/OfMiceAndMen''), the henchmen of Tom's evil alternate universe counterpart in the 90s book "The Negative Zone", and get tricked into helping the real Tom when he ends up there.

* RealityEnsues: Particularly in the 90s series.
** Invoked in ''Aquatech Warriors'', in which the BigBad plans to use a massive conventional bomb to raise an island into the sea he can call his own. After his plan is thwarted, Tom tells the gang what would have happened if the plan had succeeded: No new island nation for the BigBad; "only" a tsunami that would have hit Jamaica, killing upwards of 50,000 people.
** In ''Death Quake'', being only eighteen, Tom has a difficult time being taken seriously by a visiting adult scientist.
** In Quantum Force: Tom Swift uses his newest invention to exact some payback on some muggers -- and gets grounded as soon as he gets home for doing something so stupid.

* SwissCheeseSecurity: In one "Jr." novel (the one with the giant robots) a villain knocks out a Swiftworks who resembles him and walks into their plant with the mans security pass, boasting that their security "makes a bank job look tough."

** Zigzagged in "The Aquatech Warriors" from the 90s series. After Tom and the others save the surviving crewmen from The Black Dragons undersea base from drowning, they end up held at gunpoint. The leader of the group says its not that they aren't grateful, it's just that the'd prefer not to stand trial for privacy and murder by going quietly, although they ''do'' plan to leave Tom and the others with the materials to make a raft of their own (on the rapidly sinking land platform) as well as the scientific data which had brought Tom to the area in the first place. Naturally though, Tom and the others turn the tables.

* BluffTheImposter: in the 90s book ''Monster Machine'' in the aftermath of the main cast being kidnapped Tom and Rick are trying to rescue their girlfriends from a room when a computer sensor tells them it's filled with poison gas. They ask the girls to answer specific (trick) questions which they are unable to do. A little later, when they find the real girls (wearing gas masks) they ask the same questions just to make sure and this time they know the right answers.

* ThoseTwoBadGuys: The mutated assistants of the mad scientist in the 90s book "Mutant Beach".