History Main / GadgeteerGenius

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossThe8thDimension'': BuckarooBanzai'' invented the Jet Car, a surgical technique to implant a microphone in the human skull so people can give orders to their own brain, and (with Professor Hikita) the Oscillation Overthruster. And that's just what was mentioned in the movie - it's implied that he's done much more.

* ''Film/BuckarooBanzai'' invented the Jet Car, a surgical technique to implant a microphone in the human skull so people can give orders to their own brain, and (with Professor Hikita) the Oscillation Overthruster. And that's just what was mentioned in the movie - it's implied that he's done much more.

* Ling Ling Fat (008) in Steven Chow's ''ForbiddenCityCop'' is a genius inventor who uses his wits to protect the Emperor better than the kung-fu masters making up the rest of the Imperial Guard.
* ''BuckarooBanzai'' invented the Jet Car, a surgical technique to implant a microphone in the human skull so people can give orders to their own brain, and (with Professor Hikita) the Oscillation Overthruster. And that's just what was mentioned in the movie - it's implied that he's done much more.

* [[CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] is a Candy Genius, which wouldn't normally qualify. However, considering he built not only the Factory but the Great Glass Elevator, one suspects his skills go a bit beyond chocolate. And he had an army of Oompa-loompas - some of which may have actually come up with the designs themselves.

* [[CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] is a Candy Genius, which wouldn't normally qualify. However, considering he built not only the Factory but the Great Glass Elevator, one suspects his skills go a bit beyond chocolate.
** Yes, but he also had an army of Oompa-loompas - some of which may have actually come up with the designs themselves.

** To be fair, most of the work for the latter is done by the scientists he has captured. He doesn't even hide that fact, but he is smart enough to find a way of surviving after being blown in half (albeit by his own prototype tank).

** And let us not forget his epically-impractical ice-making machine.

** The writers of ''XMenEvolution'' decided that wasn't BadAss enough and gave him the ability to transform his arms into any imaginable tool to help him make his creations. Considering the tendency of his creations to get away from him, one must wonder if he's not as good as his comic and 1990s series counterpart or if [[DitzyGenius he's simply a lot less responsible]].

* ''AlphaFlight'' supporting cast member Madison Jeffries has the mutant power to physically alter machines, metals and related inorganic objects, which he initially used as a mechanic. (His brother Lionel had a similar power over living tissue, which had [[{{Squick}} gruesome results when he went insane.]] Another more conventional genius was Box, a quadriplegic who used his tremendous scientific skills to build machines that overcame his disability.

* Harry [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Dresden]] frequently works with Michael Carpenter, a sturdy, talented carpenter who also happens to be a [[ThePaladin Knight]] [[LightIsGood of]] [[GoodIsNotNice the]] [[ReligionIsMagic Cross]]. Divine intervention is one of the perks of the job. ''But that man is not a GadgeteerGenius''. The man known as the miracle worker of the series is Mike, Harry's mechanic. He keeps [[TheAllegedCar The Blue Beetle]] running most of time, despite its proximity to angry wizards and angrier EldritchAbominations.

* WordOfGod on the DVD commentary for ''TheIncredibles'' says that Edna Mode is a mix of this trope and a fashion designer. She directs her genius toward the superhero costumes she designs.

** Plain and simple Garak was a man of many hidden talents. Give him toys to play with and he could come up with anything. It becomes a plot point in a couple of episodes, most notably in the double-episodes "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light"; where Enabran Tain used his own unique brand of GadgeteerGenius to alert ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' to the survival of various Alpha Quadrant prisoners in the Gamma Quadrant and then Garak had to finish what Tain had started [[spoiler: after Tain dies]] because he was the only one with the skill, expertise and creativity to convert a system into something it originally wasn't designed to do so that they could escape prison. Oh, and he had to do it all while suffering chronic {{claustrophobia}}, too.

** Plain and simple Garak was a man of many hidden talents. Give him toys to play with and he could come up with anything. It becomes a plot point in a couple of episodes, most notably in the double-episodes "In Purgatory's Shadow" and "By Inferno's Light"; where Enabran Tain used his own unique brand of GadgeteerGenius to alert ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' to the survival of various Alpha Quadrant prisoners in the Gamma Quadrant and then Garak had to finish what Tain had started [[spoiler: after Tain dies]] because he was the only one with the skill, expertise and creativity to convert a system into something it originally wasn't designed to do so that they could escape prison.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Epic'' Professor Bomba has built gadgets that allow him to adjust to the "speed" of miniature creatures, allowing him to communicate with them.

* Kat from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' builds an antigravity generator out of a thermos and coat hangers for the school ScienceFair. She didn't see this as anything special, and built it simply in to experimental grow protein crystals properly. Much to her chagrin, nobody cared very much about proteins, but were fascinated by her anti-grav machine.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* Sudoku from ''BananananaNinja'' has built a TransformationRay and a SwissArmyWeapon (the Omni-Functional Kitchen Gadget, an '''all'''-purpose kitchen tool that can transform into a HumongousMecha).
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* OlderThanRadio: TomSwift is the ur-example.

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* TomSwift is the ur-example, making this trope OlderThanRadio.
** But don't forget Frank Reade Jr. or Johnny Brainerd.

* Kat from ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' builds an antigravity generator out of a thermos and coat hangers for the school ScienceFair. She didn't see this as anything special, and built it simply in order to allow her protein synthesis experiment to work properly. Much to her chagrin, nobody cared very much about proteins, but were fascinated by her anti-grav machine. Later, she converts it into a personal aircraft.

* Tesla.
** [[http://www.activistpost.com/2012/01/10-inventions-of-nikola-tesla-that.html Some specific examples are in order.]]

* {{Batman}} is this to a certain degree. Though most of his larger contraptions (like a Satellite that monitors all meta human activity down to the slightest) are built by a subsidiary of his corporation, [=WayneTech=], making this overlap with CrimeFightingWithCash. That being said, most of his arsenal (including the Batsuit) is designed and built by himself.

* Most recently ComicBook/{{Static}} in the pages of ''ComicBook/TeenTitans''. Previously, Static was just a very bright kid, but in Lobdell's Teen Titans, he's become a full blown TeenGenius: designing [[{{Batman}} Red Robin's]] glider wings and creating a new costume from scratch for [[TheFlash Kid Flash]] that prevents his powers from vibrating him to nothing.
* Ted Kord as the BlueBeetle is ''the'' defining example of a gadgeteer genius superhero. He invented all of his gear himself, a lot of which was reverse-engineered alien technology (you think HTML code is tough?), up to and including a ''beetle shaped flying ship.'' [[GreenLantern Guy Gardener]] has even said that Ted was smarter than ''{{Batman}}''.

* WordOfGod on the DVD commentary for ''TheIncredibles'' says that Edna Mode is a mix of this trope and a fashion designer. She directs her genius toward the superhero costumes she designs.

* In ''AstroCity'', Beautie's origin is revealed: [[spoiler:she was built by a girl Gadgeteer Genius, the still more brilliant daughter of another Gadgeteer Genius. (Her father's reaction leads to Bad Things for both Beautie and the daughter.)]]

* Pixel and Robbie Rotten from ''LazyTown''.

* Washuu from ''TenchiMuyo!'' In the original OVA she actually isn't much of a gadgeteer -- most of her time was spent in doing research so complex that the viewers were rarely let in what she was doing. The later TV-series increased her gadget-building role considerably.

[[folder:Films]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor''.

* [[WesternAnimation/LoonaticsUnleashed Tech E. Coyote]] manages to cobble together a model of the city in his spare time. This model comes complete with trains that actually run on time. When ''not'' in his spare time, he makes the heroes' arsenal.

* WordOfGod on the DVD commentary for ''TheIncredibles'' says that Edna Mode is a mix of this trope and a fashion designer. She directs her genius toward the superhero costumes she designs.

* Harry [[DresdenFiles Dresden]] frequently works with Michael Carpenter, a sturdy, talented carpenter who also happens to be a [[ThePaladin Knight]] [[LightIsGood of]] [[GoodIsNotNice the]] [[ReligionIsMagic Cross]]. Divine intervention is one of the perks of the job. ''But that man is not a GadgeteerGenius''. The man known as the miracle worker of the series is Mike, Harry's mechanic. He keeps [[TheAllegedCar The Blue Beetle]] running most of time, despite its proximity to angry wizards and angrier EldritchAbominations.