History ObfuscatingStupidity / Literature

* In ''FuneralInBerlin'' the English spy, NoNameGiven, appears to be not very bright, at least to amateurs. When the assistant to Colonel Stok (a professional Soviet spy) mentions this, Stok tells him that is the height of professionalism.

** First, Haymitch started out as a drunken embarrassment on live television, but the minute Peeta and Katniss show they have an ounce of fight in them, it's like flipping a switch.
** Second, Johanna Mason's entire strategy during her initial Hunger Game was playing a slightly stupid weakling, only for her opponents to find out differently in their last moments.

* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, an early book, ''TheCourtshipOfPrincessLeia'', introduced and killed [[VillainOfTheWeek villain of the book]] Warlord Zsinj, a hammishly over-the-top [[FatBastard fat]] egocentric [[FatIdiot idiot]] who somehow happened to command a large fleet. Books in the ''XWingSeries'', written later but set before, {{Retcon}} him into being much more competent and deliberately putting on a faintly absurd act, knowing that most of the people he was around could see through it and would be a bit confused. It's effective enough that he was the first character considered dangerous enough for TheAlliance and TheEmpire to work together against.

* In StephenKing's ''TheDarkTower'' series, Eddie Dean starts off this way because of his crippling self doubt and a lifetime of making himself intentionally stupid/weak in order to protect his big brother's ego.

* Verin Mathwin from ''TheWheelOfTime'' certainly qualifies as using this. Using her membership as a [[AbsentMindedProfessor Brown Ajah,]] she hides her identity as a brilliant, centuries old mage. Not only is she [[spoiler:a member of the Black Ajah (a secret society of Aes Sedai devoted to the [[BigBad Dark One]]) who only joined their ranks to ferret them out and betray them]], but she is so good at hiding this very fact [[spoiler:that she can do it in chapters of the books that are written ''from her own point of view''. Her final admission of her membership, handing over of everything she'd found out, and subsequent death qualifies as a CrowningMomentOfAwesome in its own right]].

* Several characters in the ''{{Discworld}}'' series:

** It's also Sam Vimes' favorite method of dealing with Vetinari when something is going on that he doesn't want the Patrician to find out about just yet. Vetinari finally snaps about it in ''{{Discworld}}/Jingo: "Vimes, if you say 'Sir?' in that stupid voice one more time, there are going to be ''serious repercussions''."

* Cameron "Spammy" Scott, from [[ChristopherBrookmyre Christopher Brookmyre's]] ''Country of the Blind'' (and others, but most prominently this one) is drug-addled, awkward and more than a little slow. Apparently. But he is also quite intelligent, good with technology, and a very, '''very''' good hand-to-hand fighter.

* Typical exegesis holds God in TheBible to be using ObfuscatingStupidity most of the time he deals with humans, explaining why he seems more like a small-g god in early books compared to the majestic Supreme Being of the prophets, Isaiah in particular, and of the New Testament.

** Based on a couple comments by Lara Raith in ''Blood Rites'' that White Court vamps do this all the time.

* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, an early book, ''TheCourtshipOfPrincessLeia'', introduced and killed [[VillainOfTheWeek villain of the book]] Warlord Zsinj, a hammishly over-the-top [[FatBastard fat]] egocentric [[FatIdiot idiot]] who somehow happened to command a large fleet. Books in the ''XWingSeries'', written later but set before, RetCon him into being much more competent and deliberately putting on a faintly absurd act, knowing that most of the people he was around could see through it and would be a bit confused. It's effective enough that he was the first character considered dangerous enough for TheAlliance and TheEmpire to work together against.

* In RobertEHoward's "The Pool of the Black Ones", ConanTheBarbarian realizes that he had accidentally triggered it; his foes probably thought they were herding him into a corner, and that he was stupid. So he takes full advantage of it, nothing being better than being underestimated.

* Despite his nickname, Ivan "You Idiot" Vorpatril from [[LoisMcMasterBujold Bujold's]] various ''[[VorkosiganSaga Miles Vorkosigan]]'' books is rather brighter than average (although probably not as bright as his aforementioned cousin). He is also somewhat lazy, distinctly unambitious, and widely regarded as being a few heartbeats from the throne of Barrayar; the latter of which makes him rather loathe to seem more than an idle cad of marginal competence. He habitually avoids any heroics he can unless he is blatantly a lackey bullied into assisting more overbearing/proactive sorts, and as for politics....

** Lockhart does this to an extent: even though he did none of what he said he did, but he still managed to obliviate these AMAZING witches and wizards into forgetting what they did. That takes some serious talent and cleverness to even think up such a plot. Especially at the end of Chamber of Secrets. He may be an idiot, but he's not as big an idiot as he lets on...Although, this may just be an {{Alternate Character Interpretation}}.

** Arguably, Captain Carrot of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. While usually portrayed as a genuinely uncomplicated character who takes everything at face value, it is observed that "someone has to be very complex indeed to be as simple as Carrot". You can almost see the transition of Captain Carrot from ''CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass'' to this trope in ''Discworld/MenAtArms''. He goes from a person unable to detect irony and having trouble with metaphors to reaching "agreements" with Vetinari and deception. Angua notes in ''{{Discworld/Thud}}'' that

*** Even Moist Von Lipwig can't read him.

* Lee is the smartest character in ''{{East of Eden}}'', but practices the pidgin Chinese and servant position expected of him. When questioned about this, he answers that the servant position gives him safety and power (he runs the house). Although he was born and raised in San Francisco, and well educated, he speaks pidgin English, because most white people expected it, and wouldn't understand him if he spoke correctly.

** [[spoiler: Onimi]], the real BigBad of the ''NewJediOrder'' books, uses a variant of this. He pretends not so much to be ''stupid'' as to be insane in ways that make him annoying but harmless, when in fact he's insane in [[AxCrazy ways that are]] [[OmnicidalManiac anything but]].

* The ''{{Malazan Book of the Fallen}}'' {{verse}} by Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont is full of these characters. Notable examples are Kruppe [[spoiler: an intellect gods fear and respect]], Tehol Beddict and Bugg, [[spoiler: himself actually an elder god]]. Possibly also Iskaral Pust, although he might just be genuinely mad.

* In StephenKing's ''TheDarkTower'' series, Eddie Dean starts off this way because of his crippling self doubt and a lifetime of making himself intentionally stupid/weak in order to protect his big brother's ego.

* ''TheWestingGame'' has several:
** Otis Amber, the [[CoolOldGuy 62-year-old delivery boy]] with definite CloudCuckooLander tendencies, is really [[spoiler:a competent and professional (and sane) private investigator]], though [[BunnyEarsLawyer not all of his giddiness is an act]].

* GKChesterton's FatherBrown has a tendency to stumble around acting dimwitted or like a Cloudcuckoolander (or, in The Blue Cross, simply acting memorably erratic - a tactic to get an inspector to follow him to the criminal) before suddenly whipping out the solution to the case. (Chesterton was making the point that, while many people think of priests as sheltered naifs, that's the one thing an experienced priest can't possibly be - he's heard more people confessing to evil thoughts and deeds than any dozen detectives.)

** Mat plays this tropes straight for the first three books or so, then tries to invoke it every chance he get.

* Cameron "Spammy" Scott, from [[ChristopherBrookmyre Christopher Brookmyre's]] ''Country of the Blind'' (and others, but most prominently this one) is drug-addled, awkward and more than a little slow. Apparently. But he is also quite intelligent, good with technology, and a very, '''very''' good hand-to-hand fighter.
* Dolphus Raymond in ''ToKillAMockingbird'' channels this, carrying around a bottle of what everyone thinks is whiskey in a brown paper bag (it's actually Coca Cola) and drinking from it. People use alcoholism to justify his "strange" behavior (being a white man married to a black woman in Alabama in the early 20th century).

* Sir Miles of the TortallUniverse is a mild case. People respect him and know he is wise, but that doesn't stop him from being the court's drunk. Which allows him to see and hear a lot more than most people.
** Thom was probably the best example. He fooled all his teachers for years until he stopped pretending to be dumb and passed the highest exam to become a sorcerer.

* Lucretia in ''{{Literature/Bystander}}'' acts like an AttentionWhore in order to convince people that she's a vapid idiot beneath notice.

* Will from ''{{His Dark Materials}}'', it is mentioned that he is skilled in looking dull, simple and uninteresting in order to avoid drawing attention (he had to learn that in order to protect his mentally ill mother), when he attempts this in front of Iorek Byrnison the latter is not fooled, since the members of his race are {{Living Lie Detector}}s.

** First, Haymitch started out as a drunken embarrassment on live television, but the minute Peeta and Katniss show they have an ounce of fight in them, it's like flipping a switch.

* In GeneStrattonPorter's ''{{Literature/Freckles}}'', when Angel stumbles on the villains who are stealing valuable timber and holding Freckles prisoner, intending to kill him, she acts incapable of understanding and as if fascinated by the chief villain.

* The [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Klingon]] Grodak in StarTrekSevenDeadlySins. It leads to protagonist Toqel (a Romulan politician) severely underestimating him and the Klingons in general, with troubling results for the Romulans and fatal ones for Toqel. Grodak was relying on Toqel's Romulan pride and arrogance to blind her to his games.

** Lockhart does this to an extent. I mean, even though he did none of what he said he did, but he still managed to obliviate these AMAZING witches and wizards into forgetting what they did. That takes some serious talent and cleverness to even think up such a plot. Especially at the end of Chamber of Secrets. He may be an idiot, but he's not as big an idiot as he lets on...Although, this may just be an {{Alternate Character Interpretation}}.

* AgathaChristie's HerculePoirot frequently represents himself to suspects as a vain, obsessive-compulsive, language-mangling Belgian emigre -- a more outlandish version of himself, in other words -- in order to give them a false sense of superiority over him.

* MissMarple, also in AgathaChristie's books, passes as a doddering old lady, but has a mind like a razor--or, as one police official put it, "like a bacon slicer".

* The classic example of ''TheScarletPimpernel'', of course. The Pimpernel's public identity of Sir Percy Blakeney is a total fop (which even his wife believes to be his real self) - a facade to misdirect suspicion that he might be the hero who rescues French aristocrats from the guillotine.

* ArtemisFowl manages to rob one of the most secure banks in Europe by pretending to be a snotty teenager.

* Not entirely stupidity, but more lack of guile as well as lack of physical capability: In L. B. Graham's ''The Binding of the Blade'' series, mysterious recurring character Synoki spends four books acting like a crippled, guileless peasant, tramping rather uselessly around with the heroes, before it's revealed in the last book that he's actually [[spoiler: a human avatar of Malek, who is essentially the series' analogous equivalent of Lucifer and TheBigBad (''and'' BiggerBad, terrifyingly) whom they've been trying to track down the whole time.]]

* In GeneStrattonPorter's ''Freckles'', when Angel stumbles on the villains who are stealing valuable timber and holding Freckles prisoner, intending to kill him, she acts incapable of understanding and as if fascinated by the chief villain.

* Typical exegesis holds God in TheBible to be using ObfuscatingStupidity most of the time he deals with humans, explaining why he seems more like a small-g god in early books compared to the majestic Supreme Being of the prophets, Isaiah in particular, and of the New Testament.

* Not entirely stupidity, but more lack of guile as well as lack of physical capability: In L. B. Graham's ''The Binding of the Blade'' series, mysterious recurring character Synoki spends four books acting like a crippled, guileless peasant, tramping rather uselessly around with the heroes, before it's revealed in the last book that he's actually [[spoiler: a human avatar of Malek, who is essentially the series' analogous equivalent of Lucifer and TheBigBad (''and'' BiggerBad, terrifyingly) whom they've been trying to track down the whole time.]]

* Not entirely stupidity, but more lack of guile as well as lack of physical capability: In L. B. Graham's ''The Binding of the Blade'' series, mysterious recurring character Synoki spends four books acting like a crippled, guileless peasant, tramping rather uselessly around with the heroes, before it's revealed in the last book that he's actually [[spoiler: a disguised Malek, who is essentially the series' analogous equivalent of Lucifer and TheBiggerBad whom they've been trying to track down the whole time.]]

* Not entirely stupidity, but more lack of guile as well as lack of physical capability: In L. B. Graham's ''The Binding of the Blade'' series, mysterious recurring character Synoki spends four books acting like a crippled, guileless peasant, tramping rather uselessly around with the heroes, before it's revealed in the last book that he's actually [[spoiler: a disguised Malek, who is essentially the series' analogous equivalent of Lucifer and TheBigBad whom they've been trying to track down the whole time.]]

* In {{Mogworld}}, [[spoiler:Slippery John]] acts stupid so that [[spoiler:he doesn't become a player character]].

* Hendricks, in ''TheDresdenFiles''. Made clear in "Small Favor", though many fans suspected him as far back as "Storm Front".

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Religion ]]

* TheBible:
** {{God}} himself does it in Genesis - pretending to Adam and Eve that he isn't omniscient. They apparently never twigged, and neither did their son Cain. He also tends to talk to himself in the third person plural a lot, even when unobserved.
*** In all fairness, He does that for man's sake, so we can understand what's going on in the mind of an omniscient being. If you knew everything, past, present, and future, you'd have to "dumb it down" too if you wanted to talk with someone who wasn't omniscient, especially when you knew they weren't going to listen to you anyway.

[[/folder]]