History Main / StepfordSnarker

** [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Legault]] is this and a StepfordSmiler, he doesn't tell a whole lot about himself and enjoys trolling people in his supports. His conversations with Matthew and Nino, however, reveals that he has a lot of issues regarding leaving the friends he knew for years behind and eventually witnessing their deaths as the Black Fang crumbles.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

%%* Shinji Ikari, of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'''s manga adaptation.
%%* ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' makes no qualms about the fact that, under the TallDarkAndSnarky IceKing persona, Barnaby Brooks Jr. has some [[BrokenAce serious]] [[BrokenBird issues.]]

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Ryuuken Ishida comes across as grim, bitter, sarcastic and hypercritical although there are hints that he's actually a gentle, protective person underneath it all. Then, the final arc visits the past in flashback and it reveals that he really ''was'' a very open, gentle, protective person until a series of circumstances ruined his Quincy future, doomed his adopted cousin and, worst of all, culminated in the loss of his wife. The people responsible are still at large (and pose a serious threat to his son Uryuu, the only surviving member of his family) and the story all but confirms he's a HeartbrokenBadass. The man's still incredibly protective, but he's learned the hard way to hide it.
* ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'': Edward Elric is incredibly sarcastic, especially in the English dub of the first anime while occasionally showing a cocky grin. Though, when you learn of his past, all the burdens he carries in the present, and his tendency to use HeroicSelfDeprecation on himself despite the good he's done one can safely assume he uses it as a defense mechanism.
** Ed's mentor, Roy Mustang, has similar traits, particularly in the 2003 anime. A man haunted by grief and regret, loathing himself for going along with monstrous orders at least as much as he hates the ones who actually gave them, and driven by loyalty to the few he deems to deserve it, he puts on a facade as kind of an asshole whose sense of humour is desert-dry.

[[folder:Comics]]

* DependingOnTheWriter, SelfDemonstrating/{{Deadpool}} comes across like this, using his sense of humor to cope with his past trauma at Weapon X, as well as his own failings as a person.
* Likewise, depending on the writer ComicBook/SpiderMan does this for similar reasons. He uses his quippy brand of sarcasm to hide the fact he's usually pretty scared, self-doubting and carries around a massive GuiltComplex.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]
* In ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11772125/1/Metroid-Kamen-Rider-Generations-Full-Series Metroid: Kamen Rider Generations]]'', [[Series/KamenRiderGaim Mitsuzane]] is often written as this combining with StepfordSmiler in spades. His reason to throw a lot of snarks even if it doesn't even make sense to snark at all. Once you learn about [[DarkAndTroubledPast his past]], Mitsuzane has been struggling to get over it, to the point he becomes insecure of himself and no longer reforms connections with his former friends in Zawame, considering the grave sins he had committed during his betrayal against Kouta.

** Rocket Raccoon in ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' may seem like a jerk, but it turns out he only acts tough and sarcastic to hide his anger over being the only one of his kind who can talk.

* Tyrion Lannister in ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' is a deformed dwarf who is widely hated for his infirmities. He develops into a brutally DeadpanSnarker as a coping mechanism, which, as he admits himself, only makes things worse.
** His brother Jamie is another good example, possibly even more so since his surface-level jadedness means most readers don't even realize how damaged he is inside until he becomes a POV character in book three.

* Nora Irving of ''Literature/{{Stuck}}'' has a sharp wit in general, but becomes outright spiteful at times when she gets irritated or sad.
* Harry Dresden, eponymous FirstPersonSmartass of ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'', is a horrendously emotionally damaged person - orphan, psychologically abused by his first foster father who tried to mentally enslave him (and succeeded in enslaving Dresden's foster-sister/first love, Elaine) and who he had to kill in single combat at the age of 16 (he spends years believing that he'd killed Elaine too), is nearly executed by the White Council for breaking one of their Laws of Magic in ignorant self-defence... and that's just the start. His habit of taking the hard road in pursuit of doing the right thing doesn't help. As a result, he's a MotorMouth DeadpanSnarker and PopCulturedBadass who uses snark to cover up his mental scars with varying degrees of success. He's entirely aware of this, refers to himself as a 'disciple of the Tao of Peter Parker' and compares himself to Charlie Brown trying to kick the football despite knowing it'll be whipped away from him, [[ComesGreatResponsibility because it's who he is and what he does.]]

%%* Asher of ''Literature/SomeoneElsesWar'' is this trope personified.
%%* Diana Ladris ([[Literature/{{Gone}} GONE, HUNGER, LIES, PLAGUE and FEAR]]) often embodies this trope.

* ''[[Literature/{{Heroics}} Heroics]]'': Cass, who hides her [[AbusiveParents backstory]] behind sarcasm.
* Udinaas from the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen''. He starts out as a mild version as he's considerably happy with his life as a slave, but when things go really bad he tries to hide his hurt, desperation and loneliness behind increasing bouts of [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech 'The Reasons All Of You Suck, Myself Included'-speeches]] and snide remarks.
* Rhett Butler in ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind''. Not until the end of the book, after knowing him for ''years'', does Scarlett realize how much she's hurt him with her constant rejections because his sole form of communication is snide comments and wisecracks.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'':

** Joey herself is one.
* ''Series/VeronicaMars'': sophomore year, she is ridiculed, outcast and raped after the death of her best friend. Junior year, she makes quips.
** She falls deeper and deeper into this as the series progresses (this is a CrapsackWorld, after all), but has grown out of much of the underlying hurt beneath her shell in the nine-year time skip to the movie. At that point, she is less a SnarkKnight, and more a regular DeadpanSnarker.

* ''Series/{{Goth}}'': Goth girl Daisy and JerkassWoobie Shelby from ''Series/HigherGround'' often use sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Ezra could qualify as one, but he's probably better described as a SadClown.

%%* DS Barbara Havers of ''Series/TheInspectorLynleyMysteries''.

* Naomi from ''Series/{{Skins}}'' outright admitted that she "learned how to be a sarcastic bitch" as a way to hide her feelings for Emily.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** When the Ninth Doctor -- or really any incarnation of them -- gets snarky about humanity, it's often a sign that he's very upset and trying hard not to show it. Rose even lampshades this in "The Doctor Dances".
** River Song. "Oh, I hate you." is usually in force when she's very worried or upset.
* ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'':
** Dr. Owen Harper is a {{Jerkass}}, constantly snarking and putting others down. Later episodes show the brutal reasons why he feels the need to keep his emotions hidden away.

%%* On ''Series/WillAndGrace'' Will's mother Marilyn (Blythe Danner) fits this trope to a T.
* Jeff on ''Series/{{Community}}'' has been accused several times of hiding his feelings by being a wise-ass. This may be due to the fact that he spent several years as a lawyer, where keeping things to oneself is a professional necessity. It's also due in no small part to his misery at being forced to attend a crappy community college. He has himself on occasion admitted to it, and being in the study group has [[ThePowerOfFriendship softened him a little]], as shown in later episodes. Still doesn't stop him snarking when he's in a bad mood or feeling insecure, though.
* Gabriel from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' fits this trope - he's a sarcastic smart-arse full of mockery and cynicism, and with a superficially-upbeat demeanour... but it turns out that [[spoiler: he knows that his brothers are destined to kill each other and destroy the Earth and that there's nothing he can do about it, and it's tearing him apart. Hence his running away and hiding on Earth.]]

* Built into the premise of ''Series/GoOn''. It's a sitcom about a support group, so naturally, there'd be plenty of these in the cast, including the main character.
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': Tess Mercer is a BrokenBird with history of AbusiveParents, ParentalAbandonment, and OrphanageOfFear, and it only gets worse during her tenure on the show. By later seasons it's obvious that, while DeadpanSnarker is her default setting, she tends to fall into irony defensively whenever someone gets too close to figuring out [[BrokenAce how badly she's broken]].
%%** [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Chloe Sullivan]] managed to remain the PluckyGirl crossed with Deadpan Snarker for most of the time, but [[TraumaCongaLine season eight]] is a bit too much even for her to bear. Let's just say that it was the time when "[[KickTheDog Kick The Chloe]]" was a OncePerEpisode game.

* Malcolm from ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' does this to hide his insecurity and loneliness over his DysfunctionalFamily, the fact that his only peers are sheltered rich nerds who don't understand how poor peoples' lives work, and the fact that almost everyone else ostracizes him for being smart. In his words, "I pretend it doesn't bother me and then lash out at people who don't deserve it."
* Detective Jake Peralta in ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'' outright admits in one episode that he makes smartass quips in large part because he's "not comfortable with emotions". The fact that his DisappearedDad abandoned him at an early age also helps, as does his (apparently) unrequited crush on his partner.
* [[RichBitch C.C.]] [[HopelessSuitor Babcock]] on ''Series/TheNanny'' is a snobby BlueBlood businesswoman constantly looking down upon almost everyone. Though as the series goes on, she's shown to be a very depressed and lonely woman who struggles to come to terms with the fact that Maxwell Sheffield isn't romantically interested in her.
* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'': April becomes one of these after she first tells her boyfriend Andy, in an uncharacteristic (for her) moment of emotional availability, that she loves him, and he's caught so off-guard that the best response he can manage is to say "Dude! Shut up! That is awesomesauce!" Later on, talking to the camera, a visibly angry but very deadpan April flatly insists that there's no problem, then smiles brightly and says "I awesomesauce Andy!"
* Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, the main character (more or less) of ''Series/{{MASH}}'', is hardly ever without a snarky line, even when flirting with the nurses (at which point they generally take the form of {{Double Entendre}}s). In his case, it's his way of coping with the horrors of war, and generally, when he's ''not'' snarking, it means things have taken an especially grave turn.
* ''Series/{{Nashville}}'': Juliette Barnes doesn't spare anyone the snark and occasional jerk part of her JerkWithAHeartOfGold personality. However, she was brought up by a seriously damaged mother solo, developed a tough shell to get through her personal and professional life, is difficult to work with, has a truly heroic capacity for the demon drink, and did not take well to motherhood ("Gimme the damn baby!") to the extent of having to go into rehab. She also has a psychotic break towards a fan taking pictures of her, attacking her in a rage.

* J.D. from ''{{Theatre/Heathers}}'', when we first meet him, comes off as a clever, charming, sarcastic outsider with a rather dark sense of humor. All of this is genuinely true. However, he's also coping with an abusive drunk for a father, is still in pain from his mother's suicide many years earlier, and has no friends since he moves around so much. Oh, and he's also [[AxCrazy batshit]] [[SerialKiller insane]].

%%* Ionae in ''VideoGame/TheSpiritEngine2''.

* Morrigan, resident LadyOfBlackMagic from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins,'' who uses the facade of a sultry ice queen to hide her extreme awkwardness from being raised in an isolated environment by a HumanoidAbomination.
* A conversation during Act II of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' with Aveline can have her explicitly refer to a [[TheGadfly sarcastic Hawke]] as a mix of this and a SadClown. This is due to Hawke's loneliness after the events of the game cause them to lose most of their family, either to death or the Circle/Templars/Wardens, leaving them nearly all alone in their family's big fancy estate.
%%* Squall Leonhart in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII''.
* Gannayev of ''[[VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2 Mask of the Betrayer]]'' has a thing for throwing around snark and wordplay in order to avoid things he's uncomfortable talking about - usually himself. Kaelyn can see through it instantly, as Gann discovers when he unwisely asks just how she sees him.
-->'''Kaelyn''': You toss about words like a wind around you, in the hopes that their speed and flurry will deflect questions and prevent you from being seen for what you are. You are hurt, Gannayev-of-Dreams. And that pain drives you to hurt others, for you have been taught that that is the wheel that turns the world.
* The Sith Inquisitor often comes across as one of these in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', apparently having developed a world-weary disdain for other people during their time as [[MadeASlave a slave]].
* Michael in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' is a full-blown Stepford Snarker. He resorts to sarcasm towards everyone when they piss him off or if he is not in a good mood. The reason behind his snarky attitude is due to his complete disillusion with his life from having a wife that cheats on him, a SpoiledBrat of a daughter, and a lazy, dimwitted, pot smoking BasementDweller of a son. At one point, Trevor gives Michael grief for the constant snarking, causing Michael to snap and scream about how much crap he has gone through and that sarcasm is the only thing he can rely on.

* ''VisualNovel/{{Lux Pain}}'':
** Shinji who talks to everyone in a very snarky manner. While he's always getting yelled at or even beaten by constantly saying what he thinks, he manages to tell Atsuki why he prefers to be a {{Jerkass}} than be a kind person that he is capable of. [[spoiler: Wanting to be a surgeon was his dream but the idea of getting someone killed and being held responsible has made him put a wall between people to avoid someone from asking about his issues. He was also neglected by his parents.]]
** Hibiki has similar problems as Shinji but he combines being a Stepford Snarker with Stepford Smiler. To everyone, Hibiki is "polite" but his [[NotGoodWithPeople personality]] ends up getting him isolated so the only friend he does have is one he's very snarky toward. Given that Ryo is so dense, almost all the insults and compliments go over his head.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Vero from ''[[Webcomic/M9Girls M9 Girls]]'' hides her loneliness with a strong attitude and caustic remarks.

* Regent in ''Literature/{{Worm}}''. He's generally snarky, sarcastic, and irreverent to everyone around him, and spends most of his time taking the piss out of his teammates. It's a mask. He's severely emotionally damaged due to a childhood full of MindRape and is almost totally unable to discern or experience any strong emotions. It's noted at one point that Regent doesn't get angry- he responds to aggression by making every interaction just that much more snarky and toxic. It's implied that being a snarker was essentially the only form of resistance he could display in a home where any disobedience was met with agonizing punishment.
** There's a statue made in homage to him late in the story. It depicts two masks- the Comedy Mask of Theater, and an expressionless mask behind it.

%% * Given what [[WhyCouldntYouBeDifferent kind of parents]] she has, Sam Manson of ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' can easily be considered this.

* Lance from ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' has a DarkAndTroubledPast, mainly pertaining to his DisappearedDad. At the start of the show, he's this often acting very moody and only seeming to be concerned with his duties. He does get a bit more cheerful and open as the show goes on though.

* Raven of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. On the surface, she's a stoic snarker. Beneath the surface, she's a lonely and fearful girl with DaddyIssues.
* Eddy of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''. He seems confident and manly while snarking all the while (especially around Ed), but it's shown that it's was all a mask to hide the inferiority complex he got from his brother's abuse. A mask he made in the naive belief that he would be popular if he acted like he did.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': It's heavily implied that this is the case for Mr. Cat, who is rude, cynical and sarcastic. It's been shown that his behavior might actually be because of deeply rooted psychological issues and an inferiority complex, as well as several traumatic past experiences and living with an abusive family prior to the show's events.
* Helga in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' uses a facade that contains heaps of snark and jerkassery in order to cover up for her troubled upbringing, self-hatred, and love for Arnold.
* ''Franchise/MyLittlePonyGeneration4'': Season 8's '''The Maud Couple''' reveals Limestone Pie is one. Despite her salty and sour exterior, she confesses to being miserable all the time and she is very envious that Maud has a boyfriend. The implications seem to hint that her rough edges hide a desire to be in a relationship with someone who could understand her.
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender: The series finale reveals Azula to be this through the rest of season 3. She loves to snark and quip; but then season 3 plays out and we see a sad, lonely woman who can't make friends normally and holds a lot of anger and jealousy against her brother who not only got their mother's attention; but at the end of the series got everything Azula ever truly wanted.

** Xander is the living embodiment of this trope. He grew up in a family of alcoholics, was a loser in high school, and is forced to always deal with the burden with being the only one out of his friends without powers, in a [[DeathWorld town full of monsters of all kinds]]. Naturally, he responds to all this with sarcasm and self-deprecating jokes to cover up his bitterness and deep insecurity. Xander's defensive mechanism is made incredibly obvious in stressful situations such as the time leading up to his untimely canceled wedding with Anya and when he had to make a living in his parents' basement paying rent while his friends went off to college. It's lampshaded in this argument:

In addition, they may be an example of TheSnarkKnight, but don't always have to be. While the Snark Knight is antisocial and sarcastic because of discontent with their surroundings, the Stepford Snarker doesn't have to be anti-social. They could have many friends and even an optimistic view of the world itself, so long as they still hide their bad moods with snark. A staple of the JerkassWoobie and frequently seen in {{Goth}}s. Closely related to SugarAndIcePersonality, {{Tsundere}}, BrokenBird, and DefrostingIceQueen, all of whom might use this sort of snark as a way of masking their inner sweetness. Compare/contrast SadClown, who is less rude and more ridiculous. Compare HiddenHeartOfGold and SourOutsideSadInside.

%% Add context and be specific about why the entries belong the page before uncommenting them.

In addition, they may be an example of TheSnarkKnight, but don't always have to be. While the Snark Knight is antisocial and sarcastic because of discontent with their surroundings, the Stepford Snarker doesn't have to be anti-social. They could have many friends and even an optimistic view of the world itself, so long as they still hide their bad moods with snark. A staple of the JerkassWoobie and frequently seen in {{Goth}}s. Closely related to SugarAndIcePersonality, {{Tsundere}}, BrokenBird and DefrostingIceQueen, all of whom might use this sort of snark as a way of masking their inner sweetness. Compare/contrast SadClown, who is less rude and more ridiculous. Compare HiddenHeartOfGold and SourOutsideSadInside.

* ''Manga/FullMetalAlchemist'': Edward Elric is incredibly sarcastic, especially in the english dub of the first anime while occasionally showing a cocky grin. Though, when you learn of his past, all the burdens he carries in the present, and his tendency to use HeroicSelfDeprecation on himself despite the good he's done one can safely assume he uses it as a defense mechanism.

* Lupo from ''Minimonsters'' acts like this when he's not sleeping or [[ExtremeOmnivore eating whatever he sees]]. He is a werewolf who has to take care of his younger siblings instead playing with his friends, as his family is (probably) the most poor one in Villa Susto. As a result, he is incredibly sarcastic to everyone, even his own friends. His main target of his snark is his [[SpoiledBrat filthy rich vampire]] "friend" Victor Von Piro. No explanation needed.

* Whirl in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'' is, deep down, a bitter and regretful person whose mistakes weigh on him like chains - most notably the time he indirectly started a war that cost billions of lives. There's a layer over that consisting of an abrasive {{Jerkass}} who goes out of his way to piss off everyone he's ever met, bombarding them with snide remarks and personal insults. And over that he's a DeathSeeker and BloodKnight.

** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' has [[WorldOfSnark quite a lot of snarkers]], most of whom are garden variety {{Deadpan Snarker}}s, but [[IronMan Tony Stark]] and [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]] specifically fit this trope because their sarcasm is respectively a defense mechanism and a way of maintaining self-control. This is particularly evident after [[spoiler: Agent Coulson]] gets killed, and Tony snarks about how stupid he was to face Loki alone, but is clearly using it to cover up his own grief. Given that Tony's [[Film/IronMan own films]] show his life to be something of a mess, with quite a lot of moral emptiness (before he decides to become a superhero), alcoholism, and relationship issues (continuing after he becomes a superhero) he counts as this trope in all his films.

** His brother Jamie is another good example, possibly even moreso since his surface-level jadedness means most readers don't even realize how damaged he is inside until he becomes a POV character in book three.
* Marco from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' gets like this from time to time. He explicitly states several times that he is choosing to see things that upset or scare him as funny, because he has no interest in the alternative.

* Rhett Butler in ''Literature/GoneWithTheWind''. Not until the end of the book, after knowing him for ''years'', does Scarlett realize how much she's hurt him with her constant rejections, because his sole form of communication is snide comments and wisecracks.

** She falls deeper and deeper into this as the series progresses (this is a CrapsackWorld, after all), but has grown out of much of the underlying hurt beneath her shell in the nine-year timeskip to the movie. At that point, she is less a SnarkKnight, and more a regular DeadpanSnarker.

---> '''Judy''': Oh we don't mind paying for our son's wedding in England. After all it might be the only wedding we get to throw...\\

* Santana from ''Series/{{Glee}}'' has always been ruthlessly snarky - even cruel. Turns out she was hiding bitterness and loneliness due to being in love with Brittany and unable to come to terms with it. Even now while her friends are trying to being supportive and get her to open up, she's still as prickly as ever.
* Naomi from ''Series/{{Skins}}'' outright admitted that she "learned how to be a sarcastic bitch" as way to hide her feelings for Emily.

** When the Ninth Doctor -- or really any incarnation of him -- gets snarky about humanity, it's often a sign that he's very upset and trying hard not to show it. Rose even lampshades this in "The Doctor Dances".

** Dr Owen Harper is a {{Jerkass}}, constantly snarking and putting others down. Later episodes show the brutal reasons why he feels the need to keep his emotions hidden away.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': Tess Mercer is a BrokenBird with history of AbusiveParents, ParentalAbandonment and OrphanageOfFear, and it only gets worse during her tenure on the show. By later seasons it's obvious that, while DeadpanSnarker is her default setting, she tends to fall into irony defensively whenever someone gets too close to figuring out [[BrokenAce how badly she's broken]].
%%** [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Chloe Sullivan]] managed to remain the PluckyGirl crossed with Deadpan Snarker for most of the time, but [[TraumaCongaLine season eight]] is a bit too much even for her to bear. Let's just say that it was the time when "[[KickTheDog Kick The Chloe]]" was an OncePerEpisode game.

* Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, the main character (more or less) of ''Series/{{MASH}}'', is hardly ever without a snarky line, even when flirting with the nurses (at which point they generally take the form of {{Double Entendre}}s). In his case, it's his way of coping with the horrors of war, and generally when he's ''not'' snarking, it means things have taken an especially grave turn.
* ''Series/{{Nashville}}'': Juliette Barnes doesn't spare anyone the snark and occasional jerk part of her JerkWithAHeartOfGold peresonality. However, she was brought up by a seriously damaged mother solo, developed a tough shell to get through her personal and professional life, is difficult to work with, has a truly heroic capacity for the demon drink, and did not take well to motherhood ("Gimme the damn baby!") to the extent of having to go into rehab. She also has a psychotic break towards a fan taking pictures of her, attacking her in a rage.

* Peter Steele of Music/TypeONegative was an interesting example. The group's lyrics and his personality in interviews suggested that he was sarcastic for comic effect, though it was apparent later on that he really did have issues with insecurity, perfectionism and depression. It first manifested itself notably on the production of the album World Coming Down (after several of his relatives died), but was especially apparent after his involuntary admission in 2005 to a psychiatric hospital by his sisters. When he died in 2010, many were surprised it wasn't suicide.

** [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade Legault]] is this and a StepfordSmiler, he doesn't tell a whole lot about himself and enjoys trolling people in his supports. His conversations with Matthew and Nino however reveals that he has a lot of issues regarding leaving the friends he knew for years behind and eventually witnessing their deaths as the Black Fang crumbles.

* A conversation during Act II of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' with Aveline can have her explicitly refer to a [[TheGadfly sarcastic Hawke]] as mix of this and a SadClown. This is due to Hawke's loneliness after the events of the game cause them to lose most of their family, either to death or the Circle/Templars/Wardens, leaving them nearly all alone in their family's big fancy estate.

* Michael in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' is a full blown stepford snarker. He resorts to sarcasm towards everyone when they piss him off or if he is not in a good mood. The reason behind his snarky attitude is due to his complete disillusion with his life from having a wife that cheats on him, a SpoiledBrat of a daughter, and a lazy, dimwitted, pot smoking BasementDweller of a son. At one point, Trevor gives Michael grief for the constant snarking, causing Michael to snap and scream about how much crap he has gone through and that sarcasm is the only thing he can rely on.

* Archer in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight.'' It's clear early on that he's got some issues, but Tohsaka is actually bothered when he ''stops'' being stepfordy about it [[spoiler:even before he {{Face Heel Turn}}s.]]

* Kirito in ''WebVideo/SwordArtOnlineAbridged''. In the first two episodes he was a pure HeroicComedicSociopath. The death of the girl he was opening up to in episode 3 made him decide to double down on that attitude, but at the same time it messed him up to the point that he finds himself unable to be as uncaring as he pretends to be. Of special note is episode 8, when he tries making a BondOneLiner after Corvatz is killed by Gleam Eyes to cover up how shaken up he is.
* Regent in ''Literature/{{Worm}}''. He's generally snarky, sarcastic, and irreverent to everyone around him, and spends most of his time taking the piss out of his teammates. It's a mask. He's severely emotionally damaged due to a childhood full of MindRape, and is almost totally unable to discern or experience any strong emotions. It's noted at one point that Regent doesn't get angry- he responds to aggression by making every interaction just that much more snarky and toxic. It's implied that being a snarker was essentially the only form of resistance he could display in a home where any disobedience was met with agonizing punishment.

* Raven of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans''. On the surface she's a stoic snarker. Beneath the surface, she's a lonely and fearful girl with DaddyIssues.
* Eddy of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''. He seems confident and manly while snarking all the while (especially around Ed), but it's shown that it's was all a mask to hide the inferiority complex he got from his brother's abuse. A mask he made in naive belief that he would be popular if he acted like he did.

'''Morty''': That's just Rick's stupid, nonsense catchprase.\\

* Helga in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' uses a facade that contains heaps of snark and jerkassery in order to cover up for her troubled upbringing, self-hatred and love for Arnold.
* ''Franchise/MyLittlePonyGeneration4'': Season 8's '''The Maud Couple''' reveals Limestone Pie is one. Despite her salty and sour exterior, she confesses to being miserable all the time and she is very envious that Maud has a boyfriend. The implications seem to hint that her rough edges hides a desire to be in a relationship with someone who could understand her.

* Peter Steele of Music/TypeONegative was an interesting example. The group's lyrics and his personality in interviews suggested that he was sarcastic for comic effect, though it was apparent later on that he really did have issues with insecurity, perfectionism and depression. It first manifested itself notaly on the production of the alum World Coming Down (after several of his relatives died), but was especially apparent after his involuntary admission in 2005 to a psychiatric hospital by his sisters. When he died in 2010, many were surprised it wasn't suicide.

** Xander is the living embodiment of this trope. He grew up in a family of alcoholics, was a loser in high school, and is forced to always deal with the burden with being the only one out of his friends without powers. Naturally, he responds to all this with sarcasm and self-deprecating jokes to cover up his bitterness and deep insecurity. Xander's defensive mechanism is made incredibly obvious in stressful situations such as the time leading up to his untimely canceled wedding with Anya and when he had to make a living in his parents' basement paying rent while his friends went off to college. It's canon in this argument:

* Helga in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' uses a JerkassFacade that contains heaps of snark in order to cover up for her troubled upbringing, self-hatred and love for Arnold.

In addition, they may be an example of TheSnarkKnight, but don't always have to be. While the Snark Knight is antisocial and sarcastic because of discontent with their surroundings, the Stepford Snarker doesn't have to be anti-social. They could have many friends and even an optimistic view of the world itself, so long as they still hide their bad moods with snark. A staple of the JerkassWoobie and frequently seen in {{Goth}}s. Closely related to SugarAndIcePersonality, {{Tsundere}}, BrokenBird and DefrostingIceQueen, all of whom might use this sort of snark as a way of masking their inner sweetness. Compare/contrast SadClown, who is less rude and more ridiculous. Compare JerkassFacade and SourOutsideSadInside.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'': Ryuuken Ishida comes across as grim, bitter, sarcastic and hypercritical although there are hints that he's actually a gentle, protective personality underneath it all. Then the final arc visits the past in flashback and it reveals that he really was an open, gentle, very protective person until a series of circumstances ruined his quincy future, doomed his adopted cousin and, worst of all, culminated in the loss of his wife. The people responsible are still at large (and pose a serious threat to his son Uryuu, the only surviving member of his family) and the story all but confirms he's a HeartbrokenBadass. The man's still incredibly protective, but he's learned the hard way to hide it.

In addition, they may be an example of TheSnarkKnight, but don't always have to be. While the Snark Knight is antisocial and sarcastic because of discontent with their surroundings, the Stepford Snarker doesn't have to be anti-social. They could have many friends and even an optimistic view of the world itself, so long as they still hide their bad moods with snark. A staple of the JerkassWoobie and frequently seen in {{Goth}}s. Closely related to SugarAndIcePersonality, {{Tsundere}}, BrokenBird and DefrostingIceQueen, all of whom might use this sort of snark as a way of masking their inner sweetness. Compare/contrast SadClown, who is less rude and more ridiculous. Compare JerkassFacade.

!!Examples:

--->'''Xander''': "Oh, okay! So you ''had'' to do it. Because he was there. Like Mt. Everest. Like the way I used to be. [...] So this is your solution to our problems? I hurt you, you hit me back. Very mature."
--->'''Anya''': "No, the mature solution is for you to spend your whole life telling stupid, pointless jokes so that no one will notice you are just a scared, insecure little boy!"

--->'''Anya''': "The house. See, this house ... just sitting here, doing nothing, by itself, costs money."
--->'''Dawn''': "So what do we do?"
--->'''Buffy''': ''(deadpan)'' "Easy. We burn the house to the ground and collect the insurance. Plus, fire? Pretty."
--->''[Everyone stares at her]''
--->'''Buffy''': "You guys, I'm kidding, okay? It's-it's bills, it's money. It's pieces of paper sent by bureaucrats that we've never even met. It's not like it's the end of the world. (beat) Which is too bad, y'know. 'Cause that I'm really good at."

--->'''Faith''': "When you gonna learn, B? It doesn't matter what kind of vibe you get off a person. 'Cause nine times out of then, the face they're showing you is not the real one."
--->'''Buffy''': "I guess you know a lot about that."

* ''Series/DawsonsCreek'': The self-proclaimed 'Black Sheep' of his family riddled with insecurities and DaddyIssues, Pacey most qualifies as this. He has as a very sardonic, self-aware view of the world and himself. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Joey:
--->'''Joey''': You know Pacey. I mean, if he can't come up with a clever quip about something, he goes stoic.

---> '''Chandler:''' Hmm, what must it be like not to be crippled by fear and self-loathing? ''(laughs)''

---> '''Judy:''' Oh we don't mind paying for our son's wedding in England. After all it might be the only wedding we get to throw...
---> '''Monica:''' Ah, a joke that's funny in all countries.

-->'''Kaelyn:''' You toss about words like a wind around you, in the hopes that their speed and flurry will deflect questions and prevent you from being seen for what you are. You are hurt, Gannayev-of-Dreams. And that pain drives you to hurt others, for you have been taught that that is the wheel that turns the world.

--> '''Bird Person:''' Morty. Do you know what "Wubalubadubdub" means?
--> '''Morty:''' That's just Rick's stupid, nonsense catchprase.
--> '''Bird Person:''' It is not nonsense at all. In my people's tongue, it means, "I am in great pain. Please help me."
--> '''Morty:''' Well, I got news for ya. He's saying it ironically.
--> '''Bird Person:''' No, Morty. Your grandfather is indeed in very deep pain. That is why he must numb himself.
--> '''Morty:''' Cmon', Bird Person. Rick's not that complicated. He's just a huge asshole.

** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' has [[WorldOfSnark quite a lot of snarkers]], most of whom are garden variety {{Deadpan Snarker}}s, but [[IronMan Tony Stark]] and [[TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]] specifically fit this trope because their sarcasm is respectively a defense mechanism and a way of maintaining self-control. This is particularly evident after [[spoiler: Agent Coulson]] gets killed, and Tony snarks about how stupid he was to face Loki alone, but is clearly using it to cover up his own grief. Given that Tony's [[Film/IronMan own films]] show his life to be something of a mess, with quite a lot of moral emptiness (before he decides to become a superhero), alcoholism, and relationship issues (continuing after he becomes a superhero) he counts as this trope in all his films.

* Likewise, depending on the writer ComicBook/SpiderMan does this for similar reasons. He uses his quippy brand of sarcasm to hide the fact he's usually pretty scared, self doubting and carries around a massive GuiltComplex.

** ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' has [[WorldOfSnark quite a lot of snarkers]], most of whom are garden variety {{Deadpan Snarker}}s, but [[IronMan Tony Stark]] and [[TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]] specifically fit this trope because their sarcasm is respectively a defence mechanism and a way of maintaining self-control. This is particularly evident after [[spoiler: Agent Coulson]] gets killed, and Tony snarks about how stupid he was to face Loki alone, but is clearly using it to cover up his own grief. Given that Tony's [[Film/IronMan own films]] show his life to be something of a mess, with quite a lot of moral emptiness (before he decides to become a superhero), alcoholism, and relationship issues (continuing after he becomes a superhero) he counts as this trope in all his films.

** Xander is the living embodiment of this trope. He grew up in a family of alcoholics, was a loser in high school, and is forced to always deal with the burden with being the only one out of his friends without powers. Naturally he responds to all this with sarcasm and self-deprecating jokes to cover up his bitterness and deep insecurity. Xander's defensive mechanism is made incredibly obvious in stressful situations such as the time leading up to his untimely cancelled wedding with Anya and when he had to make a living in his parents' basement paying rent while his friends went off to college. It's canon in this argument:

** She falls deeper and deeper into this as the series progresses (this is a CrapsackWorld, after all), but has grown out of much of the underlying hurt beneath her shell in the nine year timeskip to the movie. At that point, she is less a SnarkKnight, and more a regular DeadpanSnarker.

* ''VideoGame/{{Lux Pain}}'':
** Shinji who talks to everyone in a very snarky manner. While he's always getting yelled at or even beaten by constantly saying what he thinks, he manages to tell Atsuki why he prefers to be a {{Jerkass}} than be a kind person that he is capable of. [[spoiler: Wanting to be a surgeon was his dream but the idea of getting someone killed and being held responsible has made him put a wall between people to avoid someone from asking about his issues. He was also neglected by his parents.]]
** Hibiki has similar problems as Shinji but he combines being a Stepford Snarker with Stepford Smiler. To everyone, Hibiki is "polite" but his [[NotGoodWithPeople personality]] ends up getting him isolated so the only friend he does have is one he's very snarky toward. Given that Ryo is so dense, almost all the insults and compliments go over his head.

--> '''Bird Person:''' Morty. Do you know what "Wubalubadubdub means?

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* ''Franchise/WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender: The series finale reveals Azula to be this through the rest of season 3. She loves to snark and quip; but then season 3 plays out and we see a sad, lonely woman who can't make friends normally and holds a lot of anger and jealousy against her brother who not only got their mother's attention; but at the end of the series got everything Azula ever truly wanted.

* ''Franchise/MyLittlePonyGeneration4'': Season 8's '''The Maud Couple''' reveals Limestone Pie is one. Despite her salty and sour exterior, she confesses to being miserable all the time and she is very envious that Maud has a boyfriend, implying she would like to be in a relationship.

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%%* Faye in ''QuestionableContent'' can be this.

* ''Series/DawsonsCreek'': The self-proclaimed 'Black Sheep' of his family riddled with insecurities and DaddyIssues, Pacey Witter most definitely qualifies as this. He has as a very sardonic, self-aware view of the world and himself. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Joey:

** Joey herself is this.