History SmallNameBigEgo / FanWorks

* In ''Fanfic/TheBoysRealJustice'', when Franchise/TheDCU makes contact with the universe of ''Series/TheBoys2019'', obviously many of the character in ''Boys'' are put out to realise that they just don't compare to the heroes and villains of the other reality. While Homelander and A-Train are particular examples of this, Billy Butcher also tends to fall victim to this as he spends time in Gotham, assuming that he can basically match these villains as Franchise/{{Batman}} is another BadassNormal, never comprehending that Batman has training and experience that Butcher just cannot match as he is handicapped by his own prejudices and ego. In the opening alone, Homelander and Stormfront are easily beaten by Faust, who is then quickly beaten by the Justice League.

* ''Fanfic/ThyGoodNeighbor'': Melisandre of Asshai visits Winterfell in an attempt to check on the reason for the recent inability of the Lord of Light's priests to see the future, and conjures gouts of fire and a {{glamour}} to demonstrate her power. Unknown to her, her host, Rickard Stark, also welcomed [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Lord Cyril Fairchild]], who has many magical feats of his own, so when Melisandre attempts to show her power, Rickard pays much more attention to the ''costs'' she is incurring - even with something as fast and showy as her fire, she is clearly getting exhausted even if she's used to covering it; by comparison, he has never seen Lord Fairchild as much as being winded with the continuous magic feats he casually displays. When Rickard asks her opinion on making fallow fields bloom with magic, one of his least impressive tricks, her response convinces him whatever league Cyril plays in, it's ''well'' beyond anything the Lord of Light's adherents can produce.

* ''Fanfic/ThyGoodNeighbor'': Melisandre of Asshai visits Winterfell in an attempt to check on the reason for the recent inability of the Lord of Light's priests to see the future, and conjures gouts of fire and a {{glamour}} to demonstrate her power. Unknown to her, her host, Rickard Stark, also welcomed [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Lord Cyril Fairchild]], who can casually pull magical feats of his own, so when Melisandre attempts to show her power, Rickard pays much more attention to the ''costs'' she is incurring - even with something as fast and showy as her fire, she is clearly getting exhausted even if she's used to covering it; by comparison, he has never seen Lord Fairchild as much as being winded with the continuous magic feats he casually displays. When Rickard asks her opinion on making fallow fields bloom with magic, one of his least impressive tricks, her response convinces him whatever league Cyril plays in, it's ''well'' beyond anything the Lord of Light's adherents can produce.

* ''Fanfic/ThyGoodNeighbor'': Melisandre of Asshai visits Winterfell in an attempt to check on the reason for the recent inability of the Lord of Light's priests to see the future, and conjures gouts of fire and a {{glamour}} to demonstrate her power. Unknown to her, her host, Rickard Stark, also welcomed [[VideoGame/{{Bloodborne}} Lord Cyril Fairchild]], who can casually pull magical feats of his own, so when Melisandre attempts to show her power, Rickard pays much more attention to the ''costs'' she is incurring - even with something as fast and showy as her fire, she is clearly getting exhausted even if she's used to covering it, and when Rickard asks her opinion on making fallow fields bloom with magic, her response convinces him whatever league Cyril plays in, it's ''well'' beyond anything the Lord of Light's adherents can produce.

* ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheMethodsOfRationality'': During the first 34 chapters it is implied that Lucius Malfoy is one of the best masterminds of magical Britain, an excellent manipulator and a "beautiful killing machine." Then, Professor Quirrell shoots it to hell in one sentence in front of hundreds, stating that Lucius was incompetent enough to let the Death Eaters implode at the brink of victory and had to return with his tail between his legs. [[KickTheSonOfABitch That had to hurt]].

* In “[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/39587901/ What if… Wanda Cast the No Way Home Spell]]”, Doctor Strange confronts Jameson over how his involvement escalated the situation so that Wanda’s attempt to help Peter caused the current crisis. When Jameson continues to try and dismiss Peter and Wanda as criminals and praise himself for “exposing” them, Strange makes it clear that normally the kind of problems a man like Jameson could cause shouldn’t even be on Strange’s radar, so the mere fact that Strange is even talking to him is a sign that Jameson has really screwed up even if the reporter refuses to acknowledge it.

[[AC:RealPersonFic]]
* Spectrem in ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World''.

[[AC:''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'']]

* In “[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/39587901/ What if… Wanda Cast the No Way Home Spell]]”, Doctor Strange confronts Jameson over how his involvement escalated the situation so that Wanda’s attempt to help Peter caused the current crisis. When Jameson continues to try and dismiss Peter and Wanda as criminals and praise himself for “exposing” them, Strange makes it clear that normally the kind of problems a man like Jameson could cause shouldn’t even be on Strange’s radar, so the mere fact that Strange is even talking to him is a sign that Jameson has really screwed up even if he refuses to acknowledge it.
* Maya Hansen in ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/15094358/chapters/35513751#workskin Your Mental Health Matters]]'' is quite put-out to be labelled a botanist and complains as such to Pepper Potts, citing that she's a biological DNA coder running a team of forty out of a privately funded think-tank. Pepper fires back that Maya is someone Tony Stark had a one night stand with twelve years ago; she should be happy Tony remembered her full name and that she was working with plants.

* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': [[Characters/AbraxasHrodvitnonTitansAndOtherCreatures MaNi/Elder Brother]] insists that he's still Ghidorah's [[MultipleHeadCase right head]] even during his VillainousBreakdown, but as far as [[spoiler:Ghiddorah's middle head and San-2/Youngest Brother]] are concerned, he's now just as much a "shed skin" as San is and [[{{Dehumanization}} to be treated as such]].

** Ash's Golduck is both a {{Jerkass}} and has a remarkably overinflated opinion of it's power. While it is very powerful when it's caught in the Seafoam Caverns, that's because the nearby slumbering Articuno passively empowers all the water and ice types within. Away from Seafoam, it possesses middling power at best.

* In "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14109055/1/The-Boys-Real-Justice The Boys: Real Justice]]", when Franchise/TheDCU makes contact with the universe of ''Series/TheBoys2019'', obviously many of the character in ''Boys'' are put out to realise that they just don't compare to the heroes and villains of the other reality. While Homelander and A-Train are particular examples of this, Billy Butcher also tends to fall victim to this as he spends time in Gotham, assuming that he can basically match these villains as Franchise/{{Batman}} is another BadassNormal, never comprehending that Batman has training and experience that Butcher just cannot match as he is handicapped by his own prejudices and ego. In the opening alone, Homelander and Stormfront are easily beaten by Faust, who is then quickly beaten by the Justice League.

* In "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14109055/1/The-Boys-Real-Justice The Boys: Real Justice]]", when Franchise/TheDCU makes contact with the universe of ''Series/TheBoys2019'', obviously many of the character in ''Boys'' are put out to realise that they just don't compare to the heroes and villains of the other reality. While Homelander and A-Train are particular examples of this, Billy Butcher also tends to fall victim to this as he spends time in Gotham, assuming that he can basically match these villains as Franchise/{{Batman}} is another BadassNormal, never comprehending that Batman has training and experience that Butcher just cannot match as he is handicapped by his own prejudices and ego.

* Princess Azula heavily suffers from this in ''Fanfic/TheSagaOfTanyaTheFirebender''; where Tanya Degurechaff reincarnated into the Fire Nation and due to Tanyas' [[ExperiencedProtagonist nature]], managed to swiftly ascend the ranks of success within the Fire Nation Army to become ''[[TheDreaded The Devil Of The South Sea]]'' that had served as a WakeUpCallBoss for both Team Avatar and the entire world, [[spoiler:and later her titles' promoted to ''The Devil Of The North'' when she conquered the Northern Water Tribe; earning Tanya an ''[[FourStarBadass Admiralty]]'' within the Fire Nation.]] When Azula first encounters Aang in Omashu and says that she was the Crown Princess of The Fire Nation; Aang asked [[OvershadowedByAwesome if Azula was working for Tanya too.]]

* Bakugo in ''Fanfic/CursedBlood''. In the scenario built in his mind, he's destined to become the Number One Hero and stop future supervillain Deku. In reality, he's a BrutalBully with delusions of grandeur whose main target is Izuku, who is the victim of BadPowersGoodPeople.

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13892945/1/Better-To-Reign-In-Heaven Better to Reign in Heaven]]'' elaborates on the history of Doctor Stanislaus Braun, which culminates in a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that makes it clear he isn't as smart or as dangerous as he thinks he is; while he committed several murders when he was alive, most of these were covered up by others without his knowledge because his technical genius was too useful for them to lose it. When put in an environment where everyone knows what he is and he has no means of asserting his power, Braun is constantly outmanoeuvred and his schemes stopped before they can truly start, culminating in him being reduced to a submissive child in a virtual environment who can only do what he's told and doesn't have the will to do anything more.

* In ''Fanfic/AProtectorsPride'', Zommari is ResurrectedForAJob and boasts how his power is one feared by even [[spoiler:the King of Hell]]. While he's fairly powerful as an Espada, both of the other two combatants are strong enough to kill him from proximity alone.

* [[spoiler:Creator/MNightShyamalan]] from ''FanFic/BringMeAllYourElderly''. [[spoiler:All of the movie characters refer to him as "Lord Shyamalan", he compares himself to Creator/AlfredHitchcock and blames Awng for ruining his dream rather than realizing he's a shitty director[=/=]writer]].

[[AC:''Crossover'']]

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'':
** Cornelius Fudge doesn't seem to realise that he's a pawn of smarter and more powerful players in the great GambitPileUp until he's forcibly confronted by it. Dumbledore, Lucius Malfoy, Nick Fury, Loki, and Peter Wisdom [[spoiler: a.k.a. Regulus Black]] inwardly or openly consider him to be nothing more than a useful/irritating idiot. By the sequel, it's made clear that the only reason he's still Minister is because no one else in the crippled Ministry wants to deal with Wisdom - who, for his part, regards terrorising Fudge as one of his few forms of entertainment.
** Chapter 6 of the sequel, ''Ghosts of the Past'', introduces Mr Danvers, StandardFiftiesFather to [[ActionGirl Carol Danvers]], who is blissfully unaware of the fact that he's not the master of all he surveys in respect to his family. Until, like Fudge, he's forcibly confronted by reality. He tries, among other things, to force his brash, tomboyish ActionGirl daughter into [[ProperLady a more traditionally feminine mould]], and when this fails, tries to get Harry to [[spoiler:use his PsychicPowers to 'make her take the right path']], which [[BerserkButton predictably]] causes Harry to erupt with rage. He really strays into this, though, when he tries to intimidate an infuriated Harry into backing down. Harry is, by this point, a PersonOfMassDestruction, with grand scale PsychicPowers that Danvers ''knows'' about, and who's faced down Demons, Dark Lords, and Dark Gods without blinking. For a middle aged man who doesn't even have the skills to qualify as a BadassNormal to think that he can scare someone like that into backing down takes world class levels of self-delusion.
*** And when his mother-in-law, Alison Carter, the original Agent 13, the formerly retired Deputy Director of SHIELD, and [[spoiler:the daughter of Steve Rogers by Peggy Carter with the associated SuperSoldier abilities]] and decades of espionage and combat experience, finds out about what he asked Harry to do in chapter 20, she confronts him. After finding out just what she used to do for a living, and being put in an effortless wrist-lock, he ''still'' tries to bluster his way out. It fails miserably.
* In ''Fanfic/ContactAtKobol'', the Colonies all regard the 'reunion' with their cousins as the biggest event to have ever happened in their history and believe that Earth is just as excited as they are. However, the Tau'ri don't consider it that big a deal, regarding the Colonies as just another culture to make contact with, with news of alien tech being used to search for Bigfoot attracting more interest back on Earth then the contact with the Colonials.
** The sequel, ''Contact of Races'', presents the Race as an even worse example of this. While the Race think they're the most advanced race in the universe and demand that the Tau'ri adjust the galactic map to accommodate their existence, the Tau'ri make it clear that the Race lack the technology to be a truly advanced race and are just lucky more violent cultures didn't find them first.
* Calder the Cockless in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13034223/7/A-Discordant-Note A Discordant Note]]'' calls himself a sorcerer and thinks he can stand against [[Literature/HarryPotter Harry]] the Sorcerer of Dol Guldur. In reality, the man's insanity makes it easier for him to listen to the minor nudges sent by the Old Gods, giving him an uncanny ability to find food and shelter. Beyond that, he has no magical ability.
* The [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer Initiative]] in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12425636/17/Dragon-Knight Dragon Knight]]'' likes to boast about their effectiveness compared to the Scoobies, citing that their best operative has seventeen kills to his name. Giles and Buffy both laugh at it as not only has Giles killed more than that each year, despite being a support fighter, the entire Initiative together has killed less than Buffy did in her first year of Slaying, back when she was actively avoiding her calling. Even Xander did better in his first year slaying and he was an untrained high schooler with no powers.
* ''Fanfic/FatesCollide'': Edmond Dantes is legitimately powerful and skilled, but acts more important than he really is and makes up titles for himself that he did not earn. As a result, hardly anyone takes him seriously.
* In ''Fanfic/FrozenTurtles'', when Baxter Stockman first appears in Arendelle, he tries to present himself as the Turtles’ arch-nemesis, but they can’t even get his name right and Michaelangelo muses that they have nemeses ‘way more archer than him’.
* In ''FanFic/TheStoryToEndAllStories'', [[spoiler:Chuck Cunningham]] feels ignored by the people who created him and other characters so he decides to take revenge by destroying all of fiction.
* Downplayed in the ''Fanfic/ThereWasOnceAnAvengerFromKrypton'' universe. According to [[https://darthkvznblogs.tumblr.com/post/676812327264370688/dp-based-on-what-you-just-put-up-i-have-two this]] WordOfGod post, [[WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower Horde Prime]] was still an incredibly deathly threat to any who opposed him, but thanks to his near incalculable arrogance, he heavily overestimates the scope of his empire and believed himself to be the absolute ruler of the entire universe when in actuality he barely held control of a small portion of it. When the [[WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender Paladins of Voltron]] stumble onto Etheria in ''Eternity in Promise'' and learn about Prime, they explain that there's actually plenty of warlords just like him across the universe, filling in gaps left by the Galra Empire's overextension.
* ''Fanfic/UltimateVideoRumble'': Thanks to previously having only each other for comparison, the fighters of certain universes (e.g. ''Videogame/WorldHeroes'', ''Videogame/WarGods'') tend to think they're hot stuff. Then they face someone from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', ''Videogame/TheKingOfFighters'', or ''Videogame/MarvelSuperHeroes''... [[CurbStompBattle Once they're done peeling themselves off the mat]], some leave humbler; others continue to insist they're the best and accuse their opponent of being lucky or cheating.

* "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13892945/1/Better-To-Reign-In-Heaven Better to Reign in Heaven]]" elaborates on the history of Doctor Stanislaus Braun, which culminates in a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech that makes it clear he isn't as smart or as dangerous as he thinks he is; while he committed several murders when he was alive, most of these were covered up by others without his knowledge because his technical genius was too useful for them to lose it. When put in an environment where everyone knows what he is and he has no means of asserting his power, Braun is constantly outmanoeuvred and his schemes stopped before they can truly start, culminating in him being reduced to a submissive child in a virtual environment who can only do what he's told and doesn't have the will to do anything more.

* In "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12790211/1/For-Milady For Milady]]", Camicazi tries to establish herself as a senior figure in the Dragon Riders as she is engaged to Hiccup due to an old deal between their parents, but none of the Riders acknowledged her ‘authority’ even before Hiccup fled the engagement. While Snotlout acts as interim leader after Hiccup leaves Berk, he is willing to acknowledge that Hiccup makes a better leader when he finally returns, Snotlout claiming himself to be a great warrior but acknowledging that he’s not qualified to make large-scale decisions.

* In the essay-fic, ''FanFic/EquestriaAHistoryRevealed'', the LemonyNarrator sees herself as a better historian than any other pony, despite still being a student at the University of Canterlot. Although apparently she has sold some of her previous essays as books, [[spoiler: but they're obviously not doing too well, given she has to blatantly advertise them in-essay.]] (Or she went with VanityPublishing - it's not absolutely clear.)

* If a story has in its summary that it's a bashing fic, then 90% of the time Sasuke fall under this trope in a Naruto fic.

* ''FanFic/TheFourthApprentice'' portrays and has Sakura call out Neji in his introduction on actually being this. In his eyes, he's an elite ninja who's head and shoulders above everyone else in The Chunin Exams. To everyone else, he's just an easily replaceable member of The Branch Family with an overinflated opinion of himself and asks him what has he ever done or accomplished that makes him believe he can look down upon others.

* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11803928/13/Challenger Challenger]]'': Vermillion city's Pokemon Trainer Academy in general and its top students in particular feel they're far better than they actually are. The school is often called the "School of Hard Knocks" to show how difficult the course is, but Surge comments it's just a fancy prep school for rich kids. The top ten students (minus Courtney) boast of how Ash is just a rookie who doesn't have a prayer against them because they earned more badges in their virtual simulator. In response, Ash utterly trounces nine of the ten, half of them barely putting up a fight. The only one he doesn't beat outright is Courtney, who forfeits when she realizes she won't win.

* OC Tetsuya in ''Fanfic/CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion'' is basically Tamaki with all his negative attributes turned UpToEleven. Besides being a total slob and rather useless in combat both in a knightmare and on foot, he's also shown to be a [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] dealer. Despite all that, he thinks of himself as the biggest badass ever and challenges Zero to a fight for "stealing his glory" by defeating Cornelia in Saitama. Particularly noteworthy is that Tetsuya isn't even a high ranking member in his resistance cell, but a grunt stuck on guard duty.