History UnderestimatingBadassery / Literature

* The ''Literature/SinisterSixTrilogy'' features this from the main villain, the Gentleman, in his dealings with the Sinister Six; after evading law enforcement all his life, the Gentleman [[spoiler:is finally defeated because he underestimates the Chameleon and Doctor Octopus, believing that he could always see through the Chameleon's disguises and that he had the perfect means to control Octavius, only to be shot by the Chameleon just before Doc Ock reveals that he had already deduced how the Gentleman intended to betray them]].

** In the attack on Xyrus, Lucas assumes he has surpassed Arthur due to elixir he drinked given to him by the radicals. However, Arthur reveals his dragon will and Quadra elemental powers with two deviant then procceds to end Lucas with a CruelAndUnusalDeath.
** In the Victoriad,[[spoiler:Nico is confident he can kill Arthur and Cadell says he is just a dead man. However Arthur cripples Nico in a SingleStrokeBattle nonchantly and challenges Cadell then Cadell accepts but Arthur cuts all his attacks like nothing much to Cadell's dismay and burns Cadell with the Destruction Rune to ash then escaping into Dicathen from Agrona and the Legacy in front of all Alacrya.]]

** In the Victoriad,[[ spoiler:Nico is confident he can kill Arthur and Cadell says he is just a dead man. However Arthur cripples Nico in a SingleStrokeBattle nonchantly and challenges Cadell then Cadell accepts however Arthur cuts all his attacks like nothing much to Cadell's dismay and burns Cadell with Destruction Rune then escaping into Dicathen from Agrona and the Legacy in front of all Alacrya.]]

* ''Literature/TheBeginningAfterTheEnd'': In volume 10,[[spoiler: During the battle for vildorial, One of the Scythes Viessa Vritra confronts lance Varay Aurae and tells her it is all over as Bairon Wykes will finished by Melzri and Arthur will not save her as she was confident Arthur will be killed by the Wraiths but to their surprise Arthur returns after killing the wraiths and destroyed a military camp in Vechor then he tells them that Agrona Vrita has exhausted his patience and to leave or else to which she did bowing before retreating alongside Melzri indicating their respect for Arthur despite being enemies.]]

** The Lord Ruler himself gets this, despite being the immortal despot of the known world. He very rarely uses his abilities openly, and even when he does, doesn't use them to anything like their full potential. Kelsier's plan to depose him treats him almost exactly like a regular man who happens to be in charge of the government, save an offhand suggestion that because he's immortal they'll have to lock him up instead of executing him. Only after their uprising has begun do they comprehend he's entirely capable of slaughtering the entire rebellion singlehandedly.

** So there's this guy. He's a tall but gangly fellow, looks [[PermaStubble perpetually unshaven]], [[BadassLongcoat wears a big coat]] and walks around with a [[SimpleStaff big stick]] and generally seems like a scruffy, weird sort, but is otherwise not really all that much of a threat. A great many people, both {{Muggle}} and supernatural, consider him to just be some freaky guy with eclectic fashion sense. Except this guy's name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, titular character of ''The Dresden Files''. Conjure by it at your own risk. After all, this is the man who has taken on all kinds of supernatural beings and survived every encounter. [[spoiler:He killed a Faerie Queen, stared down and nearly killed [[PersonOfMassDestruction Nicodemus Archleone]]- ''twice'', reanimated a ''dinosaur'' and marched it through the streets of Chicago, and annihilated the entire Red Court of vampires [[PapaWolf because they took his daughter]]]]. The supernatural types eventually start [[TheDreaded coming to realize how dangerous he is]], but the {{muggles}}? Not so much.

* In ''Literature/AHatFullOfSky'', when the Feegles explain to Miss Level about how hivers are drawn to powerful minds, she's baffled as to why it would want ''Tiffany'' -- why, she can't even make a shamble! Once the hiver takes over, however, it rapidly becomes clear that, [[TheUnfettered uninhibited by things like morality and concern for consequences]], Tiffany has the potential to be extremely powerful indeed -- and also extremely dangerous [[spoiler:and deadly]], both to herself and to everyone else.

*** In the next book, ''Flag in Exile'', she gutted and decapitated a trained swordsmen in one movement after having only spent a few months learning the sword, in part because her opponent was in the mindset of winning swordsmanship tournaments, not killing opponents. This was a few hours after she'd survived a crash after her shuttle had been shot down, had barely escaped armed gunmen trying to finish the job, and looked like she should be in a hospital, not a duel.

* Belgarath spends most of ''Literature/TheBelgariad'' talking smack about the BigBad Torak's high priest Ctuchik, all but outright calling him a two-penny warlock with delusions of adequacy. However, when forced into a magical duel with Ctuchik, the two are extremely evenly matched (it's worth mentioning that Belgarath is widely considered the world's most powerful sorcerer, a master of several other magical disciplines, [[TimeAbyss over seven thousand years old]] and Ctuchik's religion's {{Satan}}-analogue). Belgarath only wins thanks to Ctuchik's firm grasp on the VillainBall, and even then he is left severely weakened and near-dead by the ordeal.
** Belgarath himself has been underestimated multiple times. More than a few people have concluded that the slovenly old man with the mismatched clothes and the faint aroma of cheap beer isn't going to be a problem for them. Some of these people are lucky; they get to live.

** But, to win a Crowning Moment of Underestimation... you have to beat Kraznys mo Nakloz, a Good Master of Astrapor, for his underestimation of Daenerys Targaryen. Repeatedly insulting somebody you should very well know for a fact is descended from an exiled branch of Valyrian Dragon Lords in a derivative of the Valyrian language over several days is... [[{{Jerkass}} a bit crass]], but kind of understandable. They were the historical masters of your city and you hate them, so getting your digs into one of their few remaining descendants makes a little sense. Convincing yourself, however, that this mere slip of a girl without much visible backup won't be able to understand you or the nature of the very dragon you hope to gain in trade is... [[WhatAnIdiot dumb]]. Handing her the army of invincible, obedient slaves in the middle of your (now) poorly defended city ''before'' full receipt (and control or containment) of the mobile [[BullyingADragon flame-thrower whose chain you're very busy yanking]] (literally)? And, um... you were calling ''her'' stupidly new, uncultured and unschooled in this whole tactical negotiation thing, [[TooDumbToLive Mr. Charcoal Briquette]]?

* Midway through ''Literature/GideonTheNinth'', Judith Deuteros challenges the [[TheSmartGuy Sixth House]] to a duel to make an example of them, and ''everyone'' thinks they're about to see a soldier beat up a librarian. Camilla the Sixth swiftly proves that her House is not to be underestimated.

* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': Anyone who gets in a fight with [[BadassAbnormal Tavi]] quickly learns, much to their cost, that lacking access to [[ElementalMagic Furycrafting]] does ''not'' make him an easy target; quite the opposite, in fact, because having to get by ''without'' Furies to help him out [[HadToBeSharp forced him to rely on his wits instead]]. Tavi's knack for improvisation and out of the box thinking ends up saving the day at least once per book. [[spoiler:And then it turns out [[TheCallPutMeOnHold his furycrafting abilities are simply manifesting late]]...]]

** This is how Mustrum Ridcully became Archchancellor of Unseen University in ''Literature/MovingPictures''; the other wizards needed a break from the rampant KlingonPromotion going on, and decided that a 7th-level wizard who went out to live in the countryside should be the right choice. They figured that as a 'country-man', he was one of those animal-loving softies and therefore very easy to get rid of once the time had come. Unfortunately, Ridcully turns out to be a BoisterousBruiser of wizards, and very much ''un''killable. However, most people, particularly Ponder Stibbons, underestimate how ''smart'' Ridcully can be.

* The protagonist of ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' is a skinny teenage girl whose only power is the [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway ability to control bugs]]. This is in a world where game-breaking superpowers are common. Do not underestimate her. A RunningGag in the comments section is that pretty much everyone's reactions to Skitter is "Meh, I could take her." Eventually, the PRT learns not to do this: they specifically say, "Look, take our rankings for her, and treat her as though she were two rankings higher ''across the board''." They decide to treat her as though she were a [[TheBrute Brute]], a [[SwissArmyHero Breaker]], and ''especially'' a [[ComboPlatterPowers Trump of some degree.

* The protagonist of ''Literature/{{Worm}}'' is a skinny teenage girl whose only power is the [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway ability to control bugs]]. This is in a world where game-breaking superpowers are common. Do not underestimate her. A RunningGag in the comments section is that pretty much everyone's reactions to Skitter is "Meh, I could take her." Eventually, the PRT learns not to do this: they specifically say, "Look, take our rankings for her, and treat her as though she were two rankings higher ''across the board''." They decide to treat her as though she were a Brute, a Breaker, and ''especially'' a Trump of some degree.

** This is how Mustrum Ridcully became Archchancellor of Unseen University in ''Discworld/MovingPictures''; the other wizards needed a break from the rampant KlingonPromotion going on, and decided that a 7th-level wizard who went out to live in the countryside should be the right choice. They figured that as a 'country-man', he was one of those animal-loving softies and therefore very easy to get rid of once the time had come. Unfortunately, Ridcully turns out to be a BoisterousBruiser of wizards, and very much ''un''killable. However, most people, particularly Ponder Stibbons, underestimate how ''smart'' Ridcully can be.

*** After that point, everyone in the universe suddenly became GenreSavvy and [[TheDreaded now want absolutely nothing to do with Honor Harrington if it might involve a face-to-face fight]].

** This is how Mustrum Ridcully became Archchancellor of Unseen University in ''Discworld/MovingPictures''; the other wizards needed a break from the rampant KlingonPromotion going on, and decided that a 7th-level wizard who went out to live in the countryside should be the right choice. They figured that as a 'country-man', he was one of those animal-loving softies and therefore very easy to get rid of once the time had come. Unfortunately, Ridcully turns out to be a BoistrousBruiser of wizards, and very much ''un''killable. However, most people, particularly Ponder Stibbons, underestimate how ''smart'' Ridcully can be.