History Main / NotSoOmniscientAfterAll

* [[MagnificentBastard Vetinari]] of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' fame definitely fits the bill, if rarely. He occasionally [[ObfuscatingStupidity plays dumb or ignorant]], but he is almost always already aware of everything and gently steering it into an ideal outcome, which makes moments in which he is ''genuinely'' clueless entirely surprising to those that know him. See ''Literature/{{Thud}}'' and his reaction to [[Awesome/{{Discworld}} what A.E. Pessimal did during the riot]].
-->"Excuse me, are we talking about ''the same'' [[ObstructiveBureaucrat A.E. Pessimal]]? [[NonActionGuy Small man, very clean shoes]]?"

* In ''Franchise/StarWars'', the Force can give its practitioners, both Light and Dark side, visions of the past, present, and future. Canonically, the future is "always in motion" and difficult to predict with any kind of accuracy, and [[SelfFulfillingProphecy self-fulfilling prophecies]] are common. Still, Emperor Palpatine loves to crow about how "everything has proceeded according to my design," right up until his right-hand man throws him down a shaft to his death, which he presumably did ''not'' foresee.

* There are a few verses in Literature/TheBible that imply God isn't really omniscient as is commonly thought. For example: Hosea 8:4 talks about how the Israelites set up Princes and without God knowing about it. There's also a few verses throughout where he asks the human characters things like where someone is. That said, these are in the Old Testament, as it wasn't until the advent of Christianity that the whole idea of God being Omnipotent and Omniscient (as opposed to just really powerful and smart) became the official doctrine.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', the Fates brag early on that they know everything... but at the end, are caught off-guard when Hercules [[spoiler:gains immortality just as they were about to cut his thread of life]].

* Many characters in the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' universe hold the view that Dumbledore always knows what's going on and what he's doing. Dumbledore himself, however, is perfectly aware that he can make mistakes.

* There's a brief moment in ''Literature/BloodMeridian'' where Judge Holden, the hyperintelligent, demonic something-or-other who, before and after, never seems to fail at ''anything,'' loses track of a member of the Glanton gang... and genuinely can't account for him. Even fellow gang member Toadvine is surprised and thought the judge knew where he went. The judge seemingly makes a point of never mentioning it again, although later in the book, he makes it his stated purpose to know and understand everything in the world and so take control of his destiny, or words to that effect.

Not So Omniscient After All is a great way to [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstruct]] certain [[AnAesop Aesops]] and {{Moral Dilemma}}s: Make them fall apart by showing how complex the world can be and how hard it is to overview a situation without overlooking a lot of stuff that can prove relevant later on.

* [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13792636210A84451500&page=547#13656 Here]] in [[Roleplay/EnterTheArenaAsYourAvatar our very own Avatar Arena]], the [[VideoGame/InfinityBlade Worker of Secrets]] gets hit with it, courtesy of [[spoiler: [[FanNickname Troll]][[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica doka]]]].

->''"I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being -- forgive me -- rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger."''
-->-- '''Albus Dumbledore''', ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince''

* In ''Film/MortalKombat'', Liu Kang asks Raiden (god of lightning) in the end if he knew all along what would happen. It's hard to tell whether his response is serious or sarcastic. He follows the comment with his trademark laugh.

Not So Omniscient After All is a great way to [[{{Deconstruction}} Deconstruct]] certain [[AnAesop Aesops]] and [[MoralDilemma Moral Dilemmas]]: Make them fall apart by showing how complex the world can be and how hard it is to overview a situation without overlooking a lot of stuff that can prove relevant later on.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles:''

* [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13792636210A84451500&page=547#13656 Here]] in [[EnterTheArenaAsYourAvatar our very own Avatar Arena]], the [[VideoGame/InfinityBlade Worker of Secrets]] gets hit with it, courtesy of [[spoiler: [[FanNickname Troll]][[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica doka]]]].

* Moebius spends most of the ''Videogame/LegacyOfKain'' series being an excellent ChessMaster who manipulates everyone else into doing exactly what he wants, but he slips up towards the end of ''Defiance'' when he gloats over Kain's death, only to realise Kain is alive and standing [[RightBehindMe right behind him]]:

* ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'':

* In ''WebComic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', the scariest thing a Phoenix Oracle can say to a person is, [[spoiler:"I don't know."]]

* An interesting variation happens in Webcomic/{{Magellan}}. Goanna went to a psychic for info on a symbol and she told her to take an airplane overseas. Goanna does so and the plane nearly crashes but is saved by the hero Epoch. When Goanna returns to her (quite angry) the psychic repeatedly screams, "You should be dead!" A later story revealed she ''was'' right. Goanna should've died on that flight and she did, in an AlternateTimeline.

* Vanamonde of Mechanicsburg in ''WebComic/GirlGenius'' is well known for knowing everything about the town, and uses it as a deterrent for acting against him. Due to his reputation, he is accused of [[HanlonsRazor aiding a criminal plot]] in [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20171025#.XxObNihKhPa these]] [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20171030#.XxOcCyhKhPZ strips,]] because the crime is so serious that if Vanamonde knew about it and didn't stop it, he must have been part of it.

* ''Franchise/AvatarTheLastAirbender''

-->'''Bender''': So do you know I'm going to do something before I do it?\\
'''God Entity''': Yes.\\
'''Bender''': What if I do something different?\\
'''God Entity''': Then I don't know that.

* ''Webcomic/DubiousCompany'''s heroes ask [[RandomNumberGod Phred,]] why he can't just kill [[AGodAmI Kree]][[EvilOverlord dor.]] Phred gives 3 reasons: Kreedor is the [[DavidVersusGoliath better]] fighter, the other gods don't trust [[ChaoticNeutral Phred,]] and manipulating the [[OddJobGods odds]] of success is [[BlueAndOrangeMorality just wrong.]]

* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7093738/1/Brutal-Harry Brutal Harry]]'', Dumbledore comes to this realization about himself when he's informed of exactly ''how'' badly Harry was abused at the Dursleys and essentially allowed all of his students to suffer under Snape and other bullies at Hogwarts due to his inattentiveness. It's justified by the fact that Dumbledore, in addition to being the headmaster of Hogwarts, is also the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW and the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and all three jobs are pretty stressful and time-consuming. It's also not helped by the fact that some people are a bit blinded by their faith in his judgement, and thus, rarely question his choices.

* ''Fanfic/JauneArcLordOfHunger'': Despite his experience with magic and the Maidens, Ozpin's allies are surprised to learn that he's just as in the dark as they are about the source of Jaune's seemingly magical powers. In fact, Ozpin's POV deals with how he's dealing with factors that he has no knowledge about, like the Force and Sith ghosts.

* ''Fanfic/JauneArcLordOfHunger'': Despite his experience with magic and the Maidens, Ozpin's allies are surprised to learn that he's just as in the dark as they are about the source of Jaune's seemingly magical powers. In fact, Ozpin's POV deals with how he's dealing with factors that he has no knowledge about, like the Force, the terentatek, and Darth Nihilus.

* ''Fanfic/JauneArcLordOfHunger'': Ozpin possesses a deep knowledge of humanity's ancient past and keeps secrets from even his own allies. However, even he knows nothing about Force-related elements like the terentatek, Jaune's Force-sensitivity, or Darth Nihilus. The chapters featuring his point-of-view focus on how, for the first time, Ozpin is grasping at straws just like everyone else.

* ''Fanfic/JauneArcLordOfHunger'': Ozpin possesses a deep knowledge of humanity's ancient past and keeps secrets from even his own allies. However, even he knows nothing about Force-related elements like the terentatek, Jaune's Force-sensitivity, or Darth Nihilus. The chapters featuring his point-of-view focus on how, for the first time, Ozpin is just as in the dark as everyone else is about what's going on.

* In ''Webcomic/KidRadd'', [[spoiler:[[TheOmniscient The Seer, who else?]]]] has one of these moments when [[spoiler:he takes over Crystal's body, taking away his omniscience and causing him to miss two vital things that let Radd win: the Lucky Penny and the health power-up inside Bogey (or perhaps just Bogey's presence inside Chimera).]] Doubles as [[spoiler:a VillainousBreakdown]].
* [[LouisCypher Doc Scratch]] of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' is ''functionally'' [[TheOmniscient omniscient]]. He still has gaps in his knowledge. Though due to his enormous intellect he's often able to fill those gaps in with near-perfect deductions, so he doesn't mind so much... usually. His gaps are mostly caused by the PowerOfTheVoid and {{Alternate Timeline}}s. He also has some trouble with Spades Slick and [[spoiler: the author]].

** Sarda is shown to be completely omniscient until [[RealityWarper Red Mage]] finds one place he can't get into - [[DoubleEntendre his a-hole]]. That is, where the Light Warriors end up when Red Mage puts them between two portable holes (the a-hole and the b-hole) and drops them into each other.

* ''Webcomic/DubiousCompany'''s heroes ask [[RandomNumberGod Phred]], why he can't just kill [[AGodAmI Kree]][[EvilOverlord dor]]. Phred gives 3 reasons: Kreedor is the [[DavidVersusGoliath better]] fighter, the other gods don't trust [[ChaoticNeutral Phred]], and manipulating the [[OddJobGods odds]] of success is [[BlueAndOrangeMorality just wrong]].
* In ''WebComic/DanAndMabsFurryAdventures'', the scariest thing a Phoenix Oracle can say to a person is [[spoiler:"I don't know."]]
* Psionic Minmax in ''Webcomic/{{Goblins}}'' is a ClockKing who can use his genius-level intellect coupled with his knowledge of the Maze of Many's reset mechanics to accurately predict how each of the parties travelling through the maze will behave... until Kin decides to take a course of action that he could have absolutely no way of predicting. As a result, at one point he confidently makes a prediction that he has at least 8 minutes to finalise his plans before any of the other parties have a chance to finish the maze, only to emerge from his hideout to find Kin and Forgath standing by the maze exit, thanks to a DungeonBypass.
* Webcomic/DominicDeegan, as the series progressed and he got more powerful, would occasionally slip into this. Sometimes, it was due to overconfidence due to his belief in his own plans causing him to overlook small details, or from things and creatures serving an OutsideContextProblem that his second sight couldn't get a bead on.
* An interesting variation happens in Webcomic/{{Magellan}}. Goanna went to a psychic for info on a symbol and she told her to take an airplane overseas. Goanna does so and the plane nearly crashes but is saved by the hero Epoch. When Goanna returns to her (quite angry) the psychic repeatedly screams "You should be dead!". A later story revealed she ''was'' right. Goanna should've died on that flight and she did, in an AlternateTimeline.

** [[spoiler: Jerry's reincarnation was very, ''very'', wrong about Diane and Susan being sisters]].
** [[spoiler: Pandora didn't know Elves could have children themselves]].
** [[spoiler: And the main kicker, Pandora didn't know Magic has a will of its own and that said will would try to disrupt her goal to give everyone magic]].

** [[spoiler: Although Voltaire will deny it if asked, claiming that it was part of a larger plan, he did ''not'' know that he could have made Tedd ineligible for advising magic's change by just ''telling'' him about the second purpose of Seers]].
* Vanamonde of Mechanicsburg in ''WebComic/GirlGenius'' is well known for knowing everything about the town, and uses it as a deterrent for acting against him. Due to his reputation, he is accused of [[HanlonsRazor aiding a criminal plot]] in [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20171025#.XxObNihKhPa these]] [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20171030#.XxOcCyhKhPZ strips]], because the crime is so serious that if Vanamonde knew about it and didn't stop it, he must have been part of it.

** In the ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' universe, people trust the Avatar to be the world's intelligent, skillful, omniscient and pretty much perfect savior. Too bad Aang's just a [[KidHero kid]] who was trapped in an [[KingInTheMountain iceberg]] for a hundred years. He's still wise for his age when he [[LetsGetDangerous takes things seriously]], but he's also much more gullible and ruled by his emotions than an older, more experienced man would be.
** It's not much better in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''. The Avatar this time around is a teenage girl who was raised in an isolated compound for most of her life and thus has no idea how to handle real life matters like politics, romance, laws, or even ''buying food''. She's skilled at bending, with the exception of Airbending, but not much else. The people of Republic City ''still'' trust her to be the perfect hero that will solve all of their problems. The look into the past explaining the Avatar's origins reveals that the Avatar was ''never'' a perfect savior. Both halves of the original Avatar, the spirit and the human, were well-intentioned but flawed people who [[NiceJobBreakingItHero caused almost as many problems as they solved]]. It's also made clear that every Avatar was just an ordinary person trying their best to bring peace to the world and just as prone to making mistakes as anyone else.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': It turns out that WalkingSpoiler [[spoiler:White Diamond, supreme ruler of the Gem Empire]], has the clairvoyant power to {{see|rs}} details that neither her nor her subjects could have witnessed in person, such as [[spoiler:the truth behind Pink Diamond's [[FakingTheDead "shattering"]], the Crystal Gems' insecurities, and the details of Steven's life on Earth]]. However, she has a case of EvilCannotComprehendGood that means she can't properly interpret a great deal of what she sees. Most importantly, she doesn't realize that [[spoiler:Steven is ''not'' being used by his [[DeathOfPersonality dead]] mother as a MeatPuppet]] until [[spoiler:pulling out his [[HeartDrive Gem]] causes it to form another version of him instead]].

** Doctor Strange, however, outshines them all, to the point where pretty much everyone thinks that he actually is omniscient (a belief he has carefully cultivated). His one-time apprentice Wanda Maximoff claims that to her knowledge, his predictions have never failed to come true (except for when he was claiming she would clean her room). As it is, he's implied to be a combination of {{Seer}} and time traveller with the ability to see possible futures. His reputation mostly comes from his habit of knowing what's going on, always being where he needs to be and dropping cryptic hints about what people should do next - which [[ManipulativeBastard inevitably means that they end up doing what he wants them to do, whether they know it or not, or want to or not]]. While this doesn't usually seem to do much, since he's planning on a multi-millennia scale, the finale of Book I reveals what it looks like when he gets all of his ducks in a row.

* In ''Dragonfable'':