History Main / ForgotFlandersCouldDoThat

* Gumshoe in the ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' series had the "clueless" part of CluelessDetective Flanderized throughout the series until he basically became TheDitz, but he still shows moments of competence occasionally, and you can ''always'' count on him to pull a BigDamnHeroes moment at least once per game. The name of his {{Leitmotif}}, "I Can Do It When It Counts, Pal!", lampshades this.
** The second Edgeworth game takes this a step further by Gumshoe doing such good work throughout the game that Edgeworth [[PetTheDog actually gives him a raise]].

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* Inverted with Scooter in ''Series/TheMuppetShow''. As he became more of a fixer [[CharacterDevelopment in his own right]], he made fewer mentions of his uncle-who-owns-this-theatre until the gag was seemingly phased out. So in later seasons it was something of a jolt to hear him manipulate Kermit by playing the uncle card, such as in the Anne Murray episode in season 4.
[[/folder]]

** Done retroactively in regards to Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}}. After ''"Batman vs. [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]]"'', fans of the series considered Batman to be a complete and utter joke without prior set-up to take down his opponents, with many saying he is less able a fighter than [[VideoGame/FinalFight Mike Haggar]], [[Franchise/StreetFighter Zangief]], or even [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Felicia]]. He then [[spoiler:gave [[ComicBook/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] one of the fastest kills in the history of the series]], reminding everyone that he is still well beyond what is believed to be the limits of a human, and one of the most skilled and deadliest fighters in his world.

* Franchise/SpiderMan villain The Shocker is most often presented as being a cowardly ButtMonkey and the fact that he's also a brilliant engineer is often forgotten. However, his intelligence comes into play toward the end of ''Comicbook/TheSuperiorFoesOfSpiderMan'' (despite the series also playing up his cowardice and bad luck). He's trapped in a building with [[ItMakesSenseInContext Silvermane's head]] with a bunch of armed mobsters outside, and figures out how to escape using his shockwave gauntlets by calculating trajectory based on complex mathematical equations. When Silvermane's head questions Shocker, he reminds him that he's an engineer. Along similar lines, the [[AllThereInTheManual Daily Bugle stories]] that provided background for ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' describe Shocker as breaking into a bank vault using his gauntlets and then later on, [[CardboardPrison escaping from prison]] by [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard somehow creating his technology from materials available to him in the prison workshop]]. Officer Jean De Wolf comments how [[CutLexLuthorACheck he's obviously a genius but unfortunately wasting his talent on petty crime]].

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' invokes this deliberately in the form of Eridan Ampora. Despite being introduced as a [[DiabolicalMastermind genocidal maniac]] who looks up to warlords, his character quickly deteriorates into a pathetic douche, seemingly only interested in pursuing hopeless romantic pursuits with [[AnythingThatMoves anyone and everyone.]] [[spoiler:This makes the scene where he murders the only two people who seem friendly with him, blinds his rival, and obliterates the only hope for their species' reproduction and survival, significantly more poignant.]]

* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'' invokes this trope by giving a CharacterCheck to Batroc the Leaper and [[Characters/{{AIM}} M.O.D.O.K.]], both of whom are long-running {{Memetic Loser}}s. Batroc may have a silly name, but he's also a deadly warrior capable of battling [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] on equal footing thanks to his mastery of ''savate'', the French style of kickboxing--which Gwen and readers are reminded of through his constant display of badass combat feats. And whilst M.O.D.O.K's {{Cephalothorax}} design may look stupid, the man himself is a sadistic monster who revels in killing and torture, as Gwen learns when he responds to her mocking his threat by [[spoiler:vaporizing her henchman Cecil with a thought]].

* UsefulNotes/{{Judo}} is somewhat infamous in grappling circles for disallowing leglocks, which are a large part of the submission curricula nowadays. However, it was only after 1914 that this ban took effect, and still many masters taught them for a time after the prohibition; ancient judo books show all kinds of leglocks, including several that were thought to have originated in other forms of wrestling. For instance, most UsefulNotes/BrazilianJiuJitsu historians believe the dangerous heel hook came to them through the Butokukai judoka Takeo Yano.\\
\\
Judo is mostly known as a grappling martial art, and striking is out of question. But few remember that striking techniques are part of the Judo repertoire, they are called ''Atemi Waza'' and were codified by Kano himself adapting from old ju-jutsu. However, they are mostly forgotten since they are too hard or dangerous (since it includes attacks on the throat and eyes) to practice on randori (and thus, on a resisting opponent), and were never part of Judo competition.

* At one point in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Chris showed signs of being an artist in the first two seasons, before being completely abandoned-however in ''Fanfic/FamilyGuyFanon'', he still shows that artistic side to him that shins more in episodes.

** Smithers, in turn, is often merely a suck-up SatelliteCharacter for Burns (and an excuse for the occasional gay joke). In "Homer the Smithers", however, it's revealed that he actually performs a critical job as Mr. Burns's full-time assistant, and performs "2,800 small jobs" of considerable complexity, including arranging Burns's bizarrely complicated meals and handling his awful mother.

** In most of the games, Luigi is portrayed as TheKlutz and rather accident-prone. In the ''[[VideoGame/LuigisMansionSeries Luigi's Mansion]]'' series, particularly ''[[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon Dark Moon]]'', while he is still mostly portrayed that way, he also has a few scenes where he displays a surprising amount of skill with tools and ability to repair things. Then you remember something the franchise almost never brings up--Luigi is a ''plumber''. Of course he knows how to use tools and fix things; he does it for a living!

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':

* Every once in a while, ComicBook/HarleyQuinn will hold the SmartBall and proceed to remind people that she ''is'' [[GeniusDitz a fully qualified medical doctor]] specializing in psychiatry, [[TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes even if it didn't stop her from going crazy herself]].

* ''ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool'' invokes this trope by giving a CharacterCheck to Batroc the Leaper and ComicBook/{{MODOK}}, both of whom are long-running {{Memetic Loser}}s. Batroc may have a silly name, but he's also a deadly warrior capable of battling ComicBook/CaptainAmerica on equal footing thanks to his mastery of ''savate'', the French style of kickboxing--which Gwen and readers are reminded of through his constant display of badass combat feats. And whilst M.O.D.O.K's {{Cephalothorax}} design may look stupid, the man himself is a sadistic monster who revels in killing and torture, as Gwen learns when he responds to her mocking his threat by [[spoiler:vaporizing her henchman Cecil with a thought]].

* ''Series/PowerRangersDinoFury'': [[spoiler:Lord Zedd returns, but without his MagicStaff, thus without his magic. Once he's freed from the Compliance Collar he was stuck with, Zedd shows just how tough he is without the staff by manhandling two Sporix with ease, reminding fans that this is the same villain that fought Tommy Oliver to a standstill.]]

* Not for nothing is Elvis Presley's Music/ElvisNBCTVSpecial known to fans as the '68 Comeback.

** In most of the games, Luigi is portrayed as TheKlutz and rather accident-prone. In the ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' games, particularly ''[[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon Dark Moon]]'', while he is still mostly portrayed that way, he also has a few scenes where he displays a surprising amount of skill with tools and ability to repair things. Then you remember something the franchise almost never brings up--Luigi is a ''plumber''. Of course he knows how to use tools and fix things; he does it for a living!

** Done retroactively in regards to Franchise/{{Batman}}. After ''Batman VS Franchise/SpiderMan'', fans of the series considered Batman to be a complete and utter joke without prior set-up to take down his opponents, with many saying he is less able a fighter than [[VideoGame/FinalFight Mike Haggar]], [[Franchise/StreetFighter Zangief]], or even [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Felicia]]. He then [[spoiler:gave ComicBook/CaptainAmerica one of the fastest kills in the history of the series]], reminding everyone that he is still well beyond what is believed to be the limits of a human, and one of the most skilled and deadliest fighters in his world.
*** Similarly, [[https://www.deviantart.com/mega-poneo/art/Death-Battle-X-Twilight-Sparkle-vs-Misuzu-Kamio-784918614 this]] fan-written [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Twilight Sparkle]] vs. [[VisualNovel/{{Air}} Misuzu Kamio]] fight. After ''Raven vs Twilight'', many fans considered Twilight to be a complete and utter joke without the magic of friendship. However, in any other universe (even the Equestria Girls universe if she didn't become human), she'd be a total badass; the only problem is that she shares a universe with villains who can corrupt and neutralize Equestrian magic, which she can do anything with. This is as opposed to Misuzu, whose only canon "victory" is her final walk and death at the end of her series, and whose power comes completely from a fan-made game called ''VideoGame/EternalFighterZero''. Misuzu doesn't stand a chance.

* Used for humor in ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' a few times. For instance, Tristan has been so completely recast as the TheDitz that the sight of him showing up on a motorcycle seems out of character... despite being completely in-character for him in the actual show. Directly invoked in an episode where Tea plays a card game against a penguin, much to Yugi's shock... and Yami's lack of shock, since she's been playing card games since the beginning of the series. And often winning. (Though the latter is later {{Subverted}} for RuleOfFunny's sake, as Tea is portrayed as not realizing the difference between a Monster and a Spell card.)

* Cleveland Jr. appeared once in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', where he was a skinny, hyperactive CheerfulChild who is skilled at golf. In the SpinOff ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'', however, he's retooled into an overweight, slow-witted {{Expy}} of Chris Griffin. The episode "March Dadness" features him entering a golf tournament, and at one point jumps up and down saying "I'm Tiger Woods! I'm Tiger Woods!" like he did in his original appearance. It quickly tires him out, however, and he {{lampshade|Hanging}}s the fact that he's gained weight over the years. Another episode, in a scene which may be AllJustADream, brings up his previous characterization by implying that Fat Junior is a CIA agent who [[KillAndReplace killed the original one and took his identity]].

** Randy Marsh started as a level-headed geologist and one of the few sane people in a town where AdultsAreUseless, before being Flanderized into a moronic manchild whose endless quirks and fixations (some of them [[CompressedVice never being hinted at]] before, such as being a Christopher Columbus fanboy) became the writers' way to satirize current events and fads. However, in Season 20, he suddenly remembered he was a scientist, and there were scenes of him experimenting on the Member Berries to understand how they worked and how to eventually stop them. But that subplot [[AbortedArc was abruptly dropped]], so it was all for nothing: Randy went back to be a demented wacky moron and stayed that way ever since.
** Sometimes his earlier aspects got mixed in with his later ones, such as [[Recap/SouthParkS11E5FantasticEasterSpecial "Fantastic Easter Special"]], where he was part of an AncientOrderOfProtectors for the truth about Easter. Despite how silly they their beliefs appeared to be, [[TheCuckoolanderWasRight it's revealed that they were right all along]].

* UsefulNotes/{{Judo}}
** Judo is somewhat infamous in grappling circles for disallowing leglocks, which are a large part of the submission curricula nowadays. However, it was only after 1914 that this ban took effect, and still many masters taught them for a time after the prohibition; ancient judo books show all kinds of leglocks, including several that were thought to have originated in other forms of wrestling. For instance, most UsefulNotes/BrazilianJiuJitsu historians believe the dangerous heel hook came to them through the Butokukai judoka Takeo Yano.
** Judo is mostly known as a grappling martial art, and striking is out of question. But few remember that striking techniques are part of the Judo repertoire, they are called ''Atemi Waza'' and were codified by Kano himself adapting from old ju-jutsu. However, they are mostly forgotten since they are too hard or dangerous (since it includes attacks on the throat and eyes) to practice on randori (and thus, on a resisting opponent), and were never part of Judo competition.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Comics]]

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* In most of the ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Super Mario]]'' games, Luigi is portrayed as TheKlutz and rather accident-prone. In the ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion'' games, particularly ''[[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon Dark Moon]]'', while he is still mostly portrayed that way, he also has a few scenes where he displays a surprising amount of skill with tools and ability to repair things. Then you remember something the franchise almost never brings up--Luigi is a ''plumber''. Of course he knows how to use tools and fix things; he does it for a living!

* When this happened on ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', it ended up [[spoiler:getting Aku killed.]] In the first episode, Aku shows that one of his powers is the ability to open time portals, which he used to send Jack into the future. He never used it again afterward, which makes some sense as he didn't want to unintentionally create a way for Jack to get back home. [[spoiler:But when his actions results in his having a daughter, Ashi, who has all of Aku's powers, she has no problems using them to create her own time portal to send Jack back to kill Aku for good and undo his reign of terror.]]

* ''Series/PowerRangersDinoFury'': [[spoiler:Lord Zedd is BackFromTheDead but without his staff, thus without his magic. Once he's freed from the Compliance Collar he was stuck with, he reminds everyone that Zedd is actually tough enough without the staff as he manhandles two Sporix with ease, reminding fans that this is the same villain that manhandled Tommy Oliver.]]

* In E.W. Hildick's ''The [=McGurk=] Mysteries'' series, in the first book Mari Yoshimura appears in, she martial arts kicks a man unconscious. This was handled fairly realistically [[note]]Mari kicked him in the back of the head when he was completely unsuspecting, and insisted that she'd have had no chance in an actual fight[[/note]]. Her martial arts ability wasn't even mentioned again until 4 books later in the series, when she was able to use an armlock to subdue a boy her own size, and never again after that.

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Michael Scott was promoted to manager because of his amazing sales skills, [[ThePeterPrinciple yet the audience often sees him as a buffoon]] based on his actions and interactions with others. Many episodes in later seasons have him going back to sales to remind the audience that he is actually competent[[*]]at sales, and almost nothing else[[/*]].

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Michael Scott was promoted to manager because of his amazing sales skills, [[ThePeterPrinciple yet the audience often sees him as a buffoon]] based on his actions and interactions with others. Many episodes in later seasons have him going back to sales to remind the audience that he is actually competent.

* At one point in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Chris showed signs of being an artist in the first two seasons, before being completely abandoned-however in ''Fanfic/FamiyGuyFanon'', he still shows that artistic side to him that shins more in episodes.

* Season 10 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' reminds the viewers that Donut can [[OneHitKill one-shot]] people with [[StickyBomb plasma grenades]] and that Caboose can invoke an UnstoppableRage, both of which were established at least seven seasons ago. Justified with Caboose who, being [[TheDitz who]] he [[CloudCuckoolander is]], ''literally'' [[LampshadeHanging forgot how to do that]].