History Main / SurroundedByIdiots

* In the ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan2013'' run, [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Otto Octavius]] (in Peter Parker's body) often considers everyone he ever meets to be an idiot. Then again, he is a genius.

* In issue 2 of ''ComicBook/FlashGordon1988'' Flash points out Ming's guards are incompetent. It takes two panels for Ming to come to the same conclusion and try to kill Flash himself.

* The novelization of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyTheMovie2017'' provides some additional insight into Tempest Shadow's mental state: "'Well, answer it!' Tempest barked. Sometimes she couldn't help feeling as though she was surrounded by incompetent oafs. They couldn't even accomplish the simplest tasks, like answering a potion call."

* In ''Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians1996''

** In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'', during the Kyln prison break, an exasperated Gamora comes to this conclusion on her future teammates.

* In ''Film/TheIllusionist2006'', the Crown Prince says that he's surrounded by incompetents and that he can't stand for it. [[spoiler:[[AteHisGun So he doesn't]]]].

* In ''Film/Posse1975'', Strawhorn complain to Peppe that he asked him to get him a gang, but instead Peppe has provided him with a bunch of 'cucarachas' (cockroaches). He is proved right when Peppe's men are immediately cut down by Nightingale's posse after opening fire (against Strawhorn's explicit orders) when the posse were still out of range.

* ''Series/{{Loki 2021}}'': At one point, Loki is surrounded by dozens of people with their own ChronicBackstabbingDisorder. [[GambitPileUp As everyone reveals their plans to usurp everyone else]] and [[MeleeATrois it devolves into a giant brawl]], Loki can be seen in the background, [[{{Facepalm}} face in his hands]]. The best part (which for some reason Loki doesn't find funny) is that [[spoiler:[[AlternateSelf they're all timeline variants of him]]]].

* In ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'', one is a genius, the other is, well... Pinky. They never specify which one is the genius or the insane one. Still, one is drawing complicated mathematical equations on a chalkboard, and at the same time, the other one is dancing around with his tongue hanging out and is tied up in a straightjacket... do they really ''need'' to specify which one? Considering what happened when The Brain enhanced Pinky's intelligence, it might not hurt. Especially if you've seen the episode where The Brain actually lets Pinky attempt it on his own (the "AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering" bit) and it WORKS until The Brain screws it up. On the other hand, we humans aren't shown as exceptionally bright either. With a few exceptions, folks are perfectly willing to accept the word of a talking mouse in an obvious disguise.

--->'''Brain:''' ''*bitterly*'' I am completely alone...

* Prime Evil, from ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters''. (However, his henchmen did prove themselves to be capable on rare occasions.)

* Lurky, bumbling henchman of Murky in ''WesternAnimation/RainbowBrite'', is not only [[MinionWithAnFInEvil clumsy and stupid but actually ''good'']]... he loves colors and happiness and everything Murky hates, yet he continues to obey Murky and Murky continues to employ him.

* In ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'', Skeletor was fond of going off on tirades against the intelligence of his many henchmen, calling them lamebrains and numbskulls several times an episode. Not that he was particularly bright himself. Maybe it was just a bad pun.
-->'''Skeletor:''' I ''have'' to be brilliant, just to make up for ''them!''
* ''Franchise/GIJoe'': Cobra Commander has never been very appreciative of his employees (not that his own battle plans were [[HollywoodTactics worthy of Sun Tzu]] either.).:
-->'''Cobra Commander:''' ''Idiots!'' I'm surrounded by ''incompetent IDIOTS!!''\\
'''Cobra Commander:''' ''Morons!'' I have ''Morons'' on my payroll!\\
'''Cobra Commander:''' Why are great men always surrounded by lesser beings?!\\
'''Cobra Commander:''' I shall be waiting to reward your genius, or to have you beheaded for terminal stupidity! I have spoken.
* Ganon's minions in ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfZelda1989'' definitely fit this description. Notably, in "The Moblins are Revolting", when they got sick of his abusive management style, they actually managed to overthrow him and tried to take matters into their own hands, leading to an extremely ill-conceived and self-defeating assault on North Castle. The main reason he keeps them around at all appears to be that since they always regenerate, [[WeHaveReserves he's basically got an infinite supply]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'', Dr. Robotnik reaffirmed the lack of intelligence possessed by [[BumblingHenchmenDuo Scratch and Grounder]] in pretty much every episode. However they're typically his first choice to send after Sonic, and he often trusts them with important inventions he created. This was lampshaded in the episode "Spaceman Sonic" in which Sonic states that Robotnik will figure it cheaper to put Scratch and Grounder back together than to build new robots.
** In the episode "Robotnik's Rival", he claimed that this was [[IMeantToDoThat deliberate]] to ensure that they never betrayed him. Given that he was gloating over the eponymous rival who had just been backstabbed by his own super-competent henchbot, (and given that it's Robotnik) this was doubtless an AssPull.
** From the episode "Blackbot the Pirate": "I'm surrounded by defective circuitry!"
** From "Robolympics": "I'm surrounded by a bunch of burnt-out circuits!"
* Another rare heroic example: In ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'', Scrooge [=McDuck=] is preparing to retrieve his vast fortune from the Marinaras Trench. He sees [[MeaningfulName Doofus]], Launchpad, and Gyro Gearloose, the crew that will help him, trip each other up and fall all over the place. And so, Scrooge can't help but exclaim in exasperation, [[HereWeGoAgain "MORONS! I've got]] [[Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid MORONS on my team]]!!" Similarly, on ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'', Scrooge asks [[CaptainCrash Launchpad]] if he can even pilot a submarine ([[TooDumbToLive he asks this AS Launchpad is at the controls and presumably has been for some time already]]). Launchpad replies that he [[NoodleIncident once crashed a helicopter into a wading pool]], to which Scrooge dejectedly replies "I've done more with less..."
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1987}}'':
** Shredder, ArchEnemy of the Ninja Turtles, would often lament "Why am I surrounded by such brainless morons?". Shredder once actually took the stupidity of his henchmen in stride. After inventing a new robotic weapon, he told Rocksteady and Bebop that he named it after them. He called it "The Knucklehead".
** In ''WesternAnimation/TurtlesForever'', he watches footage of the [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 2003 Shredder]]:
--->'''Shredder:''' Oh, how I've longed for an ally such as this! So unlike the sniveling idiots that I've been forced to suffer! \\
'''Krang:''' [[ImStandingRightHere I'm right here, I CAN HEAR YOU!]]
** Krang isn't particularly appreciative of Shredder's mental prowess either: "Morons! I'm surrounded by morons."
** Kraang Sub-Prime from the ''[[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012 2012 version]]'' often finds himself this whenever he is around his fellow Kraang especially how the way they speak.
--->'''Sub-Prime:''' You guys are as dumb as a bunch of rocks! Seriously! What's taking so long?!
* Krabo/Draffsack of ''WesternAnimation/{{Insektors}}'' uses this excuse when the Yuks/Kruds plans fail. The thing is, he's actually right.
* In ''WesternAnimation/DonkeyKongCountry'', K.Rool would bemoan his henchmen being, in his words, 'Home-spun idiots'.
-->'''K.Rool:''' It's at times like this I find that I must ask myself again and again: "Do I really want the Crystal Coconut this badly?"
** Kranky Kong was also a heroic version, with his attitude towards Donkey and Diddy.
** In "Barrel, Barrel, Who's Got the Barrel?" has Klump being the OnlySaneMan when his Kritter troops begin firing their guns at the slightest provocation.
-->'''Klump:''' Stop, you moronic, robotic Kritters! ''STOP!!''\\
'''Kritter 1:''' Did he stop?\\
'''Kritter 2:''' I thought he said fire!\\
'''Klump:''' When I said fire, I didn't mean, "''Fire!''" ''(Kritters begin firing their guns in the air again.)'' Oh, what's the use?
* Junkman's henchmen in ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibleCrashDummies'', although it is his fault (he built them from scrap).
* Megabyte in ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'', and ''how!'' He's [[MagnificentBastard the most brilliant mind in Mainframe,]] and by rights should be routinely walking over Bob...but all his minions are DumbMuscle [[MinionWithAnFInEvil With An F In Evil]].
** Played hilariously straight when the plot makes them heroic sidekicks instead of evil henchmen.
** There was also the episode where Enzo accidentally made everyone (but himself) into dimwits.
* In one late episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'', Xanatos's robot Coyote screws up. Xanatos sighs and, sounding more resigned than anything, says "It's so hard to build good help these days."
* After a failed attempt to teach the other kids of the cul-de-sac after various demonstrations of their stupidity in "[[Recap/EdEddNEddyS3E8DimLitEd Dim Lite Ed]]", a lamenting Edd of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' says this verbatim. He also says this in the episode "O-Ed Eleven".
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'':
** In "Lightspeed", Jinx remarks "I don't know why I hang around with you nitwits." [[spoiler: By the end of the episode, she's done hanging around with those nitwits.]]
* Phaeton in ''WesternAnimation/ExoSquad'' is constantly berating his generals for their incompetence. Even when they're right. ESPECIALLY when they're right.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' "Wishology" trilogy, The Lead Eliminator is noticeably more competent than his comrades.
* [[BigBad Duke Igthorn]] on ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGummiBears'' probably would've have been more successful in conquering Dunwyn if his ogre minions (well, except for [[TheDragon Toadwart]]) didn't have the intelligence of mayonnaise.
* More than once on ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity'', when General Specific's army men turn incompetent, he expresses; "I'm surrounded by buffoons!" Then, the camera pans out to show ''actual madmen'' out of nowhere, encircling him and bumbling incoherently in propeller hats and diapers.
* Cat from ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'' always feels like this amongst the people of Nearburg [[NotSoAboveItAll (although sometimes he can be pretty shortsighted himself)]]. And to make it worse, he's attached to one!
* Benson from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' is often frustrated with the laziness and incompetence of Mordecai and Rigby.
* [[ButtMonkey Adam Lyon]] from ''WesternAnimation/MyGymPartnersAMonkey'', who is pretty much the only sane student at Charles Darwin Middle School. With the possible exception of Windsor Gorilla, although even his animal instincts cause problems every now and then.
* Slinkman and Edward from ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' are pretty much the only two people at Camp Kidney who are fully aware about [[SummerCampy how awful it is]], contrasting Scoutmaster Lumpus' apathy towards its dismal conditions and Lazlo's enthusiasm for the place.
%%* Hollywood from ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs''.
* Aku complained about this more than once in ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' (and the majority of his minions being mindless robots didn't tend to help). That Jack was able to turn his robots to junk with such ease was the biggest reason he tried to face him mano-a-mano in "Jack Versus Aku". Of course, in ''that'' episode, the breaking point for him was a pretty big EpicFail, when he sent a whole army of robots after Jack, and then ''one'' of them tripped, causing ''all'' of them to fall over like dominoes, destroying the ''entire'' army. Jack never did a thing. You can't blame Aku for wanting to rethink his plans after something like ''that''.
* ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'': Bob Belcher is frequently the OnlySaneMan in his family (and to a lesser extent everyone else in town), so he has his moments of feeling like this.
* On ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Hank frequently feels this way, due to the various harebrained schemes that his friends and family pull off that he then must fix.
%%* This often happens with Stan and Kyle in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''.
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch'', whenever Mr. Peevly wasn't annoyed by the antics of the bears, he was frustrated by the incompetence of his oafish assistant, Botch.
* Limburger from ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars''. ''Especially'' when it comes to TheDragon, Greasepit.
* Scarecrow has a pair of oft-insulted henchmen who "never liked school" and are impressed to find they're working for an (ex)professor in his introductory episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries.''
* Fung's bandit gang in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness''. It's even more frustrating considering that Fung had given themselves a year to be successful in the trade; now it's month 11 and the crocs are definitely still stumblebums.
* Derek Powers in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' is a living radiation generator. His doctors, picking him up from a frozen-over lake, have brought him a blanket in case he's cold. Powers just glares angrily and states "You are ''idiots''."
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'':
** Dib.
--->'''Dib:''' Okay, am I the only one who sees the [[PaperThinDisguise alien]] sitting in class?
** At least Dib still has some hope for humanity. His sister, [[CreepyChild Gaz]], on the other hand, sees everyone around her as idiots. Like Dib, she knows Zim is an alien. But unlike him, she finds it stupid to even care.
--->'''Dib:''' Don't you care that ZIM is trying to destroy all mankind? Huh?\\
'''Gaz:''' But he's ''so'' '''''bad''''' at it.
* The Sheriff of N.O.T.T. from ''WesternAnimation/RocketRobinHood'' shouts a variant of this tropes when insulting his Guards for failing to keep Rocket Robin Hood and Little John in a pit. The exact speech:
-->'''Sheriff:''' IMBECILES! BUFFOONS! COWARDS! I'm surrounded by cowards! I asked you to guard twoooo prisoners! Just -- TWOOOOO! PRISONERS! I EVEN PUT THEM 10 FEET UNDERGROUND IN A STEEL VAULT TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU! ''[then, he calms down somewhat]'' And, what happens?
* The intro song to ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' has the repeated lyric, "You're standing on my neck," alluding to the title character feeling this way about her peers; their presence is so smothering that she can't function normally.
* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'':
** With the exception of the [[TheDragon Dark Ace]] and later her [[EliteMooks Nightcrawlers]], this is Master Cyclonis's situation with her empire. If her troops aren't screwing up, it's her Generals Snipe (who's just plain stupid despite his brute strength) and Raveness (who ''is'' intelligent and skilled, but [[SmugSnake nowhere near as much as she thinks of herself]] with a side-order of [[TheStarscream rebellion]] on top of it). No wonder the Storm Hawks always win.
** Repton feels this way about his brothers/members of The Raptors, and really he can't be blamed for it as events show he clearly got the lion's share of their collective intelligence.
%%* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'': Frylock, and maybe Carl.
* ''WesternAnimation/LosTrotaMusicos'': The archnemesis of the series, Chef, usually blames his henchmen for all their failings.
* ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'':
** ''WesternAnimation/The13GhostsOfScoobyDoo'' episode "When You Witch Upon a Star" has Marcella having to rely on the Brewski Sisters, a trio of incompetent witches based off The Three Stooges, to free her from another dimension she got trapped in after being released from the Chest of Demons with the rest of the 13 ghosts in the series premiere. She makes it clear whenever she is outraged by the Brewski Sisters' bumbling.
** Dr. Phibes, the main villain of ''WesternAnimation/ShaggyAndScoobyDooGetAClue'', is frequently irritated by his henchmen's bumbling.
* The Owl in ''The Owl & Co'', which often leads to the Owl [[TheChewToy suffering mishaps]].
* Helga Pataki or Grandpa Phil of ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' often respond to idiocy by using a shortened version of "I'm surrounded by idiots" by saying "I'm surrounded."
* On ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' in ''Dora's Fairytale Adventure'', the witch is this. While she's a case of VileVillainSaccharineShow, her minions don't seem to be capable of doing anything quite right and at one point actually get so caught up in one of Dora's accomplishments on her path to becoming a true princess that they cheer for her.
* ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'' has Practical Pig and Miss Turtle. They often give the people around them a nasty look on their faces because they feel this way.
* Despite being stupid, Penny from ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'' feels this way. Especially when she bullies Bessie. [[SmugSnake She thinks she's the]] OnlySaneMan at [[SuckySchool the Honey Bee Academy]] even to her true friends, Portia and Gwen.
* Mildred from ''WesternAnimation/ScaredySquirrel'' is the [[OnlySaneMan only sane character]] on the show and doesn't want to contribute into the insanity created by [[IdiotHero dimwitted protagonist]] Scaredy or [[AxCrazy criminally insane]] Nester.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/JamesBondJr'', Dr. No orders his men to kidnap Major Boothroyd, aka Q. Unfortunately for him, they kidnap [[TheSmartGuy Horace Boothroyd, aka I.Q., Boothroyd's grandson]]! When his lieutenant points out that I.Q. answered the fake phone call, Dr. No says, "I'm surrounded by incompetents!" [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments It is certainly funny!]]
* This is how Momo feels about his minions the Blup Blups, as he often says so in most episodes of ''WesternAnimation/StarStreetTheAdventuresOfTheStarKids''.
* Dr. Gangreen in ''WesternAnimation/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes'' constantly mentions the stupidity of his minions, especially in reference to his main minion Igor. Zoltan and his band of tomatoes are more competent but still manage to enrage him.
* King Max feels the same about his minions Sheky the Jester and his two dogs in ''WesternAnimation/TheBiskitts''.
* Mother Brain often mentions her minions' stupidity in most episodes of ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster''. Usually her ire is aimed at bungling morons Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo. Dr.Wily usually escapes the worst of her verbal abuse, as he displays his competency often enough to be genuinly useful.
* In ''WesternAnimation/KiddVideo'' Master Blaster is constantly insulting his henchcats the Copycats with derogatory terms both related to their lack of intelligence and/or furry nature, and he's also constantly threatening them with horrible tortures.
* Mr. Cat from ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}''. The closest thing he has around him to a remotely intelligent life form is the DitzyGenius Quack Quack, and in fact he's suffering from a ridiculous amount of stress due to the people around him.
* In ''WesternAnimation/LegoElves'', the Goblin King is constantly frustrated by his incompetent goblin mooks.
* ''WesternAnimation/DastardlyAndMuttleyInTheirFlyingMachines'': In "Fly-By-Knights," Dick Dastardly bemoans "What's a nice guy like me doing in a goof-up squadron like this?"
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Bonkers}}'' episode "The 29th Page" had Al Vermin quip about having to give his goons dumbbells for Christmas when they're having trouble opening a safe, then retracting his statement after deciding that he doesn't want any more dummies working for him.
* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' provides a rather dark example with Lila Rossi: she flat-out states to Marinette that everyone in their class besides them is an idiot ([[JerkassHasAPoint and given how easily she manipulates even the teacher it's hard to say she's wrong]]), and this justifies her manipulation of their class into adoring her.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'': Mr. Grumpy and Mr. Rude.
* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
** [[DefrostingIceQueen Twilight Sparkle]] feels this way when she visits Ponyville for the first time. She gets better, though.
--->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' All the ponies in this town are ''crazy!''
** In the episode "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E13TheMean6 The Mean 6]]", the evil clone of Twilight feels this way about the other clones created alongside her, calling them "fools" and "imbeciles". She's not wrong; while she makes a fairly competent grab for power and comes close to success, the others set off the Tree of Harmony's defenses and get her ''and'' themselves killed.
* Dracula in ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'' certainly feels this about his court. Most of them are actually highly competent, but they don't get along at all and spend most of their time bickering or [[TheStarscream planning to backstab him]].
* ''WesternAnimation/WhatIf2021'': In episode 2, the Watcher explains that in the main universe, Yondu Udonta picked up Peter Quill himself. In this universe, he outsourced the job to two of his crew... who proceeded to go to the wrong side of the planet and pick up T'challa instead.

* ''WesternAnimation/FourEyes'': In alien protagonist Emma's opinion, at least. She thinks humans are an underdeveloped species.

Of course, the simplest answer for why the evil master is surrounded by idiots is because you'd ''have'' to be stupid to work for him. The underlings' being TooDumbToLive may well explain why they continue to work for an [[VillainousDemotivator abusive employer]], but we still have to wonder why the EvilOverlord hired them in the first place. We can't pretend he's not aware of his hirelings' shortcomings since he never hesitates to exclaim about them: "[[YouFool FOOLS]]! CRETINS! BUNGLERS!" (there always seems to be [[RuleOfThree a basic formula of Mild Insult! Not-So-Mild Insult! EXTREME INSULT!]], if it's not a case of ArsonMurderAndJaywalking), sometimes, "It's so hard to find good help these days..." and of course, the oft-repeated Trope Naming line, "I'm surrounded by idiots!" - sometimes accompanied by a {{facepalm}}. After one too many failures, the boss tends to say "[[VillainNoLongerIdle If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself!]]" and then proceeds to do far better at any given mission than his underlings have ever done, making you wonder why he didn't just do this in the first place.

Of course, one possible explanation may be that smart minions tend to try to [[TheStarscream take over...]] or perhaps any minion might be trying to take over, but a smart one might actually succeed.

See also ConservationOfCompetence and BeleagueredBoss. Polar opposite of it is SurroundedBySmartPeople. Contrast TooDumbToFool. If the character being surrounded by idiots lashes out on them, then it's EnragedByIdiocy.

* ''WebVideo/LifeSMP'': Scott has a reputation for being TheSmartGuy and the OnlySaneMan of most of the server, and by Season 4, has a practically trademarked tone of voice specifically reserved for expressing exasperation and disappointment at everyone else's shenanigans.