History Main / StatingtheSimpleSolution

** "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_16848_6-most-pointlessly-elaborate-movie-murder-plots.html The 6 Most Pointlessly Elaborate Movie Murder Plots]]" offers a simple solution after the end of every such plot. After going through each plot, the alternative the article suggests is a much simpler plan that always ends with "shoot the target in the face." The exception is number 4 (the explosive toy car) could actually be a sneaky way to do it with modern technology.
** "[[https://www.cracked.com/article_15740_was-911-inside-job.html Was 9/11 an Inside Job?]]" goes over the ''WebVideo/LooseChange'' video and the theory that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by the American government. After going over how ridiculously complicated, intricate, and elaborate such a conspiracy would have to be, along with debunking the authenticity of the claims in ''Loose Change'', the article concludes "No, 9/11 wasn't an inside job; the conspiracy theorists just want to feel like the smartest people in the room."

* When ''WebVideo/JonTron'' and ''WebVideo/InternetHistorian'' did ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oThA-ZxcFkA Future]]'', their biggest criticism with Walmart's virtual reality online store evokes this. They bluntly ask who, in their right mind, would want to do shopping in a virtual store with an actual shopping cart and having to find their products that way, all the while being [[UnwantedAssistant haunted by a virtual reality assistant]], when you could just have a simple interface where you find products on a website either by browsing or searching and then select what you'd like to buy. And then point out ''[[OlderThanTheyThink this system already exists]]'' and has for quite some time.

* ''WebVideo/LinusTechTips'': In [[https://youtu.be/T4zpQvGg8rs?t=666 "My monitor just got an UPGRADE"]], Linus goes through the arduous task of VESA mounting two very heavy 32:9 monitors on top of each other. At the end:

* From the set of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'': "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j61kIL334X8 Why don't I just zap them?]]" "Be-because your batteries are low. You can't get any AA's in the city. You've tried, but... gone to every chemist in the city but none of them have AA batteries."

* When ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2'' released, the CEO of Creator/CDProjekt Marcin Iwinski was not only impressed that pirates managed to crack it in a mere two hours but also surprised and confused that they even bothered: he pointed out that, rather than cracking the [=SecuROM=] retail version they could have just used the Website/{{GOG|DotCom}} release, which came out at the exact same time and didn't even need to be cracked because ''it was already UsefulNotes/{{DRM}}-free''. This event was actually the reason the studio completely abandoned DRM, as they came to realize hackers fight DRM for a challenge and out of sheer spite rather than to get free stuff, while consumers were simultaneously incentivized to pay for the GOG release ''because'' it was DRM-free.

* When ''WebVideo/JonTron'' and ''WebVideo/InternetHistorian'' did ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oThA-ZxcFkA Future]]'', their biggest criticism with Walmart's virtual reality online store evokes this. They bluntly ask who, in their right mind, would want to do shopping in a virtual store with an actual shopping cart and having to find their products that way, all the while being [[StopHelpingMe haunted by a virtual reality assistant]], when you could just have a simple interface where you find products on a website either by browsing or searching and then select what you'd like to buy. And then point out ''[[OlderThanTheyThink this system already exists]]'' and has for quite some time.

* One commercial begins with a group of kids looking over a treasure map, planning a ''Film/{{Goonies}}'' styled adventure to save their house, when the lead kids' mother turns on the light and says they've refinanced with the advertised service, and they'll be fine. One child responds "Your Mom is mean."

* ''Radio/JohnFinnemoresSouvenirProgramme:'' Skewered in a sketch about two kings suffering from really bad communication problems. A third party, stuck between the two bickering kings and fed up of the whole mess, suggests rather than sending messengers back and forth (thereby messing up the fields where they live) the king just ShootTheMessenger. The messenger tries pointing out the reason this is frowned upon, and then that if it's such a problem the king could just give him the day off, but by the time he says this, the king's already shot him.

** When reviewing the various ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}}'' games, Creator/JamesRolfe compare the game to literal shit he quotes Harry G. Frankfurt's essay ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Bullshit On Bullshit]]'' which gives an elaborate theory on why people find feces repulsive to which he gives a ''much'' more simple solution to the question:

[[/folder]]

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':

-->'''Nerd:''' Or is it perhaps because ''it stinks''?!

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/AngelBeats'': One of the SSS's plans to get at Angel is to forge her name on the midterm exams and submit terrible answers in her name so she fails her classes. Problem: "Angel" is a nickname they've given her, and none of them know her real name. They panic, and spend a while brainstorming elaborate schemes like breaking into the teachers' lounge and find some way to look at their notes... then Otonashi just walks up to her and ''asks what her name is''. She gives it freely.
* A variant appears in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. During the beginning of the Hueco Mundo arc, the BigBad sends [[TheDragon one of his minions, Ulquiorra]], to Earth to antagonize [[TheHero Ichigo]] and test his {{Power Level|s}}. After slapping Ichigo around a bit and leaving him in the dust, Ulquiorra reports back to the BigBad that Ichigo is NotWorthKilling. Another of the BigBad's minions, [[BloodKnight Grimmjow]], gets annoyed and demands they just kill him anyway to be sure. Grimmjow eventually goes over his boss' head and hunts down Ichigo on his own, but the BigBad reins him in before he can finish him off: Turns out the BigBad had a secret plan in store for the hero.
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' offers a non-fatal version: when Lelouch learns that his best friend is the pilot of the HumongousMecha that's thwarted him at every turn, his partner C.C. asks why he doesn't just use his [[CompellingVoice Geass]] to make said friend join LaResistance. She guesses that it's either pride, sentimentality, or distaste for robbing another person of their free will; Lelouch responds that it's all three.
* In ''Anime/CrossAnge'', when Ange, Tusk, and Vivian meet up with the survivors of Arzenal inside the Aurora, Ange proposes a simple solution so that Libertus will succeed: "Why not just [[spoiler: join with the [=DRAGONs=]? We have a common enemy and they're willing to cooperate with us. They're humans who can be reasoned with unlike [[FantasticRacism our humans here]]]]". Everyone does agree, [[GeneralRipper except for Jill]].
* ''Manga/DeathNote'': Inverted when Soichiro confronts Mello with the eponymous ArtifactOfDoom; Light spends a few unpleasant moments at his desk [[spoiler:before his father's [[OnlySaneMan refusal to take a human life]] [[BrokenAesop gets him shot]]]]. Light, of course, finds this incomprehensible.
-->'''Light:''' What are you doing, hurry up and write his name down!... Now's the time to kill him! Kill him right now!!
* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'', after Vamdemon has captured Tailmon and starts rounding up the citizens of Odaiba (separating children from adults so that Tailmon can identify the eighth Child), Picodevimon asks why they don't just kill them all at once to be sure. Vamdemon states that it doesn't suit his aesthetic, although there's also the implication that he wanted to feed off of their fear (and their blood). This comes back to bite him in the ass courtesy of Angewomon's Arrow of Light. Had Vamdemon heeded Picodevimon's advice, he wouldn't have had to evolve into his Ultimate form at the expense of his intelligence and then had to go through a byzantine plan in ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02''.
* ''Franchise/DragonBall'':
** In the original series, Staff Officer Black insists to Commander Red that they're no match for Goku and the smartest thing to do is simply to let him have the Dragon Balls, escape while they can, and rebuild the Red Ribbon Army later. Of course, after killing Red and taking over the army for himself, Black [[TooDumbToLive refuses to take his own advice]] and tries to beat Goku using a MiniMecha.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', King Cold advises his son Frieza that revenge would be easier by just blowing up the Earth from space. Frieza rejects this notion, stating that he wants to see Goku suffer. One episode later, both Frieza ''and'' Cold are killed by Trunks.
** After being warned from the future that in three years, two androids built by Dr. Gero will murder all of them, Bulma does this when she suggests simply finding out where Dr. Gero is and killing him before he activates the androids. She's promptly shot down because Goku and Vegeta [[BloodKnight like the sound of the challenge]] these androids will bring. Krillin also tells her in secret that it's best to give former villains Piccolo and (especially) Vegeta a mutual enemy. Goku also suggests that since Dr. Gero hasn't built the androids yet, it would be tantamount to killing an innocent person, which he doesn't want to do (of course, he's forgetting that Gero was the lead scientist of the [[ArmiesAreEvil Red Ribbon Army]], and so most of their tech was probably built by him).
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and the subsequent ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' adaptation; after being revived, Frieza announces his plan for revenge against Goku. Tagoma, one of his minions, speaks out against it, telling him that he could just go back to ruling his empire in space with Goku and the Z-Fighters never the wiser. In response, Frieza either kills him on the spot (''Resurrection 'F''') or uses him as his personal training dummy for four months (''Super'').
* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Gajeel is fighting an enemy who [[MakingASplash can surround everyone with poisonous water]]. He's fighting but running out of air when Levy swoops in and uses an UnderwaterKiss to give him air. Levy is horribly embarrassed when Gajeel later points out she could have just used her particular ability- magical writing that becomes whatever word is written- to conjure air without having to do that.
* A minor example happens in a mini-comic in ''Manga/FruitsBasket''. Kyo learns that he'll be going to the same school as [[TheRival Yuki]] and throws a tantrum about it. Yuki asks why, if he's so determined to not go, did Kyo simply not bomb the entrance exam on purpose.
-->'''Kyo:''' Why didn't I think of that?!?\\
'''Yuki and Shigure:''' Because you're stupid.
* ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu'' inverts the trope -- ("No, you can't just shoot him!") -- when Sōsuke is challenged to a no-holds-barred martial arts battle and, after being warned by his opponent not to pull any punches, calmly shoots the guy with a rubber bullet. Once it's explained to him that using a gun isn't allowed, he repeats the performance with his next opponent by gassing him with a fire extinguisher -- and when it's ''further'' explained to him that he's supposed to be fighting ''solely'' hand-to-hand, he downs his third opponent via a HeyCatch with a grenade followed by several {{Groin Attack}}s, explaining afterwards that the pin was still in the grenade, and clearly [[CombatPragmatist never quite grasping the concept of a "fair fight" at all]].
* Sort of inverted in chapter 54 of the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga. Ed and Ling are discussing how best to attack the BigBad. Ling seems to think it's a better idea to take on the {{mooks}} first since their enemy clearly outmatches them. Edward would rather go to the point. They share this exchange:
-->'''Ling:''' Haven't you heard the saying, "if you want to shoot the leader, first aim for his horse"?!\\
'''Edward:''' If you want to shoot the leader, [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim then you should just SHOOT HIM]]!!\\
'''Ling:''' ''(thinking)'' Is he stupid...?
* Practically said verbatim in ''Manga/{{Gantz}}''. Some of the recruits have difficulty being willing to do what they're tasked with and pay the price for it.
* In ''Manga/{{Karin}}'', as the titular character angsts over how her vampiric instincts react to Usui's depression, her family just tells her to "Bite him already" since that would fix ''both'' their issues.
* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': In one episode TheDragon Baron Ashura captured Kouji and [[HumongousMecha Mazinger-Z]] and gave him the "join-us-or-die" choice. After Kouji's predictable answer, Ashura sentenced him to death, starting a bunch of giant power saws and drills to cut Mazinger-Z to pieces. [[TheDragon The other Dragon]] Count Brocken was watching the scene through a monitor and he stated Ashura beated around the bush too much and complicated things unnecessarily, and shooting Kabuto would be easier and quicker.
* At the climax of the NonIndicativeFirstEpisode (filming a movie) of ''The Melancholy of LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Nagato confronts Itsuki, who refuses to join forces with her. Nagato's shoulder-mounted ''cat'' suddenly starts ''talking'', asking why she doesn't just use ''mind control'' on the guy already, since judging by what she's shown so far it ought to be well within her powers. But that's not in the script, so after a scramble to ''shut him up'' Nagato has her final battle with Mikuru.
* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': After demon idol Valentine's live concert, which resulted in her CompellingVoice causing multiple demons in the audience to involuntarily demonify, she approaches Merii with a request to use her HealingHands to [[spoiler:remove her voice so she can't sing anymore]] to prevent a repeat of the incident from occurring, even though doing so means the end of her career as an idol. Only after Merii is able to fix the problem without [[spoiler:rendering Valentine mute]] does she point out that Valentine could have avoided a repeat of the concert incident by simply quitting being an idol. However, she also acknowledges that Valentine's more extreme choice of action was an indication of how much she didn't ''want'' to quit and instead took steps to make certain that she wouldn't have a choice.
* In ''Manga/MyMonsterSecret'', Youko, a [[HalfHumanHybrid half-]][[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire vampire]], gets deep suntans from just brief exposure to sunlight (so much so that just walking to school leaves her looking like she was deliberately tanning on the beach the day before). She undergoes military-style training from [[AliensAmongUs Aizawa]] in order to learn how to go from shadow to shadow and minimize her exposure, but stops short when she reaches a point were there ''are'' no shadows. Just when she's about to give up, [[OnlySaneMan Asahi]] remarks that it's too bad Youko can't just use sunblock, figuring that she must have already tried it before...[[TheDitz only for Youko to get embarrassed and look away]]. She comes to school the next day with her skin lily-white and [[CaptainObvious admits to her friends that she'd never thought of sunblock before, to which they both reply "We already figured that out."]]
* The unnamed Monkey Girl in ''LightNovel/MyNextLifeAsAVillainessAllRoutesLeadToDoom'' reincarnated as Catarina Claes, the villainess of the game ''Fortune Lover''. Since Catarina is either dead or exiled in every route, she immediately starts planning to avoid her fate. The Monkey Girl does realize that the easiest solution is to just [[WinsByDoingAbsolutelyNothing not bully]] [[TheHero Maria]], but also realizes that her BetaBitch [[GirlPosse posse]] would still be bullies and Catarina could easily be framed. So she cultivates a wide variety of skills that would directly help her survive, such as swordsmanship, earth magic, and farming. And in a DoubleSubversion, her original plan of not bullying Maria works.
* ''Manga/NinjaGirlAndSamuraiMaster'': Chidori is sent to gain intelligence for an invasion, and gets amazing intelligence, and is stealthy enough to [[FaceDoodling doodle on the enemy leader's face]]. After reporting back Nobunaga regrets that he didn't just have her assassinate the guy.
* PlayedForLaughs in the ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'' mini-episodes ''Nyaruani''. [[OnlySaneMan Mahiro]] is [[NoFourthWall reading the first Nyarko-San novel]] and asks Cuuko: "[[StalkerWithACrush You wanted to see Nyarko badly enough]] that you joined a criminal organization, but then you joined the [[SpacePolice Planetary Defense Organization]] [[{{Nepotism}} thanks to an uncle in H.R.]] So why didn't you just join the PDO to begin with so you could see her as a colleague?" Cuuko responds by [[PlayingWithFire lighting the novel on fire]] and telling Mahiro it's [[MST3KMantra a warning]].
* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Sanji's first wanted poster is a comically crude sketch of his face. The pirate Duval, who happens to look just like the sketch, keeps getting into fights because people constantly mistake him for Sanji thanks to the wanted poster. Eventually, Duval tracks Sanji down to get revenge for all the trouble he's been put through. When Sanji asks Duval why he didn't just change his appearance somehow (like getting a haircut), Duval takes [[{{Beat}} a moment to think]] before he admits that he never thought of that.
* Most of the problems in ''Manga/OnePoundGospel'' revolve around the hero's [[BigEater love of food]]. Since he's a boxer, he needs to diet and keep his weight down, or else he can't compete within his weight class. One arc shows ''why'' Kosaku can't simply go up a weight class: weight classes are meant to measure muscle, not fat. Gaining weight with no muscle to show for it makes Kosaku slower, against an opponent who is physically stronger.
* ''Manga/RamenFighterMiki'': Megumi as the CombatPragmatist asks Miki in episode 3A why is she fighting an AngryGuardDog when she could easily avoid it. In episode 5 B, after she and Miki beat someone to use him as a stepping stone to escape a well, she recognized that the guy had a rope and should’ve just let him rescue them.
%%** This is one of Ohta’s duties as the MetaGuy.
* In ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', Shishio and Kenshin are having their climactic duel. Both of them are severely injured and weakened, and Shishio's 15 minute-time limit for fighting has elapsed. Yumi (Shishio's lover) and Houji (Shishio's right-hand man) are watching, and Houji has a rifle. Yumi asks Houji why he just doesn't shoot Kenshin... Houji ''throws his gun away'', on the grounds of his belief that Lord Shishio will win. [[spoiler:He doesn't.]]
* In the ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' SpinOff "Saki Biyori", this happens twice in Shindouji's second chapter, in which, as a result of one thing leading to another, the "round robin journal" used to chronicle the club's activities ends up getting a comic strip that everyone contributes to. When ClubPresident Mairu is unable to continue, her best friend Himeko asks her whether they need one, causing Mairu to issue a ban. Popular demand forces them to bring the comic strip back, though, but Himeko has another plan in mind- giving the comic an ending.
* At one point in ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199'', one of the senior crew members asks why they don't just use the ship's WaveMotionGun to wipe out the Gamillas fleet. While the Wave Motion Gun would most certainly make life easier for the ''Yamato'' crew, Captain Okita declines the proposition: the Wave Motion Gun is a weapon of mass destruction, and thus, not to be used except for emergencies.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', in the prologue of the Alicization arc, a kid being trained for the task of spending his entire life trying to cut down an enormous tree asks the elders why their ancestors bothered founding a village in a place where an enormous tree that they had every reason to believe would take centuries to cut down was blocking expansion and casting shade over most of the places they could grow crops. Rather than thinking about moving the village to someplace where the tree wouldn't be a problem, they reprimand the kid and continue the way they always have.
* ''Manga/WelcomeToDemonSchoolIrumaKun'':
** Asmodeus and Clara are upset they have no idea where Iruma goes when he just randomly leaves (to go read a manga to Ameri). Sabro just tells them to follow him and find out. Azz is against it but Clara immediately heads off to do just that.
** When Iruma and Lied are trying to figure out how to grow the [[spoiler:Legendary Leaf]], Nafra simply [[spoiler:waters it]]. This one is justified in a short bit as [[spoiler:Nafra holds the special watering can that is needed to make the Legendary Leaf bloom. She is a plant by the Student Council to judge a demon's kindness and worth of receiving this help in making the plant bloom]].
** Towards the end of the Heartbreaker's arc, a test in which the second-year Misfit Class must defend new first-year students from attack by the faculty, the final two teachers to enter the fray are Kalegos and Balam. Iruma is panicking over how to deal with them only for Jazz to point out a very simple way to deal with Kalego: [[spoiler:Summon him. As Iruma's familiar, once summoned Kalego can not hurt him is obliged to obey him]]. This isn't a perfect solution as Kalego is only restricted from [[spoiler:attacking Iruma while summoned, everyone else is fair game]]. Iruma gets around this by clinging to Kalego so he can't [[spoiler:attack anyone else without also attacking Iruma, and he's forced to concede. He also says he won't help the students, but it takes him out of the battle nevertheless]].

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* One story of an ''ComicBook/{{Archie Comic|s}}'' has Archie attempting all sorts of wacky tactics to study, like rewarding himself with a snack for each page read and blasting music while studying, and none of it works since it keeps simply distracting him. Eventually he goes to Dilton for advice who tells him, ever so gently, to [[SuddenlyShouting JUST STUDY]]. It works and he earns a B on a particularly difficult test.
* During the overly {{Anvilicious}} ComicBook/{{Batman}} story ''The Seduction of the Gun,'' [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]] is incredibly annoyed to learn that the high school he's infiltrated, where supposedly over 95% of the school population brings a gun to school, only turns on the metal detectors at the doors on Wednesday mornings. Despite the fact that figuring out what's wrong with the school board and having the metal detectors actually used would have solved most of the plot, this is never brought up again.
* In the final issue of the ComicBookAdaptation for ''[[WesternAnimation/COPS1988 C.O.P.S.]]'', the C.O.P.S. have no hard evidence of Big Boss' criminal activities but do have a large stack of unpaid parking tickets from his gang. So they come up with a BatmanGambit in which the whole team shows up at his office to take him to task for the tickets in the hopes that Big Boss will do something blatantly criminal to stop them so they can arrest him. When the crooks see the police arrive, they discuss what they should do about them. Big Boss' idiot nephew Berserko suggests they ''pay the tickets'' and ask the police to leave since they no longer have any reason to be there. He is glared into silence by the rest of the gang, which then tries to drive the C.O.P.S. off with brute force, which results in the police grounds to arrest them for owning illegal weaponry and attacking the police.
* In ''Franchise/TheDCU'', the third ComicBook/BlueBeetle has a race of evil aliens called the Reach as villains, led by the Negotiator. The first thing said by the Negotiator's [[TheDragon Dragon]] is "Why don't we just kill him?" to which the Negotiator replies, "No. Not without study." (The Beetle is ''meant'' to be a Reach Infiltrator, and the Negotiator's position is that they need to know why he isn't in case it happens again.)
* [[Characters/SuicideSquadOperatives Deadshot]]'s proposed solution to pretty much every ComicBook/SuicideSquad mission. Even when it [[ShootTheHostage isn't an assassination.]] The Wall usually relegates it to "plan B".
* ComicBook/DoctorStrange's foe Dormammu could obliterate Strange without breaking a sweat, but he inevitably stalls and prolongs the moment (or lets [[GuileHero Strange]] manipulate him into fighting 'fair'). Dormammu's wiser sister Umar is usually the one to point out that this strategy isn't the best.
* Subverted in the [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] story ''New Year's Evil'': Prometheus has rendered ComicBook/GreenLantern helpless and muses that he could just shoot him if he chose to--then proceeds to do just that. (GL survives.)
* In ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'', the Dalton brothers capture Luke more than once and, despite Jack and William suggesting just to kill him, Joe has always a "crueler" form of revenge that would let Luke finally escape from one way.
* In the ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' parody of ''Film/DoubleJeopardy'', the main character briefly considers using the fact that her husband, whom she was framed for murdering, is, in fact, alive against him to secure her exoneration and ensure he gets his just deserts, but instead is talked into doing what she did in the movie -- killing him under the belief that she can't be tried for his murder again.
* In ''ComicBook/MarvelAdventures: Super Heroes'' #17, the scientist Diablo attempts to steal the Voynich Manuscript, believing it to be an alchemical text that will help him defeat the creature that has been causing chaos with his abilities. ComicBook/TheVision points out that the entirety of the manuscript is available online, and thus there was no need to steal it. Diablo stammers in shock at this revelation.
* In the ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'' story ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse Outwits the Phantom Blot'', Mickey is frequently captured by a masked villain named The Phantom Blot. The Phantom Blot tries to dispose of him with various complicated death traps, which Mickey always manages to escape from. When the Phantom Blot is finally captured, Mickey asks him why the Phantom Blot didn't just kill him instead of using the death traps. The Phantom Blot then reveals he cannot stand to watch somebody die, and therefore used the death traps so he wouldn't be around when Mickey died.
* In a commemorative ''ComicBook/MonicasGang'' story, Monica and Jimmy Five go to an island where, according to an Internet legend, they would have access to tons of comic books if they handed over three artefacts found in the sea. When they complete the tasks and arrive there, however, they meet a bookstore owner that explains that he got stranded in the island and used his computer to create that legend, with the three required artefacts actually being pieces he needed to make a ship so he could escape ([[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers plus a popsicle he liked]]). When Monica and Jimmy Five point out that, since the bookstore owner had a working computer and access to the Internet, he could have simply called the competent authorities and asked for a rescue instead, he yells at them to stop pointing out flaws in his plan.
* ''ComicBook/NewAvengers2015:'' An instance of someone doing this to ''themselves'', when the Plunderer boasts about how his Plunder-Bots are totally worth the rental fee, before stopping and asking why he and his minion, who are criminals, didn't just steal them (since the implication is Kevin's latest rampage is to recoup the costs of the rental fee).
* Happens in the ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'' storyline "Widowmaker". As seen in the earlier storyline ''[[ComicBook/ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank Welcome Back, Frank]]'', actually shooting the Punisher sometimes just makes him even angrier.
* ''ComicBook/TheQuestion'': Charlie's final epiphany about how to deal with the insurmountable WretchedHive that is Hub City: [[spoiler:[[KnowWhenToFoldEm Give up on it and leave]]]].
* Used in a ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' story where Richie's friend, kid comedian Jackie Jokers, has realised that the "president" of the United States is a fake, but then he and Richie are kidnapped before they can expose the fake. It's all part of a plot to blow up Washington DC with a stolen atomic bomb, then blame the attack on an obvious CaptainErsatz of the Soviet Union and have both countries destroy each other, leaving the plotters' country as the most powerful in the world. But instead of simply shooting the boys once the plotters have them helpless, they leave them tied up right next to the ticking atomic bomb and of course, the boys escape and manage to find a way to stop the bomb.
* An early story of ''ComicBook/RomSpaceKnight'' reverses this trope: After Rom is captured alive by some Dire Wraith scientists, they try to use the hero as a test subject. The BigBad who commands them will have none of this and orders Rom killed as he is way too dangerous to keep alive. The scientists argue the point, but they ultimately comply. Fortunately, they are still so reluctant to do so that they take too long to get that task done that Rom still escapes in time.
* In one issue of ''Sensational ComicBook/SpiderMan'', Spidey has been captured by the Looter, who explains how he’s going to sell all the priceless things he’s stolen in order to buy a special meteorite with the profits. Spidey then asks why the Looter, a master thief, didn’t just steal the meteorite itself. After a pause, the Looter admits that the thought just never occurred to him.
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** ''ComicBook/LastSon'': Superman, after asking [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] for help, puts himself in such a perfect position to be killed that he asks Luthor why he hasn't done it yet. Luthor responds that he doesn't want to make a martyr of him right now and would like to prove that Superman is a danger to humanity first.
** ''ComicBook/TheKillersOfKrypton'': When the Omega Men are storming into the Citadel, Harry Hokum plans to let them "find" and "rescue" several clones posing as their captive comrades. Then he will let them flee back to their base, and when they are feeling safe, he will activate his moles, and while the Omega Men are busy fighting them, he will send out an army of Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} clones to destroy the rebels and their base. One of his minions suggests that, since they are on board a starship loaded with nukes and the rebels are all gathered in one extremely vulnerable spot, they could just... nuke them? Nonetheless, Hokum retorts they will follow through with his perfect plan.
--->'''Minion:''' Most revered leader Hokum, we have a rare opportunity at hand. With the rebel leadership and the Kryptonian in our sights, is it out of bounds for me to suggest an option? A nuclear option perhaps?\\
'''Harry Hokum:''' It is a tempting thought, isn't it? But this is a chess game. And I am four moves ahead.
* From ''ComicBook/TankVixens'', when Üdda muses about her need for combat from her heavily-armed, orbital battle cruiser:
-->'''Mook''': Herr General--V'y not ch'ust [[OrbitalBombardment nuke der liddle foxies out from orbit]]? You know, a liddle missile here, a liddle napalm dere? V'e cook 'em up real good for ya!\\
'''Üdda''': ...V'ell how are ve gonna haff der [[BloodKnight nifty tank battles und bloodshed]] if you chust ''bomb'' everyt'ink!?!
* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in the following exchange from one of ''ComicBook/ThargsFutureShocks'' from ''ComicBook/TwoThousandAD'', written by Creator/AlanMoore, about a school that teaches its students how to be a proper villain.
-->'''Mr. Dreadspawn:''' Now you have the hero in your power at last. What do you do, Doctor Devastation?\\
'''Doctor Devastation:''' Uhh... Shoot him?\\
'''Mr. Dreadspawn:''' Give me the strength! How's he going to escape and defeat you if you shoot him?
* In an issue of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', mad doctor Pharma tries to get out of a deal with [[TortureTechnician the Decepticon Justice Division]] by engineering and spreading a plague at a medical facility he's working at, in the hopes it would force high command to shut it down. Ratchet, "appalled... by [Pharma's] stupidity," suggests that he should have had his accomplices infect the DJD from the start. Pharma retorts that they weren't willing to try.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: During their brief allegiance, Torcha gets more and more frustrated with Inventa's ComplexityAddiction, repeatedly asking why they don't just kill Wonder Woman and the other Amazons while they have them at their mercy. In the end, Torcha turns on Inventa, but by then it's too late and Wonder Woman knocks her out almost instantly.
* There were plans for the ''ComicBook/XMen'' crossover ''ComicBook/{{Fatal Attractions|MarvelComics}}'' to include a major battle between Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} and [[Characters/MarvelComicsMagneto Magneto]]. Creator/PeterDavid jokingly commented, "Adamantium's metal, right? If I were Magneto, I'd just rip Wolverine's skeleton out and be done with him" - which the writers and editors promptly decided to have him do. David later said that offhand comment was the biggest influence he'd ever had on the X-Men.

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'':
** Calvin is worried over Rosalyn coming over to babysit again, and unsure of how to handle it. Hobbes suggests that maybe they could try being good for a change. Calvin incredulously asks him to repeat that. Hobbes just says, "Nothing. Forget it."
** In another comic, Calvin is plotting out an elaborate plan to hit Susie, who is playing with her doll, with water balloons. Hobbes suggests that they just ambush her while she's sitting, to which Calvin says Hobbes lacks "an executive mind".
* Inverted in ''ComicStrip/DickTracy'' when Flattop has abducted Tracy and intends to kill him. His henchmen suggest that he allow them to simply slash Tracy's throat because it would be quieter while being just as effective. However, Flattop overrules them because he prefers to shoot his targets. That proves to be a big mistake when Flattop prepares to do that on a count of three. Tracy lunges toward the killer to seize his gun and a wild battle ensues, where Tracy is able to defeat all the crooks at once, even as his comrades in the force are storming the hideout.
* ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'':
** One Sunday strip shows [[ComplexityAddiction Jason]] plotting out an elaborate RubeGoldbergDevice that will light a fake halo over his bed just as Santa Claus is visiting the house, which he thinks will inspire Santa to give him more presents. His mother Andy, looking at the plans, cocks an eyebrow and asks, "Wouldn't it be easier to just ''actually be good''?"; Jason replies "Yeah, right."
** Another strip has Jason proudly show Peter how he's traced over every line in his comic book with glow-in-the-dark ink, so he can read it past his bedtime. Peter points out, "Couldn't you just hide a flashlight under your covers?"
* A winter-themed ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' Sunday strip from the '60s has Charlie Brown worrying about Snoopy getting cold at night, telling Linus and Lucy he's tried giving him blankets, giving him straw, etc. Linus then suggests that Snoopy try sleeping ''inside'' his doghouse instead of on top of it. The others look at him like he's got rocks in his head, leading to Linus admitting in the final panel that "it ''was'' sort of a ridiculous suggestion".
* Happens in [[http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2014/03/09#.U_AdCWcg-Uk this]] ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' comic, where Pig comes up with an elaborate plan on what to do if he gets separated from his young companion at an amusement park, including discussing what he'll be wearing and where they should meet. The kid promptly [[TechnologyMarchesOn pulls out his cell phone]] and suggests "...or I could just call you."
* ''ComicStrip/ShermansLagoon'': [[https://web.archive.org/web/20180302092455/http://shermanslagoon.com/comics/december-6-2017/ This strip]] has Hawthorne and Sherman asking Kahuna to turn them into a dog and a human respectively so that they can win $1,000 in a dog show. Kahuna's response is "Why not just ask Kahuna for $1,000?"
-->'''Hawthorne:''' This way seems less complicated.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/DungeonKeeperAmi'': When leakage from Ami's senshi transformation causes a dangerous build-up of chaos magic in her Dungeon Heart chamber, her chief warlock wants to invent a new set of complex wards to safely drain the power off, with experimental equipment that he has designed, and a channel to vent the power to outside the dungeon. Then her alchemist strolls up to them, having already fixed it.
-->'''Tasbaal''': You? You are nothing but a glorified cook! You want me to believe that you safely set up the mystical wards to drain the heart chamber of dangerous mana? On your own, no less?\\
'''Alchemist''': Nah, tossed some chickens in. Pretty fireworks when the magic went after them, too. You might want to have someone clean the chamber, though, Keeper.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Eleutherophobia}}: How I Live Now'', the boys need to get into the Yeerk Pool via an entrance in a TGI Friday's. Jake suggests spraying the kitchen as a skunk, and Marco suggests morphing the president and declaring an emergency... and Tom points out they could just ask.
* ''Fanfic/RosarioVampireBrightestDarkness Act VI'': At one point, [[spoiler: Felucia points out to Dark that he could solve a ''lot'' of problems if he simply stood up to Arial and told her how he feels instead of just sitting back and doing nothing while Mizore jumps through hoops and endures all manner of mistreatment to earn Arial's approval. Sadly, Dark can't bear going against Arial's wishes, even if it costs him a happy life with Mizore]].
* Spoofed in the ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'' video "Marik's Council of Doom": when Bakura suggests bypassing the whole "challenging Yugi to a children's card game" shtick and just killing him, Marik replies that wouldn't work since [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids]] would simply [[{{Macekre}} censor it]]. The abridged series just does this a ''lot''.
-->'''Joey:''' What do you people want from me?\\
'''Bandit Keith:''' Your [[PlotCoupon star chips]], dweeb. I have a score to settle with Pegasus, so Zombie-Boy here is going to beat you in a card game!\\
'''Joey:''' ... Why didn't you just take my star chips while I was unconscious?\\
'''Bandit Keith:''' Shut the hell up!
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2938888/1/Legacy-of-the-Rasengan-I-Naruto Legacy of the Rasengan: Naruto]]'': After the Sound/Sand invasion is stopped, [[OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness the Hyuuga council]] are discussing what happened during Naruto's match with Neji and trying to discuss ways to deal with him (since his match was basically Naruto demonstrating how to exploit almost every weakness the Byakugan has with his personally created jutsu). The Main branch members are all for killing him. One branch member, however, suggests inducting Naruto into the Hyuuga, with some very good reasons like how it would give the orphan a family, they could order him to never teach anyone his jutsu without their permission and he would have strong children who would bolster the Hyuuga ranks. The poor guy gets KilledMidSentence before he can explain.
* At one point in ''Fanfic/{{Eugenesis}}'' someone is amazed to see [[spoiler:Optimus Prime alive, and asks if someone "finally" went to Vs'Qs and retrieved his body, which has been there for the last twenty years]].
* Danni California, the author of ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' fanfic "Thinking Tactically" explained that her story was a meta-version of this trope directed at Suzanne Collins. In "Thinking Tactically," a much less emotionally conflicted Katniss Everdeen begins the games, gets to the bow, escapes pursuit, then doubles back and starts firing arrows from the treeline into the general melee at the Cornucopia. A mere five minutes into the Hunger Games, she's whittled the competition down to herself, Petta, Rue, and Foxface.
* In ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'', Lelouch asks xenophobic Nina why her parents don't simply send her to a prestigious school in the homeland away from Numbers.
* In ''Fanfic/ZeroNoTsukaimaSaitoTheOnmyoji'', Louise is beside herself with worry over the idea of entering a Master/Apprentice Contract with Saito as it would functionally allow him to punish her in any way he wanted for anything he wanted. She's utterly shocked when Saito suggests they simply alter the contract to limit what punishments he can give out and for what reasons.
* After Literature/HarryPotter performs a complex ritual to summon Satan in ''[[http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-17276-44/TheLaughingMan+My+Archive+Of+One+Shots.htm A Deal With...]]'', Satan informs Harry that he has an 800 number now and Harry could have simply called him.
* The Stairs Coup in ''Fanfic/RainbowDoubleDashsLunaverse''. Quick Fix, Luna's majordomo, felt that Luna needed some stairs leading up to her chambers, in case the Night Court needed to contact her in an emergency. So in order to prove his point, he staged ''a fake coup'', complete with sending orders to Equestria's armies to muster on the borders of half a dozen neighboring nations. Though this does convince Luna to install some stairs, she does not fall to point out that Quick Fix ''could have just talked to her about it.''
* In ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'', when the supporters ask the Eternal Dragon to bring Goku back to life so he can defend Earth from the Saiyans. [[BenevolentGenie Shenron]] offers to just deal with the Saiyans directly, but they insist on having Goku do it. Interestingly, the name of that episode was "Nobody Listens to the Magical Dragon".
* ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged'':
** In Episode 4, Kirito and Silica are looking for the Pneuma Flower to revive Pina before its timer runs out, and Silica gets caught by a plant monster with tentacle-like vines. Rather than rush in hastily, Kirito informs Silica that she already has what she needs to get herself free.
--->'''Silica''': The power to believe in myself?\\
'''Kirito''': ''No'' -- a knife! Stab it!!
** In Episode 10, one half of Kirito's brain is smart enough to realize that Asuna's surprise adoption of Yui is an attempt to scare him into calling off their rather hasty marriage because she doesn't think it's a good idea either, and all they have to do to resolve the situation is talk things out like adults. It's slapped down by the other half of Kirito's brain, which resolves to play along until ''she'' blinks first.
** At the end of the first season, when Kirito and Asuna learn ''why'' Kayaba imprisoned ten thousand people inside a lethal video game - [[spoiler: he created a ''glitch'' that killed players when their avatars died and claimed IMeantToDoThat because he hadn't slept in 500 hours, and that the reason he trapped players in the game for that long was because he was trying to come up with some excuse to keep the cops off his back]] - Asuna asks why he didn't try to blame hackers impersonating him instead of continuing the charade for two years, given he had no actual motive.
--->'''Kayaba:''' (''chuckles'') Yeah, okay, see, Asuna? The problem with that is that it's... an excellent idea that I wish I had thought of two years ago. (''long, painful pause'') Anyhoo, on that sobering note, [[VillainousBSOD I think I'm gonna go scream into that uncaring void for a bit.]]
** In Episode 16, Kazuto and Suguha both realize that the Salamanders are already upon the Sylphs and Cait Sith; Kazuto suggests that, since this is supposed to be a peace conference, they could just ask them to leave. Suguha agrees, except for one caveat...
--->'''Leafa:''' So like, remember when I told you this was [[TheRoleplayer an RP server]]?\\
'''[=xVx_k1r1t0_xVx_KillMe:=]''' Yeah? So what- ''([[WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises realization]])'' ...oh no...
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11669575/14/For-Love-of-Magic For Love of Magic]]'', Harry notes that the Quidditch World Cup could have solved a lot of problems by either letting the muggle landowner in on magic then obliviating him later or finding one they could bribe to take an extended vacation.
* In ''Fanfic/PowerRangersMythos'', Avanth may have conquered the world and killed the current Ranger team, but he has spent so long relying on his goblin minions that it never occurred to him that he could use his loyal human followers as soldiers until it was suggested to him by the brainwashed Adam Park.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11157943/14/I-Still-Haven-t-Found-What-I-m-Looking-For I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For]]'', Harry has to find somewhere to ditch his highly distinctive ship due to the massive bounty on his head. Ahsoka suggests he just leave it where it is: in the middle of space far from any planets or hyperspace lanes. The odds of anyone finding it are functionally zero.
* The omake ''[[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/184594/25/never-the-final-word/river-roads-where-blackmail-might-or-might-not-happen-mrnumbers-the-demesne-of-the-reluctant-twilight-sparkle Where Blackmail Might or Might Not Happen]]'' does this to ''FanFic/TheDemesneOfTheReluctantTwilightSparkle''. In that fanfic, [[spoiler: nobles with old claims to demesnes are dusting them off and taking full advantage of an unfair, outdated law that Celestia was trying to have slide into obscurity (although Luna [[NiceJobBreakingItHero torpedoed that by giving Twilight Sparkle the titular demesne]])]]. In the omake, [[spoiler: Celestia immediately abolishes the law, and when the nobles try to rebel, she points out that one of the rights they'll be waiving is the crown's protection. Like from Discord, who has just been given a week off to do whatever he wants]]. Notable because the author of the original fic acknowledged that the path the omake took was probably the most logical one, but [[AnthropicPrinciple if he were to use it, he'd be left without a story]].
* In ''[[http://www.tthfanfic.org/story.php?no=22783 Copy Cat]]'' several X-Men try to puzzle out how an unconscious newcomer could be the child of four different members of the team until one suggests they're his ''grandparents'' rather than the guy somehow having four parents. Granted, both ideas are wrong; [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Xander]] used pieces of each X-Man's costumes for Halloween and instinctively teleported to the Xavier Mansion when the spell ended.
* In ''Fanfic/OnceMoreWithFeeling'', after Asuka complains about having to sleep on a futon for the umpteenth time, Shinji suggests she just buy herself a bed, since she now has more than enough money to do so.
* ''Fanfic/ThisBites'':
** Commander Drake asks why Vice Admiral Jonathan hasn't simply shot Terry and Isaiah, a pair of highly irritating talking birds, to which Jonathan responds that he can't afford the two million beri fine, as their particular species (South Birds) are protected by governmental decree.
** Drake later asks why the World Government simply doesn't just sic the Admirals, the most powerful fighting force they have, on the Straw Hats. Jonathan responds that it would hurt the World Government either way. If the Admiral wins, the act would be seen as overkill for having to resort to using an Admiral to beat what should be a weak rookie pirate crew and therefore implicates the World Government as incompetent. However, on the off-chance that the Straw Hats win, it would convince the Warlords to rebel, bringing both them and the Emperors down on the World Government simultaneously. Jonathan thus argues that [[PragmaticVillainy it just isn't worth it either way]].
* In ''Fanfic/ThreeBadassesInWesteros'', Lysa Arryn has kidnapped Catelyn Stark and Tyrion Lannister (who had been taken there by Catelyn like in the books) as revenge for Littlefinger's death. Tywin Lannister and Eddard Stark are all for sending their armies to the Eyrie. Robert Baratheon points out that it would be far easier and cheaper to send some of their men to sneak in and get the two out without calling undue attention.
* In ''Fanfic/AManOfIron'', the royals and nobles want Iron Man arrested for being a vigilante and challenging their authority, but note that his armor seemingly can't be pierced, making defeating him seemingly impossible. Varys suggests figuring out where he lives and attacking him while he's not in the armor.
* Timmy mentions in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2987611/1/The_Truth_About_Prince_Charming The Truth about Prince Charming]]'' that after Vicky started making out with him, he could have easily ended her reign of terror in the neighborhood by going to the cops. She was 18 and he was 12, so she'd be imprisoned for molesting a minor. He didn't because he fell in love with her as well, and instead just insisted she stop tormenting his friends.
* ''Fanfic/FateParallelFantasia'':
** When Rin finds out Homura can stop time, she asks why Homura doesn't just stop time and kill all the other Servants and Masters right now. Homura shoots the suggestion down. Keeping time frozen for even a few minutes costs a ''lot'' of prana, plus if she touches anything, they unfreeze, so she can't attack in this state.
** Homura offers Rin a gun and suggests Rin shoot the opposing Masters while Homura keeps their Servants busy. Rin declines, saying [[HonorBeforeReason battles between magi should be decided with only magic]].
* In the ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' x ''VideoGame/{{Dishonored}}'' crossover fanfic, ''Fanfic/AChangeOfPace'', [[spoiler: Vicky's second-trigger stops her from getting close to people or she'll basically render them into brain-dead worshippers, so she hasn't talked to her sister or aunt. Taylor hands her a cell-phone, leaving her to lampshade this. Though in her defense she was grieving and didn't have time to really think about it]].
* A sidestory of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' has the Orange League Champion Drake worried because his challengers are growing dangerously close to beating him, and he promised his Dragonite that they would never be defeated. A couple of times he's suggested that he should just retire undefeated, but he's not interested in doing that.
* In the post-''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'' fic "[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/35970331/ Tergeminus]]", when Peter-One manages to make contact with his other selves, Mary Jane (''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'') helps him make contact with Michelle again by visiting the coffee shop claiming to be Peter-One's aunt from the other side of the family and ask MJ to give her "nephew" advice about future college applications, allowing Peter to form a new friendship with her.
* In the Fanfic ''[[http://www.improfanfic.com/dhh/ Dark Heart High]]'', a shojo-style parody of evil overlords that deliberately seeks out tropes to adopt and cherish, a class for aspiring supervillains is asked what they'd do when they had their nemesis at their mercy. After listening to the litany of death traps and tortures of her classmates' answers, protagonist Yuki fumbles for a moment, then shrugs and says, "I'd just shoot him." Her teacher is quite impressed.
* In ''Fanfic/TheBoyBehindTheMask'', Nina grows tired of Katja and Hiccup arguing on which of their dragons is faster, so she tells them to [[JustEatGilligan race to settle the argument]]. They both awkwardly admit that they didn't think of that.
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515044/chapters/26135217#workskin A Bird in Morning]]'', Superman advises Bruce Wayne to be truthful about Jason Todd's resurrection -- he has no hand in it and doesn't know how it was possible. This limits the odds of contradiction since trying to pretend the kid never died would mean complications with the cover-up. Okay, people generally stay dead when they are killed, but this is ''[[WretchedHive Gotham]]'', who's going to [[ApatheticCitizens care]]?
* ''WebVideo/ResidentEvilAbridged'': Wesker lures his team out to the Spencer Mansion so he can kill them off [[KilledToUpholdTheMasquerade to cover up his involvement]] [[NebulousEvilOrganisation with Umbrella.]] Yet, when the group is being pursued by the pack of zombified Dobermans at the beginning, he saves Chris, who eventually becomes his nemesis. So when Wesker finally reveals himself to be a traitor to S.T.A.R.S. and his motive, Chris asks a simple question:
-->'''Chris: ''' Wait. THAT was your goal all along?\\
'''Wesker: ''' Correct.\\
'''Chris: '''Then why didn't you just run inside the mansion and lock us out to get eaten by all those cerberuses??"
* In the ''Fanfic/AlternateTailSeries'', both Gajeel and Mira both point out that the map Clan Garten is after is useless without all four pieces, and that hiding the piece they currently possess would ultimately stop their plan. However, because the mission of awakening Brigid was passed to her by her Grandfather, Levy feels obligated to gathering the pieces and unite them.
* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheLackOfLambSauce'', Arjuna, a Hindu girl in the Magic Chef competition at Hogwarts, cheats to avoid cooking beef [[AgainstMyReligion as this would violate her religion, given the cow's sacred role in it]]; Ramsey is furious and asks why she didn't just tell him this as he would have been willing to rearrange the ingredients to accommodate her. She is disqualified and her reputation tanks badly.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13224176/2/Wizard-Runemaster-2 Wizard Runemaster 2]]'':
** Anduin Wrynn suggests that his father simply pay the Stonemason's Guild their fee for rebuilding Stormwind as not only is it likely cheaper than hiring enough mercenaries to wipe out the Defias Brotherhood[[note]]The Stonemason's Guild reformed itself into the bandit gang called the Defias Brotherhood when Stormwind's nobility refused to pay them for rebuilding Stormwind[[/note]], but it would allow them to retain the guild's expertise as well. Varian brushes off the suggestion, claiming he "refused to look weak in front of those who rebel against him".
** Bolvar Fordragon advises against trying to station a garrison at the base of the Dark Portal, citing that between Netherwind Keep on one side of the portal and Honor Hold on the other, such a garrison would be largely a waste and they should instead focus on reinforcing those two positions.
* After hearing of Jaune's [[MistakenForBadass alleged prowess and cunning]] in ''Fanfic/ProfessorArc'', Salem suggests she not even bother fighting him and simply wait a century or so until he's died of old age. Naturally, her minions are all horrified by the idea as none of them are immortal like her and they're all significantly older than Jaune.
%%* ''Fanfic/TheManyDatesOfDannyFenton'': Danny tells Tuck to change his profile to get better dates and he refuses to listen.
* Justified in ''Fanfic/TheUnfantasticAdventuresOfBizarroNo1'', due to the backwards nature of Bizarro and his race. White Lightning points out that Blue Kryptonite only affects Bizarro Supermen, so the rest of them can take care of the [[ManOfKryptonite Blue-Kryptonite Men]]. Bizarro notes that's their most efficient plan, hence it must be used as a last resort. Later, when Bizarro Lois points out her duplicates can fight the B-K Men with no risk, Bizarro states her idea is really smart so he’ll put it at the very bottom of the pile.
* During the "Mr. Pigeon" arc of ''WebComic/ScarletLady'', Chloe berates Sabrina for not sneaking up to snap a photo of Marinette's sketchbook. Sabrina repeatedly tries to interject, but Chloe won't let her get anything out, and finally goes to take the picture herself. While she's distracted, Sabrina notes that it would be much easier to just pick up one of her rival's discarded designs, as she's torn them out of her sketchbook and tossed them aside rather thoughtlessly, but Chloe [[NotNowKiddo just won't hear it]].
-->'''Sabrina:''' ''[poking at one of the wadded-up papers]'' "You could just use one of these... Marinette should protect her ideas better."
* In ''Fanfic/SonOfTheSannin'', during a visit to Konoha's hotsprings, Kiba, Tamaki, and Shino discuss how they can get to see Kakashi's face under his mask. [[CloudCuckoolander Fu]] of all people does it for them... by politely asking him to take his mask off so they can see his face. Kakashi then says many people have tried to set traps and ambushes just to see his face, [[YouDidntAsk but nobody bothered to just ask him]].
* ''Fanfic/ADiplomaticVisit'': In chapter 8 of the third story, ''Diplomacy Through Schooling'', Twilight, her mother, and Celestia are talking about the mystery behind Neighsay's disappearance. Twilight and Celestia both think there's something sinister behind it (and as readers already know, they're right), but Velvet suggests there's a simpler solution - that Neighsay skipped town and is using some trinket to mask himself. Celestia admits this is plausible, but she can't help but worry anyway.
* In ''Fanfic/SheRaInTheWake'', Micah recommends that Glimmer use a long-distance communication spell to contact him when she is in space. Her response:
--> '''Glimmer''': Or I can just ask Entrapta to call home.\\
'''Micah''': That too.
* In ''[[Fanfic/NotTheIntendedUseZantetsukenReverse A Game of Cat and Cat]]'', the main characters investigate disappearances that might be the work of a serial killer. In an extra for the chapter where [[VideoGame/CastlevaniaChroniclesOfSorrow Soma Cruz]] discovers that [[ISeeDeadPeople he can see ghosts]], [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI Kazuya]] realizes that if the missing people were murdered, then their ghosts would be happy to tell Soma who killed them. Unfortunately, the killer's accomplice got rid of the ghosts by hiring a criminal exorcist.
* In ''Fanfic/LakesNewNormal'', when the rest of the Cosay family panics about what to do with [[BatmanInMyBasement Lake]] when the police show up in Chapter 5, with Lake herself ready to throw down some fisticuffs, Jesse's dad points that this isn't actually a problem. No one else knows Lake even ''exists'' (they're only there to follow up on the recently-returned Jesse's missing person case), so all she has to do is not go into the living room until the officer leaves.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12487964/14/Evolution Evolution]]'', Cole [=MacGrath=] and Alex Mercer need to take down some drones. Alex proceeds to throw ''a literal man'' at one of the drones to get it down. Afterwards, Coles mentions that he could have shot it down with his powers. Alex's response? He missed throwing stuff at airborne targets.
* In the ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'' comedy CrackFic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13144601/1/I-Want-One I Want One!]]'' both Weiss and Yang go baby crazy and decide to get knocked up by Jaune--and nearly kill each other fighting over him. While Jaune is freaking out over the whole thing (even thinking they're under a Grimm's influence akin to the Apathy Team RWBY ran into before), Blake points out with some exasperation that if all they want is a baby, [[{{Polyamory}} there's no need to force him to choose between them, since he can get them pregnant at the same time]].
* In a ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' [[https://twitter.com/hiro_wakiyaku/status/1051422769785659393 fan comic]], the female protagonist wants to use her grail to make Bedivere into her wife. She then realizes that the grail only has enough power to give Bedivere a human body, and needs another grail to make him a girl and third to make herself into a man so they can be married by Japanese customs. Bedivere, already terrified by her plan, [[GotMeDoingIt points out that she can just use one grail to turn him human and become his wife instead]], before realizing what he just said.
* In ''Fanfic/AHollowInEquestria'' Ulquiorra seems to be present solely for the purpose of exercising this trope. He's constantly objecting to Princess Celestia's various convoluted plans for dealing with various threats, opting instead for the simple JustEatGilligan approach. More often than not he's proven right.
* When Jessica and Danny face off against Star Sapphire in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13491546/5/A-Phantom-Hero-in-Metropolis A Phantom Hero in Metropolis]]'', Jessica tries to solve the situation without violence while Danny repeatedly suggests that he just fight her, because chances are he's powerful enough to defeat her. While Jessica's solution got the villain off their backs for the time being, everyone else present agrees that Danny fighting her would have been faster and probably would have had a better outcome.
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13529170/44/The-Scars-That-Make-You-Whole The Scars That Make You Whole]]'', Invel asks Zeref that if he needs [[spoiler:Fairy Heart]], why not simply steal it from the empty guild hall while Fairy Tail is disbanded, instead of going through the trouble of having the guild reunite to fight Alvarez. Zeref states [[spoiler:that Fairy Heart is composed of two parts, the core (Mavis's body sealed in the lacrima) and the Soul (Mavis's spirit that appears only to members of Fairy Tail), and that Fairy Heart will only be complete when both are united]]. Zeref needs Fairy Tail united and fighting together for a common cause [[spoiler:so their bond can allow Mavis's spirit to materialize]].
* One flashback in ''Fanfic/RoyaltyFreeRerun'' has both Joker and Akechi call Maruki out for continuing to insist on his original plan of brainwashing Sumire into a perfect copy of Kasumi when he could have simply [[BackFromTheDead undone Kasumi's death outright]], which would have been much healthier on all parties' ends. [[spoiler: The reason Maruki didn't was because Sumire's desire to ''be'' Kasumi was greater.]]
* In ''Fanfic/YuyaVision'', Yusei admits to Placido and Kiryu that he loves both of them and has has trouble choosing one over the other. Lucciano saves him the trouble by just having him love ''both'' of them and be threesome. Yusei quickly agrees and hugs his boyfriends.
* In [[https://moringmark.tumblr.com/post/672185031021740032 this]] WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse fancomic, Raine explains to Eda that in order for the Day of Unity to work, all heads of the Witches Covens need to be present. So they need to take out Darius and Eberwolf even at the cost of their own lives. Eda counters that they're head of the Bard Coven and as such they just don't need to show up for the Day of Unity. Raine realizes she's got a point and doesn't show.
* ''Fanfic/GuidingLightAuroraRose2081'': When Luisa pours her heart out to Mirabel about the laborious tasks she partakes in every day (collecting donkeys and rerouting rivers being two examples), Mirabel states various solutions that would be much easier than simply relying on Luisa's SuperStrength (baiting the donkeys with food, fixing the flaws in the gate that let them escape in the first place and addressing the various reasons why a river needs rerouting). She also humors the idea that some problems aren't Luisa's to fix, it being much more efficient to teach others how to do certain tasks rather than dump all of their problems onto one person.
-->'''Mirabel''': My motto is this; work smarter, not harder.
* ''Fanfic/HeroChat'': After finding out Lila's true nature, Team Miraculous tries to figure out how to stop her and her lying without her turning the rest of the class against them. Kim suggests [[DontTellMama telling her mom about her actions]], which the others consider. They still choose not to implement it, though -- as Chloé points out, Lila was able to get away with months of truancy without being found out, implying that her mother is either completely taken in herself or actively on her side, so telling her won't do any good.
* ''Fanfic/ToughLove'': Regarding the situation in ''[[{{Literature/Twilight}} New Moon]]'', Charlie points out that instead of Bella flying all the way to Italy to prevent Edward from killing himself when he thought she was dead, she could have just sent him an e-mail or a text saying, "Hey, asshole, I'm alive!"
* In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/27226870/chapters/85947814 A Hug a Day Keep the Akuma Away]]'', a Sentimonster Ladybug is sent to get back the Butterfly Miraculous after Alya took it from Hawkmoth as Lady [=WiFi=]. While Chat Noir is holding off the copy, Alya uses the Miraculous to empower the real Ladybug by [[PowerGivesYouWings granting her flight]] to get to the fight faster. This leads Ladybug to ask why didn't she empower the currently fighting Chat. Alya replies that the Butterfly Miraculous will boost the power of an Akumatized Miraculous user, and doing so to Chat would make him a PersonOfMassDestruction.
* ''Fanfic/TheSmeetSeries'': When Ilk explains in ''Vindictive'' that one of her concerns about having children is worry that she wouldn't survive giving birth (considering how rare and dangerous natural Irken births are after centuries of not doing so), Gaz points out that she and Blue could just make use of cloning tubes.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'':
** The titular character, posing as Prince Ali Ababwa, asks Genie how to win Princess Jasmine's heart. Aladdin has already met the princess as a street rat and charmed her just fine. Genie's advice for Aladdin with this in mind is to just tell Jasmine the truth about who he is. Too bad that when an opportunity presents itself for Aladdin to tell the truth, Aladdin digs himself in deeper and [[FawltyTowersPlot tells another lie to try and sustain the original lie]].
** There's a law that says Jasmine has to be married to a prince by an appointed time. Only by the end of the film does it dawn on the Sultan that he has the power to change the law, which he does to allow Jasmine to marry whoever she wants. Admittedly, the sultan found out that this was the actual issue instead of Jasmine's suitors just not interesting her.
** The sequel, ''[[WesternAnimation/AladdinTheReturnOfJafar The Return of Jafar]]'', even has a bit of this. Jafar, now a genie himself, can't kill Aladdin because a genie is unable to kill people with their powers. But, as Jafar quickly rationalizes, even though a genie can't kill someone ''directly'', he can just get someone else to do it for him. And if all else fails? Just summon a lava pit. [[LoopholeAbuse Hey, it's not like you would]] ''[[ExactWords technically]]'' [[LoopholeAbuse be the one killing him.]]
--->''"[[ArcWords You'd be surprised]] [[FateWorseThanDeath what you can live through!]]"''...
* Inverted in ''Toys/{{Bionicle}} 3'': Sidorak wants to drop the Toa, who are held captive in cocoons, from atop the Coliseum, but his viceroy Roodaka convinces him to make the event more "legendary", so they wait until the Toa are mutated and disfigured by the cocoons' venom and ''then'' let them drop, by which time the Rahaga have arrived to save them mid-fall. [[AllThereInTheManual Explained in the books]] as Roodaka wanting their last moments to be realizing how utterly they had failed in their goal to rescue the Matoran [[spoiler:and as a bit of karmic vengeance for their imprisonment of Makuta Teridax]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' Yzma does it to herself immediately after her first plan without even realising it:
-->'''Yzma:''' I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless little flea. Then, I'll put that flea in a box, and I'll put that box inside another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself. And when it arrives, [[EvilLaugh Muhahaha!]] I'LL SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER! ''[[ThatPoorPlant [BAM]]]'' ...Or, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint to save on postage]], I'll just poison him with ''this''!
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', villain Syndrome has just launched his personal rocket towards the city to begin his campaign of facing a threatening enemy, his latest model Omnidroid, [[EngineeredHeroics that only he can dispatch]]. Bob and Helen Parr are at a loss at first of how to get back in time to stop him; Dash points out a standby rocket ready and prepped in another launch bay. Helen points out that [[TheSmartGuy she]] doesn't know how to pilot a rocket; Violet just says to use the previous launch's coordinates. Finally, when they're mulling over how to work the computer consoles for the launch, [[spoiler:Mirage offers her assistance]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus'', when Zim teleports the Earth in the Irken Fleet's path so that the Tallest will have to meet him (and inadvertently creating the Florpus, a multidimensional, planet-destroying tear in reality, in doing so), the two Tallest are horrified of the idea of encountering Zim again [[SkewedPriorities (far more so than colliding with the Florpus)]], but when one of the pilots states they can simply turn out of the way, [[{{Manchild}} they just moan and groan like children]].
-->'''Purple:''' Earth? That means Zim! This is the worst news I've ever heard!\\
'''Irken Pilot:''' Sirs, we still have quite a bit of time to change course.\\
'''Red:''' But we're going straight!\\
'''Purple:''' Yeah, turning's no fun! Why is this happening? Make it not happen!\\
''(Both Tallest groan very loudly)''
* ''WesternAnimation/IsleOfDogs'': Chief's pack and a rival dog pack are ready to fight over a sack full of leftovers when Rex pipes up and says that they should open the sack and see if it's worth the trouble. They do just that, and Rex lists all that's in the sack before Chief finally declares, "Okay, it's WorthIt", and they all start fighting anyway.
* ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan''. Mr. Smee asks why Captain Hook insists on using a bomb to kill Peter Pan when just slitting his throat would be "more humane". Captain Hook responds that IGaveMyWord [[ExactWords not to lay a finger]] -- or hook -- on Peter. He never breaks a promise.
* In the 1970s Disney animated film ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers'', when Madame Medusa returns to her home in Devil's Bayou, her minion Snoops points out that they don't ''have'' to stay here and continue forcing Penny into the Black Hole to find the Devil's Eye Diamond when she's already retrieved them a fortune in "lesser" gems and jewels. [[CutLexLuthorACheck Medusa just swats them out of his hands and screams at him]], because she wants the Devil's Eye ''itself'', not the money she'd get for selling it.
* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'': King Stefan's initial plan to save his daughter's life from the curse Maleficent placed on her? [[KillItWithFire Have all the spinning wheels in the kingdom burned!]] [[LoopholeAbuse If there are no spinning wheels, then she can't fatally prick herself on her sixteenth birthday, can she?]] [[spoiler: Unfortunately, Maleficent, being an evil fairy with magical powers, just counters with a simple solution of her own: just conjure one into existence.]]
* In ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'', [[DumbassHasAPoint Br'er Bear points out that Br'er Fox's plans to catch Br'er Rabbit never work]] and suggests that they just "knock his head clean off." He may be a fool but even he can judge the results after a certain number of times.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'': Nick and Judy find a train car [[EvidenceDungeon full of vital evidence]]. Nick suggests taking a small briefcase containing relevant evidence and leaving before the bad guys realize they're there. Unfortunately, Judy [[FatalFlaw impulsively]] wants ''all'' of the evidence delivered to the police. So she hijacks the train car. [[spoiler:And crashes it, [[AccidentallyBrokeTheMacGuffin destroying all of the evidence]]. Fortunately for her, Nick [[StolenMacGuffinReveal still has the briefcase on him]].]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'', Private Jones implores Corporal Mitchell to shoot Sergeant Farrell rather than stab him with the bayonet. Mitchell's refusal to do so ultimately leads to Jim's escape, as it panics Jones into triggering his gun.
* In ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' Ripley, whose been brought along as a consultant of sorts to the marines, is asked for advice on how to approach the incident at Hadley's Hope. Ripley coldly suggests they nuke the place from orbit and call it a day, which is soundly ignored and they go in on foot instead. [[spoiler:Naturally, as a CorruptCorporateExecutive was desperate to get his hands on a Xenomorph alive, nuking the place from orbit was always out of the question.]]
* In ''Film/Aquaman2018'', when Mera uses her hydrokinesis to draw the sweat from his brow and activate the cylinder containing King Atlan's final message, Arthur points out [[ToiletHumour a more practical method]], to which she gives him a disgusted glance.
-->'''Arthur:''' I could've just peed on it.
* ''Film/AustinPowers'':
** Scott Evil expresses his impatience with the means his father, [[CardCarryingVillain Dr. Evil]], uses to attempt to dispose of Austin Powers:
--->'''Dr. Evil:''' All right guard, begin the [[DeathTrap unnecessarily slow-moving dipping mechanism]].\\
''(guard starts dipping mechanism)''\\
'''Dr. Evil:''' Close the tank!\\
'''Scott Evil:''' Wait, aren't you even going to watch them? They could get away!\\
'''Dr. Evil:''' No no no, I'm going to leave them alone and not actually witness them dying, I'm just gonna assume it all went to plan. What?\\
'''[[NoNonsenseNemesis Scott Evil]]:''' I have a gun, in my room, you give me five seconds, I'll get it, I'll come back down here, BOOM, I'll blow their brains out!\\
'''[[ContractualGenreBlindness Dr. Evil]]:''' Scott, you just don't ''get it'', do ya? You ''don't''.
** When Dr. Evil is explaining his evil plan to hold the world for ransom, Number Two points out that they're already making far more money from their front business, rendering the plan pointless. But Dr. Evil [[ForTheEvulz has no interest]] in being a legit businessman.
* ''Film/BatmanForever'':
** Inverted on both sides of the ledger: Riddler talks Two-Face out of just shooting Batman by claiming that taking out a cultural hero will leave him with a guilt trip, so it's better to make him die after mental and physical suffering since no-one mourns a pathetic shell of a man. Meanwhile, Batman talks Robin out of wanting to kill Two-Face by warning him that it won't make his anger go away. Two-Face ends up [[DisneyVillainDeath conveniently falling to his death]] later on anyway.
** There's also the scene where Two-Face fails at immolating Batman and decides to simply shoot him with a rather large gun. It would have worked if 1) Two-Face had not missed with the first shot and 2) Dick Grayson hadn't been there to rescue Batman from the resulting rubble.
--->'''Two-Face:''' No more riddles, no more curtains one and two! Just plain curtains!
* ''Film/BlueThunder'' features a non-shooting variant that otherwise plays this trope perfectly. The good guys have recorded on special videotape a conversation that exposes the GovernmentConspiracy. The bad guys go crazy chasing down the tape in an attempt to retrieve it before it can be given to the press. At the very last second, one of the conspirators reminds the others that the tapes are contained in special cases that are able to erase them by remote command (a fact that was [[ChekhovsGun introduced earlier]]). In a subversion, they try to do exactly this, but the case got knocked off in a scuffle with a {{mook|s}} and so the command fails. In their defense, the heroes had changed the code number on the tapecase in question. The Simple Solution ("So erase them ALL.") wasn't Stated until near the end of the movie. Erasing all the tapes is obviously problematical and a very last resort.
* In ''Film/TheBoysFromBrazil'', Josef Mengele insists that the Nazi conspirators should just kill nosy busybody investigator Ezra Lieberman. Mengele claims that no-one would pay attention to Lieberman's "paltry shreds of evidence", to which his superior replies, "If he dies suddenly, they would." Later, Mengele fails to take his own advice, giving the hero a MotiveRant instead of a bullet. He doesn't die -- Ezra is a FailureHero -- but he winds up losing his only advantage in the climax.
* In ''Film/{{Cinderella 2015}}'', when Ella is asked why she doesn't just leave the Tremaines and move away, she states that she can't because she cares for the house her family has owned for 200 years and doesn't want to see them practically destroy it.
* In ''Film/{{The Count of Monte Cristo|2002}}'', ever-practical Jacopo asks this question of Edmond Dantes in response to hearing his plan to slowly destroy his enemies. Dantes declines, insisting that his enemies must suffer as he has suffered.
-->'''Jacopo:''' Why not just kill them? I'll do it! I'll run up to Paris -- bam, bam, bam, bam -- I'm back before week's end. We spend the treasure. How is this a bad plan?
* In ''Film/EnterTheDragon'', Lee brings this very point up to the man recruiting him to infiltrate Han's Island only for a hasty explanation that Hand would never allow a gun to ever be brought to his home, and the local laws in Hong Kong and the border of China make smuggling firearms very difficult. Lee visibly rolls his eyes at this. This is because even though Creator/BruceLee was a martial arts master without equal at the time, he had absolutely no illusions on the firearms vs. martial arts debate and, playing a (sort of) secret agent in this movie, very much wanted to use one. But the producers nixed this idea, much to Bruce's annoyance.
* In ''Film/ErnestGoesToCamp'', when the campers have successfully fought off Krader's mining company and saved the day, Krader grabs a gun and decides to settle things once and for all. His AmoralAttorney Blatz points out that they could easily seek legal satisfaction as the camp ''legally'' belongs to them, meaning Ernest and the boys are on the hook for some serious trespassing and assault charges if they just call the cops, but ItsPersonal to Krader and he doesn't listen.
* In ''{{Film/Fargo}}'' when Jerry is explaining his complex plot to get his own wife kidnapped and get the ransom money, Grimsrund and Showalter point out that he could just ask his father-in-law for the money. [[SubvertedTrope The film ultimately reveals that the scheme is actually for much more money than Grimsrund and Showalter thought, and Jerry would not have even been able to borrow that much from his father-in-law]].
* Lampshaded in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'': "If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk!"
* In ''Film/IpMan'', Colonel Sato crosses the MoralEventHorizon for [[spoiler: shooting Master Liu after his three-on-one fight goes awry]] and afterward keeps asking to just shoot the title hero, but keeps getting prevented from doing so by the more honourable General Miura.
* In ''Film/TheKarateKid'', Mr. Miyagi's best advice for defending yourself in a fight is "[[ScrewThisImOuttaHere No be there]]." He stresses that you don't have to worry about defending yourself or winning a fight... if you simply don't fight.
* In ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'', Miyagi has the Goons' leader in a position to kill him; he instead stops his hand less than an inch from his face and squeezes his nose while making a honking noise. Daniel asks him why he didn't kill him, and Miyagi says he didn't need to. Later in the movie, [[spoiler:Daniel does the same thing to the Japanese Goons' leader]].
* ''Film/KingCobra1999'': This is brought up when Hashimoto starts unpacking various snake-catching tools and is asked why they don't simply shoot the giant cobra instead. He responds by giving the main character a shotgun and demonstrating how hard it is to actually hit ''and'' kill a fast-moving, camouflaged target in a wooded area under pressure.
* In Creator/TheCoenBrothers remake of ''Film/TheLadykillers2004'', the crew's leader tries to think up an elaborate solution to a casino employee who stands in the way of their heist. After being shut down several times, the crew's young idiot chimes in with "why don't we just bribe the guy?"
* Used in ''Film/LastActionHero''. After [[TheMole Practice]] handcuffs Jack and Danny, he goes into a long speech about why he's working for Vivaldi. Meanwhile, Danny frees himself with [[ChekhovsGun a handcuff key he happened to have]], pulls a gun on Practice, and rants at length about how dumb movie villains always explain everything when all they have to do to win is shoot. At which point ''Vivaldi'' shows up and pulls a gun on him mid-speech. "You're not so smart yourself, kid."
* Defied in ''Film/MajorPayne''. Rather than cooking up another ZanyScheme to drive Payne away, Cadet Wuliger suggests merely going to the principal, as what Payne is doing to the students as a DrillSergeantNasty can't possibly be legal. Cadet Stone shoots this down, believing the principal won't do anything, as he doesn't care if it's legal or not. However, Wuliger's suggestion does inspire Stone's scheme to depict Payne as a pedophile, believing if they paint Payne as something ''that'' vile, the principal will have no choice but to fire Payne. Unsurprisingly it doesn't work, as since the Major sleeps with his eyes open he catches them red-handed trying to slip a cross-dressing cadet into bed with him.
* A legendary behind-the-scenes example occurred during the filming of ''Film/MarathonMan.'' For the movie's infamous torture scene ("is it safe?"), Creator/DustinHoffman, a known [[MethodActing method actor]], stayed up for two days straight and hyperventilated to get into the right hysterical frame of mind for the role of victim Thomas Levy. Sir Creator/LaurenceOlivier, who played the torturous Dr. Szell, saw Hoffman working himself into a frenzy and calmly asked "My boy...have you tried ''acting?''" It makes more sense when you remember that Olivier was British and Hoffman from the United States--method acting is far more common in the latter country, where the former relies more heavily on external acting.
* ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'':
** In ''Film/AntMan1'', once Dr. Pym has explained the whole situation with Darren Cross and the threat the Yellowjacket poses to the world and how he intends to break in and destroy the suit and all the research, the first thing Scott does is simply point out how they should just call in the Avengers to deal with it. Naturally though, given Pym's history with Howard Stark, he is having ''none'' of that:
--->'''Dr. Pym:''' I spent half my life trying to keep this technology out of the hands of a Stark! I'm sure as hell not going to hand-deliver it to one now! This is not some cute technology like the Film/IronMan suit! This could change the texture of reality! Besides, [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron they're probably too busy dropping cities out of the sky]].
** ''Film/AvengersEndgame'':
*** The movie begins with the heroes plotting to steal the Infinity Stones back from Thanos and use them to undo his culling of half the universe. [[DefiedTrope However]], it turns out Thanos had anticipated this possibility and destroyed the Stones to prevent anyone from doing so, necessitating the much more complicated "Time Heist" plan of taking the stones from alternate timelines.
*** And speaking of the Time Heist, upon being told that the heroes have access to time travel, Rhodey suggests a much simpler alternate plan.
---->'''Rhodey:''' If we can do this... you know, go back in time... why don't we just find baby Thanos and... ''(mimes [[RetGone garroting someone]])''\\
'''Banner:''' First off, [[NoJustNoReaction that's horrible]]--\\
'''Rhodey:''' It's ''Thanos''.\\
'''Banner:''' --and second off, [[MagicAIsMagicA time doesn't work that way]]! Changing the past doesn't change the future!
** ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'': When Peter's friends are rejected from college because of their association with him, he goes to Doctor Strange to ask him to erase the world's knowledge of his identity. The spell goes awry, but Strange manages to contain it. He tells Peter that there's nothing else to be done; if the college refused to reconsider, then Peter just has to accept it. Peter hadn't even realized that he could call the college.
--->'''Strange:''' [[LetMeGetThisStraight I'm sorry...]] Are you telling me that you didn't even ''think'' to plead your case with them first before you asked me to ''[[LaserGuidedAmnesia brainwash]] [[MassHypnosis the entire]]'' '''''[[MassHypnosis world]]'''''?\\
'''Peter:''' ...Well, I mean, when you put it like ''that,'' then--\\
''[[[GetOut cut to Peter outside the Sanctorum, getting the door slammed in his face]]]''
* Defied in ''Film/{{Matilda}}'' when the students tell the titular girl about [[BigBad The Trunchbull]] and how she physically and psychologically abuses the students, even going so far as to outright ''torture'' them by locking them in an iron-maiden-like device called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Chokey]]. Matilda points out they should tell their parents and get the woman fired and likely locked up, but the other kids point out they've all tried and their parents [[CassandraTruth simply don't believe them]], as the stories are [[RefugeInAudacity so ludicrously and unbelievably over-the-top]].
* In a 1997 low-budget B-Action flick called ''Film/MeanGuns'' a character played by Ice-T is overseeing a deathmatch between a bunch of hired killers for a BriefcaseFullOfMoney. One of the killers surprises Ice with a knife and goes on and on about how he's going to kill Ice-T's character and how much he hates him, all the while Ice T keeps telling him to throw the knife. As the guy looks away for a second, Ice T draws his own knife, throws it and kills the guy saying, "See? You throw the fucking knife. Don't stand there and hold it, throw the motherfucker!"
* In ''Film/{{The Phantom|1996}}'', when Kit and Diana find the jade Skull of Touganda at the Museum of World History, Diana suggests contacting an acquaintance of hers to have the skull retrieved. Kit, however, simply smashes the glass surrounding the skull and grabs it.
* ''Film/ThePrestige'': Angier obsesses madly over his professional rival Borden's signature magic trick, the Transported Man, in which Borden seems to teleport across the stage. His engineer/assistant Cutter points out the most obvious answer of how Borden is doing it (a body double made up to look like him), but Angier refuses to accept such a mundane explanation. Come the end of the film, [[spoiler:it is revealed Borden was, to the surprise of nobody but Angier, using a body double to pull off the trick. The only real twist to it is that the double was his twin brother, meaning there was no need for make-up. Contrast that with Angier, whose ComplexityAddiction is so bad that he had to resort to a full-on [[CloningBlues cloning machine]] to do the trick in a way that satisfied him]].
* Used in ''Film/ThePumaman''; the BigBad uses MindControl to make the hero jump to his death, instead of going with his {{mooks}}' more practical suggestion of just having one of them shoot him, to make it look like death from natural causes. Which would have all been great had it not been for the fact that Vadhino tells us at one point that thanks to the mask, Kobras has total control over the police. So... why did it have to look like an accident again?
* In Disney's ''Film/ReturnToOz'' Mombi asks why the Nome King did not turn Dorothy and company into ornaments right away, and instead let them play a near impossible guessing game to get their missing companions back. The Nome King replies "it's more fun ''this'' way." The same excuse is used in the book ''Ozma of Oz'', but in that case, the only reason everyone was found in the guessing game was that Billina eavesdropped.
* In ''Film/TheSandlot'', Scott Smalls takes his stepfather's baseball autographed by Creator/BabeRuth, not understanding the true significance of it, and it winds up in the nearby junkyard with [[AngryGuardDog with a terrifying guard dog dubbed "The Beast"]]. Smalls suggests they go talk to The Beast's owner, Mr. Mertle, to have him get the ball back for them. Squints shoots this down by claiming that "Mr. Mertle's the meanest old man who ever lived," prompting an increasingly-complex series of schemes to recover the ball. When they finally ''do'' get it back, they inadvertently knock over Mr. Mertle's fence--directly on top of the Beast. The kids rally to save the dog, who turns out to be an [[GentleGiant enormous but friendly]] bull mastiff named Hercules, but then must own up to their vandalism to Mr. Mertle. He talks to them and expresses surprise that someone has finally gotten the better of Hercules by recovering the ball, then asks, "Why didn't you just knock on the door? I'd have gotten it for you." Cue the other kids shouting at Squints and hitting him with their baseball caps.
* In ''Film/SharkWeek'', Elena points out to Tiburon that now he has abducted his victims, he could just put a bullet in each of their heads and be done with it. However, Tiburon feels that vengeance is like a bottle of fine wine; it should be lingered over and savoured.
* Justified in ''Film/SixStringSamurai'', where the USSR have occupied a post-nuclear America for decades.
-->"[[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Why don't he just shoot him]]?"\\
"We haven't had bullets since '57!"
* In ''Film/SlingBlade'' a man who owns a repair shop spends hours trying to figure out why a small engine won't start. His simple-minded assistant, Karl, then points out that it doesn't have any gas.
* PlayedForLaughs by Tom in ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'' when being threatened by Dr. Robotnik over the phone, to basically rub in the "[[MadScientist good doctor's]]" face that he's not at all intimidated by him.
-->'''Dr. Robotnik:''' I want you to know that the only other person who ever punched me in the face was the school bully. He hit me in the cafeteria, causing a blunt force contusion to the soft tissue surrounding my orbital bone. Humiliated me in front of the entire school, and you know what I did in response?\\
-'''Tom:''' Uh, I'm assuming you reported him to the principal's office. 'Cause, y'know, that kind of behavior is really unacceptable.\\
'''Dr. Robotnik:''' No. I examined the inefficiency of a world where brawn trumped brain, and I used technology to resolve that inefficiency. The boy ate his meals through a straw for a year, and I have never lost a fight again... Until today.\\
'''Tom:''' Hey, hooray for me then, huh?
* In ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/AttackOfTheClones'', Count Dooku [[GladiatorGames puts the heroes into an arena, to be killed by large monsters]]. This, of course, doesn't work, and Viceroy Gunray demands their execution by shooting. Dooku actually ''listens'', but TheCavalry arrives before anything can be done about it.
* In ''Film/{{Stripes}}'', when John and Russell "borrow" the EM-50 to meet up with their girlfriends in Germany, [[GeneralFailure Captain Stillman]] erroneously assumes they're attempting to steal it for the Soviets. Sergeant Hulka suggests that if that's the case, instead of sending a single squad of green troops after them, they should deploy some of the crack soldiers and air recon forces that have been stationed near the border since the start of The Cold War to find it and bring it back. [[IgnoredExpert Stillman vehemently declines since he doesn't want his superiors to know the EM-50 went missing on his watch]]. Sure enough, Stillman mistakenly leads the platoon into Czechoslovakia and are captured by Soviet troops ([[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Hulka bailed out when he was ignored warning Stillman of this]]). And after John and Russell end up saving them with the EM-50, they get heralded as heroes [[ReassignedToAntarctica while Stillman gets reassigned to an Alaskan weather station]].
* ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' has a moment where Iggy and Spike report that the Marios are lost in the desert. Koopa immediately asks why they aren't out there holding them off instead of wasting time getting back to him, and when they can't respond he decides to make them smarter so they won't screw it up.
* In the kids' film ''Film/ThreeNinjas'', the title middle-schoolers successfully defeat TheDragon, only to have some random {{mooks}} pull guns on them. The heroes clearly consider this to be cheating.
* In ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' TheDragon attempts to kill Quaid several times but is stopped by the BigBad, on the grounds that Quaid is actually his friend and ally, and is only fighting them because his old memories have been erased. When Quaid escapes from them and becomes a serious threat, the boss reluctantly gives permission to kill him, and his underling replies "It's about goddamn time!"
* In ''Film/VanHelsing'', we have the vampire bride Aleera who constantly taunts and plays around with Anna but never gets around to actually killing her. When she finally has her cornered, Anna is thrown a stake by Carl and instantly stakes Aleera on the spot. Telling her (as a ShoutOut to the ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'') "If you're going to kill someone, kill them! Don't stand there talking about it!"
* ''Film/XXxStateOfTheUnion'' has Darius Stone knock out instead of kill Charlie, the woman who framed him for murder. His superior, Gibbons, says that he should have killed her. Later on, Stone is held at gunpoint by Charlie, only for Gibbons to shoot her. He reiterates, "I told you to kill that bitch."

[[folder:Literature]]
* In ''Literature/AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'', Tom denounces Huck's plan to [[spoiler:liberate Jim from captivity by unlocking the shed's door and escaping by night]] as too simple and lacking flair, substituting it with an incredibly dangerous and over-the-top one instead.
* ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'': When they need to find out where Erek lives for the first time, the group throws out suggestions for how they can do that and include infiltrating the Sharing, stalking him at his school, looking for clues from where they last saw him, and having Ax hack into a computer via the Internet.
-->'''Cassie:''' Those are all fine plans, but how about if we just look him up in the phone book?\\
''[{{Beat}}]''\\
'''Jake:''' ''[sheepishly]'' Or we could just look him up in the phone book.
* In the tie-in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' novel ''What I Did on My Summer Vacation'', the BigBad suggests just killing the Slayer's friends. His advisor disagrees, saying that doing so is just suicide. You don't eat the Slayer's loved ones.
* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': In the fourth book, Professor Poopypants is DrivenToMadness over people constantly making fun of his name and uses {{Shrink Ray}}s and HumongousMecha to hold the world hostage, threatening to shrink everyone in the world unless they change their names to ones just as silly as his. When Captain Underpants defeats him and he's being taken away by the police, George and Harold point out that he could have simply changed his own name instead, to which the Professor confesses that such a solution had never occurred to him. Sadly, the name he chooses to change to, Tippy Tinkletrousers, is just as {{unfortunate|Names}}.
* In an unusual variation, in ''Literature/TheCourtsOfTheMorning'' it's the DiabolicalMastermind who points out the simple solution to the heroes. The heroes capture the Diabolical Mastermind about a third of the way in, as the first step of a complicated scheme that takes the rest of the novel to play out. When he starts to get an idea of what they're planning, he points out that it would be simpler and safer for them just to shoot him now. They reply that getting him out of the way isn't the only thing they're trying to achieve, and because they're the heroes their complicated scheme does end up achieving nearly everything they wanted.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'', at the conclusion, Agnes, who is one of those people cursed with being sensible, asks the villain why they stayed in the opera house if they hate opera so much instead of just leaving. He glares at her like she asked a patently stupid question, and just goes on with his insane ranting. (There's perhaps an analogy to be made with the note earlier in the book that Granny Weatherwax hates theatre, but hate is an attractive force, so she attends every troupe of strolling players, mummery or even puppet show that comes to Lancre, and just glares at them.)
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** In the novel ''Literature/SummerKnight'', TheDragon notes that he had suggested just killing Harry several times during the course of the book (since this would have ruined the BigBad's BatmanGambit, the BigBad didn't listen). The trope is then inverted when the BigBad immediately wants to kill Harry once [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He Has Outlived His Usefulness]], but TheMole points out that just killing him would expose them to Harry's DyingCurse. This leads to them leaving Harry to [[QuicksandSucks drown in magical quicksand]] and escape while he's busy drowning. [[spoiler:Which was TheMole's plan all along, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder as she was planning to betray]] the BigBad.]]
** This happens again in the climax of ''Literature/DeadBeat'' when the BigBad's advisor recommends he kill Harry. The BigBad refuses, [[spoiler:because Harry's Death Curse would ruin the spell he's currently trying to control. As he learns to his misfortune scant minutes later, being knocked out from behind by a freed Harry has just as bad an effect]].
* In ''[[Literature/InheritanceCycle Eragon]]'', the titular character is told by Brom that the reason why magic users don't do this is that the recipient of the attack always has just enough time to get in a similar attack before they croak; thus a kind of unwritten rule between magical duelists is that they have to bend the enemy's mind to their will before the finishing blow.
* Averted in the ''Literature/FuManchu'' novels, where no one ever questions Fu Manchu's use of ridiculously exotic murder plots, probably because, except when targeting the heroes, they usually work.
* In the ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novel ''Blood Pact'', [[spoiler:Eyl finally has Gaunt and Mabbon at his mercy and starts gloating. Mabbon tells Eyl that he should have just fired. By failing to do so, Eyl gets knocked away by Gaunt, then has his head ventilated by Larkin]].
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'', Harry and Ron get in trouble for stealing a FlyingCar from Ron's dad to get to school after Dobby causes them to miss the train. [[CoolOldLady Professor McGonagall]] points out to them that they had [[InstantMessengerPigeon Hedwig]] and could have just sent a message asking for help, causing the two to realize they DidntThinkThisThrough.[[note]]Even beyond that, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were on the other side of the wall, having just dropped off the other kids. Had Harry and Ron waited 5 minutes, the Platform staff would have fixed the wall and the parents could resolve the matter for them.[[/note]]
** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', [[BigBad Voldemort]] wants to capture Harry because spilling "the blood of an enemy" is required for a ritual that will let him come BackFromTheDead. Pettigrew points out that there are a ''lot'' of people who consider Voldemort an enemy and suggests kidnapping someone less famous and well-guarded. Voldemort admits that this would be much easier, but insists on using Harry anyway because he wants to [[CameBackStrong come back stronger than he was before]].
** Later in the same book, several of Voldemort's Death Eaters suggest to Voldemort that they should just kill Harry Potter on the spot instead of arming him with a wand and killing him in a mock duel. He doesn't listen because his ego demands proof that he can win against a teenager while his minions don't care. Voldemort wises up in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix the next book]], attempting the Killing Curse the moment he comes face-to-face with Harry. Luckily [[BigDamnHeroes Dumbledore shows up just in time to save the day.]]
** More mundanely, the Half-Blood Prince's textbook in [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince the sixth book]] has "Just shove a bezoar down their throats" scrawled over an entire section about poison antidotes. Slughorn mentions that some poisons won't be countered this way, but still, the knowledge (as well as the bezoar itself) [[ChekhovsGun does prove useful later]].

* In the first ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' novel, Dejah Thoris explains that, while she really loves John Carter, she was forced to promise herself to an enemy prince. Her rules of honor forbid her to be with anyone else while her betrothed is still alive. John responds by drawing his sword and offering to take care of it. Unfortunately, she also can't be with a man who killed her fiancé.
* In Creator/PGWodehouse's ''[[Literature/{{Psmith}} Mike and Psmith]]'', when the title characters are preparing to face some dormitory invaders, Psmith launches into a dissertation on the tactics of Napoleon--which Mike interrupts by suggesting they just trip them up with string.
-->'''Psmith:''' Yes, Napoleon would have done that, too.
* ''Literature/ModestyBlaise'' novels:
** In ''A Taste For Death'', the second banana villain--who has been defeated by Modesty and Willie before--practically jumps up and down shouting, "Kill them now!" or (later) "They're up to something, kill them now!" But he's overruled by the main villain, whose guiding principle is ItAmusedMe and doesn't think that just killing them would be amusing enough.
** Major the Earl St. Maur, in ''The Night of Morningstar'', argues for dropping Modesty and Willie over the side the instant the Watchmen finish determining whether or not our heroes managed to send a message before being captured. (They hadn't.) He is overruled by his superior Colonel Golitsyn, who wishes to keep Modesty and Willie alive for use in an elaborate disinformation plot.
* In ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', the way that the metaphysics of the setting work encourage subtlety, manipulation, and elaborate traps to defer responsibility--an approach which is explicitly compared to playing the Bond villain. Those that choose not to care about the consequences of being straightforward, like Fell the illusionist/enchanter, are all the more dangerous because of this--it often doesn't matter if your opponent will take severe karmic backlash for their vulgar attack if said vulgar attack managed to kill you.
-->'''Fell''': Don't underestimate the value of a bullet.
* In ''Literature/{{Pale}}'' during a practical lesson on binding at the [[WizardingSchool Blue Heron Institute]], the teacher Marie Durocher tells the class she'll let loose a dangerous bound Other at the end of the lesson, and leaves them to improvise means of binding. Lucy Eilingson uses her MorphWeapon to form a gun, and asks what happens if she threatens to shoot Durocher, who is impressed and commends Lucy, as this would be an implicit binding by way of threatening her life, but in fact the intended lesson is to KnowWhenToFoldEm and leave the room before the lesson ends.
* ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'':
** Proof that this always has been and always will be an essential part of the SuperHero formula: In ''The Elusive Pimpernel'', one of Baroness Orczy's sequels to the SuperHero TropeCodifier, while Chauvelin is practically orgasming over his overly-complicated plans to make the Scarlet Pimpernel suffer an intricate FateWorseThanDeath, his assigned NumberTwo Collot d'Herbois suggests they just shoot him.
--->"Collot d'Herbois, incredulous, half-contemptuous, did not altogether approve of these schemes, which seemed to him wild and uncanny; he liked the direct simplicity of a summary trial, of the guillotine, or of his own well stage-managed 'Noyades'. He did not feel that any ridicule or dishonour would necessarily paralyse a man in his efforts at intrigue, and would have liked to set Chauvelin's authority aside, to behead the woman upstairs and then to take his chance of capturing the man later on."
** By the time of ''Lord Tony's Wife'', it's Chauvelin who's advocating quick executions of aristos rather than putting them through elaborate public humiliation. The longer they're alive, he reasons, the more chance the Pimpernel has to rescue them.
* ''Literature/ScaryStoriesToTellInTheDark'': "Harold" is about two farmhands named Thomas and Alfred who make a scarecrow that they either play around with or abuse. But when the scarecrow starts coming to life and grunting, they get scared. Thomas gets an idea on how to get rid of it.
-->'''Thomas''': Let's throw him in the fire, and that'll be that.\\
'''Alfred''': [[IgnoredEpiphany Let's not do anything stupid.]]
* ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive:'' Highprince Dalinar Kholin is plagued by recurring visions of the era of the long-lost Knights Radiant. Unsure whether he is losing his mind or receiving genuinely supernatural visions, he's on the verge of abdicating when his younger son points out that they could simply research the visions to see if the places and people Dalinar is seeing actually existed.
* ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'':
** Justified in ''Literature/TheBandsOfMourning''. The titular Bands are a legendary artifact said to grant the wearer all thirty-two [[FunctionalMagic Allomantic and Feruchemic powers]], which can normally only be inherited at birth or stolen via [[BloodMagic Hemalurgy]]. When Wax discovers a civilization that created armbands that can grant powers to anyone, he asks why they seek the Bands if they can just strap thirty-two armbands to someone, and is politely told that they can't. The vast majority of Allomancers and Feruchemists only have one power, and powers from different people interfere with each other. Wearing two armbands does nothing, and scientists only recently discovered how to put four peoples' powers in one band. The Bands can grant all thirty-two powers because they were made by someone who had thirty-two powers, which is vanishingly rare.
** Justified again in regards to the TempleOfDoom the immortal Sovereign commissioned to house the Bands for safekeeping. Wax points out that a giant castle full of traps would only attract thieves, and a better way to keep treasure safe is to store it in a discreet cave. Later, he realizes that a treasure stored in a cave would pose problems for an immortal in the long run; what if he forgot which cave, or the terrain changed while he was gone?

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'':
** In "War Zone," Gunn locks Angel in a meat locker, and Angel takes pains to try to break himself out. Wesley and Cordelia show up and just open the door from the outside, asking why he didn't just call for help on his cell phone.
** Wolfram & Hart usually send demons and assassins after Angel and go through grandiose {{Evil Plan}}s. In "Carpe Noctem," [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Gavin Park]] points out that they can easily put Angel and his crew out of business by simply informing the government of [[UndeadTaxExemption Angel's ID issues]]; of course, soon after he points this out, [[TheRival Lilah Morgan]] gives Angel all the documents he needs just to spite him.
--->'''Gavin''': The guy has no social security number, no taxpayer ID, no last name as far as I know. How can he go down to the building department, or anywhere else in officialdom for that matter? He's the rat and we're the maze.
* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'':
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'':
*** In Season 1, Vandal Savage prevents Kendra from killing him by revealing that he has her boyfriend, Carter, brainwashed. Savage is the only one who can free him, so Kendra has to let him live and try to force him to free Carter. Rory points out (and Sara and Snart agree) that Carter ''reincarnates''; even if there is no way to save this particular incarnation, they have a timeship and can just find a sane one somewhere else. To make it worse, Carter eventually breaks free of the brainwashing on his own, meaning Savage's threat that Carter would be brainwashed forever without him wasn't even true.
*** In Season 2, the BigBad Eobard Thawne never really tries to actually kill the Legends, despite being able to do it in the space of a second, frequently coming up with other means to deal with them. His partners Damien Darhk and Malcolm Merlyn keep invoking this trope, but he ignores them. [[spoiler:He finally takes the gloves off in the season finale, [[AndShowItToYou ripping Ray's heart out]] (luckily, there's another version of Ray.)]] Off that, Thawne is constantly running from [[spoiler:the Black Flash]] who can detect him by his speed. When he finally tells this to Darhk and Merlyn, they suggest a very easy answer: ''Stop running.''
*** Likewise with Thawne, when he and the Legion [[spoiler:rewrite the world [[VillainWorld to their own liking]]]], they leave the Legends alive to suffer in various ways. Thawne is greatly annoyed when the Legends end up being a problem after all.
---->'''Thawne:''' I should have wiped you from existence when I had the chance. Do you have any idea how ''infuriating'' it is to know that ''Merlyn was right?''
** On ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'', the team are trying to find a country music star who is being hunted by an enemy. They try to figure out ways to track her using their various powers and such but come up short. New teammate Ralph then asks if any of them have ''checked her website.''
* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'':
** This is how Amy sets up one of the main plotlines of "The Raiders Minimization". When Sheldon shows her ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', she says it's an okay movie though she says that Indiana Jones was not necessary to the plot and the film would have ended the same without him. When Sheldon, a huge fan of ''Raiders'', asks her to clarify her position, she says that if Indiana Jones had not interfered, the Nazis would've still taken the ark to the uninhabited island, opened it, and died. As Sheldon looks for something to ruin that Amy likes out of spite, he explains to the guys Amy's realization, but when Raj and Howard point out that the Nazis were digging in the wrong place because Indiana Jones sabotaged their search, Leonard points out that if he wasn't involved, the Nazis would've found the ark the first time, opened it, and killed themselves.
** In another episode, when Sheldon is sick, he camps out in Penny's section at the Cheesecake Factory in order to have soup. When Penny asks why he didn't just have soup delivered to his apartment (thereby allowing him to stay in bed and rest), he hesitates and admits that he didn't think of it.
* In ''Series/TheBlacklist'' an eco-terrorist is flying a helicopter to cause a nuclear accident. Aram uses his hacking skills to get into the helicopter's computer and talks of how he can use a special program to undo the air balance of the copter and drive it off course. Director Ressler angrily asks "can't you just shut down the rotor? Shut the damn thing down?" Adar pauses and realizes he can do that to ground the copter.
* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'':
** Warren Mears, after once again having his plans thwarted, finally tries this by bringing a gun and shooting Buffy. It backfires when Buffy survives, and his parting shots cause arguably the show's most shocking case of AnyoneCanDie and lead directly and promptly to his very painful death by [[CruelAndUnusualDeath flaying]] courtesy of Willow.
--->'''Vampire:''' (at Willy's bar, watching a news report about Buffy surviving being shot, to Warren) Yeah. I was gonna eat you myself during the commercial, but now I think it'll be more fun to let the Slayer de-gut you. Might wanna get a head start, my friend. 'Cause this girl is gonna be coming for you, big time.
** The Judge is said to be a demon so strong that "no weapon forged" can harm him. Buffy points out that [[TechnologyMarchesOn what constitutes a "weapon forged" has changed a lot in six hundred years]]. To prove her point, Buffy shoots the Judge once. ''With a rocket launcher.'' [[ChunkySalsaRule No more Judge.]]
** Buffy tries to use her temporary mind-reading powers to get an answer out of Angel without him noticing, only to realize that it doesn't work on vampires:
--->'''Angel:''' You don't have to play games with me, Buffy. Ever.\\
'''Buffy:''' Well, you're not exactly Joe-here's-what-I'm-thinking.\\
'''Angel:''' So ask me.\\
'''Buffy:''' Oh, but that would have made sense...
** Angelus insists on using his mind games on Buffy, while Spike insists that he finish her off before she gets really mad and kills them all. Guess what? He's right... after what Angelus did to upset Giles, not only did they have to contend with a very pissed-off Slayer, but she was [[{{Pun}} hot]] on the heels of her Watcher, [[Awesome/BuffyTheVampireSlayer who was whaling on Angelus with a flaming baseball bat]] [[KillItWithFire after throwing a molotov cocktail into the factory]].
--->'''Spike:''' Why don't you rip her lungs out? It might make an impression.\\
'''Angelus:''' Lacks... poetry.\\
'''Spike:''' Doesn't have to. What rhymes with lungs?
%%** Roden begs Genevieve to kill Faith, believing she is a threat, but she ignores him.
* ''Series/BurnNotice'':
** Michael could have dealt with any number of cases by shooting the villain of the week, a fact that [[TriggerHappy Fiona]] never hesitates to point out. Justified, here: depending on the circumstances, Michael will make the point that either they don't want a trail of bodies leading back to them or that if they do things his way they can take a whole gang down. In Michael's words (from the first episode):
--->'''Michael''': I'll take a hardware store over a gun any day. Guns make you stupid; better to fight your wars with duct tape. Duct tape makes you smart.
** Also, when Michael goes undercover [[LampshadeHanging one or more of the crook's other associates will often wonder why they don't just shoot Michael when he's pretty clearly lying to them or making unhelpful suggestions that are likely to get them caught and/or killed]]. Semi-justified here, in that Michael is very good at engineering situations to prevent the decision-making crooks from actually pulling the trigger (most often by making his lies ''just'' plausible enough to make him seem useful--and hey, he's a trained spy: the government spent thousands if not millions teaching him how to do just this).
** Later, when Michael ''does'' start to use bullets instead of more complicated solutions, things start to go hairy for him ''fast'', such as when he [[spoiler:straight-up murders his former mentor, who is unarmed at this point and is ''in his own CIA office'']].
* ''Series/CobraKai:'' In the third season, both [[Film/TheKarateKid Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence,]] along with their students, are being harassed by rival sensei and former SociopathicSoldier John Kreese. Daniel's solution is to re-open his dojo in order to teach the kids of the Valley awesome self-defence karate skills: his wife Amanda's solution is to call the police and get a restraining order. Unfortunately, when they try this, they find that Kreese beat them to it: he already ''has'' a restraining order against ''Amanda'' from when she went to his dojo and punched him in a fit of anger, and the cop on the desk [[VillainWithGoodPublicity is unimpressed by how she harassed an innocent veteran.]] With that option off the table, Amanda gives her full support to Daniel and his dojo.
** Throughout the series, certain characters [[NonActionGuy (particularly Demitri)]] say that the solution to bullying (first from generic bullies, then from rival dojos) would be to get a teacher or another adult involved. [[AdultsAreUseless When the characters try it, it never works,]] [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin or it makes things worse.]]
* Subverted as a rule in ''Series/CriminalMinds''. Many of the [[VillainOfTheWeek unknown subjects]], or "Unsubs," in the show don't kill indiscriminately--they have [[FreudianExcuse deep psychological issues]] that prompt them to murder their victims in highly specific ways. Heck, some of them don't even ''want'' to murder people--they're just trying to soothe some other psychosis, and their methods of doing so prove lethal (case in point: the woman who kidnapped women to turn into life-sized dolls because her ''real'' dolls were stolen by her stepfather, who sexually and physically abused her).
* In the ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode "Unshockable", when discussing [[spoiler:how a victim was poisoned with Sarin when already knocked out]], Sara asks:
-->[[WhyDontYouJustShootHim "Why didn't he just shoot him?"]]
* Played straight in ''Series/DarkAngel'' when Lydecker is pointing a gun at a sleeping Max and decides to talk instead of shoot, giving her the opportunity to ''jump up and roundhouse kick him in the face''. However, this is {{justified|Trope}} by a) Max being an expensive asset; and b) Lydecker regarding the X-5s as his children, [[PapaWolf and not being fond of the idea of them getting hurt]].
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** Justified in the episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E3PlanetOfTheOod "Planet of the Ood"]] when business owner Mr. Halpen declined to shoot the Doctor and Donna, saying that there will likely be a full investigation and their bodies will likely be found. If he did shoot them, it would create many problems for him legally in the future; but by leaving them to the Ood, they'll die just like all the other people around and there's no trouble beyond what's already happened.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor "The Day of the Doctor"]] the 10th, 11th, and War Doctors programmed their sonic screwdrivers to dissolve the wooden door of their cell in the Tower of London. As they are about to so, Clara opens the unlocked door.
--->'''Clara:''' Three of you in one cell, and none of you thought to try the door?
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E2TheGhostMonument "The Ghost Monument",]] Ryan's solution to being pinned down behind cover with alien robots firing lasers at him is to pick up one of their guns and start firing back, as opposed to the Doctor's [[TechnicalPacifist pacifism.]] The robots crumple to the ground...[[GunsAreWorthless and then get back up again, since they were built to be immune to their own weaponry.]] Ryan promptly hides.
* In the ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' episode "Number One Fan", Josh takes the Campfire Kids to the movie theater to learn about wilderness navigation. He asks the kids a hypothetical question about them getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere with only a compass and a topographic map as guides, but Megan insists that she could simply call her mother on her cellphone.
* Played for laughs in ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho''. The kids were playing orchestra but they simply sounded horrible. La Chilindra, who was the "coductor", complained that they couldn't play alright, and el Chavo suggested an idea, that instead of playing whatever they were, all of them play the same song.
* Pretty much happens in every episode of ''Series/{{Eureka}}''. The super-scientists will cause a problem and go through various complex methods to try and solve it. It's Carter (the one-non genius in the town) who comes up with the solution that's so simple that it never occurs to the geniuses and saves the day.
* In ''Series/{{Fargo}}'', Bear Gerhardt makes good arguments about why Floyd should be the one who directs the company.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}:'' Often, Frasier or Niles (or Frasier and Niles) will come up with some overly elaborate psychoanalysis of a situation, and someone, either Martin, Daphne or Roz, will offer a much more sensible and practical alternative, which is brushed off because Frasier and [=/=] or Niles think they know better. And it all ends in flames. At least one time, a slight justification is given, when Frasier insists on elaborate evasion games with Lilith. Daphne asks why he doesn't just talk to her, and Frasier says they tried that while they were married.
-->'''Frasier:''' We were better at games.
* Once combined with DumbassHasAPoint in ''Series/GilligansIsland''. It's been discovered that the Howells' marriage was not legally binding (the officiant being a fraud), which causes friction between them that is driving the other castaways batty. Gilligan says he has a solution, and the Skipper, fed up with Gilligan's [[ZanyScheme Zany Schemes]] doesn't want to hear it... when Gilligan's solution is to merely have the Skipper, who is considered to have the authority to officiate a wedding when on a craft in water, perform a simple ceremony while standing on a raft in the lagoon. Skipper seems flabbergasted and agrees.
* In the CS Centrl GagSub of ''Series/HikariSentaiMaskman'', Okelampa, the guy who shows up solely to [[MakeMyMonsterGrow resurrect the monsters as giants when they get shot by the Maskman]] asks "Why don't the Maskman shoot me first?"
* Subverted in the ''Series/HorribleHistories'' about UsefulNotes/WorldWarII German prisoner-of-war camps, and Allied prisoners continually escaping from them (forcing German troops to be tied up guarding prisoners instead of fighting the war):
-->'''Commandant Klinsman:''' You give me one good reason why I shouldn't just shoot you right here on the spot.\\
'''Squadron Leader Higgins:''' Because it's against the Geneva Convention to shoot officers.\\
'''Klinsman:''' Yes, forgot about that.
* ''Series/InTheDark'': In Season 4, after each is kicked out by Leslie and their car stolen, Felix moans "we are at rock bottom" and have nowhere to go. Max just stares at him before pointing out Felix can simply call his ''millionaire'' grandmother to let them stay at her mansion for a while.
* In ''Series/{{Inhumans}}'', Karnak needs to suture Jen's wound to prevent her bleeding out. He starts striping a palm frond to use as a makeshift solution. Jen suggests just using her travel sewing kit she keeps on her. Clothes tend to catch and rip on the trees.
* In ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'', protagonist Sento's [[TransformationTrinket Transformation Belt]] runs off of "Full Bottles" which contain the essence of animals, machines, etc. He tries to identify Best Matches (pairs with high compatibility) because they're more powerful and does so with a testing device built into the wall of his ElaborateUndergroundBase. After being told all this, DumbMuscle Ryuga tries it out and the very first pair of Bottles he tests turns out to be a Best Match, to Sento's amazement. Ryuga explains that his logic was "living creature plus inanimate object", something that Sento had dismissed as too obvious in spite of the fact that the Best Matches he had already discovered followed this pattern[[note]]like Rabbit [[TankGoodness Tank]] and [[KillerGorilla Gorilla]] (Dia)Mond[[/note]].
* Invoked in the past tense on ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'', when a character asks an investigator why, if the convicted killer's pleas that he'd not intended to commit murder were untrue, he didn't shoot the woman he'd struck with a tire iron. "The noise" is the reply.
* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', Harold Finch realizes a USB drive he needs is on the person of one of Reese's targets. He begins contriving a rather complex plan to get it, or the data, when Reese simply walks past the man, shoulder-checks him, and grabs the USB drive out of his pocket when the man is distracted.
* ''Series/MacGyver1985'': In "Deadly Silents", Karl's partner Neil keeps urging to just shoot Mac and Pinky and dump their bodies somewhere. After multiple attempts to MakeItLookLikeAnAccident fail, Karl gives in and agrees to just shoot them. [[spoiler:It fails.]]
* Displayed in ''Series/MajorCrimes'': Captain Sharon Raydor is attempting to get psychiatrist Dr. Joe to break confidentiality on his sessions with her foster son, first as the police officer in charge of his safety [[note]]He's a material witness in a serial killer's murder trial.[[/note]], then as his legal guardian. Dr. Joe politely [[NoSell shoots her down]] on both counts, lays out the legal requirements for breaking confidentiality, and suggests an alternative: Just talk to her foster son.
* In his review of the first season of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] noted a plot-point that if Rita Repulsa knows the identities of the Rangers, why didn't she just blow up their houses?
* On ''Series/PushingDaisies'', the murderers will never use mundane methods to either kill their victims or in their attempts to kill the heroes when they have the heroes captured (which they almost always do). This trope is eventually lampshaded in the episode "Smell of Success":
-->'''Emerson Cod:''' Death by scratch and sniff. What the hell happened to people shooting each other with guns?
* ''Series/RedDwarf'': In addition to the page quote, a similar moment happens in the Back to Earth special. Taking a cue from ''Film/BladeRunner,'' Rimmer obtains the phone number of somebody they're looking for using an extremely [[OverlyLongGag long-winded]] and complicated form of [[EnhanceButton Zoom and Enhance]] on a photograph, by bouncing off the reflections of various objects in the picture (and some that aren't) until they get the man's number on the back of his business card by seeing a reverse angle of the original photo. After the whole charade, Kryten bluntly asks:
-->'''Kryten''': Sir, wouldn't it have been easier to look him up in the phone book?
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', when Clark is talking to Oliver about dealing with Doomsday and saying he is going to the [[DeusExMachina Fortress]] to find a way of sending it away, Oliver does this.
-->'''Oliver''': I can tell you how to conquer the beast. Kick his ass, Clark.
* ''Franchise/StargateVerse'':
** ''Series/StargateSG1'':
*** In the first-season episode "The Serpent's Lair", the team is standing at the top of a long shaft, looking down at their target, the ship's shield generator. [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Bra'tac]] details a plan for them to fight their way through a series of corridors to reach the bottom of the shaft, at which point, they'll disable the generator. O'Neill doesn't actually ''say'' anything, he just removes a couple of grenades from his equipment, pulls the pins, and drops them down the shaft. It should be noted this is the moment where Bra'tac starts seeing the [[HumansByAnyOtherName Tau'ri]] as warriors worthy of respect.
*** In the episode "Wormhole X-Treme!", O'Neill is acting as the military advisor to Martin's TV show, and when the question is brought up of "How can they defeat the giant alien without being weightless?", O'Neill says "WhyDontYouJustShootHim", and is commended for his innovative thinking. Martin was not impressed.
*** When the team discover Khalek, a genetically engineered clone of BigBad Anubis, it is ''Daniel'' of all people who simply suggest killing him right then and there, because he is too powerful to risk his escape, and eventually his ascension.
** ''Series/StargateAtlantis'':
** This is frequently Ronon's job. For example, in one episode [=McKay's=] complex plan to stop the Asuran Replicators falls through and he starts panicking, Ronon's response is that they have guns that can kill Replicators... why not just shoot them all?
---->'''Todd:''' I was going to write a program that would trigger a slow overload in the primary capacitor, but I don't think we have time for that now.\\
'''Ronon:''' I was just gonna blow it up.\\
'''Todd:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Naturally.]]
** Used to highlight the incompatibility of Ronon and Keller. When the two are hiding from the Wraith who have taken over their ship, they agree that they need to disable the ship so the Wraith can't get to their destination. Keller muses about how to hack into the security system and disable the various systems one-by-one. Ronon just starts shooting out control panels.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
** Suspecting that Gowron, supreme leader of the [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Klingon Empire]], is a [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Changeling infiltrator]], General Martok allowed Sisko & co. to expose him -- by killing Gowron. Worf attacked Gowron and the two fought; at this point, Martok invoked this trope. [[spoiler:Martok's suggestion was quite uncharacteristic (and dishonorable) for a Klingon warrior, tipping Odo to the fact that he, not Gowron, was the real changeling.]]
** In another episode, the Defiant is captured in battle by the Dominion. Sisko and crew are kept alive, though, because the Dominion ship has a different mission to perform elsewhere. The Jem'Hadar contingent left in control of the ship is led by the arrogant first of a new batch of clones with a seasoned veteran of an older generation as his second-in-command. The veteran brings this trope up repeatedly to his superior, saying that the value of the crew helping with repairs is surely outweighed by the fact that they're no doubt scheming of a way to take back control of the ship (because he's smart enough to know that's exactly what he would do in their place), but he's ignored. At the end of the episode, Sisko lampshades this, telling the dying veteran "Your leader should have listened to you." The Jem'Hadar is resigned -- his purpose, after all, was to [[HonorBeforeReason serve the Founders' will and they put the new young leader in charge]].
* In ''Series/TheTerror'', after the Hickey we’ve been following for the entire show reveals that he is actually an imposter, who killed the real Hickey to join the expedition.
--->'''Crozier:''' You could’ve just joined up!
* ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'':
** "Angel Summoner and BMX Bandit", a mismatched pair of superheroes [[TheyFightCrime who fight crime]]. In each sketch, BMX Bandit would draw up a complicated strategy involving his BMX tricks, only for Angel Summoner to point out it's easier to just summon some angels to do everything for them. Subverted in the final installment, when it's BMX Bandit suggesting some angel-summoning, rather than risk his life trying to perform an impossible jump and fight a group of terrorists, but Angel Summoner refuses to because of a previous agreement. [[spoiler:Then it turns out he summoned some angels anyway.]]
** One sketch revolves around a medieval king constantly giving jobs to his CampGay underling / crush Lucentio, much to the aggravation of his lords, since Lucentio is pretty useless. Eventually, one of the lords approaches the king and asks why he doesn't just have sex with Lucentio, rather than giving him important jobs and titles. So he does.
* On ''Series/TheXFiles'', when the [[GovernmentConspiracy Syndicate]] discusses killing Mulder to keep him from thwarting their plans. Several of the members argue against this, pointing out that such an action would just make Mulder a martyr and draw unnecessary attention to Mulder's investigations into the X-Files. By leaving him alive and not doing anything, they just make Mulder look like a paranoid {{Cloudcuckoolander}} who no one outside of UFO circles will take seriously.

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* Alexander the Great is said to have encountered the legendary Gordian Knot, along with a prophecy that whoever managed to loosen and untie it would become the ruler of all of Asia. After studying the knot for a bit, [[CuttingTheKnot he drew his sword and cut the knot in half]], and went on to fulfill the prophecy.
* In the binding of Fenrir of Myth/NorseMythology, Loki asks the other Gods why they don't just kill him while he's bound, especially since it's foretold Fenrir kills Odin come [[ApocalypseHow Ragnarok]]. The other Gods ''don't'' kill him because Fenrir was bound in a holy place, which would have become tainted with both the violence and the blood.

[[folder:Podcasts]]
* ''Podcast/HelloInternet'': In one episode, Grey laments that try as he might, he can't find a collared shirt with the exact attributes he wants. He's gotten so frustrated about this that he has occasionally, but very seriously, considered starting a small factory just to create the shirts he wants. In the next episode's follow-up, Myke mentions that many fans asked why Grey didn't just go to a tailor. Grey admits that this had never occurred to him, partly because he unconsciously thought of tailors as something from a bygone era.
* In one episode of ''Podcast/MissionToZyxx'' the crew is burdened with an overly complicated orders during a mission to disrupt Ted Ronka's political campaign.
-->'''C-53:''' The plan is this. Seesu sent this along and it's spent pretty much our whole trip here printing out. It's very comprehensive.\\
'''AJ:''' That's a pretty thick binder\\
'''C-53:''' Yes it's very, very thick. In fact I'm still sort of getting through the-\\
'''AJ:''' Beat him in the head with the binder. Ok, let's do this.

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* In ''Roleplay/DarwinsSoldiers: Scrodinger's Prisoners'', Dr. Shelton and a soldier have to get through a room with an angry doctor. The soldier suggests this as an option. [[spoiler:Turns out that's pretty much what they do.]]
* In ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'', a group of students try to leave the school and discover that the front doors and windows are locked. They start to panic, with one of them picking up a guitar to smash one of the windows. Cue one of the students asking why they don't just try the emergency exit, or ask one of the teachers what's up.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', Guildenstern, taking Hamlet's claim that " I am but mad north-north-west. When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw" literally, and then gets more and more convoluted in his attempt to work out where southerly actually ''is'', until Rosencrantz suggests going and having a look. Guildenstern retorts "Pragmatism?! Is that all you have to offer? You seem to have no conception of where we stand! You're not going to find the answer waiting for you in the bowl of a compass, I can tell you that!" (This is indicative of their dealing with the more philosophical aspects of the play; Guildenstern trying to work things out from first principles, but unable to do so because he has no starting position, and Rosencrantz suggesting things that are more straightforward, but are equally stimmied by the void they find themselves in.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Urban Legends]]
The problem with urban legends along these lines is that sometimes, the "simple" solution isn't always that simple. But it still makes for some interesting thinking along these lines:
* [[http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=713157 One anecdote]] describes a group of monks arguing over how many teeth are in a horse's mouth. One naive young man suggests finding an actual horse and counting the teeth. The monks shout him down, saying that scientific questions are properly answered not by empirical methods, but by consulting old authorities. The anecdote serves to ridicule the medieval "scholasticist" approach to science. Only problem is that it's unattested before the 20th century, so that may never have been the case at all.
* When the Americans and Soviets first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ballpoint pens wouldn't work in zero gravity. The urban legend goes that NASA, in solving the problem, spent a decade and $12 billion to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside-down, underwater, on almost any surface, and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 degrees Celsius. The Russians, in solving the problem, used a pencil. It ''kinda'' went that way, but there was an extra wrinkle -- pencils might have ''worked'', but they weren't exactly safe, because there was concern about the effect of graphite dust and debris in zero gravity -- so the Americans weren't ignorant of the pencil solution so much as thought it was too risky, and the Soviets weren't so much clever as willing to take the risk. The Americans switched to felt pens, and the Russians switched to grease pencils on plastic tablets. Eventually, a private entrepreneur independently developed the space pen with $1 million of his own funds, and sold them to NASA ''and'' Russia for $3 each.
* A crew transporting a house had difficulties with an overpass that their payload was 3 and a half inches too tall to fit under. They were standing there, scratching their heads, debating how to find an alternate route, when a kid on a bicycle who was doing his morning newspaper route asked what was up, he said, "Why not just let some air out of the tires and then re-inflate them after you've passed under the bridge?" A few minutes later, the crew were on their way again. It's a cool story about how a simple solution can come from an unlikely place -- except this particular solution only buys you a ''little'' bit of clearance, so it only works if you were really close to making it with inflated tires to begin with. If you spend too long on deflated tires, you can wreck them and be unable to continue even after you cross. It's a solution oversize load routing uses all the time, but in a very intricately planned way.
* A joke is told about a driver who gets a flat tire just outside the fence of a mental asylum. Nervous about being stopped in such a place, he quickly starts to change the tire, putting the nuts in the hubcap while he wrestles the spare on. He then accidentally kicks the hubcap and the nuts fly out, disappearing into the tall grass beside the road. Suddenly, he hears a voice: an inmate watching him from just inside the fence tells him to take one nut from each of the other three wheels and use those, and that should serve to hold the spare in place long enough for him to get to a garage and replace them. He says, "That's a great idea! What's somebody like you doing in a mental asylum?" The inmate's reply is "I'm in here because I'm crazy, not because I'm ''stupid''."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Inverted in ''VideoGame/BaldursGateII''. After having captured you and completed the evil plans he had in store for you, BigBad Irenicus orders his sister, PsychoForHire Bodhi, to have you "disposed of" immediately. Bodhi instead exhibits the BondVillainStupidity her role is usually set up to lampshade and decides it would be much funnier to have you thrown to the resident MalevolentArchitecture in a game of cat and mouse -- behind Irenicus's back. The protagonist is even allowed to point out that Irenicus won't be happy if he finds out. Of course, Irenicus could have avoided the mess if he just killed the party himself.
* ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries'':
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamOrigins'': At the beginning of the game, Alfred points out that, since no one knows Batman's SecretIdentity but Alfred and Batman himself, he could just stay inside for the night to avoid the assassins, since Black Mask's bounty is only good for one night. Batman shoots that down, pointing out that the assassins will just endanger innocent people to lure him out anyway.
** ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamCity'':
*** Batman needs to FindTheCure for the toxin that is slowly killing himself, the Joker, and dozens of citizens in hospitals. He is frequently sidetracked by having to fight mooks and villains. Joker calls him and orders him to stop wasting time ''fighting'' them and just kill them. Of course, Batman does not kill and doesn't listen.
*** From an earlier point in ''Arkham City'', Batman contacts Alfred for ways to get into the Joker's hideout in the Steel Mill. Alfred (sarcastically) suggests using the front door, prompting Batman to snark back with "why didn't I think of that?". He then mentions the chimney as a way in but says that it'd be suicide. [[LeeroyJenkins Batman immediately enters through the chimney.]]
* Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen 4: Secret of the Oracle'' when Keen is surprised that the Gnostic Elders weren't killed instead of just kidnapped. The council page immediately handwaves this by telling him that the elders are immortal.
* ''VideoGame/DoubleSwitch'': At the end of the game, Lyle has [[spoiler:Eddie]] at his mercy, and he asks everyone what should be done with the guy. Brutus says "Just nail him!" However, Lyle ends up activating a trap that sends [[spoiler:Eddie]] flying around a couple of times, and then through a TrapDoor, supposedly sending him back to the basement.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'':
** There's a moment when the Scions need to cross a stretch of water, but Urianger can't swim. But it's okay, because thanks to working with a tribe of [[TheFairFolk incredibly dangerous fey]], he's devised a spell that should allow him to walk on water. Not only is it pointed out that it would be far easier and less hazardous if he simply ''learned to swim'', but after his spell fails and he has to get pulled back to shore, Y'shtola points out the boat docked just a few feet away.
** Moments later, upon reaching the island-sized whale Bismarck, Urianger is asked to remove some barnacles that had latched onto Bismarck's body. He hems and haws over it for a bit after telling the others what's required, which causes Alisaie to explode at him in frustration, reminding him that she and the [[TheHero Warrior of Light]] were both blessed with the ability to [[SuperNotDrowningSkills breathe underwater]], and could simply get it done in less time than he would take thinking of another approach.
* At one point in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' you encounter a pair of Mogmas outside a locked door talking about how its key has been split into five pieces and buried about, and that one piece is nearby. After discussing finding it for some time, one of them then points out that, as a race of mole people, they could just [[CuttingTheKnot dig under the door and save themselves the effort]]. The other admits that's a pretty good idea and they do exactly that, leaving the decidedly ''not'' mole-like Link [[{{Exposition}} to use their info to find the key and get inside]].
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'':
** {{Inverted|Trope}} during the fight with Volgin. After the battle stops going his way, Volgin looks up at Ocelot and orders him to shoot Snake. Ocelot replies, "I'm afraid I can't do that. Fight like a man, Volgin."
** In the remakes, the achievement for [[TemporalParadox killing Ocelot and creating a time paradox]] is "[[JustEatGilligan Problem Solved, Series Over]]." ''Snake Eater'' is a prequel, and Ocelot is a major WildCard with a hand in just about every problem in the series.
* In ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'', [=LeChuck=] captures Guybrush, ties him and Wally up into an extremely elaborate torture device, and explains his plan to have both of them killed. When Guybrush asks why [=LeChuck=] didn't shoot him as soon as he came in, he responds: [[MediumAwareness "Because we had an extra disk."]]
* In a side conversation in ''VideoGame/Persona2: Innocent Sin'', the main characters discuss a few potential "simple solutions" to the current mess and decide they probably won't work; tracking down Joker by summoning him again won't work because he could simply choose not to appear, and trying to take advantage of the fact that rumors are coming true by starting a rumor that Joker is easy to defeat won't work because people wouldn't spread a rumor like that.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', after Black Mask reveals their identity as TheMole in the Phantom Thieves, they also go into a MotiveRant. Black Mask, in essence, is willing to [[RevengeBeforeReason ruin their own life in the name of vengeance]] against their own personal target, even if it means killing the rest of the Thieves, causing mental shutdowns in dozens of innocent people, causing widespread accidents and destruction, and potentially sending all of Japan into chaos. The rest of the Thieves point out that they were already going to cause a [[HeelFaceBrainwashing change of heart on Black Mask's target]]; Black Mask could have just kept helping the Thieves in order to get their revenge, and that Black Mask is betraying the Thieves for nothing. However, Black Mask decides that [[IveComeTooFar they've gone too far to turn back now]], and attacks the Phantom Thieves.
* ''VideoGame/Portal2'': In the end, [[spoiler:[=GLaDOS=] states that she's been ignoring the simple solution of how to get rid of Chell: let her go. Killing Chell has proven itself to be very difficult, has caused [=GLaDOS=] no end of problems and Chell's ultimate goal throughout both games has been to leave the testing grounds. So why not just give Chell what she wants and let her go? [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial It's not like a gesture of gratitude or anything]]]].
* Sig's storyline in ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo20thAnniversary'' is about him wondering how to catch bugs if he can't do it with his demonic left hand, and if he can even make his left hand normal. After encounters with other characters who wonder about his red arm and eye, Sig runs into Amitie, who helps him to find a solution to his problem. The two eventually find Ms. Accord, who gives a ridiculously simple solution Sig somehow never thought of - [[spoiler:just catch bugs with his ''right'' hand instead. An AntiClimax indeed, but Sig doesn't seem to mind]].
* In the first Ronin mission in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'', the Saints want to rob a casino controlled and guarded by a rival gang. [[TheSmartGuy Pierce]] comes up with an elaborate multi-stage heist plan reminiscent of Film/OceansEleven. [[BloodKnight Johnny Gat]] suggests just walking in, murdering all the guards, and taking whatever they want. Since the Saints are violent sociopaths and not cunning thieves, The Boss picks Option 2.
* In ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'' you meet the local DJ Bobby Ricks who asks you to find a key for a boat to escape town. Murphy suggests it'd be a lot easier and safer to just hotwire the boat rather than search the town for a key that may not even exist, but Ricks rebukes him almost immediately: [[GeniusLoci The town wants you to play its game and find the key]] and it doesn't like "cheating" one bit. [[ImpliedDeathThreat Cue anonymous caller dedicating a song to Bobby Ricks himself]]...
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'':
** In "Capture the Flag" Gaius Selan and Narrel propose venting plasma onto a Vaadwaur who seems invincible in order to create a vulnerability. Since you're standing in the transporter room at the time your character suggests just [[TeleporterAccident beaming him out into space]], but Selan says he tried that already.
** In ''Dust to Dust'' it's possible to suggest using transporters to bypass the Kobali temple's security measures in your hunt for [[spoiler:Keten/Ensign Kim]]. Captain Kim remarks that it's a good idea... and then, when trying to set it up, realizes that he can't contact his ship (prompting you to remark that the same seems to be true for you and your ship).
* In ''VideoGame/TouhouYouyoumuPerfectCherryBlossom'', if you play as [[CuteWitch Marisa]], she will wonder about how to get the gate to the Netherworld to open up. The Prismriver Sisters then point out that they only need to fly over it.
* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}:'' The game takes place in a kingdom of monsters that is sealed underground by a magical barrier, which can only be crossed by a monster that has a human soul, or broken by the power of seven human souls. In the True Pacifist ending, [[spoiler:Toriel chastises Asgore for waiting until seven humans fell into the underground, instead of crossing the barrier with the first soul he got and collecting the other six from above ground. It's implied that Asgore was doing this because he was stalling; he really didn't want to kill anyone (or face another war with humanity, but he didn't have the heart to tell his subjects this because of how the idea of breaking the Barrier gave them hope]].
* A minor version in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' when a paladin gets upset that the caravan he's in keeps making stops instead of continuing to Light's Hope Chapel. Eventually, the senior paladin Argus remarks that they aren't far from the chapel and suggests he simply walk there.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Visual Novels]]
* ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': While most of the students are breaking their brains puzzling over how the killer of chapter 1 managed to move around during a blackout and throwing out ever more outlandish solutions, Akane puts forward that the killer had their own light source. [[spoiler:This is true- it was the flame from a portable stove.]]
* ''Franchise/FateSeries'':
** In ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'''s Heaven's Feel scenario, True Assassin points out to his master that the easy and pragmatic thing would probably be to have him kill Shirou and Rin, who are running around like headless chickens desperately trying to find a way to defeat the Shadow that's eating half the town. Said master, who is an utter sadist, replies that it's more fun to do nothing, watch them fail, and have the Shadow kill them. [[EvilIsNotAToy This comes back to bite Zouken in the ass]] when [[spoiler:the Shadow, [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds which is Sakura]], kills him and True Assassin]].
** In Week 3 of ''VideoGame/FateExtra'', you and your Servant figure out that the way to escape Caster's identity-erasing Reality Marble is to remember your name after it's erased. When you ask Rin how to do this, she suggests ''writing it down''.
** ''Literature/FateStrangeFake'': At one point, Gilgamesh suggests to his Master Tine Chelc that rather than waste time searching for and fighting the other Servants, they could win the Holy Grail War if he blows up the entire city with Ea since all the other Servants and Masters should be somewhere within. Tine balks at the suggestion, not wanting to sacrifice the townspeople. Gilgamesh shrugs and says he just wanted to see how she would react.
* Oddly enough, Arcueid in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' asks Nero this -- technically, she points out he's been messing around too much by making Shiki suffer, which just triggered his Nanaya side -- after Nero decides he's going to have fun and slowly eat Shiki instead of killing him outright. After Shiki starts kicking his ass, he realizes maybe it would have been a better idea not to play with his food.
* ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'': This is used to solve the ClosedCircle mystery of episode 2's First Twilight - how was the killer able to get 6 people inside the chapel when only Maria had the key and Rosa is absolutely sure that the door to the chapel was locked? Simple - [[spoiler: Rosa is lying about the chapel being locked. Similar principles solve many of the other Twilights, in fact. Just figure out who is lying.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': In episode 7, when Kaila expresses interest in obtaining a Mechelly, which is a RobotBuddy protector that will follow your orders even if you are evil, Keela points out that she and Kaila know next to nothing about Mechellies, so there is no way Kaila could acquire one. Kaila's response? Just ask someone.
-->'''Kaila''': Its a little something called ASKING AROUND! Thats how I found out about you, remember? Just because ''you'' are a social hermit doesn't mean ''I'' am!
* The bread and butter of ''WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded'' -- stating the far simpler and/or funnier way to solve the problem of the story than what the characters in the movie did. Examples include the ''Film/JurassicWorld'' park containing the Indominus Rex by such simple measures as not putting in a dinosaur-sized exit to the habitat and building a moat inside it (something real-life zoos very often do), [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Bucky]] avoiding his [[BrainwashedAndCrazy conditioning]] being activated by plugging his ears, and [[Film/SuicideSquad2016 June]] preventing the whole plot of the film by making sure that the statue in which the Enchantress was trapped is never damaged or broken (like a good archaeologist should). However, it's also sometimes Deconstructed, like in the ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' HISHE, in which the simple method leads to Bing-Bong revealing the existence of the Mind World to Riley, causing her to go insane.
* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'':
** [[DeadpanSnarker Grif]] seems to frequently do this in response to Sarge's crazy plans.
---> '''Sarge:''' [paraphrased] I could simulate a third radio using a blowtorch and all this sand to make a refractory lens, thus allowing us to triangulate [Tex's] position!\\
'''Grif:''' ...Or we could just listen to the coordinates that she's ''sending us.''
** When the Reds spy on the Blues with the scopes of their sniper rifles, Donut points out that if they can see their enemies, they can shoot them right now. Sarge refuses, saying not killing your enemies up close and personal is not very satisfying.
** When Agent Washington first visits Blood Gulch, he finds that with most of the teams reassigned, the "war" for the canyon has devolved into an "epic stalemate" between Sarge and Lopez on Red Team, and Sister on Blue Team. Wash points out to Sarge that since he has a 2-1 advantage, he could very easily just attack Sister and finish it. Sarge, of course, refuses to fight a girl.
** Later on, [[spoiler:[[HesBack Tex]]]] is [[CurbStompBattle laying an utter smackdown]] on the Reds and Tucker. Tucker - whose armor [[CallBack got colored black after going through a teleporter]] - is tackled by [[spoiler:Tex]] and she's trying to beat him up. Meanwhile, Simmons has a rocket launcher and he's trying to figure out which [=black-armored=] figure to shoot.
--->'''Simmons:''' (terrified) [[SpotTheImposter They look the same! Which one do I shoot?!]]\\
'''Tucker:''' (from afar, furious) Ow! ''Shoot the one who's winning, dumbass!''
** In the "Where There's a Will There's a Wall" mini-series, Lopez points out that Simmons could just use the sniper rifle to shoot the Blue Team instead of using the scope to spy on them. Since no one understands Spanish, his suggestion is ignored.
** During ''Singularity'', [[OnlySaneMan Wash]] is using MentalTimeTravel [[spoiler:to figure out where Carolina was in-between the flashback segments of Season 10 and the present day]]. Unfortunately, he's traveled back to a time period where he was the resident ButtMonkey and got no respect. As he bemoans his problems to [[spoiler:[[ReassignedToAntarctica The Triplets]]]], they point out to him that since he can travel to ''anywhere'' along his own timeline, he should just travel into the future to when he and [[spoiler:Carolina]] are good friends and he can just ask her then. After a lengthy StunnedSilence, Wash immediately tries that out and gets an answer, causing him to scream in utter rage about how he CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot.
* The second ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'' is someone asking Strong Bad that if he hates [[RougeAnglesOfSatin "Homsar"]] so much, why doesn't he just kill him? Strong Bad responds that he is utterly right and [[AnvilOnHead dumps a "Heavy Lourde"]] at a newly invented character called Homsar (who did not exist up to this point and had little to no relation to Strong Bad's actual nemesis "Homestar"). Homsar would later prove to be NotQuiteDead and became an ongoing EasterEgg and EnsembleDarkHorse of the series.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'':
** The comic appears to be pulling this when [[spoiler:Frans Rayner has Mongo go to great lengths to capture Dr. [=McNinja=] alive instead of just killing him in combat]]. Dr. [=McNinja=] actually calls him out on this. It then justifies it when [[spoiler: Rayner reveals that Mongo has learned the value of human life and refuses to kill, forcing Rayner to go with the capture plan instead]].
** Later, [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/30p07/ this]] strip pulls it when yet another AlternateUniverse Chuck gets roped into becoming mayor post-attempted invasion from the Radical Lands. [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/30p20/ And then once again]].
* ''Webcomic/AntiheroForHire'': Both averted and lampshaded when Dr. Nefarious, embarrassed by his evil plan's failure, says he'd rather just shoot Shadehawk. Shadehawk is actually PROUD of him.
* ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'':
** VideoGame/ProfessorLayton refuses to do anything unless [[https://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/strike-one it's roundabout, elaborate]], and [[ComplexityAddiction involves as many matchsticks as possible.]]
** VideoGame/AlanWake find a manuscript for a book that he can't remember writing, and realizes that [[RewritingReality everything he wrote in the book comes true]]. So he [[https://www.awkwardzombie.com/awkward-zombie/writers-blocked writes a happy ending where he's safe and finds his wife]]. It doesn't work.
* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/041022c "Um, wouldn't it be easier to, say, blast me now, while I'm hanging here completely defenseless?"]]
* In ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'', Cordelia asks the [[BigBad Nightmare Knight]] why he doesn't [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just]] "defeat the hero yourself? Right '''now'''?" She narrowly escapes being punished for her insubordination. The actual answer is revealed much later, along with Nightmare Knight's true motivations.
* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'': [[http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0276.html This strip]] and yes, a link to this page. May the Force preserve us, we're stuck in an infinite loop!:
-->'''Boba Fett:''' ''(to Jango)'' Why couldn't you just shoot him?\\
'''Jango Fett:''' What sort of criminal mastermind would I be if I did that?
* ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'':
** One of the earliest strips had Dominic hire Stunt and Bumper to acquire a magic potion from a magic user to cure him of a curse that caused fish to fall on him when he smoked. Stunt asks why he doesn't just quit smoking. Dominic snips back by asking why the thieves keep stealing if they don't like jail time.
** Another incident had Bumper and Stunt come across an unconscious Dominic on the street being tended to by Luna...
--->'''Bumper:''' Yeah! We could come up with an ironic revenge that robs him of his dignity and pride!\\
'''Stunt:''' I want to stab him in the face.\\
'''Bumper:''' That should work.
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'':
** [[TheEngineer Moloch Von Zinzer]] is very good at this sort of thing. It tends to annoy Sparks, [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20091019 who don't like having their drama harshed by a]] MundaneSolution.
---> '''Moloch:''' Why don't we just move this winch? There should be enough cable, and it looks strong enough that we could lower ''everybody'' on a platform.\\
''[turns around and notices he's become the subject of [[DeathGlare several disapproving glares]]]''\\
'''Moloch:''' ...and then, at the bottom, it could unfold into a ... a giant ''caterpillar'' or ... something...\\
'''Dr. Mittelmind:''' No, no. You've already taken all the ''[[ForScience joy]]'' out of it.
** The Unstoppable Airman Higgs is more used to their ways, [[RageBreakingPoint but even he has his breaking point]], as amply demonstrated [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20150930#.ViSfqSsp9XE here]] when Gil's pining over Agatha gets too overwrought.
--->'''Higgs:''' So ''write her a letter''. [...]\\
'''Gil:''' I could [[ComplexityAddiction build a machine that would project a simulacrum of myself that could explain]]--\\
'''Higgs:''' ''Why I smacked you?''\\
'''Gil:''' Or... I could just... write...
** Martellus, who [[PrinceCharmless doesn't typically have much going for him]] in the way of decency or common sense, manages to propose [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20191002 an obvious solution]] when it's clear to Gil and Tarvek that no matter what alterations Lucrezia made to their machine, they'll never be able to find them all: just rebuild it from scratch. Surprisingly, Gil and Tarvek wholly approve of the idea.
* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': The heroes find a portal the bad guy used to escape and want to know where it leads. Obviously, they can't just go through themselves since it's probably trapped to hell and back. But the bad guy left a minion behind, so Dabbler interrogates him, plants a tracker on him, lets him escape, and starts tracking him across the city while doing high-level mathematics in her head to predict exactly where he's going so they'll have a team ready in time. Then Sydney mentions that it's too bad they couldn't have just put a tracking spell on a rock and tossed it into the portal, and Dabbler lapses into embarrassed silence.
-->'''Sydney:''' You mean that would have ''worked?''
* Discussed in the "[[FourthWallMailSlot Ask Vector Prime a Question]]" section of the ''Webcomic/{{Insecticomics}}'' site; Vector Prime, a PhysicalGod, ''could'' have destroyed Megatron and save all of reality rather easily in ''Anime/TransformersCybertron''... But he states that if he did, the villain's fangirls would kill him. Later, he claims that ExecutiveMeddling prevented him from just saving the world in a single episode, lamenting the fact that he could have spent the rest of the series on a beach getting a foot massage from a supermodel.
* ''Webcomic/MagIsa''.
** [[http://www.drunkduck.com/MAG_ISA/index.php?p=539726 Demon gets Claudita temporarily paralyzed]] by some sort of invisible spore thingies. He insists on lecturing her about how evil their agenda is and how she's got no chance of winning or something like that.
** [[http://www.drunkduck.com/MAG_ISA/index.php?p=684693 Eman was shot multiple times...]] but Kyle didn't even think of shooting Eman in the head.
* Used in ''ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}}'' when an evil henchman ends up asking his evil employers why they don't kill the adventurers they have so handily defeated. His only answer is to get a sword shoved in his face and a sharp admonishment that henchmen do not get to give orders.
* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'': Mistress, clearly aware of the situation, cuts [[http://oglaf.com/blanket/ to the chase]].
* In ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', Hannelore's father [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3042 sends her a strange device]], but neglects to include any instructions or even a description. She spends a few strips with Marten and Claire trying to figure out what it could be, until [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3045 Dora walks in]] and points out they could just call Hannelore's father.
-->'''Marten''': [FacePalm] I can't believe that didn't occur to any of us.
* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'':
** [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=526#comic This]] comic [[LampshadeHanging hangs a lampshade]]. The example in question references ''Sleeping Beauty'', which is actually an aversion -- Maleficent's original intent was to have the princess prick her finger on a spindle and die on her DangerousSixteenthBirthday. The CurseEscapeClause that made HappilyEverAfter possible was added by the youngest of the good fairies, who wasn't strong enough to negate the curse entirely but was strong enough to provide an out. Of course, none of this negates the fact that Maleficent probably could have taken out an infant if she wanted to, instead of waiting ''sixteen years'' for her revenge or whatever.
** In the [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2013-05-12 strip for 2013-05-12]], [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] explains a complicated plan to use physics to make Characters/{{Superman|TheCharacter}} explode himself. Then he proposes a physics solution for killing Characters/{{Batman|TheCharacter}} as well: [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim kinetic energy and a bullet]].
* Defied on ''Webcomic/SequentialArt''. Whenever the gang runs into a life-threatening problem, Art is usually the one to come up with the obvious solution of simply calling the police. Unfortunately, Pip or Kat usually points out that the types of situations [[CassandraTruth they run into are considered prank calls by the police]], so that's not actually a viable option.
* Inverted in ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', in which the evil villain is talked into ''not'' just shooting the hero and instead using an overly complex and silly DeathTrap as an interrogation method.
* A ''Webcomic/ShenComix'' bit featured a square lamenting that he couldn't fit through the circle-shaped hole like all the other circles because he was just too different and special to fit in. Unphased, one of the circles points out he could just go through sideways, [[IJustWantToBeSpecial much to the square's chagrin]].
-->'''Square:''' You could just shut up and let me be special!
* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'':
** [[http://xkcd.com/444/ Macgyver gets lazy.]] Of course, the reason Macgyver never does that in [[Series/MacGyver1985 the show]] was that he DoesntLikeGuns and [[ThouShaltNotKill doesn't want to kill anyone]].
** An even more astute example comes when [[http://xkcd.com/530/ Randall Munroe is locked out of his apartment]]. Munroe has to hack into his roommate's Macbook downstairs and use a text-to-speech device to try and get inside. When someone else asks Munroe about the doorbell, Munroe is left in StunnedSilence, as the idea of just ringing the doorbell had apparently not occurred to him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* Website/{{Cracked}}:
** "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_16848_6-most-pointlessly-elaborate-movie-murder-plots.html The 6 Most Pointlessly Elaborate Movie Murder Plots]]" offers a simple solution after the end of every such plot. After going through each plot, the alternative the article suggests is a much simpler plan that always ends with "shoot the target in the face." The exception is number 4 (the explosive toy car) could actually be a sneaky way to do it with modern technology.
** "[[https://www.cracked.com/article_15740_was-911-inside-job.html Was 9/11 an Inside Job?]]" goes over the ''WebVideo/LooseChange'' video and the theory that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by the American government. After going over how ridiculously complicated, intricate, and elaborate such a conspiracy would have to be, along with debunking the authenticity of the claims in ''Loose Change'', the article concludes "No, 9/11 wasn't an inside job; the conspiracy theorists just want to feel like the smartest people in the room."
* [[https://notalwaysright.com/the-very-model-of-a-modern-major-idiot/243279/ This hobby model builder/painter]] on ''Website/NotAlwaysFriendly'' is surprised to find out a fellow hobbyist is colorblind, and denies it on the basis that a colorblind person would have no way of knowing what color the paints are. The colorblind hobbyist replies that all they have to do is ''read the color number on the pot''.
* [[http://www.scpwiki.com/scp-2305 SCP-2305]] is an anamalous book entitled "great ideas that are TOTALY USELESS (lulz)", which contains simple solutions to other SCP problems, along with consequences that make them more trouble than they're worth. For example, [[http://www.scpwiki.com/scp-2190 SCP-2190]] is a ghost who wants to break apart her daughter's marriage, and communicates through phone calls. SCP-2305 suggests breaking up the couple and placing the children into foster care; as a result, the ghost [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone would regret this so much that she blows the cover on the Foundation]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Videos]]
* When the ''WebVideo/The8BitGuy'' is talking about [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJzOErvJwZs getting 80 columns on the Commodore 64]] he gives four possible methods. The first one involves doing it in software which is slow and eats up a good chunk of the machine's already limited memory, and the second two involve two third-party add-on cartridges that are rare, costly, and support next to no software. The fourth solution, though? ''Just buy a Commodore 128'' which has full Commodore 64 compatibility as well as native 80 columns support.
-->'''8-Bit Guy:''' The Commodore 128 basically ''is'' a Commodore 64 inside. And these are actually more common and cheaper to buy than one of these! (Holds up one of the add-on cartridges)
* In the Creator/AchievementHunter ''[[LetsPlay/AchievementHunterGrandTheftAutoSeries Let's Play GTA V]]'' episode "Lindsay's Heist", the gang attempts to push a port-a-potty into a truck from a high building, a port-a-potty that would be used to carry their "loot" and be picked up by the Cargobob. Ryan Haywood points out the obvious solution - just get the Cargobob and take the port-a-potty with them. There's a brief silence before they tell him to shut up.
* ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'':
** When reviewing the UsefulNotes/GameCom he talks about its Internet capabilities and explains how it required a wired connection to a modem since this was the days before wifi. So, you ''could'' buy the Game.com, plug it into your modem, and navigate through it's tiny text-only touch screen, but since you don't own a modem with Internet for no reason and can't leave the house with it anyways...
--->'''Nerd:''' WHY NOT JUST USE A COMPUTER?!
** When reviewing the various ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}}'' games, Creator/JamesRolfe compare the game to literal shit he quotes Harry G. Frankfurt's essay ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Bullshit On Bullshit]]'' which gives an elaborate theory on why people find feces repulsive to which he gives a ''much'' more simple solution to the question:
--->'''On Bullshit:''' Just as hot air as speech that has been emptied of all informative content, so excrement is matter from which everything nutritive has been removed. Excrement may be regarded as the corpse of nourishment. What remains when the vital elements and food have been exhausted. In this respect, excrement is a representation of death. Perhaps it is for making death so intimate that we find excrement so repulsive.
-->'''Nerd:''' Or is it perhaps because ''it stinks''?!
* Creator/JamesRolfe made a video for "Cinemassacre's Top 10 Worst Movie Clichés". Number 1 is labeled "Stupid Villains" and boils down to him demanding "WhyDontYouJustShootHim!" It ends with a ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' movie clip that subverts and lampshades the trope.
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/c/NationalGeographixFireDepartmentEdition Fire Department Chronicles]]'' has several videos doing this for ''Series/NineOneOne'' with everything from giving a saline IV to a woman suffer hyponutremia[[note]]In the show, she was given a catheter in the middle of a crowded bar[[/note]] to using airbags to lift a firetruck off Buck rather than trying to lift a ''sixty thousand pound'' truck by hand. His most common solutions are using water to cool something off or giving someone a tourniquet to stop bleeding.
* Dan Avidan of ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' describing how the Endoraptor of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' worked and why he thinks it's utterly ridiculous:
-->'''Dan:''' I didn't hate it, but it was definitely doofy. So there's a new dinosaur they've created called the Endoraptor, and they've genetically engineered it so it can be used as a weapon. What you do is you take a gun with a laser scope on it and you point the laser at something that you want attacked and you click the trigger and the Endoraptor goes and destroys whatever the laser was pointing at.\\
({{Beat}})\\
'''Dan:''' You may be thinking to yourself: why not just have a gun that shoots ''bullets''?\\
'''Arin:''' ''(Bursts out laughing)''\\
'''Dan:''' Which is definitely the main Internet problem with that movie. That would be more effective, really. You've already laser-targeted your thing. That was a big issue people had with it.\\
'''Arin:''' Yeah, that problem was already solved!
* Lampshaded in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtGs6_CDrs Gun Man Rises]]'' starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gun Man]].
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/c/karljobst Karl Jobst:]]''
** During ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFrQ1_2bbsI "The Worst Fake Speedrun on Youtube"]]'' he gives a thorough analysis of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badabun Badabun's]] faked speedrun of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'' and highlights all the various people they stole footage from to cobble it together, then questions why they went to this much effort. He points out how there are [[https://www.speedrun.com/smb1 well over a thousand]] speedruns of that game, and how they could have made a much more believable video by just using one of ''those'' rather than this big edited together [[Literature/{{Frankenstein}} Frankenstein's monster]] of footage from Tool-Assisted Speedruns (which is obviously not human) and world record holders like [[https://www.youtube.com/user/Kosmicd12 Kosmic]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/c/darbian Darbian]] (who are so well-known their footage will instantly be recognized).
** During ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv0ZRTlIXR0 "These DOOM Cheaters Were Caught Red-Handed"]]'' video he goes indepth into just how difficult making a faked SpeedRun that won't immediately be recognized actually is, showing how professional Speed Runners are better than ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' at spotting the absolute most ''minute'' details -- even so much as a single frame out of place, one errant move, one tiny hiccup in the physics, will be enough to out a player who is using slowdown, [[SaveScumming save-state abuse]], [[ManipulativeEditing splicing]], or cheats. He then quips that it would take such a good understanding and so much mastery of a game to make a seamless faked Speed Run... that it's probably easier to ''just do the Speed Run for real''.
* When ''WebVideo/JarvisJohnson'' is being subjected to ''WebVideo/TroomTroom's'' surreal DIY videos in his ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6CiRle1cEk Troom Troom is Actually The Worst Channel on Youtube]]'' video, after seeing numerous nonsensical life hacks to deal with body fatigue when using computers he points out how they could just avoid these weird maladies by ''sitting properly''.
-->'''Troom Troom:''' Do your legs tend to fall asleep from sitting at a computer for a long time?\\
'''Jarvis:''' ...''No'', actually. These people need to learn about ergonomics!
* Most [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaby_Lame Khaby Lame]] videos are presented this way, with a random person on [=TikTok=] using an overly complicated, pointless method or contraption to perform simple tasks, followed by Khaby sarcastically doing it the simple way. An example would be a person taping the end of a fork to use it as a makeshift spoon for soup... followed by Khaby ''simply taking out a spoon'' to perform the same action.
* WebVideo/{{Kitboga}} is a scambaiter popular on Website/{{Twitch}} and Website/YouTube. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45e9Fpb4vaE Episode 2]] of ''Baited'' - "The Professional," features a standard refund scam in which supposedly too much money is transferred into Kitboga's fake bank and he needs to return it via gift cards. He spends over a half-hour running the scammer in circles, suggesting other, simpler methods by which they could get it sorted out, such as simply transferring the money back to him, or calling his bank. This has become a favored tactic in most of his videos, along with calling their bluff when they drop the facade and begin attempting to blackmail him by threatening to take ''all'' his money if he doesn't pay the amount they are requesting: he'll ask why they didn't just do that instead of dicking him around with gift cards if they were able.
* ''WebVideo/LinusTechTips'': In [[https://youtu.be/T4zpQvGg8rs?t=666 "My monitor just got an UPGRADE"]], Linus goes through the arduous task of VESA mounting two very heavy 32:9 monitors on top of each other. At the end:
-->'''Linus:''' Could I have just put a TV on my desk? Yes. But DAMMIT! This is ''Linus Tech Tips'', that's not how we do things around here.
* ''WebVideo/ScreenRantPitchMeetings'': Comes up often. Usually, the Screenwriter will describe characters doing something elaborate and dramatic but totally nonsensical when there is a much more straightforward solution to the problem that the Producer will point out.
** A variation of this happens in the ''Film/{{Venom}}'' Pitch Meeting, only directed at the Screenwriter himself as opposed to the characters in the film. At the beginning of the film, the two Simbiotes land in Malaysia, and Venom is taken back to the lab, and Riot escapes. The Screenwriter then talks about all the legwork he had to do in order to get Eddie Brock into the lab so that he could bond with Venom as well as get Riot into the lab so that it could bond with Drake.[[note]]So a scientist working for Drake goes and talks to Eddie Brock to report about Drake performing experiments on Homeless people, and helps him break into the lab so that he could take pictures of it, as opposed to simply taking the pictures herself. Then Eddie finds the Venom Symbiote and bonds with it. Meanwhile, Riot latches onto an elderly woman in Malaysia and spends six months aimlessly wandering around before latching onto a young girl who is about to fly to America. The young girl then somehow gets into the secure lab so that Riot can bond with Drake.[[/note]] The screenwriter even says that it will probably be the "least fun" part of the movie but he needed to somehow get everyone into their positions so that the plot could get going in earnest. The Producer points out that he could eliminate the need to do all that legwork by simply having Venom be the one who escapes at the beginning. After admitting that the chance could "Save about 45 minutes of crap and make the whole thing a lot more fun to watch..." the Screenwriter refuses to make the change because he "doesn't want to."
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CY_HGl6W2U "Shark Pool"]] is a trailer for a [[spoiler:fictional]] movie about a shark in a swimming pool. A guy offers the suggestion of "just don't go in the pool". Unfortunately, he's the OnlySaneMan and the rest of the guests are TooDumbToLive.
* ''WebVideo/SAndDTier'': Morgan has an affinity for planning high-stakes, [[ComplexityAddiction overly-complex]] heists that take months to prepare. Their best friend Alex is the most powerful supervillain in the world and completely unkillable, and would do anything for Morgan. Alex repeatedly emphasizes that they'd be glad to just walk in, kill or otherwise incapacitate anyone who got in the way, take the prize, and bring it to them, and they could easily accomplish this in five minutes or less. Morgan refuses to take them up on it, as that would take all the fun out of it.
* ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'':
** When Original!Spoony shows up intending to take back his show from Clone!Spoony:
--->'''Original Spoony:''' That's why I started training at a Shaolin monastery... until I realized the lessons would be really expensive, so I just went out and bought this gun!
** Clone Spoony then reveals he's reviewing ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' prompting Original!Spoony to shoot himself and change back into a [[Comicbook/BlackestNight Black Lantern]]. Yeah, it's complicated.
* ''WebVideo/StacheBros'':
** In "Bowser Junior's Time Out", Bowser Jr.'s plan to get his Franchise/{{Barbie}} Future Dictator of the World set from his father's bedroom was to learn how to dig a hole to China and come back at the other side of the door. Koopa tells him he could've just opened the door since it probably wasn't locked, which is something Junior didn't realize until 3 hours of digging.
** In "Home Alone", when Wario and Waluigi try to get past a door in Bowser's Castle with a heated doorknob, Waluigi tries sneaking underneath the door since he's so skinny, but Bowser Jr. electrocutes him with an Amp. Afterwards, Wario gets in by simply pushing the door open.
* On ''WebVideo/SteamTrain'' when playing ''VideoGame/{{Besiege}}'', after attempting to create hilariously and stupidly overly complex contraptions like "The Fuck-O-Matic", only for things to keep going awry and realizing the only times he's beaten levels are when he's gotten lucky and accidentally stumbled into victory, he ultimately has an epiphany and decides to make things much more simple.
-->'''Ross:''' So, I made a truck with bombs on it and a cannon, but [[UselessItem the cannon does jack shit]] so I thought "why don't I just drive some bombs into the building?" like this HELLO!\\
'''(BOOM!)'''\\
''Zone conquered''
** Hilariously, this is subverted in the ''very next mission'', since [[DevelopersForesight the developers anticipated this strategy]]. The next mission has archers who snipe the bombs from a distance, blowing his bomb truck to hell and back before it even gets close, forcing him to once again [[IgnoredEpiphany begin building more complex contraptions]].
* When ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' is watching ''Film/JurassicPark'', he ''harshly'' criticizes the opening scene where the park worker is killed by the velociraptor, noting the glaring IdiotBall-ness of the scene and how there were dozens of much easier and safer ways to get that thing into the pen.
-->'''Critic:''' They try to transport one of the highly intelligent raptors via Portal Cube, when, of course, something goes wrong. You know, was there really no other way to get these things into their cages? Brute force doesn't do much compared to common sense. I mean, look at the forklift. They could lift it just a little bit higher, then boom. drop it in. Or tranquilizers. Why not tranquilizers? Couldn't they just knock these things out and then slip them in that way? [[SarcasmMode Or were the raptors too smart for that plan?]]
* In [[WebVideo/CriticalRoleCampaignThree Campaign 3]] of ''WebVideo/CriticalRole'', the group needs to get the name of a dwarf that they're looking for, managing to track his last known location to an inn. While everyone is discussing how to get the name from the tavern's owner — mostly coming up with ideas that are either risky or illegal — Ashton suggests just bribing the tavern owner to tell them the name of the dwarf. Twenty gold and some sly wording later, Ashton has a name.
* ''WebVideo/LegalEagle'', during his analysis of ''Film/LiarLiar'', points out a number of times where Fletcher ''could'' have gotten around things by being completely honest -- that is ''not'' by using a half-truth or just refusing to speak. Like when Fletcher wants a continuance because he can't lie, it's explained he could have pointed out that the previous lawyer withdrew just yesterday and he's a brand-new lawyer on the case: this would be a ''more'' than valid reason for a continuance, as a lawyer needs ample time to familiarize himself with a case.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansTheSeries'':
** In the episode "Mooove On Over", the two cows, Duchess and Princess, are arguing that the other is taking up too much room in their stall. Cadpig tries to help, by using her own style of therapy on them, which eventually leads to the entire Dearly Farm at each other's throats. Duchess and Princess then explain what their issue is and Spot suggests they just open the side of their stall up, which they agree would work. Hearing how easy the solution is makes all the other animals enraged at Cadpig.
** In the episode "Film Fatale", the Dalmatians learn from a newspaper that the Thunderbolt movie is playing at the Cruellaplex Theater; however, said theater does not allow animals in. Spot suggests simply checking to see if the film is also playing at an animal-friendly theater, but Lucky’s impulsiveness interrupts her before she gets a chance to check. After their misadventures in the Cruellaplex, they find the other Dalmatians watching the film at a drive-in theater, with Pongo showing them that the newspaper also said it was playing there.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'': In one episode, [[LegionOfDoom all of Jimmy Neutron's past villains have teamed up]]. They had just captured Jimmy on their spaceship and started shotgunning for ideas on how to kill him. Eventually, [[IdiotSavant Finbar Calamitous]] starts to map out a [[ComplexityAddiction ridiculously complicated and elaborate device]] that combined everyone's ideas, until [[EnfantTerrible Baby Eddie]] blurts out [[ThrownOutTheAirlock "Just blast him into deep space!"]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'': In the episode "The DVD," Gumball accidentally ruins a DVD he rented, and goes through all manner of elaborate {{Zany Scheme}}s to either pay for or replace said DVD. Darwin suggests that they simply "face the consequences of their actions and tell Mom" every few minutes or so, but Gumball dismisses him every time. At the end, when Nicole ''does'' find out and simply pays for the DVD, Gumball [[HypocriticalHumor hypocritically]] throws the same "face the consequences of their actions" line right back at Darwin; Darwin, justifiably pissed, promptly decks him for it.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'': In "Daesong Heavy Industries II: Return to Innocence", Steve and Roger are on a raft in the middle of the ocean when Roger, as his survivalist character Buck Wettnap, claims that he once survived four days in a Del Taco parking lot living on puddles and bird droppings. Steve questions why he didn't just buy food from the Del Taco itself; after a long {{beat}}, Roger reasons that he prefers Taco Bell.
* "Slappy Goes Walnuts", an ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' skit where Slappy decides to steal walnuts from Doug the Dog to make lunch for her nephew, gives us this amazing dialogue when Skippy suggests just buying the walnuts they need:
--> '''Skippy:''' I don't know, Aunt Slappy. I think we should just go to the store and buy some walnuts.\\
'''Slappy:''' Ooh yeah! [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall We'll have them in hysterics with that bit]]! Six minutes in the check-out aisle! Oooh, somebody stop me, I'm laughing!
* ''WesternAnimation/AtomicBetty'': Maximus IQ once disguised a robot to pose as a long lost galactic guardian and lure Betty to a trap. Since the robot had an explosive device, Minimus suggested they could simply detonate it and finish off Betty but Maximus wanted to [[EvilGloating make sure Betty knew he's the reason for her demise]]. Then, as he had her dangling over a pool with deadly fish, Minimus suggested they'd just cut the rope but Maximus wanted to taunt her.
* In the [[LegionOfDoom Masters of Evil]] episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', after the Masters captured five of the Avengers, [[GeniusBruiser Abomination]] tells Baron Zemo to kill the ones they have captured, because the others will come. But Zemo ignores, and even berates him. He ''really'' should have listened.
-->'''Abomination:''' It's a mistake to keep them alive, Zemo!
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''
** A comic-based episode had Joker poring over a variety of odd tortures to inflict on Batman; he flies into a rage after Characters/{{Harley Quinn|TheCharacter}} matter-of-factly offers to [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just shoot him]]. Irony bites Harley in the ass after her own dramatic death trap nearly succeeds until Joker [[TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou becomes angry at her for upstaging him]] and busts in to stop her. Even more ironic, the Joker then goes to shoot the restrained Batman anyway after he gets Harley out of the picture, as it's just too rare an opportunity to turn down. By this point, of course, Batman has freed himself. And then, Batman reveals that [[BatmanGambit he knew that Joker wouldn't hesitate to stop anyone else killing him]], meaning this whole thing was AllAccordingToPlan.
** In the episode "The Trial", Batman's rogues gallery put him through a JokerJury scenario. Two-Face makes the off-hand comment that he suggested "a quick slug between the eyes" instead of going through all the theatrics, but lost the coin toss.
** One episode has Batgirl and Catwoman suspended over acid after being captured by Roland Dagget. Batgirl tries to taunt him into gloating, telling their master plan, or killing them in some ridiculously elaborate villain way (to buy time to be rescued), but Dagget points out [[PragmaticVillainy the simple and smart thing to do]] is to just shoot them and use the acid to dispose of the bodies.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'' does this to ''the entire Batman franchise'' with the villainous D.A.V.E, who manages to figure out Batman's SecretIdentity and takes great pleasure in explaining how, rather than with an elaborate villainous scheme or by managing to best Batman in a fight and rip the mask off, he simply accessed publicly-available statistics and information about Gotham's citizens and systematically narrowed it down to the one person who could actually be Batman -- something anyone who could play ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_Who%3F Guess Who]]'' could reasonably pull off:
--> '''D.A.V.E:''' You probably want to know how I uncovered your secret. It was simple, really. Using information readily available to anyone, I began by narrowing down Gotham's population of 750,832 males. Those not falling inside the Batman's probable age range of 18 to 36 were eliminated (the number drops to 137,628). Medical records revealed body type matches (the number drops to 22,157). Tax records indicated those who possess the wealth and resources to create his technology (the number drops to ''3''). But the true key to the puzzle was deducing who of the remaining candidates had motive to become the Batman. After all, every great hero must have an origin. And once Gotham's ultimate criminal mastermind put it all together, the answer was obvious. Bruce Wayne, son of the late Thomas and Martha Wayne.
* When [[Characters/BatmanTheJoker The Joker]] obtains godlike power in the "Emperor Joker" episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', Harley Quinn suggests that, now that he's got Batman where he wants him, he should take his mask off and find out who he is. Note that he actually kills Batman. Repeatedly.
-->'''Joker:''' And reduce my primal enemy to a mere man? Harley, my dear, I'm so disappointed in you. Where's the fun in that?
* ''WesternAnimation/BeingIan'': When Cory is on an escalator that breaks down and everyone else is panicked by the fact that he’s ‘stuck’ Sandi repeatedly asks why he doesn’t just walk up.
* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'': In "Barry Cuda", an annoying singing fish plaque drives the Greens into insanity and when it gets destroyed nonstop, Cricket realizes his whole family was responsible for the sake of hating him. When Cricket realizes this, he "kills" Barry himself; when Bill asks him how he did, Cricket says he just took the batteries out, something the family never even thought of.
* It happens twice in a row on ''WesternAnimation/CaptainStar'' during ''Day of the Zooties'', where a massive HiveMind sentient carpet that spreads like AlienKudzu and takes over the planet by covering every surface and enslaving the minds of those who live there into feeding it by shampooing it. ([[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Just go with it]]). Star decides that, since it was brought there by a salesman, the best way to deal with it is to simply return it to the manufacturer. When that fails (as the people who created it have been taken over by it), Scarlet decides the next best thing is to simply disobey the aftercare instructions printed on the tag. ''This works''.
* ''WesternAnimation/CentralPark'':
** In Season 1 "[[Recap/CentralParkS1E6RivalBusker Rival Busker]]", when Birdie tries to rescue Owen & Cole from the tree, he suggests getting one of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloons (a [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pikachu]] or [[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} Garfield]]) to cushion their fall. Owen just tells him to get a ladder from the park’s storage shed.
** In Season 1 "[[Recap/CentralParkS1E8HotOven Hot Oven]]", when Owen's oven catches on fire and wonders how he's going to heat his pizza, Birdie points out he could just buy a pizza but Owen refuses. When Owen and Birdie take the pizza to the forge so Jimmy can heat it, Jimmy also points out the same solution to Owen, but Owen counters he could buy a sword instead of forging one and Jimmy responds with {{Touche}}.
** In Season 1 "[[Recap/CentralParkS1E9LiveItUpTonight Live It Up Tonight]]", when Bitsy wants to get warm, she tells Helen to use her knife to cut herself open so she can sleep inside her. Helen tells her she's going to use the knife to pry the hinge pins from the door off so they can leave the room.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'': In the episode "Gazpacho Moves In," Gazpacho, having been thrown out of his mother's house, stays at Mung Daal's catering company until he gets back on his feet, and quickly becomes TheThingThatWouldNotLeave. Mung Daal decides the best way to kick Gazpacho out is to use a Multi-Rye Sandwich to [[MesACrowd clone him]], intending that Gazpacho would get so annoyed by his own behavior that he would leave. Truffles even lampshades it ("[[LampshadeHanging 'Cause just asking him to leave makes]] ''[[LampshadeHanging so]]'' [[LampshadeHanging little sense.]]"). The plan backfires when Gazpacho becomes friends with the clone, and when Chowder stupidly feeds him even more sandwiches and makes dozens of clones, it's only then that Mung decides to simply kick Gazpacho out.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': In "WesternAnimation/TheUltimateEnemy," Danny's evil future self traps Danny in the future while he goes back in time [[MakeWrongWhatOnceWentRight to make sure the events that lead to his existence still happen]]. Danny can't travel back to the past until he removes the time-traveling medallion his future self fused inside him. The only person he can go to for help is the future version of Vlad Masters, who's now become TheAtoner, planning to have him use the Ghost Gauntlets to remove the medallion so he can return to the past and stop his future self. Vlad, however, points out that he could also just kill Danny on the spot and prevent the BadFuture from ever happening ("[[DidntThinkThisThrough Didn't think of that, did you?]]"); fortunately, he doesn't go through with it.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'', the Dark Lord Chuckles the Silly Piggy is trying to break into Udregoth Castle. When his nephew asks why he doesn't just use the Mystical Amulet of Hogswineboar to blow a hole in the wall, Chuckles tries to give a reason and after failing, mutters how much he hates his nephew before using the amulet to blast the wall.
* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': In the Justice Friends minisode "Pain in the Mouth," Krunk suffers a toothache as a result of getting a tortilla chip stuck in his tooth, and Major Glory chooses to go through all manner of elaborate, overly complicated schemes to try to either remove the chip or the tooth; after every failure, Valhallen suggests that they simply take Krunk to the dentist, and every time, Major Glory blows him off on the grounds that ''he's'' TheLeader, so they do what ''he'' says. Eventually, Krunk, recalling what his favorite TV show said to do when one has a toothache, goes to the dentist on his own, and said dentist is able to remove the chip quickly and painlessly. It's also revealed that Major Glory is overdue for some extensive (and presumably painful) dental work, which explains why he was so against the dentist in the first place.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}}'', right after the king of the elves holds a secret meeting, he preemptively arrests [[MeaningfulName Blabbo]] to prevent the humans from finding out. As Blabbo is being hauled away, he snaps that the king should just stop inviting him to secret meetings.
* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'', when he sneaks up behind an {{Elite Mook|s}} with a ''towed howitzer'', aims it, then sighs he can't do it since it's too easy. He then takes out the mook with a ridiculous ambush, like he did with the others. It should be noted that when it comes to shooting wildly with his raygun, Jim has little hesitation.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy:''
** In one episode, the Eds want to watch a monster movie at Ed's place, but Sarah keeps kicking them out.
--->'''Edd:''' We could just go to my house, Eddy...\\
'''Eddy:''' [[BreakingTheFourthWall What? And ruin the plot?]]
** And in "The Day the Ed Stood Still" when Eddy is trying to get into Kevin's house from the back to see the other kids' terrified reactions to Ed's monster form:
--->'''Eddy''': ''(tugging on a window latch with all his strength)'' WHAT'S WITH THESE STUPID WINDOWS?!\\
'''Edd''': ''(draws Eddy's attention, then calmly opens the backdoor, which was unlocked, and smirks.)''\\
'''Eddy''': I hate it when you do that.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'':
** In "Father Time!", Wanda constantly does this, only to be ignored. First, she suggests that Timmy wish all his chores done. Cosmo suggests that he melt it all with HeatVision. Then, after this wish destroys Mr. Turner's prize trophy, she suggests Timmy apologize. Cosmo suggests TimeTravel, and this wins. Then, as they go back in time to stop Mr. Turner from winning the trophy, Wanda points out he could just have gone back a few minutes and stopped himself from destroying the trophy in the first place.
** The VillainEpisode has Crocker becoming [[JackassGenie Norm's]] master. Finding they both hate Timmy, Norm grants Crocker's wishes with no catch... at first. However, throughout the show, Crocker insists on using elaborate Wile E. Coyote-like traps rather than easily teleporting him to Mars, as Norm keeps suggesting. It annoys Norm to no end. [[spoiler:And it's used against him at the end after Norm agrees on a temporary truce with Timmy.]]
** Another episode has Timmy needing to open a lemonade stand to make money (Da Rules prevent wishing for money and the tickets he wants to buy are finite, meaning he can't wish for them without stealing from someone), so he tries making tasty lemonade. As he tries the CordonBleughChef routine, Wanda wonders why he doesn't just wish for better lemonade.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode, "Pilling Them Softly", Peter and Quagmire end up at odds over a cooking show they're working on. In the end, they both decide they don't want to lose their friendship over a TV show and decide the only way to get out of it is to say the one word that cost Paula Deen her show. [[note]]For those of you who don't know, it was the "N" word.[[/note]] Right before they're about to say it, [[CurseCutShort it cuts to them at the Drunken Clam looking awkwardly at Cleveland]], who angrily tells them they could have just quit the show.
* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'':
** Dipper and Mabel need to sneak into the Mystery Shack, which is being guarded by government agents. Mabel suggests beating up the guards and do an UnnecessaryCombatRoll as they go through the front door. Dipper then [[LampshadeHanging outright states]] that there's a simpler solution. They then use a GrapplingHookPistol to zipline through the attic window.
** This is actually the cause of the overarching MythArc. [[spoiler:When Stan tried to burn the journal the Author had given to him rather than go through a DangerousDeviceDisposalDebacle, he didn't want his research destroyed and flipped out, resulting in a skirmish that got the scientist sucked into the portal for thirty years.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'': Laney, with her role as OnlySaneWoman of the band, tends to do this when it comes to her CloudCuckoolander bandmates' {{Zany Scheme}}s.
** In "Dreamreaver", after Grojband's new music video ends up putting Trina into a catatonic state, the following exchange ensues regarding what to do with the unconscious Trina.
--->'''Kin:''' There's only one thing we can do!\\
'''Laney:''' Get her to a doctor?\\
'''Kin and Kon:''' [[JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind Connect our minds using science helmets and enter her dream!]]\\
'''Corey:''' Whew! Glad there's a simple logical solution.
** In "Ahead of Our Own Tone", Corey learns afrom Kin and Kon about the electronic music band D-Keizer Zaps and how they were considered "ahead of their own time" for their futuristic-sounding music, leading to this exchange.
--->'''Corey:''' Guys, we should totally be ahead of our time too!\\
'''Laney:''' By creating a new and innovative sound?\\
'''Corey:''' Pfft, that's way too hard. We'll just go one year into the future and see what music's like, then come back to unleash the trend before anyone else!
* In the ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' ChristmasEpisode, [[VillainProtagonist Zim]] [[BadSanta poses as Santa]] and throws [[HeroAntagonist Dib]] in "Jingle Jail." He breaks out easily, [[CardboardPrison as the bars are made of candy cane]]. Then, when he's captured again:
-->'''Zim:''' This time throw him in the actually ''strong'' Jingle Jail!\\
'''Dib:''' ''(being dragged away)'' [[OnlySaneMan Why didn't you throw me in the strong one in the first place?]]\\
'''Zim:''' You can never understand my amazing brain!
** In "Door to Door," the skool holds a fundraiser to buy new desks. Dib points out that they could have just bought desks with the money they spent on candy bars and prizes for the fundraiser, only for Miss Bitters to dismiss it.
* In ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'', the Butler of the villain, a [[CatsAreMean cat]] (ItMakesSenseInContext), asks him why his DoomsdayDevice that will turn everyone into cats has a countdown on it. The villain {{justifie|dTrope}}s this by pointing out it gives them enough time to get out of range since if the butler gets transformed, he won't be able to clean up after the former.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' (also part of the Franchise/DCAnimatedUniverse)
** ''Justice League Unlimited'': Several years later, it seems the Joker has learnt his lesson. After the Injustice Gang captures Batman, Luthor wants to keep Batman imprisoned so that he can interrogate him and learn the Justice League's weaknesses. Joker, who knows from experience that keeping Batman alive isn't going to end well, tells Luthor to [[CombatPragmatist Just Shoot Him]]. Luthor doesn't listen, and Bats go on to take the Injustice League apart from the inside. Ironically, there is never a suggestion made to remove Batman's mask.
** Ex-actor-turned-[[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifter]] Clayface makes the suggestion to Gorilla Grodd in another episode after capturing the heroes, specifically mentioning he's acted in enough movies to catch on that the heroes always think of a way out, and it would be better to just kill the subdued heroes immediately instead of trying to bring about a dramatic climax. Gorilla Grodd comments that he's not much for movies, and convinces him to go along with the dramatic approach by offering him an important center-stage role in the executions. Of course, it turns out [[spoiler:"Clayface" is really the shapeshifting hero J'onn J'onzz masquerading as the villain]].
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' has a tradition of {{Genre Blind|ness}} villains and savvy henchmen, so you'll see the Simple Solution getting stated a lot.
** Señor Senior Sr. is a billionaire who has become a willfully genre-blind villain simply ForTheLulz. His son, Señor Senior Jr., is not terribly bright but is at least capable of noticing that 'the traditions of villainy' are not very practical. His common-sense questions exasperate his father, who feels that his son "doesn't [[ContractualGenreBlindness get it]]".
---> '''Señor Senior Sr.:''' I will aim the laser so as to shoot the icicles, causing them to drop upon our foes.\\
'''Señor Senior Jr.:''' Why do you not simply aim the laser at their bodies??\\
'''Señor Senior Sr.:''' Junior, if you do not understand the traditions of villainy by now, I have failed as a parent.
** Shego, the HypercompetentSidekick to the resident MadScientist Dr. Drakken, tends to state simple solutions too, but usually out of exasperation. Drakken's forever coming up with ways to seal Kim in a deathtrap or break her HeroicWillpower, while Shego feels that it would take a lot less effort and brainpower to, you know, [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim shoot her.]]
---> '''Shego:''' I prefer the 'direct approach', but [[HarmlessVillain you know Drakken....]]
* ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperHeroes'': Brainiac 5 stops Bouncing Boy from using his communicator to alert Superman, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl about Dr. Londo's illicit experiments with the local wildlife (and possibly with other beings as well.) Brainiac points out that Dr. Londo would be monitoring communicator traffic and tried to think hard enough for Saturn Girl to contact them telepathically. Bouncing Boy states that he could call out to them seeing that they were within range to hear him; it worked. Just as well too as Saturn Girl was unconscious at the time.
* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'':
** In "WesternAnimation/DuckDodgersInTheTwentyFourthAndAHalfCentury'', Dodgers shows the Space Cadet a needlessly complicated route for reaching Planet X, so complicated he doesn't even understand it himself. Cadet then suggests following a line of conveniently lettered planets, a suggestion [[GladIThoughtOfIt Dodgers then takes as his own]].
** In "My Little Duckaroo", Daffy is a bounty hunter trying to bring in outlaw Nasty Canasta. After failing to subdue him with tough talk, sidekick Porky says "Why don't you just plain old arrest him?" Daffy does just that, although it turns out to be just as ineffective.
* In ''{{WesternAnimation/Mickey Mouse|2013}}: Duck the Halls'', Donald (who, [[NoContinuity for the purposes of this story]], has never experienced Christmas before since [[FurryReminder he always goes south for the winter]]) wants to stay with Mickey and have a proper Christmas, even though the cold will probably kill him. Only after his friends have realised this and stolen Santa's sleigh to rush him to a more agreeable climate does Santa point out that you ''can'', in fact, celebrate Christmas in the subtropics.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': Most of the main characters have to get to outer space to save Milo, and the only space craft they have access to is missing its carburetor. They also ''have'' the matching carburetor, but touching it temporarily turns a person's bones into jelly (which they find soothing and enjoy doing for fun, but will delay the process and cost them some serious time). They set up a relay system where each person touches it for only a second before passing it on to the next person. After it's in place and they're all on the floor waiting for their bones to resolidify, Zack points out that they could have just used tongs to avoid touching it directly.
* Many an episode in ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' has Marinette try to get closer to her crush Adrien by orchestrating this overly-romantic scenario via a ZanyScheme. And many times there is this one person who points out that instead of cooking up these ploys, Marinette could just tell Adrien how she feels and ask him out directly. Naturally, Marinette would rather go for the scheme, because she's too scared of him possibly rejecting her that she concocts her schemes as a delaying action.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''
** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E7HorsePlay Horse Play]]," Applejack repeatedly tells Twilight that she should just be honest about [[BadBadActing how bad Princess Celestia's acting is]], and admit that Celestia shouldn't act in the play. Twilight refuses to listen for the sake of Celestia's dream of starring in a play. Sure enough, everything comes crashing down when [[RageBreakingPoint Twilight can't take how bad things are going anymore]]. Celestia even lampshades it, saying that she's not disappointed that Twilight doesn't like her acting, but that Twilight thought she could lie her way through it.
** Mean Twilight Sparkle from "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E13TheMean6 The Mean Six]]" realizes that Queen Chrysalis needed to get close enough to get hair and photos of the original Mane Six's cutie marks in order to cast the spell that made the clones. This, Mean Twilight asks Chrysalis [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim why she didn't just kill them when she was up close and personal]]. Chrysalis snaps back that the Mane Six and their allies have defeated the entire changeling army in the past. Even if Chrysalis had the element of surprise, [[PragmaticVillainy fighting the Mane Six and Starlight Glimmer alone was likely going to end badly]].
** Subverted with Grogar's LegionOfDoom. He recruits Cozy Glow, Lord Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, and King Sombra while telling them about his plan to work together, shore up Grogar's power, and raze Equestria to the ground by defeating Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Sombra states it would be much simpler to just take the Crystal Empire on his own and destroy anyone who stands in his way. To Sombra's credit, he does fairly well, conquering both the Crystal Empire and Equestria with almost laughable ease, until the Mane Six show up and ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids graphically obliterate him on-screen]]'' with ThePowerOfFriendship. Seeing this, the rest of the Legion [[OhCrap quickly decides Grogar's plan is the way to go]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Picture This", Ferb had left his skateboard in Britain, and Phineas announces a plan to teleport it back home with "a highly intricate and sophisticated machine". Lawrence, their dad, suggests that they could just build a new skateboard instead. However, the boys suffer ComplexityAddiction and ignore the easier option.
** Dr. Doofenshmirtz tends to do this to himself. He ''could'' simply move his chair to avoid looking at a building he doesn't like, but that's inconvenient for him. It's easier to destroy the opposing building.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Powerpuff Girls|1998}}'' episode "Fallen Arches" presents a heroic example. The girls run up against the Ministry of Pain, an elderly team of arch-criminals who have recently come out of retirement. Despite Bubbles and Buttercup pointing out that they ''easily'' take them, Blossom refuses to let them fight the Ministry of Pain on the grounds that they have to "respect their elders," and instead decides to talk the Ministry's equally elderly archenemies, [[OldSuperhero Captain Righteous and Lefty]], out of retirement to do the job for them. The end result: all five old men end up hospitalized, and the local news outright states that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the entire mess could have been avoided]] [[LampshadeHanging if the Powerpuff Girls had just stepped in and stopped the Ministry of Pain in the first place]].
* ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'' has this as a RunningGag where, after the episode's villain goes on their MotiveRant, Daphne asks them why they didn't go with the obvious solution to their problem, to which they say they didn't think of it. For example, in the episode, "Night of the Living Burger", a local restaurant, O'Greazy's Bucket O' Fun Restaurant, is being haunted by a giant sentient burger. In the end, the villain turns out to be the restaurant's most decorated employee. He was upset that for all of his years of service, Mr. O'Greazy never gave him what he really wanted: a raise. Daphne then asks him why he didn't just quit and find a better paying job. He never thought of that.
* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': In "[[Recap/ReadyJetGoS1E15IceMoonEnceladusWhatGoesUp What Goes Up]]", Mindy says that Mitchell should just directly ask Jet what he's building instead of spying on him, but Mitchell still thinks it's a good idea to spy on Jet because "that's what detectives do".
* In the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode "The Big Question", Filburt is trying to propose to Dr. Hutchinson, who is attending her high school reunion with an old friend named Tiger (who her mother keeps trying to push together and get her to leave Filburt). He and Heffer end up coming up with a plan based on a tradition where the homecoming king from Hutchinson's class (Tiger) goes to cut the cake, which they end up rigging with a bomb that's supposed to cover him with icing, giving Filburt enough time to pop the question. As they're explaining the plan, Rocko points out that Filburt could have just gotten to Hutchinson right then and ask her since she's alone. He initially refuses to break from the plan, only for Rocko to accuse him of stalling.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E6MargeOnTheLam Marge on the Lam]]" Ruth Powers stole her ex-husband's car since he wouldn't pay alimony. Marge's response:
--->'''Marge''': Didn't you realize all you had to do was report him to the police? \\
'''Ruth''': [[DidntThinkThisThrough Marge, you're the levelheaded friend I never had.]]
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS12E15HungryHungryHomer Hungry Hungry Homer]]", Homer is on a hunger strike so Marge has the kids eat what would have been his portions of dinner to keep it from going to waste. Lisa points out that she could just make ''less'' food, to which Marge replies "That's not how I do things, Lisa" while glaring at her.
** "I'm With Cupid" has Apu going to ludicrous lengths to impress Manjula for Valentine's Day, which annoys all the other men in Springfield because it's making them look bad to their wives by comparison. Homer and some friends conspire to foil Apu's final act to salvage themselves, spending ''hours'' following him around town waiting for an opportunity, which prompts Ned to point out that for all the effort they've put into trying to foil Apu so far it would have been no problem to have each done something fantastic for their wives. [[IgnoredEpiphany Naturally he gets thrown from the car for this and they continue stalking Apu]], but [[TheDogBitesBack at least he manages to grab a hunk of Moe's hair before being thrown out]].
---> '''Moe:''' AAAGH THAT REALLY SMARTS!!!
** In "The Great Louse Detective" when Sideshow Bob is [[BoxedCrook forced to help The Simpsons identify Homer's attempted murderer]], Lenny, Carl, and Moe all question why Bob has had so much trouble killing Bart and say, rather than Bob's convoluted schemes to kill the kid, that he'd have a far easier time [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim ambushing him with a knife and slitting his throat]]. Bob takes this to heart and actually tries this toward the end of the episode.
---> '''Bob:''' Now I'm going to take some advice that was given to me by Lenny... and kill you without delay!
* In several episodes of ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'' (as well as in some early issues of the [[ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics Archie Sonic comic]]), Robotnik has Sonic at his mercy, and Sniveley asks why Robotnik doesn't just roboticize him. Snively also has a habit of questioning Robotnik's more elaborate plots.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'':
** Knowing Cartman's [[InstantAIJustAddWater trapper keeper]] will take over the world, a robot from the future claiming to be Bill Cosby aims to just kill Cartman before it can. Stan and Kyle are okay with this since [[TheFriendNobodyLikes they don't like Cartman]], but [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove the robot starts to develop compassion]], and instead suggests they go talk to Cartman's mother.
** In "Grey Dawn", [[ItMakesSenseInContext after the AARP take over the town and put most of the non- senior citizens in a prison camp, the boys realize that shutting down Country Kitchen Buffet will leave the senior citizens powerless.]] Cartman comes up with an elaborate plan where the boys will sneak into town at night and strap explosives to Kyle while he goes inside the restaurant and destroys it. Stan then points out that they could just lock the store from the inside so they can't get in. Cartman admits they could do just that but still keeps trying to push the idea of strapping the bombs to Kyle.
** In "Handicar," Mimsy [[DumbassHasAPoint makes a surprisingly good point to Nathan]] that Nathan always comes up with plans to get out of going to summer camp, but they all inevitably backfire. Mimsy thus suggests that Nathan just tell his parents that he doesn't want to go to summer camp. Nathan seems to consider it for a moment, but then [[IgnoredEpiphany slaps Mimsy and tells him to shut up]]. He DOES try it at the end of the episode, but his mother pretends to be unable to understand him, as both parents enjoy the time off.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "Krabs a la Mode", Plankton attempts to freeze the Krusty Krab out of business by turning down the thermostat, but Mr. Krabs turns it into an ice rink; Karen comments aside why he didn't just steal a krabby patty as usual in all this ruckus, prompting Plankton to return to his word.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
** During the episode "Sworn to the Sword", Steven becomes concerned for his friend Connie but isn't quite sure how to tell her. He consults a book titled "How to Talk to People":
--->''Step 1: Think about what you want to say.\\
Step 2: Say it.''
** In one episode, Steven has lost Ranger Guy, a toy that's really important to him. [[CreepyChild Onion]] has an identical one[[note]](it's actually Steven's, which Onion stole)[[/note]], so Steven trades him a magical MatterReplicator for it. Onion then uses the replicator [[EnfantTerrible to wreck the town]].
--->'''Pearl:''' Steven, why didn't you just replicate Ranger Guy?!\\
'''Steven:''' ({{Beat}})\\
'''Steven:''' Darn it!
** In the episode "Now We're Only Calling Apart", [[spoiler: after the huge spoiler:"Rose Quartz is Pink Diamond" bombshell has been dropped, and after Pearl explained how her Diamond [[HeelFaceTurn fell in love with Earth and wanted to save the planet]], an angry Sapphire asks her why Pink didn't stop the colonization herself without sparking the Rebellion. Pearl tells her that Pink ''[[WhamLine tried]]'' and, at one point [[AintTooProudToBeg even begged in knees the Diamonds to spare Earth]], but they ignored her, misinterpreted her wish by building the Human Zoo, or threatened her to seize the colony from her and finish it themselves while keeping her as a leader in name only. So Pink, having enough of having her pleas rejected, had no choice but to become Rose Quartz and start the Gem War]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'', Mister Mxyzptlk's wife asks Mxyzptlk why he simply doesn't destroy Superman instead of playing games with him after Mxyzptlk expresses his annoyance with being repeatedly out-foxed by the Man of Steel. Mxyzptlk (who is a RealityWarper on level with a PhysicalGod) decides to follow her advice... by building an overly complicated HumongousMecha [[ComicallyMissingThePoint and trying to fight Superman with it]]. It works about as well as can be imagined. He did have a bit better luck when he just went with a kryptonite missile though; still failed but the attempt at being more direct was there.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TimonAndPumbaa'' episode "The Pain in Spain", Timon and Pumbaa are in Spain where Pumbaa has been mistaken for a bull and is about to be forced into a bullfight he cannot win. While they wait for the fight to begin, Timon draws up an incredibly detailed escape plan involving maps, tunnels, and much more. When he finishes, Pumbaa simply says "... maybe we should just sneak out the back door."
* A Villain of the Week in ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'' is a former model who lost her leg in a photoshoot with a lion. She decides to take over the fashion industry using a machine to swap body parts between women (such as Clover's legs, Alex's hair, and Sam's teeth) and create an army of perfect models. Alex asks why she didn't just use the machine to get herself a new leg instead. The villain replies that she has a point, but [[ForTheEvulz her plan sounds a lot more fun]].
* ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'':
** A heroic example in ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'': After Optimus Primal [[spoiler: took the Spark of Optimus Prime into his body to thwart Megatron's assassination attempt]], Megatron came into the Ark with Inferno to finish the job. Despite [[spoiler: Prime's spark]] giving Primal the size, as well as the physical and ''fire'' power of a large Autobot, he hesitates to attack since he might alter history. Regardless, after Megatron and Optimus argue a bit, Rattrap gets fed up and asks:
-->'''Rattrap:''' Oh for bootin' up cold!! Will ya just ''shoot'' 'im?
** People have been saying this about Megatron and [[TheStarscream Starscream]] for ''years'' due to Screamer's constant attempts to take leadership of the Decepticons in just about every continuity. In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'', [[spoiler:it finally happens, only for Starscream to become immortal from a shard of the Allspark embedded in his head. Megatron proceeds to kill him about five more times in a single episode, to no avail]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
** In the episode "The Lepidopterists", Jonah Venture Jr. is dumbfounded when he finds out that he must consult with both the OSI and the handbook of the Guild of Calamitous Intent on the rules of "arching" instead of just killing the Monarch after being attacked. He's told that as insane and stupid as the whole process is, it's better to play along than actually pissing off the Guild.
** When 21 captures Hank and Dean [[spoiler: to try and get them to confess killing 24]], Rusty and Sergeant Hatred follow their trace back to the villain community of Malice where Doctor Ms. The Monarch suggests to Rusty "Didn't you try ''calling them?''"
** As silly as "Arching" is, it is the only thing stopping the Guild full of powerful, mentally unstable, and highly dangerous people from doing real crimes rather than acts of cartoonish super-villainy.
* On one episode of ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl'', Dr. Two-Brains has been stealing gold -- to turn into potato salad with his [[TransformationRay gold-to-potato-salad ray]], which he then turns into cheese with his potato-salad-to-cheese ray. His henchman at one point actually ask if they can use some of the gold to pay rent, but he's reluctant to allow it because he has [[AnimalMotifs "a whole mouse thing going on here"]] and will be considered a boring villain [[ComplexityAddiction if he just steals gold to use as gold]]. When [[TheHero WordGirl]] finally confronts him, she has some questions regarding his methods.
-->'''[=WordGirl=]:''' So, you're stealing gold, then transforming it into potato salad?\\
'''Dr. Two-Brains:''' Mmm-hmm!\\
'''[=WordGirl=]:''' Then you're taking that potato salad and transforming it into cheese?\\
'''Dr. Two-Brains:''' Right.\\
'''[=WordGirl=]:''' Doesn't that seem a little unnecessarily difficult? I mean, why not steal potato salad instead of gold?\\
'''Dr. Two-Brains:''' Huh?\\
'''[=WordGirl=]:''' Or use the gold to buy the potato salad. Or, why not just steal cheese in the first place?\\
'''Dr. Two-Brains:''' Oh... boy. Seems obvious when you say it that way, but... but I have my reasons!
* ''WesternAnimation/TheZetaProject'', which is ''also'' part of the DCAU, actually went out of its way to explain why they didn't shoot Zeta. Apparently the writers were aware this trope was being overused, so the first episode of the series proper has Bennett explaining two things: firstly, he's a very expensive robot assassin they cannot afford to rebuild, and secondly, he's an assassin and too much violence could trigger violence in retaliation. The possibility of bystanders being hit by stray bullets is addressed later on, as is the general concept of civilian death and crossfire damage. It is also mentioned they want to bring him back as intact as possible to find out what terrorist group was able to change his programming (being unaware/unwilling to realize Zeta himself [[HeelFaceTurn forsook being an assassin upon realizing he was ordered to kill an innocent man]]).
[[/folder]]

* In ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland2LeChucksRevenge'', [=LeChuck=] captures Guybrush, ties him and Wally up into an extremely elaborate torture device, and explains his plan to have both of them killed. When Guybrush asks why [=LeChuck=] didn't shoot him as soon as he came in, he responds: [[MediumAwareness "Because we had an extra disk."]]
* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater'':
** {{Inverted|Trope}} during the fight with Volgin. After the battle stops going his way, Volgin looks up at Ocelot and orders him to shoot Snake. Ocelot replies, "I'm afraid I can't do that. Fight like a man, Volgin."
** In the remakes, the achievement for [[TemporalParadox killing Ocelot and creating a time paradox]] is "[[JustEatGilligan Problem Solved, Series Over]]." ''Snake Eater'' is a prequel, and Ocelot is a major WildCard with a hand in just about every problem in the series.
* Lampshaded in ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen 4: Secret of the Oracle'' when Keen is surprised that the Gnostic Elders weren't killed instead of just kidnapped. The council page immediately handwaves this by telling him that the elders are immortal.

* ''VideoGame/DoubleSwitch'': At the end of the game, Lyle has [[spoiler: Eddie]] at his mercy, and he asks everyone what should be done with the guy. Brutus says "Just nail him!" However, Lyle ends up activating a trap that sends [[spoiler: Eddie]] flying around a couple of times, and then through a TrapDoor, supposedly sending him back to the basement.
* ''VideoGame/Portal2'': In the end, [[spoiler:[=GLaDOS=] states that she's been ignoring the simple solution of how to get rid of Chell: let her go. Killing Chell has proven itself to be very difficult, has caused [=GLaDOS=] no end of problems and Chell's ultimate goal throughout both games has been to leave the testing grounds. So why not just give Chell what she wants and let her go? [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial It's not like a gesture of gratitude or anything]]]].
* In a side conversation in ''VideoGame/Persona2: Innocent Sin'', the main characters discuss a few potential "simple solutions" to the current mess and decide they probably won't work; tracking down Joker by summoning him again won't work because he could simply choose not to appear, and trying to take advantage of the fact that rumors are coming true by starting a rumor that Joker is easy to defeat won't work because people wouldn't spread a rumor like that.
* In ''VideoGame/Persona5'', after Black Mask reveals their identity as TheMole in the Phantom Thieves, they also go into a MotiveRant. Black Mask, in essence, is willing to [[RevengeBeforeReason ruin their own life in the name of vengeance]] against their own personal target, even if it means killing the rest of the Thieves, causing mental shutdowns in dozens of innocent people, causing widespread accidents and destruction, and potentially sending all of Japan into chaos. The rest of the Thieves point out that they were already going to cause a [[HeelFaceBrainwashing change of heart on Black Mask's target]]; Black Mask could have just kept helping the Thieves in order to get their revenge, and that Black Mask is betraying the Thieves for nothing. However, Black Mask decides that [[IveComeTooFar they've gone too far to turn back now]], and attacks the Phantom Thieves.
* In ''VideoGame/TouhouYouyoumuPerfectCherryBlossom'', if you play as [[CuteWitch Marisa]], she will wonder about how to get the gate to the Netherworld to open up. The Prismriver Sisters then point out that they only need to fly over it.
* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'':
** In "Capture the Flag" Gaius Selan and Narrel propose venting plasma onto a Vaadwaur who seems invincible in order to create a vulnerability. Since you're standing in the transporter room at the time your character suggests just [[TeleporterAccident beaming him out into space]], but Selan says he tried that already.
** In ''Dust to Dust'' it's possible to suggest using transporters to bypass the Kobali temple's security measures in your hunt for [[spoiler: Keten/Ensign Kim]]. Captain Kim remarks that it's a good idea... and then, when trying to set it up, realizes that he can't contact his ship (prompting you to remark that the same seems to be true for you and your ship).

* A minor version in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' when a paladin gets upset that the caravan he's in keeps making stops instead of continuing to Light's Hope Chapel. Eventually, the senior paladin Argus remarks that they aren't far from the chapel and suggests he simply walk there.
* In the first Ronin mission in ''VideoGame/SaintsRow2'', the Saints want to rob a casino controlled and guarded by a rival gang. [[TheSmartGuy Pierce]] comes up with an elaborate multi-stage heist plan reminiscent of Film/OceansEleven. [[BloodKnight Johnny Gat]] suggests just walking in, murdering all the guards, and taking whatever they want. Since the Saints are violent sociopaths and not cunning thieves, The Boss picks Option 2.
* In ''VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour'' you meet the local DJ Bobby Ricks who asks you to find a key for a boat to escape town. Murphy suggests it'd be a lot easier and safer to just hotwire the boat rather than search the town for a key that may not even exist, but Ricks rebukes him almost immediately: [[GeniusLoci The town wants you to play its game and find the key]] and it doesn't like "cheating" one bit. [[ImpliedDeathThreat Cue anonymous caller dedicating a song to Bobby Ricks himself]]...

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}:'' The game takes place in a kingdom of monsters that is sealed underground by a magical barrier, which can only be crossed by a monster that has a human soul, or broken by the power of seven human souls. In the True Pacifist ending, [[spoiler: Toriel chastises Asgore for waiting until seven humans fell into the underground, instead of crossing the barrier with the first soul he got and collecting the other six from above ground. It's implied that Asgore was doing this because he was stalling; he really didn't want to kill anyone (or face another war with humanity, but he didn't have the heart to tell his subjects this because of how the idea of breaking the Barrier gave them hope.]]
* Sig's storyline in ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo20thAnniversary'' is about him wondering how to catch bugs if he can't do it with his demonic left hand, and if he can even make his left hand normal. After encounters with other characters who wonder about his red arm and eye, Sig runs into Amitie, who helps him to find a solution to his problem. The two eventually find Ms. Accord, who gives a ridiculously simple solution Sig somehow never thought of - [[spoiler:just catch bugs with his ''right'' hand instead. An AntiClimax indeed, but Sig doesn't seem to mind]].

* ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'': While most of the students are breaking their brains puzzling over how the killer of chapter 1 managed to move around during a blackout and throwing out ever more outlandish solutions, Akane puts forward that the killer had their own light source. [[spoiler: This is true- it was the flame from a portable stove.]]
* Oddly enough, Arcueid in ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' asks Nero this -- technically, she points out he's been messing around too much by making Shiki suffer, which just triggered his Nanaya side -- after Nero decides he's going to have fun and slowly eat Shiki instead of killing him outright. After Shiki starts kicking his ass, he realizes maybe it would have been a better idea not to play with his food.

* The second WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail is someone asking Strong Bad that if he hates [[RougeAnglesOfSatin "Homsar"]] so much, why doesn't he just kill him? Strong Bad responds that he is utterly right and [[AnvilOnHead dumps a "Heavy Lourde"]] at a newly invented character called Homsar (who did not exist up to this point and had little to no relation to Strong Bad's actual nemesis "Homestar"). Homsar would later prove to be NotQuiteDead and became an ongoing EasterEgg and EnsembleDarkHorse of the series.

* The bread and butter of WebAnimation/HowItShouldHaveEnded -- stating the far simpler and/or funnier way to solve the problem of the story than what the characters in the movie did. Examples include the ''Film/JurassicWorld'' park containing the Indominus Rex by such simple measures as not putting in a dinosaur-sized exit to the habitat and building a moat inside it (something real-life zoos very often do), [[Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar Bucky]] avoiding his [[BrainwashedAndCrazy conditioning]] being activated by plugging his ears, and [[Film/SuicideSquad2016 June]] preventing the whole plot of the film by making sure that the statue in which the Enchantress was trapped is never damaged or broken (like a good archaeologist should). However, it's also sometimes Deconstructed, like in the ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' HISHE, in which the simple method leads to Bing-Bong revealing the existence of the Mind World to Riley, causing her to go insane.
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': In episode 7, when Kaila expresses interest in obtaining a Mechelly, which is a RobotBuddy protector that will follow your orders even if you are evil, Keela points out that she and Kaila know next to nothing about Mechellies, so there is no way Kaila could acquire one. Kaila's response? Just ask someone.
-->'''Kaila''': Its a little something called ASKING AROUND! Thats how I found out about you, remember? Just because ''you'' are a social hermit doesn't mean ''I'' am!

* Used in ''ComicStrip/{{Nodwick}}'' when an evil henchman ends up asking his evil employers why they don't kill the adventurers they have so handily defeated. His only answer is to get a sword shoved in his face and a sharp admonishment that henchmen do not get to give orders.

* ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'': [[http://darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0276.html This strip]] and yes, a link to this page. May the Force preserve us, we're stuck in an infinite loop!:
-->'''Boba Fett:''' ''(to Jango)'' Why couldn't you just shoot him?\\
'''Jango Fett:''' What sort of criminal mastermind would I be if I did that?
* ''Webcomic/AntiheroForHire'': Both averted and lampshaded when Dr. Nefarious, embarrassed by his evil plan's failure, says he'd rather just shoot Shadehawk. Shadehawk is actually PROUD of him.

* ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'':
** The comic appears to be pulling this when [[spoiler:Frans Rayner has Mongo go to great lengths to capture Dr. [=McNinja=] alive instead of just killing him in combat]]. Dr. [=McNinja=] actually calls him out on this. It then justifies it when [[spoiler: Rayner reveals that Mongo has learned the value of human life and refuses to kill, forcing Rayner to go with the capture plan instead]].
** Later, [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/30p07/ this]] strip pulls it when yet another AlternateUniverse Chuck gets roped into becoming mayor post-attempted invasion from the Radical Lands. [[http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/30p20/ And then once again]].
* ''Webcomic/{{xkcd}}'':
** [[http://xkcd.com/444/ Macgyver gets lazy.]] Of course, the reason Macgyver never does that in [[Series/MacGyver1985 the show]] was that he DoesntLikeGuns and [[ThouShaltNotKill doesn't want to kill anyone]].
** An even more astute example comes when [[http://xkcd.com/530/ Randall Munroe is locked out of his apartment]]. Munroe has to hack into his roommate's Macbook downstairs and use a text-to-speech device to try and get inside. When someone else asks Munroe about the doorbell, Munroe is left in StunnedSilence, as the idea of just ringing the doorbell had apparently not occurred to him.

* Discussed in the "[[FourthWallMailSlot Ask Vector Prime a Question]]" section of the ''Webcomic/{{Insecticomics}}'' site; Vector Prime, a PhysicalGod, ''could'' have destroyed Megatron and save all of reality rather easily in ''Anime/TransformersCybertron''... But he states that if he did, the villain's fangirls would kill him. Later, he claims that ExecutiveMeddling prevented him from just saving the world in a single episode, lamenting the fact that he could have spent the rest of the series on a beach getting a foot massage from a supermodel.
* ''Webcomic/BobAndGeorge'': [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/041022c "Um, wouldn't it be easier to, say, blast me now, while I'm hanging here completely defenseless?"]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Oglaf}}'': Mistress, clearly aware of the situation, cuts [[http://oglaf.com/blanket/ to the chase.]]
* ''Webcomic/AwkwardZombie'':
** VideoGame/ProfessorLayton refuses to do anything unless [[https://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic/strike-one it's roundabout, elaborate]], and [[ComplexityAddiction involves as many matchsticks as possible.]]
** VideoGame/AlanWake find a manuscript for a book that he can't remember writing, and realizes that [[RewritingReality everything he wrote in the book comes true]]. So he [[https://www.awkwardzombie.com/awkward-zombie/writers-blocked writes a happy ending where he's safe and finds his wife]]. It doesn't work.
* In ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'':
** [[TheEngineer Moloch Von Zinzer]] is very good at this sort of thing. It tends to annoy Sparks, [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20091019 who don't like having their drama harshed by a]] MundaneSolution.
---> '''Moloch:''' Why don't we just move this winch? There should be enough cable, and it looks strong enough that we could lower ''everybody'' on a platform.\\
''[turns around and notices he's become the subject of [[DeathGlare several disapproving glares]]]''\\
'''Moloch:''' ...and then, at the bottom, it could unfold into a ... a giant ''caterpillar'' or ... something...\\
'''Dr. Mittelmind:''' No, no. You've already taken all the ''[[ForScience joy]]'' out of it.
** The Unstoppable Airman Higgs is more used to their ways, [[RageBreakingPoint but even he has his breaking point]], as amply demonstrated [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20150930#.ViSfqSsp9XE here]] when Gil's pining over Agatha gets too overwrought.
--->'''Higgs:''' So ''write her a letter''. [...]\\
'''Gil:''' I could [[ComplexityAddiction build a machine that would project a simulacrum of myself that could explain]]--\\
'''Higgs:''' ''Why I smacked you?''\\
'''Gil:''' Or... I could just... write...
** Martellus, who [[PrinceCharmless doesn't typically have much going for him]] in the way of decency or common sense, manages to propose [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20191002 an obvious solution]] when it's clear to Gil and Tarvek that no matter what alterations Lucrezia made to their machine, they'll never be able to find them all: just rebuild it from scratch. Surprisingly, Gil and Tarvek wholly approve of the idea.
* In ''Webcomic/CucumberQuest'', Cordelia asks the [[BigBad Nightmare Knight]] why he doesn't [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just]] "defeat the hero yourself? Right '''now'''?" She narrowly escapes being punished for her insubordination. The actual answer is revealed much later, along with Nightmare Knight's true motivations.
* In ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'', Hannelore's father [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3042 sends her a strange device]], but neglects to include any instructions or even a description. She spends a few strips with Marten and Claire trying to figure out what it could be, until [[http://questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3045 Dora walks in]] and points out they could just call Hannelore's father.
-->'''Marten''': [FacePalm] I can't believe that didn't occur to any of us.
* Defied on ''Webcomic/SequentialArt''. Whenever the gang runs into a life-threatening problem, Art is usually the one to come up with the obvious solution of simply calling the police. Unfortunately, Pip or Kat usually points out that the types of situations [[CassandraTruth they run into are considered prank calls by the police]], so that's not actually a viable option.
* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': The heroes find a portal the bad guy used to escape and want to know where it leads. Obviously, they can't just go through themselves since it's probably trapped to hell and back. But the bad guy left a minion behind, so Dabbler interrogates him, plants a tracker on him, lets him escape, and starts tracking him across the city while doing high-level mathematics in her head to predict exactly where he's going so they'll have a team ready in time. Then Sydney mentions that it's too bad they couldn't have just put a tracking spell on a rock and tossed it into the portal, and Dabbler lapses into embarrassed silence.
-->'''Sydney:''' You mean that would have ''worked?''

--> '''Square:''' You could just shut up and let me be special!

* [[https://notalwaysright.com/the-very-model-of-a-modern-major-idiot/243279/ This hobby model builder/painter]] on ''Website/NotAlwaysFriendly'' is surprised to find out a fellow hobbyist is colorblind, and denies it on the basis that a colorblind person would have no way of knowing what color the paints are. The colorblind hobbyist replies that all they have to do is ''read the color number on the pot''.

--> '''8-Bit Guy:''' The Commodore 128 basically ''is'' a Commodore 64 inside. And these are actually more common and cheaper to buy than one of these! (Holds up one of the add-on cartridges)

---> '''Nerd:''' WHY NOT JUST USE A COMPUTER?!

---> '''On Bullshit:''' Just as hot air as speech that has been emptied of all informative content, so excrement is matter from which everything nutritive has been removed. Excrement may be regarded as the corpse of nourishment. What remains when the vital elements and food have been exhausted. In this respect, excrement is a representation of death. Perhaps it is for making death so intimate that we find excrement so repulsive.
--> '''Nerd:''' Or is it perhaps because ''it stinks''?!

--> '''Dan:''' I didn't hate it, but it was definitely doofy. So there's a new dinosaur they've created called the Endoraptor, and they've genetically engineered it so it can be used as a weapon. What you do is you take a gun with a laser scope on it and you point the laser at something that you want attacked and you click the trigger and the Endoraptor goes and destroys whatever the laser was pointing at.
--> ({{Beat}})
--> '''Dan:''' You may be thinking to yourself: why not just have a gun that shoots ''bullets''?
--> '''Arin:''' (Bursts out laughing)
--> '''Dan:''' Which is definitely the main Internet problem with that movie. That would be more effective, really. You've already laser-targeted your thing. That was a big issue people had with it.
--> '''Arin:''' Yeah, that problem was already solved!
* Lampshaded in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXtGs6_CDrs Gun Man Rises,]] starring [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Gun Man.]]

--> '''Troom Troom:''' Do your legs tend to fall asleep from sitting at a computer for a long time?
--> '''Jarvis:''' ...''No'', actually. These people need to learn about ergonomics!

--> '''Ross:''' So, I made a truck with bombs on it and a cannon, but [[UselessItem the cannon does jack shit]] so I thought "why don't I just drive some bombs into the building?" like this HELLO!
--> '''(BOOM!)'''
--> ''Zone conquered''

--> '''Critic:''' They try to transport one of the highly intelligent raptors via Portal Cube, when, of course, something goes wrong. You know, was there really no other way to get these things into their cages? Brute force doesn't do much compared to common sense. I mean, look at the forklift. They could lift it just a little bit higher, then boom. drop it in. Or tranquilizers. Why not tranquilizers? Couldn't they just knock these things out and then slip them in that way? [[SarcasmMode Or were the raptors too smart for that plan?]]

--->'''Eddy''': ''(tugging on a window latch with all his strength)'' WHAT'S WITH THESE STUPID WINDOWS?!
--->'''Edd''': ''(draws Eddy's attention, then calmly opens the backdoor, which was unlocked, and smirks.)''
--->'''Eddy''': I hate it when you do that.

* Similarly defied in ''Film/{{Matilda}}'' when the students tell the titular girl about [[BigBad The Trunchbull]] and how she physically and psychologically abuses the students, even going so far as to outright ''torture'' them by locking them in an iron-maiden-like device called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Chokey]]. Matilda points out they should tell their parents and get the woman fired and likely locked up, but the other kids point out they've all tried and their parents simply don't believe them as the stories are [[RefugeInAudacity so ludicrously and unbelievably over-the-top]].

* In ''Film/SlingBlade'' a man who owns a repair shop spends hours trying to figure out why a small engine won't start. His simple-minded assistant, Karl, then points out that it doesn't have any gas.
* In ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/AttackOfTheClones'', Count Dooku [[GladiatorGames puts the heroes into an arena, to be killed by large monsters]]. This, of course, doesn't work, and Viceroy Gunray demands their execution by shooting. Dooku actually ''listens'', but TheCavalry arrives before anything can be done about it.

----



* In ''Film/AntMan1'', once Dr. Pym has explained the whole situation with Darren Cross and the threat the Yellowjacket poses to the world and how he intends to break in and destroy the suit and all the research, the first thing Scott does is simply point out how they should just call in the Avengers to deal with it. Naturally though, given Pym's history with Howard Stark, he is having ''none'' of that:
-->'''Dr. Pym:''' I spent half my life trying to keep this technology out of the hands of a Stark! I'm sure as hell not going to hand-deliver it to one now! This is not some cute technology like the Film/IronMan suit! This could change the texture of reality! Besides, [[Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron they're probably too busy dropping cities out of the sky.]]
* ''Film/AvengersEndgame'':
** The movie begins with the heroes plotting to steal the Infinity Stones back from Thanos and use them to undo his culling of half the universe. [[DefiedTrope However]], it turns out Thanos had anticipated this possibility and destroyed the Stones to prevent anyone from doing so, necessitating the much more complicated "Time Heist" plan of taking the stones from alternate timelines.
** And speaking of the Time Heist, upon being told that the heroes have access to time travel, Rhodey suggests a much simpler alternate plan.
--->'''Rhodey:''' If we can do this... you know, go back in time... why don't we just find baby Thanos and... ''(mimes [[RetGone garroting someone]])''\\
'''Banner:''' First off, [[NoJustNoReaction that's horrible]]--\\
'''Rhodey:''' It's ''Thanos''.\\
'''Banner:''' --and second off, [[MagicAIsMagicA time doesn't work that way]]! Changing the past doesn't change the future!
* In ''Film/TheSandlot'', Scott Smalls takes his stepfather's baseball autographed by Creator/BabeRuth, not understanding the true significance of it, and it winds up in the nearby junkyard with [[AngryGuardDog with a terrifying guard dog dubbed "The Beast"]]. Smalls suggests they go talk to The Beast's owner, Mr. Mertle, to have him get the ball back for them. Squints shoots this down by claiming that "Mr. Mertle's the meanest old man who ever lived," prompting an increasingly-complex series of schemes to recover the ball. When they finally ''do'' get it back, they inadvertently knock over Mr. Mertle's fence--directly on top of the Beast. The kids rally to save the dog, who turns out to be an [[GentleGiant enormous but friendly]] bull mastiff named Hercules, but then must own up to their vandalism to Mr. Mertle. He talks to them and expresses surprise that someone has finally gotten the better of Hercules by recovering the ball, then asks, "Why didn't you just knock on the door? I'd have gotten it for you." Cue the other kids shouting at Squints and hitting him with their baseball caps.
* PlayedForLaughs by Tom in ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'' when being threatened by Dr. Robotnik over the phone, to basically rub in the "[[MadScientist good doctor's]]" face that he's not at all intimidated by him.
--> '''Dr. Robotnik:''' I want you to know that the only other person who ever punched me in the face was the school bully. He hit me in the cafeteria, causing a blunt force contusion to the soft tissue surrounding my orbital bone. Humiliated me in front of the entire school, and you know what I did in response?
--> '''Tom:''' Uh, I'm assuming you reported him to the principal's office. 'Cause, y'know, that kind of behavior is really unacceptable.
--> '''Dr. Robotnik:''' No. I examined the inefficiency of a world where brawn trumped brain, and I used technology to resolve that inefficiency. The boy ate his meals through a straw for a year, and I have never lost a fight again... Until today.
--> '''Tom:''' Hey, hooray for me then, huh?
* ''Film/ThePrestige'': Angier obsesses madly over his professional rival Borden's signature magic trick, the Transported Man, in which Borden seems to teleport across the stage. His engineer/assistant Cutter points out the most obvious answer of how Borden is doing it (a body double made up to look like him), but Angier refuses to accept such a mundane explanation. Come the end of the film, [[spoiler:it is revealed Borden was, to the surprise of nobody but Angier, using a body double to pull off the trick. The only real twist to it is that the double was his twin brother, meaning there was no need for make-up. Contrast that with Angier, whose ComplexityAddiction is so bad that he had to resort to a full-on [[CloningBlues cloning machine]] to do the trick in a way that satisfied him.]]
* In ''Film/{{Stripes}}'', when John and Russell "borrow" the EM-50 to meet up with their girlfriends in Germany, [[GeneralFailure Captain Stillman]] erroneously assumes they're attempting to steal it for the Soviets. Sergeant Hulka suggests that if that's the case, instead of sending a single squad of green troops after them, they should deploy some of the crack soldiers and air recon forces that have been stationed near the border since the start of The Cold War to find it and bring it back. [[IgnoredExpert Stillman vehemently declines since he doesn't want his superiors to know the EM-50 went missing on his watch]]. Sure enough, Stillman mistakenly leads the platoon into Czechoslovakia and are captured by Soviet troops ([[ScrewThisImOuttaHere Hulka bailed out when he was ignored warning Stillman of this]]). And after John and Russell end up saving them with the EM-50, they get heralded as heroes [[ReassignedToAntarctica while Stillman gets reassigned to an Alaskan weather station]].
* ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' has a moment where Iggy and Spike report that the Marios are lost in the desert. Koopa immediately asks why they aren't out there holding them off instead of wasting time getting back to him, and when they can't respond he decides to make them smarter so they won't screw it up.
* A legendary behind-the-scenes example occurred during the filming of ''Film/MarathonMan.'' For the movie's infamous torture scene ("is it safe?"), Creator/DustinHoffman, a known [[MethodActing method actor]], stayed up for two days straight and hyperventilated to get into the right hysterical frame of mind for the role of victim Thomas Levy. Sir Creator/LaurenceOlivier, who played the torturous Dr. Szell, saw Hoffman working himself into a frenzy and calmly asked "My boy...have you tried ''acting?''" It makes more sense when you remember that Olivier was British and Hoffman from the United States--method acting is far more common in the latter country, where the former relies more heavily on external acting.
* In ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' Ripley, whose been brought along as a consultant of sorts to the marines, is asked for advice on how to approach the incident at Hadley's Hope. Ripley coldly suggests they nuke the place from orbit and call it a day, which is soundly ignored and they go in on foot instead. [[spoiler:Naturally, as a CorruptCorporateExecutive was desperate to get his hands on a Xenomorph alive, nuking the place from orbit was always out of the question.]]
* In ''Film/ErnestGoesToCamp'', when the campers have successfully fought off Krader's mining company and saved the day, Krader grabs a gun and decides to settle things once and for all. His AmoralAttorney Blatz points out that they could easily seek legal satisfaction as the camp ''legally'' belongs to them, meaning Ernest and the boys are on the hook for some serious trespassing and assault charges if they just call the cops, but ItsPersonal to Krader and he doesn't listen.
* In ''Film/SharkWeek'', Elena points out to Tiburon that now he has abducted his victims, he could just put a bullet in each of their heads and be done with it. However, Tiburon feels that vengeance is like a bottle of fine wine; it should be lingered over and savoured.
* ''Film/SpiderManNoWayHome'': When Peter's friends are rejected from college because of their association with him, he goes to Doctor Strange to ask him to erase the world's knowledge of his identity. The spell goes awry, but Strange manages to contain it. He tells Peter that there's nothing else to be done; if the college refused to reconsider, then Peter just has to accept it. Peter hadn't even realized that he could call the college.
-->'''Strange:''' [[LetMeGetThisStraight I'm sorry...]] Are you telling me that you didn't even ''think'' to plead your case with them first before you asked me to ''[[LaserGuidedAmnesia brainwash]] [[MassHypnosis the entire]]'' '''''[[MassHypnosis world]]'''''?\\
'''Peter:''' ...Well, I mean, when you put it like ''that,'' then--\\
''[[[GetOut cut to Peter outside the Sanctorum, getting the door slammed in his face]]]''

* In ''Literature/AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'', Tom denounces Huck's plan to [[spoiler:liberate Jim from captivity by unlocking the shed's door and escaping by night]] as too simple and lacking flair, substituting it with an incredibly dangerous and over-the-top one instead.
* Averted in the ''Literature/FuManchu'' novels, where no one ever questions Fu Manchu's use of ridiculously exotic murder plots, probably because, except when targeting the heroes, they usually work.

* In the tie-in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' novel ''What I Did on My Summer Vacation'', the BigBad suggests just killing the Slayer's friends. His advisor disagrees, saying that doing so is just suicide. You don't eat the Slayer's loved ones.
* In an unusual variation, in ''Literature/TheCourtsOfTheMorning'' it's the DiabolicalMastermind who points out the simple solution to the heroes. The heroes capture the Diabolical Mastermind about a third of the way in, as the first step of a complicated scheme that takes the rest of the novel to play out. When he starts to get an idea of what they're planning, he points out that it would be simpler and safer for them just to shoot him now. They reply that getting him out of the way isn't the only thing they're trying to achieve, and because they're the heroes their complicated scheme does end up achieving nearly everything they wanted.
* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In ''Literature/{{Maskerade}}'', at the conclusion, Agnes, who is one of those people cursed with being sensible, asks the villain why they stayed in the opera house if they hate opera so much instead of just leaving. He glares at her like she asked a patently stupid question, and just goes on with his insane ranting. (There's perhaps an analogy to be made with the note earlier in the book that Granny Weatherwax hates theatre, but hate is an attractive force, so she attends every troupe of strolling players, mummery or even puppet show that comes to Lancre, and just glares at them.)
* In ''[[Literature/InheritanceCycle Eragon]]'', the titular character is told by Brom that the reason why magic users don't do this is that the recipient of the attack always has just enough time to get in a similar attack before they croak; thus a kind of unwritten rule between magical duelists is that they have to bend the enemy's mind to their will before the finishing blow.
* In the ''Literature/GauntsGhosts'' novel ''Blood Pact'', [[spoiler: Eyl finally has Gaunt and Mabbon at his mercy and starts gloating. Mabbon tells Eyl that he should have just fired. By failing to do so, Eyl gets knocked away by Gaunt, then has his head ventilated by Larkin]].
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
** In the novel ''Literature/SummerKnight'', TheDragon notes that he had suggested just killing Harry several times during the course of the book (since this would have ruined the BigBad's BatmanGambit, the BigBad didn't listen). The trope is then inverted when the BigBad immediately wants to kill Harry once [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness He Has Outlived His Usefulness]], but TheMole points out that just killing him would expose them to Harry's DyingCurse. This leads to them leaving Harry to [[QuicksandSucks drown in magical quicksand]] and escape while he's busy drowning. [[spoiler:Which was TheMole's plan all along, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder as she was planning to betray]] the BigBad.]]
** This happens again in the climax of ''Literature/DeadBeat'' when the BigBad's advisor recommends he kill Harry. The BigBad refuses, [[spoiler:because Harry's Death Curse would ruin the spell he's currently trying to control. As he learns to his misfortune scant minutes later, being knocked out from behind by a freed Harry has just as bad an effect]].
* In the first ''Literature/JohnCarterOfMars'' novel, Dejah Thoris explains that, while she really loves John Carter, she was forced to promise herself to an enemy prince. Her rules of honor forbid her to be with anyone else while her betrothed is still alive. John responds by drawing his sword and offering to take care of it. Unfortunately, she also can't be with a man who killed her fiancé.
* In Creator/PGWodehouse's ''[[Literature/{{Psmith}} Mike and Psmith]]'', when the title characters are preparing to face some dormitory invaders, Psmith launches into a dissertation on the tactics of Napoleon--which Mike interrupts by suggesting they just trip them up with string.
--> '''Psmith:''' Yes, Napoleon would have done that, too.
* ''Literature/ModestyBlaise'' novels:
** In ''A Taste For Death'', the second banana villain--who has been defeated by Modesty and Willie before--practically jumps up and down shouting, "Kill them now!" or (later) "They're up to something, kill them now!" But he's overruled by the main villain, whose guiding principle is ItAmusedMe and doesn't think that just killing them would be amusing enough.
** Major the Earl St. Maur, in ''The Night of Morningstar'', argues for dropping Modesty and Willie over the side the instant the Watchmen finish determining whether or not our heroes managed to send a message before being captured. (They hadn't.) He is overruled by his superior Colonel Golitsyn, who wishes to keep Modesty and Willie alive for use in an elaborate disinformation plot.
* In ''Literature/{{Pact}}'', the way that the metaphysics of the setting work encourage subtlety, manipulation, and elaborate traps to defer responsibility--an approach which is explicitly compared to playing the Bond villain. Those that choose not to care about the consequences of being straightforward, like Fell the illusionist/enchanter, are all the more dangerous because of this--it often doesn't matter if your opponent will take severe karmic backlash for their vulgar attack if said vulgar attack managed to kill you.
--> '''Fell''': Don't underestimate the value of a bullet.
* ''Literature/CaptainUnderpants'': In the fourth book, Professor Poopypants is DrivenToMadness over people constantly making fun of his name and uses {{Shrink Ray}}s and HumongousMecha to hold the world hostage, threatening to shrink everyone in the world unless they change their names to ones just as silly as his. When Captain Underpants defeats him and he's being taken away by the police, George and Harold point out that he could have simply changed his own name instead, to which the Professor confesses that such a solution had never occurred to him. Sadly, the name he chooses to change to, Tippy Tinkletrousers, is just as {{unfortunate|Names}}.

* By the same author, ''Literature/WaxAndWayne'':

* In ''Literature/{{Pale}}'' during a practical lesson on binding at the [[WizardingSchool Blue Heron Institute]], the teacher Marie Durocher tells the class she'll let loose a dangerous bound Other at the end of the lesson, and leaves them to improvise means of binding. Lucy Eilingson uses her MorphWeapon to form a gun, and asks what happens if she threatens to shoot Durocher, who is impressed and commends Lucy, as this would be an implicit binding by way of threatening her life, but in fact the intended lesson is to KnowWhenToFoldEm and leave the room before the lesson ends.

* Pretty much happens in every episode of ''Series/{{Eureka}}''. The super-scientists will cause a problem and go through various complex methods to try and solve it. It's Carter (the one-non genius in the town) who comes up with the solution that's so simple that it never occurs to the geniuses and saves the day.
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', when Clark is talking to Oliver about dealing with Doomsday and saying he is going to the [[DeusExMachina Fortress]] to find a way of sending it away, Oliver does this.
-->'''Oliver''': I can tell you how to conquer the beast. Kick his ass, Clark.
* On ''Series/TheXFiles'', when the [[GovernmentConspiracy Syndicate]] discusses killing Mulder to keep him from thwarting their plans. Several of the members argue against this, pointing out that such an action would just make Mulder a martyr and draw unnecessary attention to Mulder's investigations into the X-Files. By leaving him alive and not doing anything, they just make Mulder look like a paranoid {{Cloudcuckoolander}} who no one outside of UFO circles will take seriously.

* In the CS Centrl GagSub of Series/HikariSentaiMaskman, Okelampa, the guy who shows up solely to [[MakeMyMonsterGrow resurrect the monsters as giants when they get shot by the Maskman]] asks “Why don’t the Maskman shoot me first?”
* ''Franchise/StargateVerse''

* In the ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode "Unshockable", when discussing [[spoiler:how a victim was poisoned with Sarin when already knocked out]], Sara asks:
-->[[WhyDontYouJustShootHim "Why didn't he just shoot him?"]]
* Invoked in the past tense on ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'', when a character asks an investigator why, if the convicted killer's pleas that he'd not intended to commit murder were untrue, he didn't shoot the woman he'd struck with a tire iron. "The noise" is the reply.
* On ''Series/PushingDaisies'', the murderers will never use mundane methods to either kill their victims or in their attempts to kill the heroes when they have the heroes captured (which they almost always do). This trope is eventually lampshaded in the episode "Smell of Success":
-->'''Emerson Cod:''' Death by scratch and sniff. What the hell happened to people shooting each other with guns?
* In his review of the first season of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] noted a plot-point that if Rita Repulsa knows the identities of the Rangers, why didn't she just blow up their houses?
* Subverted as a rule in ''Series/CriminalMinds''. Many of the [[VillainOfTheWeek unknown subjects]], or "Unsubs," in the show don't kill indiscriminately--they have [[FreudianExcuse deep psychological issues]] that prompt them to murder their victims in highly specific ways. Heck, some of them don't even ''want'' to murder people--they're just trying to soothe some other psychosis, and their methods of doing so prove lethal (case in point: the woman who kidnapped women to turn into life-sized dolls because her ''real'' dolls were stolen by her stepfather, who sexually and physically abused her).
* ''Series/RedDwarf'': In addition to the page quote, a similar moment happens in the Back to Earth special. Taking a cue from ''Film/BladeRunner,'' Rimmer obtains the phone number of somebody they're looking for using an extremely [[OverlyLongGag long-winded]] and complicated form of [[EnhanceButton Zoom and Enhance]] on a photograph, by bouncing off the reflections of various objects in the picture (and some that aren't) until they get the man's number on the back of his business card by seeing a reverse angle of the original photo. After the whole charade, Kryten bluntly asks:
-->'''Kryten''': Sir, wouldn't it have been easier to look him up in the phone book?
* Subverted in the ''Series/HorribleHistories'' about UsefulNotes/WorldWarII German prisoner-of-war camps, and Allied prisoners continually escaping from them (forcing German troops to be tied up guarding prisoners instead of fighting the war):
-->'''Commandant Klinsman:''' You give me one good reason why I shouldn't just shoot you right here on the spot.\\
'''Squadron Leader Higgins:''' Because it's against the Geneva Convention to shoot officers.\\
'''Klinsman:''' Yes, forgot about that.
* Displayed in ''Series/MajorCrimes'': Captain Sharon Raydor is attempting to get psychiatrist Dr. Joe to break confidentiality on his sessions with her foster son, first as the police officer in charge of his safety [[note]]He's a material witness in a serial killer's murder trial.[[/note]], then as his legal guardian. Dr. Joe politely [[NoSell shoots her down]] on both counts, lays out the legal requirements for breaking confidentiality, and suggests an alternative: Just talk to her foster son.
* ''Series/MacGyver1985'': In "Deadly Silents", Karl's partner Neil keeps urging to just shoot Mac and Pinky and dump their bodies somewhere. After multiple attempts to MakeItLookLikeAnAccident fail, Karl gives in and agrees to just shoot them. [[spoiler:It fails.]]

* In ''Series/TheBlacklist'' an eco-terrorist is flying a helicopter to cause a nuclear accident. Aram uses his hacking skills to get into the helicopter's computer and talks of how he can use a special program to undo the air balance of the copter and drive it off course. Director Ressler angrily asks "can't you just shut down the rotor? Shut the damn thing down?" Adar pauses and realizes he can do that to ground the copter.
* In ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'', protagonist Sento's [[TransformationTrinket Transformation Belt]] runs off of "Full Bottles" which contain the essence of animals, machines, etc. He tries to identify Best Matches (pairs with high compatibility) because they're more powerful and does so with a testing device built into the wall of his ElaborateUndergroundBase. After being told all this, DumbMuscle Ryuga tries it out and the very first pair of Bottles he tests turns out to be a Best Match, to Sento's amazement. Ryuga explains that his logic was "living creature plus inanimate object", something that Sento had dismissed as too obvious in spite of the fact that the Best Matches he had already discovered followed this pattern[[note]]like Rabbit [[TankGoodness Tank]] and [[KillerGorilla Gorilla]] (Dia)Mond[[/note]].
* In ''Series/{{Inhumans}}'', Karnak needs to suture Jen's wound to prevent her bleeding out. He starts striping a palm frond to use as a makeshift solution. Jen suggests just using her travel sewing kit she keeps on her. Clothes tend to catch and rip on the trees.
* Once combined with DumbassHasAPoint in ''Series/GilligansIsland''. It's been discovered that the Howells' marriage was not legally binding (the officiant being a fraud), which causes friction between them that is driving the other castaways batty. Gilligan says he has a solution, and the Skipper, fed up with Gilligan's [[ZanyScheme Zany Schemes]] doesn't want to hear it... when Gilligan's solution is to merely have the Skipper, who is considered to have the authority to officiate a wedding when on a craft in water, perform a simple ceremony while standing on a raft in the lagoon. Skipper seems flabbergasted and agrees.
* Series/{{Arrowverse}}:
** ''Series/LegendsOfTomorrow'':
*** In Season 1, Vandal Savage prevents Kendra from killing him by revealing that he has her boyfriend, Carter, brainwashed. Savage is the only one who can free him, so Kendra has to let him live and try to force him to free Carter. Rory points out (and Sara and Snart agree) that Carter ''reincarnates''; even if there is no way to save this particular incarnation, they have a timeship and can just find a sane one somewhere else. To make it worse, Carter eventually breaks free of the brainwashing on his own, meaning Savage's threat that Carter would be brainwashed forever without him wasn't even true.
*** In Season 2, the BigBad Eobard Thawne never really tries to actually kill the Legends, despite being able to do it in the space of a second, frequently coming up with other means to deal with them. His partners Damien Darhk and Malcolm Merlyn keep invoking this trope, but he ignores them. [[spoiler:He finally takes the gloves off in the season finale, [[AndShowItToYou ripping Ray's heart out]] (luckily, there's another version of Ray.)]] Off that, Thawne is constantly running from [[spoiler:the Black Flash]] who can detect him by his speed. When he finally tells this to Darhk and Merlyn, they suggest a very easy answer: ''Stop running.''
*** Likewise with Thawne, when he and the Legion [[spoiler:rewrite the world [[VillainWorld to their own liking]]]], they leave the Legends alive to suffer in various ways. Thawne is greatly annoyed when the Legends end up being a problem after all.
---->'''Thawne:''' I should have wiped you from existence when I had the chance. Do you have any idea how ''infuriating'' it is to know that ''Merlyn was right?''
** On ''Series/{{The Flash|2014}}'', the team are trying to find a country music star who is being hunted by an enemy. They try to figure out ways to track her using their various powers and such but come up short. New teammate Ralph then asks if any of them have ''checked her website.''
* Played for laughs in ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho''. The kids were playing orchestra but they simply sounded horrible. La Chilindra, who was the "coductor", complained that they couldn't play alright, and el Chavo suggested an idea, that instead of playing whatever they were, all of them play the same song.
* In the ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' episode "The Raiders Minimization," this is how Amy sets up one of the main plots of the episode. When Sheldon shows her ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', she says it's an okay movie though she says that Indiana Jones was not necessary to the plot and the film would have ended the same without him. When Sheldon, a huge fan of ''Raiders'', asks her to clarify her position, she says that if Indiana Jones had not interfered, the Nazis would've still taken the ark to the uninhabited island, opened it, and died. As Sheldon looks for something to ruin that Amy likes out of spite, he explains to the guys Amy's realization, but when Raj and Howard point out that the Nazis were digging in the wrong place because Indiana Jones sabotaged their search, Leonard points out that if he wasn't involved, the Nazis would've found the ark the first time, opened it, and killed themselves.
** In another episode, when Sheldon is sick, he camps out in Penny's section at the Cheesecake Factory in order to have soup. When Penny asks why he didn't just have soup delivered to his apartment (thereby allowing him to stay in bed and rest), he hesitates and admits that he didn't think of it.
* In the '' Fargo '' Bear Gerhardt makes good arguments about why Floyd should be the one who directs the company.
* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'', Harold Finch realizes a USB drive he needs is on the person of one of Reese's targets. He begins contriving a rather complex plan to get it, or the data, when Reese simply walks past the man, shoulder-checks him, and grabs the USB drive out of his pocket when the man is distracted.
* In ''Series/TheTerror'', after the Hickey we’ve been following for the entire show reveals that he is actually an imposter, who killed the real Hickey to join the expedition.
--->'''Crozier:''' You could’ve just joined up!
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}:'' Often, Frasier or Niles (or Frasier and Niles) will come up with some overly elaborate psychoanalysis of a situation, and someone, either Martin, Daphne or Roz, will offer a much more sensible and practical alternative, which is brushed off because Frasier and [=/=] or Niles think they know better. And it all ends in flames. At least one time, a slight justification is given, when Frasier insists on elaborate evasion games with Lilith. Daphne asks why he doesn't just talk to her, and Frasier says they tried that while they were married.
-->'''Frasier:''' We were better at games.
* ''Series/InTheDark'': In Season 4, after each is kicked out by Leslie and their car stolen, Felix moans "we are at rock bottom" and have nowhere to go. Max just stares at him before pointing out Felix can simply call his ''millionaire'' grandmother to let them stay at her mansion for a while.

* Alexander the Great is said to have encountered the legendary Gordian Knot, along with a prophecy that whoever managed to loosen and untie it would become the ruler of all of Asia. After studying the knot for a bit, [[CuttingTheKnot he drew his sword and cut the knot in half]], and went on to fulfill the prophecy.

%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1443048633058747900
%% Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Sanji's first wanted poster is a comically crude sketch of his face. The pirate Duval, who happens to look just like the sketch, keeps getting into fights because people constantly mistake him for Sanji thanks to the wanted poster. Eventually, Duval tracks Sanji down to get revenge for all the trouble he's been put through. When Sanji asks Duval why he didn't just change his appearance somehow (like getting a haircut), Duval takes [[{{Beat}} a moment to think]] before he admits that he never thought of that.
* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'':
** King Cold advises his son Frieza that revenge would be easier by just blowing up the Earth from space. Frieza rejects this notion, stating that he wants to see Goku suffer. One episode later, both Frieza ''and'' Cold are killed by Trunks.
** After being warned from the future that in three years, two androids built by Dr. Gero will murder all of them, Bulma does this when she suggests simply finding out where Dr. Gero is and killing him before he activates the androids. She's promptly shot down because Goku and Vegeta [[BloodKnight like the sound of the challenge]] these androids will bring. Krillin also tells her in secret that it's best to give former villains Piccolo and (especially) Vegeta a mutual enemy. Goku also suggests that since Dr. Gero hasn't built the androids yet, it would be tantamount to killing an innocent person, which he doesn't want to do (of course, he's forgetting that Gero was the lead scientist of the [[ArmiesAreEvil Red Ribbon Army]], and so most of their tech was probably built by him).
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and the subsequent ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' adaptation; after being revived, Frieza announces his plan for revenge against Goku. Tagoma, one of his minions, speaks out against it, telling him that he could just go back to ruling his empire in space with Goku and the Z-Fighters never the wiser. In response, Frieza either kills him on the spot (''Resurrection 'F''') or uses him as his personal training dummy for four months (''Super'').
** In the original ''Manga/DragonBall'' series, Staff Officer Black insists to Commander Red that they're no match for Goku and the smartest thing to do is simply to let him have the Dragon Balls, escape while they can, and rebuild the Red Ribbon Army later. Of course, after killing Red and taking over the army for himself, Black [[TooDumbToLive refuses to take his own advice]] and tries to beat Goku using a MiniMecha.
* In ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'', Shishio and Kenshin are having their climactic duel. Both of them are severely injured and weakened, and Shishio's 15 minute-time limit for fighting has elapsed. Yumi (Shishio's lover) and Houji (Shishio's right-hand man) are watching, and Houji has a rifle. Yumi asks Houji why he just doesn't shoot Kenshin... Houji ''throws his gun away'', on the grounds of his belief that Lord Shishio will win. [[spoiler:He doesn't.]]

* At the climax of the NonIndicativeFirstEpisode (filming a movie) of ''The Melancholy of LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Nagato confronts Itsuki, who refuses to join forces with her. Nagato's shoulder-mounted ''cat'' suddenly starts ''talking'', asking why she doesn't just use ''mind control'' on the guy already, since judging by what she's shown so far it ought to be well within her powers. But that's not in the script, so after a scramble to ''shut him up'' Nagato has her final battle with Mikuru.
* ''Anime/FullMetalPanicFumoffu'' inverts the trope -- ("No, you can't just shoot him!") -- when Sōsuke is challenged to a no-holds-barred martial arts battle and, after being warned by his opponent not to pull any punches, calmly shoots the guy with a rubber bullet. Once it's explained to him that using a gun isn't allowed, he repeats the performance with his next opponent by gassing him with a fire extinguisher -- and when it's ''further'' explained to him that he's supposed to be fighting ''solely'' hand-to-hand, he downs his third opponent via a HeyCatch with a grenade followed by several {{Groin Attack}}s, explaining afterwards that the pin was still in the grenade, and clearly [[CombatPragmatist never quite grasping the concept of a "fair fight" at all]].
* Practically said verbatim in ''Manga/{{Gantz}}''. Some of the recruits have difficulty being willing to do what they're tasked with and pay the price for it.
* Sort of inverted in chapter 54 of the ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' manga. Ed and Ling are discussing how best to attack the BigBad. Ling seems to think it's a better idea to take on the {{mooks}} first since their enemy clearly outmatches them. Edward would rather go to the point. They share this exchange:
-->'''Ling:''' Haven't you heard the saying, "if you want to shoot the leader, first aim for his horse"?!\\
'''Edward:''' If you want to shoot the leader, [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim then you should just SHOOT HIM]]!!\\
'''Ling:''' ''(thinking)'' Is he stupid...?

* A variant appears in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}''. During the beginning of the Hueco Mundo arc, the BigBad sends [[TheDragon one of his minions, Ulquiorra]], to Earth to antagonize [[TheHero Ichigo]] and test his {{Power Level|s}}. After slapping Ichigo around a bit and leaving him in the dust, Ulquiorra reports back to the BigBad that Ichigo is NotWorthKilling. Another of the BigBad's minions, [[BloodKnight Grimmjow]], gets annoyed and demands they just kill him anyway to be sure. Grimmjow eventually goes over his boss' head and hunts down Ichigo on his own, but the BigBad reins him in before he can finish him off: Turns out the BigBad had a secret plan in store for the hero.

* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': In one episode TheDragon Baron Ashura captured Kouji and [[HumongousMecha Mazinger-Z]] and gave him the "join-us-or-die" choice. After Kouji's predictable answer, Ashura sentenced him to death, starting a bunch of giant power saws and drills to cut Mazinger-Z to pieces. [[TheDragon The other Dragon]] Count Brocken was watching the scene through a monitor and he stated Ashura beated around the bush too much and complicated things unnecessarily, and shooting Kabuto would be easier and quicker.
* ''Manga/RamenFighterMiki'': Megumi as the CombatPragmatist asks Miki in episode 3A why is she fighting an AngryGuardDog when she could easily avoid it. In episode 5 B, after she and Miki beat someone to use him as a stepping stone to escape a well, she recognized that the guy had a rope and should’ve just let him rescue them.
%%** This is one of Ohta’s duties as the MetaGuy.

--> '''Kyo:''' Why didn't I think of that?!?\\

* PlayedForLaughs in the ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'' mini-episodes ''Nyaruani''. [[OnlySaneMan Mahiro]] is [[NoFourthWall reading the first Nyarko-San novel]] and asks Cuuko: "[[StalkerWithACrush You wanted to see Nyarko badly enough]] that you joined a criminal organization, but then you joined the [[SpacePolice Planetary Defense Organization]] [[{{Nepotism}} thanks to an uncle in H.R.]] So why didn't you just join the PDO to begin with so you could see her as a colleague?" Cuuko responds by [[PlayingWithFire lighting the novel on fire]] and telling Mahiro it's [[MST3KMantra a warning]].
* In ''Manga/FairyTail'', Gajeel is fighting an enemy who [[MakingASplash can surround everyone with poisonous water]]. He's fighting but running out of air when Levy swoops in and uses an UnderwaterKiss to give him air. Levy is horribly embarrassed when Gajeel later points out she could have just used her particular ability- magical writing that becomes whatever word is written- to conjure air without having to do that.

* In ''Anime/CrossAnge'', when Ange, Tusk, and Vivian meet up with the survivors of Arzenal inside the Aurora, Ange proposes a simple solution so that Libertus will succeed: "Why not just [[spoiler: join with the [=DRAGONs=]? We have a common enemy and they're willing to cooperate with us. They're humans who can be reasoned with unlike [[FantasticRacism our humans here]]]]". Everyone does agree, [[GeneralRipper except for Jill]].

* In the ''Manga/{{Saki}}'' SpinOff "Saki Biyori", this happens twice in Shindouji's second chapter, in which, as a result of one thing leading to another, the "round robin journal" used to chronicle the club's activities ends up getting a comic strip that everyone contributes to. When ClubPresident Mairu is unable to continue, her best friend Himeko asks her whether they need one, causing Mairu to issue a ban. Popular demand forces them to bring the comic strip back, though, but Himeko has another plan in mind- giving the comic an ending.
* ''Anime/AngelBeats'': One of the SSS's plans to get at Angel is to forge her name on the midterm exams and submit terrible answers in her name so she fails her classes. Problem: "Angel" is a nickname they've given her, and none of them know her real name. They panic, and spend a while brainstorming elaborate schemes like breaking into the teachers' lounge and find some way to look at their notes... then Otonashi just walks up to her and ''asks what her name is''. She gives it freely.
* At one point in ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato2199'', one of the senior crew members asks why they don't just use the ship's WaveMotionGun to wipe out the Gamillas fleet. While the Wave Motion Gun would most certainly make life easier for the ''Yamato'' crew, Captain Okita declines the proposition: the Wave Motion Gun is a weapon of mass destruction, and thus, not to be used except for emergencies.
* ''Manga/MusukoGaKawaikuteShikataganaiMazokuNoHahaoya'': After demon idol Valentine's live concert, which resulted in her CompellingVoice causing multiple demons in the audience to involuntarily demonify, she approaches Merii with a request to use her HealingHands to [[spoiler:remove her voice so she can't sing anymore]] to prevent a repeat of the incident from occurring, even though doing so means the end of her career as an idol. Only after Merii is able to fix the problem without [[spoiler:rendering Valentine mute]] does she point out that Valentine could have avoided a repeat of the concert incident by simply quitting being an idol. However, she also acknowledges that Valentine's more extreme choice of action was an indication of how much she didn't ''want'' to quit and instead took steps to make certain that she wouldn't have a choice.
* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'', in the prologue of the Alicization arc, a kid being trained for the task of spending his entire life trying to cut down an enormous tree asks the elders why their ancestors bothered founding a village in a place where an enormous tree that they had every reason to believe would take centuries to cut down was blocking expansion and casting shade over most of the places they could grow crops. Rather than thinking about moving the village to someplace where the tree wouldn't be a problem, they reprimand the kid and continue the way they always have.

* ''Manga/WelcomeToDemonSchoolIrumaKun'':
** Asmodeus and Clara are upset they have no idea where Iruma goes when he just randomly leaves (to go read a manga to Ameri). Sabro just tells them to follow him and find out. Azz is against it but Clara immediately heads off to do just that.
** When Iruma and Lied are trying to figure out how to grow the [[spoiler: Legendary Leaf]], Nafra simply [[spoiler: waters it]]. This one is justified in a short bit as [[spoiler:Nafra holds the special watering can that is needed to make the Legendary Leaf bloom. She is a plant by the Student Council to judge a demon's kindness and worth of receiving this help in making the plant bloom]].
** Towards the end of the Heartbreaker's arc, a test in which the second-year Misfit Class must defend new first-year students from attack by the faculty, the final two teachers to enter the fray are Kalegos and Balam. Iruma is panicking over how to deal with them only for Jazz to point out a very simple way to deal with Kalego: [[spoiler:Summon him. As Iruma's familiar, once summoned Kalego can not hurt him is obliged to obey him]]. This isn't a perfect solution as Kalego is only restricted from [[spoiler:attacking Iruma while summoned, everyone else is fair game]]. Iruma gets around this by clinging to Kalego so he can't [[spoiler:attack anyone else without also attacking Iruma, and he's forced to concede. He also says he won't help the students, but it takes him out of the battle nevertheless]].

* In Franchise/TheDCU, the third ComicBook/BlueBeetle has a race of evil aliens called the Reach as villains, led by the Negotiator. The first thing said by the Negotiator's [[TheDragon Dragon]] is "Why don't we just kill him?" to which the Negotiator replies, "No. Not without study." (The Beetle is ''meant'' to be a Reach Infiltrator, and the Negotiator's position is that they need to know why he isn't in case it happens again.)

* In ''ComicBook/LuckyLuke'', the Dalton brothers capture Luke more than once and, despite Jack and William suggesting just to kill him, Joe has always a "crueler" form of revenge that would let Luke finally escape from one way.
* Pretty much the same thing happens in the ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'' storyline "Widowmaker". As seen in the earlier storyline ''[[ComicBook/ThePunisherWelcomeBackFrank Welcome Back, Frank]]'', actually shooting the Punisher sometimes just makes him even angrier.
* In the ''ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse'' story ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse Outwits the Phantom Blot'', Mickey is frequently captured by a masked villain named The Phantom Blot. The Phantom Blot tries to dispose of him with various complicated death traps, which Mickey always manages to escape from. When the Phantom Blot is finally captured, Mickey asks him why the Phantom Blot didn't just kill him instead of using the death traps. The Phantom Blot then reveals he cannot stand to watch somebody die, and therefore used the death traps so he wouldn't be around when Mickey died.
* [[Characters/SuicideSquadOperatives Deadshot]]'s proposed solution to pretty much every ComicBook/SuicideSquad mission. Even when it [[ShootTheHostage isn't an assassination.]] The Wall usually relegates it to "plan B".
* ComicBook/DoctorStrange's foe Dormammu could obliterate Strange without breaking a sweat, but he inevitably stalls and prolongs the moment (or lets [[GuileHero Strange]] manipulate him into fighting 'fair'). Dormammu's wiser sister Umar is usually the one to point out that this strategy isn't the best.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** ''ComicBook/LastSon'': Superman, after asking [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] for help, puts himself in such a perfect position to be killed that he asks Luthor why he hasn't done it yet. Luthor responds that he doesn't want to make a martyr of him right now and would like to prove that Superman is a danger to humanity first.
** ''ComicBook/TheKillersOfKrypton'': When the Omega Men are storming into the Citadel, Harry Hokum plans to let them "find" and "rescue" several clones posing as their captive comrades. Then he will let them flee back to their base, and when they are feeling safe, he will activate his moles, and while the Omega Men are busy fighting them, he will send out an army of Characters/{{Supergirl|TheCharacter}} clones to destroy the rebels and their base. One of his minions suggests that, since they are on board a starship loaded with nukes and the rebels are all gathered in one extremely vulnerable spot, they could just... nuke them? Nonetheless, Hokum retorts they will follow through with his perfect plan.
--->'''Minion:''' Most revered leader Hokum, we have a rare opportunity at hand. With the rebel leadership and the Kryptonian in our sights, is it out of bounds for me to suggest an option? A nuclear option perhaps?\\
'''Harry Hokum:''' It is a tempting thought, isn't it? But this is a chess game. And I am four moves ahead.
* ''ComicBook/TheQuestion'': Charlie's final epiphany about how to deal with the insurmountable WretchedHive that is Hub City: [[spoiler: [[KnowWhenToFoldEm Give up on it and leave]]]].
* From ''ComicBook/TankVixens'', when Üdda muses about her need for combat from her heavily-armed, orbital battle cruiser:
-->'''Mook''': Herr General--V'y not ch'ust [[OrbitalBombardment nuke der liddle foxies out from orbit]]? You know, a liddle missile here, a liddle napalm dere? V'e cook 'em up real good for ya!
-->'''Üdda''': ...V'ell how are ve gonna haff der [[BloodKnight nifty tank battles und bloodshed]] if you chust ''bomb'' everyt'ink!?!
* Subverted in the [[ComicBook/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]] story ''New Year's Evil'': Prometheus has rendered ComicBook/GreenLantern helpless and muses that he could just shoot him if he chose to--then proceeds to do just that. (GL survives.)
* Used in a ''ComicBook/RichieRich'' story where Richie's friend, kid comedian Jackie Jokers, has realised that the "president" of the United States is a fake, but then he and Richie are kidnapped before they can expose the fake. It's all part of a plot to blow up Washington DC with a stolen atomic bomb, then blame the attack on an obvious CaptainErsatz of the Soviet Union and have both countries destroy each other, leaving the plotters' country as the most powerful in the world. But instead of simply shooting the boys once the plotters have them helpless, they leave them tied up right next to the ticking atomic bomb and of course, the boys escape and manage to find a way to stop the bomb.
* In the ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'' parody of ''Film/DoubleJeopardy'', the main character briefly considers using the fact that her husband, whom she was framed for murdering, is, in fact, alive against him to secure her exoneration and ensure he gets his just deserts, but instead is talked into doing what she did in the movie -- killing him under the belief that she can't be tried for his murder again.
* During the overly {{Anvilicious}} ComicBook/{{Batman}} story ''The Seduction of the Gun,'' [[Characters/RobinTimDrake Tim Drake]] is incredibly annoyed to learn that the high school he's infiltrated, where supposedly over 95% of the school population brings a gun to school, only turns on the metal detectors at the doors on Wednesday mornings. Despite the fact that figuring out what's wrong with the school board and having the metal detectors actually used would have solved most of the plot, this is never brought up again.
* In one issue of ''Sensational ComicBook/SpiderMan'', Spidey has been captured by the Looter, who explains how he’s going to sell all the priceless things he’s stolen in order to buy a special meteorite with the profits. Spidey then asks why the Looter, a master thief, didn’t just steal the meteorite itself. After a pause, the Looter admits that the thought just never occurred to him.
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'' [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 Vol 1]]: During their brief allegiance, Torcha gets more and more frustrated with Inventa's ComplexityAddiction, repeatedly asking why they don't just kill Wonder Woman and the other Amazons while they have them at their mercy. In the end, Torcha turns on Inventa, but by then it's too late and Wonder Woman knocks her out almost instantly.
* In the final issue of the ComicBookAdaptation for ''[[WesternAnimation/COPS1988 C.O.P.S.]]'', the C.O.P.S. have no hard evidence of Big Boss' criminal activities but do have a large stack of unpaid parking tickets from his gang. So they come up with a BatmanGambit in which the whole team shows up at his office to take him to task for the tickets in the hopes that Big Boss will do something blatantly criminal to stop them so they can arrest him. When the crooks see the police arrive, they discuss what they should do about them. Big Boss' idiot nephew Berserko suggests they ''pay the tickets'' and ask the police to leave since they no longer have any reason to be there. He is glared into silence by the rest of the gang, which then tries to drive the C.O.P.S. off with brute force, which results in the police grounds to arrest them for owning illegal weaponry and attacking the police.
* In an issue of ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', mad doctor Pharma tries to get out of a deal with [[TortureTechnician the Decepticon Justice Division]] by engineering and spreading a plague at a medical facility he's working at, in the hopes it would force high command to shut it down. Ratchet, "appalled... by [Pharma's] stupidity," suggests that he should have had his accomplices infect the DJD from the start. Pharma retorts that they weren't willing to try.
* ''ComicBook/NewAvengers2015:'' An instance of someone doing this to ''themselves'', when the Plunderer boasts about how his Plunder-Bots are totally worth the rental fee, before stopping and asking why he and his minion, who are criminals, didn't just steal them (since the implication is Kevin's latest rampage is to recoup the costs of the rental fee).
* One story of an ''ComicBook/{{Archie Comic|s}}'' has Archie attempting all sorts of wacky tactics to study, like rewarding himself with a snack for each page read and blasting music while studying, and none of it works since it keeps simply distracting him. Eventually he goes to Dilton for advice who tells him, ever so gently, to [[SuddenlyShouting JUST STUDY]]. It works and he earns a B on a particularly difficult test.
* In a commemorative ''ComicBook/MonicasGang'' story, Monica and Jimmy Five go to an island where, according to an Internet legend, they would have access to tons of comic books if they handed over three artefacts found in the sea. When they complete the tasks and arrive there, however, they meet a bookstore owner that explains that he got stranded in the island and used his computer to create that legend, with the three required artefacts actually being pieces he needed to make a ship so he could escape ([[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers plus a popsicle he liked]]). When Monica and Jimmy Five point out that, since the bookstore owner had a working computer and access to the Internet, he could have simply called the competent authorities and asked for a rescue instead, he yells at them to stop pointing out flaws in his plan.

* Happens in [[http://www.gocomics.com/pearlsbeforeswine/2014/03/09#.U_AdCWcg-Uk this]] ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'' comic, where Pig comes up with an elaborate plan on what to do if he gets separated from his young companion at an amusement park, including discussing what he'll be wearing and where they should meet. The kid promptly [[TechnologyMarchesOn pulls out his cell phone]] and suggests "...or I could just call you."
* A winter-themed ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' Sunday strip from the '60s has Charlie Brown worrying about Snoopy getting cold at night, telling Linus and Lucy he's tried giving him blankets, giving him straw, etc. Linus then suggests that Snoopy try sleeping ''inside'' his doghouse instead of on top of it. The others look at him like he's got rocks in his head, leading to Linus admitting in the final panel that "it ''was'' sort of a ridiculous suggestion".
* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'':
** Calvin is worried over Rosalyn coming over to babysit again, and unsure of how to handle it. Hobbes suggests that maybe they could try being good for a change. Calvin incredulously asks him to repeat that. Hobbes just says, "Nothing. Forget it."
** In another comic, Calvin is plotting out an elaborate plan to hit Susie, who is playing with her doll, with water balloons. Hobbes suggests that they just ambush her while she's sitting, to which Calvin says Hobbes lacks "an executive mind".
* ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'':
** One Sunday strip shows [[ComplexityAddiction Jason]] plotting out an elaborate RubeGoldbergDevice that will light a fake halo over his bed just as Santa Claus is visiting the house, which he thinks will inspire Santa to give him more presents. His mother Andy, looking at the plans, cocks an eyebrow and asks, "Wouldn't it be easier to just ''actually be good''?"; Jason replies "Yeah, right."
** Another strip has Jason proudly show Peter how he's traced over every line in his comic book with glow-in-the-dark ink, so he can read it past his bedtime. Peter points out, "Couldn't you just hide a flashlight under your covers?"

--> '''Tasbaal''': You? You are nothing but a glorified cook! You want me to believe that you safely set up the mystical wards to drain the heart chamber of dangerous mana? On your own, no less?\\

--> '''Mirabel''': My motto is this; work smarter, not harder.

* In ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'', [[DumbassHasAPoint Br'er Bear points out that Br'er Fox's plans to catch Br'er Rabbit never work]] and suggests that they just "knock his head clean off." He may be a fool but even he can judge the results after a certain number of times.
* ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan''. Mr. Smee asks why Captain Hook insists on using a bomb to kill Peter Pan when just slitting his throat would be "more humane". Captain Hook responds that IGaveMyWord [[ExactWords not to lay a finger]] -- or hook -- on Peter. He never breaks a promise.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' Yzma does it to herself immediately after her first plan without even realising it:
-->'''Yzma:''' I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless little flea. Then, I'll put that flea in a box, and I'll put that box inside another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself. And when it arrives, [[EvilLaugh Muhahaha!]] I'LL SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER! ''[[ThatPoorPlant [BAM]]]'' ...Or, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint to save on postage]], I'll just poison him with ''this''!

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'': Nick and Judy find a train car [[EvidenceDungeon full of vital evidence]]. Nick suggests taking a small briefcase containing relevant evidence and leaving before the bad guys realize they're there. Unfortunately, Judy [[FatalFlaw impulsively]] wants ''all'' of the evidence delivered to the police. So she hijacks the train car. [[spoiler:And crashes it, [[AccidentallyBrokeTheMacGuffin destroying all of the evidence]]. Fortunately for her, Nick [[StolenMacGuffinReveal still has the briefcase on him]].]]
* ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'': King Stefan's initial plan to save his daughter's life from the curse Maleficent placed on her? [[KillItWithFire Have all the spinning wheels in the kingdom burned!]] [[LoopholeAbuse If there are no spinning wheels, then she can't fatally prick herself on her sixteenth birthday, can she?]] [[spoiler: Unfortunately, Maleficent, being an evil fairy with magical powers, just counters with a simple solution of her own: just conjure one into existence.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/IsleOfDogs'': Chief's pack and a rival dog pack are ready to fight over a sack full of leftovers when Rex pipes up and says that they should open the sack and see if it's worth the trouble. They do just that, and Rex lists all that's in the sack before Chief finally declares, "Okay, it's WorthIt", and they all start fighting anyway.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', villain Syndrome has just launched his personal rocket towards the city to begin his campaign of facing a threatening enemy, his latest model Omnidroid, [[EngineeredHeroics that only he can dispatch]]. Bob and Helen Parr are at a loss at first of how to get back in time to stop him; Dash points out a standby rocket ready and prepped in another launch bay. Helen points out that [[TheSmartGuy she]] doesn't know how to pilot a rocket; Violet just says to use the previous launch's coordinates. Finally, when they're mulling over how to work the computer consoles for the launch, [[spoiler:Mirage offers her assistance]].

* Used in ''Film/ThePumaman''; the BigBad uses MindControl to make the hero jump to his death, instead of going with his {{mooks}}' more practical suggestion of just having one of them shoot him, to make it look like death from natural causes. Which would have all been great had it not been for the fact that Vadhino tells us at one point that thanks to the mask, Kobras has total control over the police. So... why did it have to look like an accident again?
* In ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/AttackOfTheClones'', Count Dooku [[GladiatorGames puts the heroes into an arena, to be killed by large monsters]]. This, of course, doesn't work, and Viceroy Gunray demands their execution by shooting. Dooku actually ''listens'', but TheCavalry arrives before anything can be done about it.
* In ''Film/IpMan'', Colonel Sato crosses the MoralEventHorizon for [[spoiler: shooting Master Liu after his three-on-one fight goes awry]] and afterward keeps asking to just shoot the title hero, but keeps getting prevented from doing so by the more honourable General Miura.
* Justified in ''Film/SixStringSamurai'', where the USSR have occupied a post-nuclear America for decades.
-->"[[WhyDontYouJustShootHim Why don't he just shoot him]]?"\\
"We haven't had bullets since '57!"

* In Disney's ''Film/ReturnToOz'' Mombi asks why the Nome King did not turn Dorothy and company into ornaments right away, and instead let them play a near impossible guessing game to get their missing companions back. The Nome King replies "it's more fun ''this'' way." The same excuse is used in the book ''Ozma of Oz'', but in that case, the only reason everyone was found in the guessing game was that Billina eavesdropped.

* In ''Film/TwentyEightDaysLater'', Private Jones implores Corporal Mitchell to shoot Sergeant Farrell rather than stab him with the bayonet. Mitchell's refusal to do so ultimately leads to Jim's escape, as it panics Jones into triggering his gun.
%%* The exact same thing happens to Creator/BruceWillis again in the ''Film/SinCity'' movie, as an ActorAllusion.
* Used in ''Film/LastActionHero''. After [[TheMole Practice]] handcuffs Jack and Danny, he goes into a long speech about why he's working for Vivaldi. Meanwhile, Danny frees himself with [[ChekhovsGun a handcuff key he happened to have]], pulls a gun on Practice, and rants at length about how dumb movie villains always explain everything when all they have to do to win is shoot. At which point ''Vivaldi'' shows up and pulls a gun on him mid-speech. "You're not so smart yourself, kid."
* ''Film/BlueThunder'' features a non-shooting variant that otherwise plays this trope perfectly. The good guys have recorded on special videotape a conversation that exposes the GovernmentConspiracy. The bad guys go crazy chasing down the tape in an attempt to retrieve it before it can be given to the press. At the very last second, one of the conspirators reminds the others that the tapes are contained in special cases that are able to erase them by remote command (a fact that was [[ChekhovsGun introduced earlier]]). In a subversion, they try to do exactly this, but the case got knocked off in a scuffle with a {{mook|s}} and so the command fails. In their defense, the heroes had changed the code number on the tapecase in question. The Simple Solution ("So erase them ALL.") wasn't Stated until near the end of the movie. Erasing all the tapes is obviously problematical and a very last resort.
* In ''Film/EnterTheDragon'', Lee brings this very point up to the man recruiting him to infiltrate Han's Island only for a hasty explanation that Hand would never allow a gun to ever be brought to his home, and the local laws in Hong Kong and the border of China make smuggling firearms very difficult. Lee visibly rolls his eyes at this. This is because even though Creator/BruceLee was a martial arts master without equal at the time, he had absolutely no illusions on the firearms vs. martial arts debate and, playing a (sort of) secret agent in this movie, very much wanted to use one. But the producers nixed this idea, much to Bruce's annoyance.

* In the kids' film ''Film/ThreeNinjas'', the title middle-schoolers successfully defeat TheDragon, only to have some random {{mooks}} pull guns on them. The heroes clearly consider this to be cheating.
* Lampshaded in ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'': "If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk!"
* ''Film/XXxStateOfTheUnion'' has Darius Stone knock out instead of kill Charlie, the woman who framed him for murder. His superior, Gibbons, says that he should have killed her. Later on, Stone is held at gunpoint by Charlie, only for Gibbons to shoot her. He reiterates, "I told you to kill that bitch."

* In Creator/TheCoenBrothers remake of ''Film/TheLadykillers2004'', the crew's leader tries to think up an elaborate solution to a casino employee who stands in the way of their heist. After being shut down several times, the crew's young idiot chimes in with "why don't we just bribe the guy?"
* In a 1997 low-budget B-Action flick called ''Film/MeanGuns'' a character played by Ice-T is overseeing a deathmatch between a bunch of hired killers for a BriefcaseFullOfMoney. One of the killers surprises Ice with a knife and goes on and on about how he's going to kill Ice-T's character and how much he hates him, all the while Ice T keeps telling him to throw the knife. As the guy looks away for a second, Ice T draws his own knife, throws it and kills the guy saying, "See? You throw the fucking knife. Don't stand there and hold it, throw the motherfucker!"
* In ''Film/Aquaman2018'', when Mera uses her hydrokinesis to draw the sweat from his brow and activate the cylinder containing King Atlan's final message, Arthur points out [[ToiletHumour a more practical method]], to which she gives him a disgusted glance.
-->'''Arthur:''' I could've just peed on it.
* In ''Film/{{Cinderella 2015}}'', when Ella is asked why she doesn't just leave the Tremaines and move away, she states that she can't because she cares for the house her family has owned for 200 years and doesn't want to see them practically destroy it.
* In ''Film/SlingBlade'' a man who owns a repair shop spends hours trying to figure out why a small engine won't start. His simple-minded assistant, Karl, then points out that it doesn't have any gas.
* ''Film/KingCobra1999'': This is brought up when Hashimoto starts unpacking various snake-catching tools and is asked why they don't simply shoot the giant cobra instead. He responds by giving the main character a shotgun and demonstrating how hard it is to actually hit ''and'' kill a fast-moving, camouflaged target in a wooded area under pressure.
* Defied in ''Film/MajorPayne''. Rather than cooking up another ZanyScheme to drive Payne away, Cadet Wuliger suggests merely going to the principal, as what Payne is doing to the students as a DrillSergeantNasty can't possibly be legal. Cadet Stone shoots this down, believing the principal won't do anything, as he doesn't care if it's legal or not. However, Wuliger's suggestion does inspire Stone's scheme to depict Payne as a pedophile, believing if they paint Payne as something ''that'' vile, the principal will have no choice but to fire Payne. Unsurprisingly it doesn't work, as since the Major sleeps with his eyes open he catches them red-handed trying to slip a cross-dressing cadet into bed with him.
* Similarly defied in ''Film/{{Matilda}}'' when the students tell the titular girl about [[BigBad The Trunchbull]] and how she physically and psychologically abuses the students, even going so far as to outright ''torture'' them by locking them in an iron-maiden-like device called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Chokey]]. Matilda points out they should tell their parents and get the woman fired and likely locked up, but the other kids point out they've all tried and their parents simply don't believe them as the stories are [[RefugeInAudacity so ludicrously and unbelievably over-the-top]].

* In ''Film/SongOfTheSouth'', [[DumbassHasAPoint Br'er Bear points out that Br'er Fox's plans to catch Br'er Rabbit never work]] and suggests that they just "knock his head clean off."

* ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'':

* In ''ComicBook/MarvelAdventures: Super Heroes'' #17, the scientist Diablo attempts to steal the Voynich Manuscript, believing it to be an alchemical text that will help him defeat the creature that has been causing chaos with his abilities. [[Characters/Avengers60sMembers The Vision]] points out that the entirety of the manuscript is available online, and thus there was no need to steal it. Diablo stammers in shock at this revelation.

* ''Anime/MazingerZ'': In one episode TheDragon Baron Ashura captured Kouji and [[HumongousMecha Mazinger-Z]] and gave him the "join-us-or-die" choice. After the Kouji's predictable answer, Ashura sentenced him to death, starting a bunch of giant power saws and drills to cut Mazinger-Z to pieces. [[TheDragon The another Dragon]] Count Brocken was watching the scene through a monitor and he stated Ashura beat around the bush too much and complicated things unnecessarily, and shooting Kabuto would be easier and quicker.

* In the seventh ''Franchise/TouhouProject'', if you play as [[CuteWitch Marisa]], she will wonder about how to get the gate to the Netherworld to open up. The Prismriver Sisters then point out that they only need to fly over it.

See also WhyDontYouJustShootHim, SherlockCanRead, ActuallyAGoodIdea, LampshadeHanging, and ImpossiblyMundaneExplanation. JustEatGilligan is built around ''not'' having anyone do this. If someone actually ''does'' the simple solution, SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome occurs. If the simple solution is well acknowledged as an oversight, expect DidntThinkThisThrough to be a response.

* During ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv0ZRTlIXR0 Karl Jobst's "These DOOM Cheaters Were Caught Red-Handed"]]'' video he goes indepth into just how difficult making a faked SpeedRun that won't immediately be recognized actually is, showing how professional Speed Runners are better than ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' at spotting the absolute most ''minute'' details -- even so much as a single frame out of place, one errant move, one tiny hiccup in the physics, will be enough to out a player who is using slowdown, [[SaveScumming save-state abuse]], [[ManipulativeEditing splicing]], or cheats. He then quips that it would take such a good understanding and so much mastery of a game to make a seamless faked Speed Run... that it's probably easier to ''just do the Speed Run for real''.