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3%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Take care to put your example in its proper place in accordance with Administrivia/HowToAlphabetizeThings!
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8%% Trope was declared Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease via crowner by the Real Life Maintenance thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=13qdhjkz
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11[[quoteright:320:[[WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blackandnerdy_aj.png]]]]
12[[caption-width-right:320:[-A.J. has a nice lab, complete with a cloaking switch and a backup clone body.-] ]]
13
14->''"Are there other Black nerds, or is it just you and [[Series/FamilyMatters Urkel?]]"''
15-->-- '''Frank''' to '''{{T|woferTokenMinority}}oofer''', ''Series/ThirtyRock''
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17
18The Black Nerd is a countertrope to [[WhiteDudeBlackDude common racial stereotypes]]. Most nerds are portrayed by races who already have the stereotype of being weak or bookish, such as whites, [[AsianAndNerdy Asians]], and [[JewishAndNerdy Jews]]. Black people, on the other hand, are often portrayed as [[JiveTurkey jive-talking]] {{Soul Brotha}}s, {{Gangbangers}}, or {{Scary Black M|an}}en. The Black Nerd upsets these trends by being, well, a [[ShapedLikeItself Black Nerd]]. This is especially common in comedies, where writers are often reluctant to feed into racial stereotypes, but need flaws to make their characters funny. Giving a Black character personality flaws or traits which run counter to common stereotypes is a convenient way to add diversity, while trying to avoid accusations of discrimination.
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20Writers might deliberately invoke the trope to shake things up and challenge the audience's assumptions, but other times the trope is only used to turn a smart supporting character into the TokenBlack.
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22Often the Black Nerd is simply an expert in a nerdy field, such as computers, and doesn't really possess many negative characteristics commonly found in nerds of other races. This variant of the Black Nerd may become a case of FlawlessToken if they have an overly high level of overall competence resulting from their intelligence, without flaws to counterbalance. There are also quite a few people that have a thing for geeky Black guys/girls, mostly due to them not being as prominent. A popular type of TokenBlackFriend. See also AsianAndNerdy.
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24Compare TheWhitestBlackGuy, [[note]]however, ValuesDissonance now tends to look unfavorably on those who equate higher education/intelligence with Whiteness, especially in an era of prominent figures such as UsefulNotes/BarackObama[[/note]] which often overlaps. Contrast PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy.
25
26The trope is named after "White and Nerdy", a song by Music/WeirdAlYankovic.
27----
28!!Examples:
29
30[[foldercontrol]]
31
32[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
33* Wynton Styles from ''Anime/BakuganBattlePlanet'' is techy and a bit geeky. He also [[SmartPeopleWearGlasses wears glasses]].
34* Nils Nielsen from ''Anime/GundamBuildFighters'' is known in-universe as "The Early Genius," for an intelligence that has him performing doctoral studies as a teenager, and "Samurai Boy," for his apparent passion for Japanese culture. He enters the world tournament with his Sengoku Astray not to win, but specifically to discover the properties of the Plavsky particles that allow the series' titular toy mechas to move and fight like the machines in the show they are based on. Oh, and he's also a ninja.
35* Jose Rodriguez, Ken Murata's doctor in ''Literature/KyoKaraMaoh'' is an AmbiguouslyBrown (Afro-Latino judging from his name) American with [[DreadlockRasta dreadlocks]] and glasses who is [[OccidentalOtaku obsessed with Japanese culture]] and runs off to Akihabara whenever he goes to Japan.
36* Donna King from ''Manga/MarineCorpsYumi'' is a YaoiFangirl and the smartest of the four main characters. Once she's out of boot camp, the first thing she does is go to a comic convention in San Diego.
37* Milton, the protagonist of ''Manga/PeepoChoo'', is a young black teen who likes anime and manga, particularly his favorite anime ''Peepo Choo'', but being black and nerdy isn't seen as acceptable in his native Brooklyn. His brand of nerdiness isn't all the way portrayed as positive though; because he also has zero clue how to act in Japan, he often tries to diffuse situations and bond with others the way the characters in ''Peepo Choo'' do it. He eventually learns to separate fiction from reality and makes equally as geeky friends during his trip to Japan.
38* Played with Musa Kamala from ''Literature/RunWithTheWind''. He is a Tanzanian transfer student of science and engineering, while also demonstrating surprisingly fluent Japanese. However, he averts most nerd cliches, instead being an AcademicAthlete and generally refraining from TechnoBabble.
39* While having a [=NerveGear=] and a day one copy of ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' is probably enough to qualify Andrew Gilbert Mills by itself; it was Agil who was able to analyze and start distribution of [[spoiler:The Seed, the game design framework that revitalized the VR industry.]]
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Comic Books]]
43* ComicBook/BlackPanther is one of the smartest heroes in the Marvel Universe, though people tend to forget this because he's also a supreme badass.
44* Jane of the Creator/BoomStudios comic ''By Night'' is a Black female chemistry major and aspiring documentarian.
45* ''ComicBook/ClemHetherington'' is an archaeology enthusiast who wishes to follow in her mother's footsteps.
46* Victor "ComicBook/{{Cyborg}}" Stone, who, while not ''quite'' as smart as Holt, is still extremely intelligent and one of the premier scientific authorities in the DCU.
47* George Hamilton III in Peter Bagges' SliceOfLife ComicBook ''Hate''. (He appears as a supporting character, and, no, the title does ''not'' refer to racism.)
48* Jen of ''ComicBook/LumberJanes'' is a Black, female camp counselor who is an enthusiast of subjects such as astronomy and botany.
49* [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]], the [[AffirmativeActionLegacy second]] ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan.
50* Michael "ComicBook/MisterTerrific" Holt, the third smartest man in the DCU.
51* Lunella Layfayette from ''ComicBook/MoonGirlAndDevilDinosaur'' is a 10-year-old Black girl who also happens to be the smartest person in the Marvel Universe.
52* Jason Rusch, the second ComicBook/{{Firestorm|DCComics}}. He was not particularly brilliant in the original continuity, but the ComicBook/{{New 52}} reboot made him a science whizz so that he could be the "brains" of Firestorm (essentially filling the role held by Professor Stein in the original series).
53* Prodigy of the ''ComicBook/NewXMen'' used to be a variation; his mutant powers allowed him to passively borrow information from everyone around him, but precisely what he knew depended on who was around him at any given time. Later, when he lost his powers, The Stepford Cuckoos enabled him to remember everything he had absorbed, making him a straighter example.
54* ''ComicBook/Robin1993'': One of Tim Drake's high school friends is the Black roleplayer and movie aficionado Kevin Hudman, who has a natural talent for strategy.
55* Alex Wilder, in ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}''. He's even introduced playing a Marvel MMORPG.
56* ComicBook/{{Static}}. He openly plays Pokemon, tabletop [=RPGs=], makes references to Doctor Who, and unabashedly pulled NinjaLog on one of his foes.
57* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': Ron Troupe, Daily Planet reporter and husband of Lucy Lane. He has been called the smartest man at the Daily Planet by his co-workers, and is known for his high-minded writing style and sharply objective perspective. He is perhaps best known for taking a year off from the Daily Planet and coming back with ''six'' advanced degrees.
58* In most adaptations of ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'', Baxter Stockman is a black MadScientist with a very unassuming appearance... at least before he gets mutated or forced to slap on cybernetics.
59* Karen "Bumblebee" Beecher of ''ComicBook/TeenTitans''. She has no super powers but was smart enough to create a suit that granted her the power to fly and fire energy blasts. Originally, she didn't want to be a superhero but used her technology to pose as a villain for her boyfriend Mal Duncan to defeat and look good in front of the Titans. The team was so impressed with her intelligence they made her a member anyway.
60* Thunderball of the Wrecking Crew was originally a brilliant physicist who was said to be on par with [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]]. The only reason he turned to crime in the first place is because his employer screwed him over and stole his work.
61* The [[ComicBook/UltimateMarvel Ultimate]] version of ComicBook/TheFalcon is a gifted scientist and engineer, and is actually the one who designed his wing suit in this continuity.
62* The upper-class psychiatrist in ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' is a Black man, contrasted with [[spoiler:the low-class, street-smart, red-headed Rorschach]].
63* ''Franchise/WonderWoman'':
64** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': [[TomboyishName George]] is ComicBook/WonderGirl's friend and SecretKeeper who carries around a laptop with which she once hacked into an [[ComicBook/NewGods Apokoliptian Supercomputer]], though she said it was only possible because the thing started warping and changing her computer's hardware as soon as she hooked into it.
65** ''ComicBook/WonderWomanWarbringer'': Theo is a gamer, programer and hacker who has an incredibly impressive resume for someone just out of high school.
66* Patriot of the ''ComicBook/YoungAvengers''. While not immediately evident, it's mentioned in passing that he works as a librarian and attends the Bronx High School of Science, a ''very'' prestigious magnet school.
67[[/folder]]
68
69[[folder:Comic Strips]]
70* Oliver Wendell Jones, from the comic strip ''ComicStrip/BloomCounty''. Probably best illustrated in the strip sequence when his mother tries to get him to act a little more 'Black' by wallpapering his room with a huge picture of Michael Jackson's face. Oliver responds by hanging a picture of Albert Einstein over it.
71* Huey and Caesar from ''ComicStrip/TheBoondocks'' fit this to a T, especially Huey (who frequently references Star Wars). Riley has actually called them nerds on occasion.
72* Lemont Brown from ''ComicStrip/{{Candorville}}'' is a rare main character example of this. He never acts in a manner contrary to the trope, so he can be a bit weak for a protagonist, but thanks to CharacterFocus he's more fleshed out than most examples.
73* Marcus in ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot''. He's actually the friend of equally nerdy Jason Fox, and his dad is apparently some sort of scientist; Jason borrows his oscilloscope on one occasion.
74* In ''ComicStrip/{{Frazz}}'', Caulfield. A third grader who regularly reads Shakespeare, Hemingway, Vonnegut, etc.
75[[/folder]]
76
77[[folder:Fan Works]]
78* Louis Starsky from ''Fanfic/ConceptRoad''.
79* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fandom, when it comes to humanized fan-art, Twilight Sparkle's color scheme (consisting of varying shades of purple) leads to her often being drawn as Black, or at least [[AmbiguouslyBrown noticeably tanner than the rest of the cast]]. She is a highly adorkable bookworm.
80* In the ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/56913 Partially Stars]]'' series of ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' stories by thatwilderness, Carlos' scientific associate Dave Halland is this. He's super-intelligent and able to remain calm in the face of nearly anything the increasing weirdness of the town and its environs can throw at the team. Likewise Rochelle Walters, who joins the group in "Considering the Varieties of Silence".
81* ''Fanfic/TotalDramaLegacy'' has Serena, a Black OccidentalOtaku. There's also Storm, who is Black and is one of the most intelligent contestants on the show.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
85* Wasabi from ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'' is a huge science nerd and the most timid member of the group.
86* [[EmbarrassingFirstName Wyborne]] from ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'', who spends his [[FriendlessBackground considerable]] free time riding his [[CoolBike customized dirt bike]] and hunting for slugs. Admittedly, he's AmbiguouslyBrown, but his grandmother is clearly Black.
87* [[InsufferableGenius Salma]] from ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'', which is fitting for an [[WordOfGod admitted]] [[Franchise/ScoobyDoo Velma]] {{Expy}}.
88[[/folder]]
89
90[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
91* Max Dillon/Electro in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2''. The comic version of Electro is a blue-collar thug, while the film version is a meek scientist and Spider-Man fanboy.
92* ''Film/BadBoys1995'' has a ''very'' tall, NerdGlasses wearing convict (played by the 7-foot-tall John Salley), who manages to parley his computer hacking skills for freedom with Miami police. According to him, illegal cracking is what got him into jail in the first place.
93* Shuri in ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'' is a the princess of the African nation of Wakanda, and is also a [[ChildProdigy teenage]] GadgeteerGenius who designs much of the advanced technology used by her people.
94* Ronald Wilkes in ''Film/CedarRapids'', a straight-laced and nerdy insurance salesman. In one scene, however, he lapses into a ScaryBlackMan impersonation in order to get his friends out of a fight. He reveals afterwards that he was impersonating a character from "the HBO program ''Series/TheWire''," of which he is a huge fan. Fittingly, the actor had a role in ''Series/TheWire''.
95* Duncan Pinderhughes in ''Film/ClassAct'', he is a genius high school student who was getting ready for graduation, but is somewhat disheartened to find out that, despite his perfect SAT score and 4.0 GPA, Harvard University will not admit him unless he can pass phys. ed.
96* Jamie Foxx's character in ''Film/{{Collateral}}''.
97* ''Film/CreedIII'': Adonis Creed is shown to have had a bedroom full of anime and manga merch in a {{flashback}} to his childhood in 2002 ([[ActorInspiredElement a nod]] to actor Creator/MichaelBJordan's own interests). This includes a ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' poster, which makes Donnie a full-on OccidentalOtaku since this was before either the manga or anime were legally available in English (it was a launch title for the English version of ''Magazine/ShonenJump'' in January 2003, but a scanlation had been out for a couple of years).
98* Brian in ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow'' puts a lampshade on it: "Sir, I am president of the electronics club, the math club, and the chess club. Now, if there is a bigger nerd in here, please point him out."
99* ''Film/DearWhitePeople'': [[IvyLeagueForEveryone Seeing how the entirety of the film is set in an Ivy League-like university]], most of the characters are nerdy to some extent. Most notably though are Samantha White, [[TheMovieBuff a burgeoning filmmaker/film buff]] and [[SoapboxSadie leader of the university's militant Black students]], and Lionel Higgins, an introverted, gay, Black sci-fi nerd who -- for his sexuality and geekiness -- never gets any respect from anyone, white or Black.
100* In the first ''Film/DieHard'' film, the computer hacker is Black, wears glasses, and doesn't have any combat skills. He spends most of his time making basketball references, as if to prove that he's Black.
101* Thoth in ''Film/GodsOfEgypt'' is played by Creator/ChadwickBoseman. In Egyptian mythology Thoth is the god of knowledge, inventor of writing, and recorder of deeds. Pretty much everything you do, Thoth knows about and writes down. Basically, he's the biggest nerd in existence.
102* Paul "Lord Nikon" Cook from ''Film/{{Hackers}}''. Hosts viewing parties of pirate TV show ''Hack the Planet'', {{Squee}}s over Acid Burn's new laptop, has legendary hacker Zero Cool's exploits memorized (then again, his PhotographicMemory means he doesn't have to actively memorize anything).
103* Taylor Mckessie, the African American head of the chemistry club from the ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' movies, with a straight A grade point average.
104* Ford Prefect as played by Mos Def in ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy2005''. This, however, may be the result of the film, being produced by Creator/{{Disney}}, having downplayed (but didn't completely eliminate) aspects of Ford's character such as habitual drunkenness and womanizing.
105* Otto Lipton, the school's resident genius, in ''Film/HighSchoolUSA''. [[SmartPeopleBuildRobots He has built a robot]] [[RobotBuddy that accompanies him everywhere]].
106* Dean Cain, the villain of ''Film/HowHigh''. A subversion of sorts, since he's repressing an inner SoulBrotha, which is [[StonerFlick unleashed by THC.]]
107* And in ''Film/TheHungerGamesCatchingFire'', Jeffrey Wright plays the nerdy Beetee (whose race was not identified in the book, although many people seem to have pictured him as Asian). Perhaps the fact that Wright often wears glasses in real life might explain the type-casting.
108* Creator/WhoopiGoldberg plays this in one of its first instances in film, ''Film/JumpinJackFlash''.
109* Ray Arnold, played by Creator/SamuelLJackson, in ''Film/JurassicPark1993'' is the park's chief engineer, a nerdy field, though he displays no nerdy characteristics. Contrasting him is Wayne Knight's character Dennis [[strike:Nerdy]] Nedry, who is a standard, fat, white computer nerd.
110* Franklin Webb from ''Film/JurassicWorld''. He is the systems analyst for the Dinosaur Protection Group and also runs their social media and online marketing.
111* Rich Purnell from ''Film/TheMartian''. He is the one who comes up with the idea to save Mark once everyone gives up. He is portrayed as a stereotypical nerd.
112* In the Jim Carrey comedy ''Film/MeMyselfAndIrene'', the protagonist's three Black (technically, multiracial, as their mother is white) sons: Jamaal, Shonté Jr. and Lee Harvey are simultaneously Black Nerds as well as [[JiveTurkey Slang-Speaking]] {{Scary Black M|an}}en.
113-->'''Shonté Jr.:''' Damn. I can't figure out the atomic mass of this motherfuckin' deuteron!\
114'''Jamaal:''' Shit, man, that shit's simple! Okay. Tell me this. Tell me this.\
115'''Shonté Jr.:''' What? What?\
116'''Jamaal:''' What's a deuteron made up of?\
117'''Shonté Jr.:''' Duh, a proton and a neutron.\
118'''Jamaal:''' Then what's this motherfuckin' electron doing right there?\
119'''Shonté Jr.:''' Shit, I don't know!\
120'''Jamaal:''' Well, get it outta there then!\
121'''Shonté Jr.:''' Okay, so, you're sayin' I add up the atomic masses of the proton and the neutron, right, I see's that, but what do I do with the goddamn electron? Can I bring it over here?\
122'''Jamaal:''' Enrico Fermi'd roll over in his motherfucking grave if he heard that stupid shit. I mean, he'd just turn over ass up in your face. He wouldn't give a fuck!
123* Luther Stickell (Creator/VingRhames) in the ''[[Film/MissionImpossibleFilmSeries Mission: Impossible]]'' film series. Like other iffy examples of the trope, he's not really a nerd at all. In fact, he's arguably a ScaryBlackMan who happens to be a super-hacker as well. Most likely his race is a reference to Barney Collier in the [[Series/MissionImpossible original TV show]], who really is a nerd.
124* Franchise/MonsterVerse: [[Film/KongSkullIsland Dr. Brooks]], Matemavi and [[Film/GodzillaVsKong Ben]] are all highly-intellectual (and in at least two cases physically capable if unassuming) dark-skinned Monarch operatives, and Bernie Hayes is a wily, African-American BunnyEarsLawyer.
125* Lamar Latrell, The CampGay, [[TwoferTokenMinority Twofer Token]] Black nerd in the ''Film/RevengeOfTheNerds'' films.
126* Johnson, Bob Morton's friend and fellow exec at OCP in the ''Franchise/{{Robocop}}'' movies.
127* Claudette from ''Film/SeeYouYesterday'' with her time travel equipment she uses to try and save her brother from being killed by police with the help of Sebastian.
128* Ethan in ''Film/SkyHigh2005'' is this, right down to the button-up shirts and dorky glasses.
129* Jeffrey Wright plays a version of this in ''Film/SourceCode'', although he was also rather a [[spoiler:Mad Scientist]].
130* Miles Dyson in ''Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay'', is a genius Black man in a nerdy field (cybernetics), though he displays no nerdy qualities.
131* Anthony Anderson as Glen Whitman in ''Film/Transformers2007'', to the extent that when Epps compares claw slashes in a steel wall to [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]], Glen jumps in and geeks out by insisting that it was ComicBook/{{Wolverine}}, his reasoning being there were three claw marks (Wolverine has three claws on each hand) and Freddy Krueger has four claws. After a {{beat}}, [[BunnyEarsLawyer Simmons]] claims this outburst to be "very funny". Despite his nerdiness, the novelization has him end up with Maggie.
132* Effectively enforced within the setting itself for Elijah in ''Film/{{Unbreakable}}'': intelligent, Black, and suffering from a congenital disorder that makes physical activity impossible. His mother introduces him to comic books to give him something to do, and by the time he is adult he owns and runs a comic arts gallery.
133* Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright) and especially Condoleezza Rice (Creator/ThandieNewton) come off this way in ''Film/{{W}}'', Creator/OliverStone's interpretation of the presidency of UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush.
134[[/folder]]
135
136[[folder:Literature]]
137* Fat Charlie of ''Literature/AnansiBoys'', in contrast to his cool "brother", Spider.
138* In ''Audrey's Magic Nine'' by Michelle Wright, main character Audrey is a shy, reserved, 12-year-old Black girl with a penchant for drawing who's never without her sketchbook.
139* Zan in ''Literature/BadNewsBallet'' is tall and nerdy, described as preferring books to ballet; she is also a skilled speller [[spoiler: and in ''Blubberina'' wins the city wide spelling bee]].
140* Nicole in ''Literature/BeautyQueens'' is very smart and wants to be a doctor. However, she isn't socially awkward and ''Beauty Queens'' explicitly discusses race.
141* Óscar de León in ''Literature/TheBriefWondrousLifeOfOscarWao'' is Dominican and Nerdy.
142* Olamide from ''Literature/TheCavaliersSeries''. In Oxford Blood is by far the hardest working of Harriet’s group of friends. She dresses in a fairly dowdy manner, has an equally nerdy boyfriend and is generally more at home in the library than the bar [[spoiler:In Screaming Spires, she reacts to the trauma of her boyfriend’s murder by becoming glamorous and barely working, to the extent that she’s almost kicked out of Oxford.]]
143* Jalil in ''Literature/{{Everworld}}'', the only black member of the main cast, and TheSmartGuy of the group. He's convinced he can reduce the magical, fantastic Everworld to scientific and logical principles that can be understood and controlled, something he equates to software engineering.
144* Arthur Cross of ''Literature/TheFold'' is a Black celebrity scientist and project lead of a space-bending experiment in teleportation.
145* Bill Nye's series ''Jack and the Geniuses'' has Ava, a 12-year-old Black GadgeteerGenius girl whose inventions include her own surveillance robot, a motorized skateboard, and a talking toaster.
146* Yo-less in the ''Literature/JohnnyMaxwellTrilogy''. So called because he never, ever says "Yo". "He was born with a defective cool."
147* ''Literature/KingdomsDisdain'': Cardinal's knowledge of fantasy tropes implies he was this before being transported to Laskmeer.
148* ''Literature/{{Legendborn}}'': Bree is a Black gifted student, demonstrated by her acceptance into and early college program, and makes several nerdy pop culture references (e.g. ''Lord of the Rings'' and Jane Austen) throughout the book.
149* George "Sticky" Washington from ''Literature/TheMysteriousBenedictSociety'' is a neurotic boy who is highly intelligent due to his photographic memory. His parents [[FinancialAbuse abused this]] by forcing him into contests, which is why he ran away. Sticky is the [[SmartPeopleWearGlasses the only kid to wear glasses]], though the others are smart in their own rights as well.
150* Radar in ''Literature/PaperTowns'', Quentin's BlackBestFriend and obsessive editor and tweaker of [[Website/TheOtherWiki The Omnictionary]] to the point of social isolation ([[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife sound familiar?]]). In a [[LampshadeHanging direct nod]] to the trope, his parents are fantatical collectors of Black Santa memorbilia, even earning a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records.
151* Seika in ''Literature/PrincessHolyAura'', who is a Black bookworm and computer nerd.
152--> "I wasn't just a geek, I was a geek without any ''friends''."
153* In ''Literature/ProjectHailMary'', an African-American scientist named Martin [=DuBois=] is set to be the science officer of a spaceship mission to [[spoiler:save earth from a hostile alien lifeform]]. He has doctorates in physics, chemistry and biology and is described as extremely rational and meticulous, e.g. he writes a detailed, multi-page memo on how he wants to die (nitrogen asphyxiation), given that the spaceship cannot return to earth. However, [[spoiler:[=DuBois=] later dies in an explosion after a scientific experiment goes awry and the narrator of the book takes his place on the mission]]. [=DuBois=], with his extraordinary, multipronged scientific expertise, is possibly a parody of the black and nerdy (counter)trope.
154* ''Literature/ReadyFreddy'': Robbie is Black and interested in science, and, as told by Freddy, [[{{Bookworm}} "has read a million books"]]. His mother is even a paleontologist.
155* In the ''Literature/RiversOfLondon'' books, by his own admission [[UsefulNotes/BritishCoppers PC]] Peter Grant is more than a bit nerdy, gangly and tends to have a shaggy-looking haircut. [[AmericanKirbyIsHardCore Not that you'd know by the American covers]] where he is inexplicably metamorphosed into a ScaryBlackMan.
156* Sanity Jones of the graphic novel ''Sanity & Tallulah'' is a Black, female preteen who lives on a space station, is a gifted scientist, and uses her scientific finesse to create a three-headed kitten.
157* ''The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook'' by Eleanor Davis has Greta Hughes, a Black preteen girl who's a science enthusiast and GadgeteerGenius.
158* Hiro Protagonist in ''Literature/SnowCrash'' combines this trope with AsianAndNerdy, being half Black and half Japanese as well as one of the better hackers and programmers around. However, he's not much of a nerd at all. In fact, he's got a beautiful ex-girlfriend, a bunch of friends, and [[BadassBookworm badass sword skills]] both in and out of CyberSpace.
159* Isaiah in ''Literature/SomeoneElsesWar''. (Well... ''all'' the characters are Black, but he's the only one who's nerdy.)
160* In the ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'' series, Sipho Tsuluka Dlamini goes from being a poor child living in the bush in early 1800s South Africa to taking a liking to the mathematics, reading, and writing lessons the protagonist insists on for the youths under his command. He continues writing and publishing accounts of his adventures with the protagonists and studies of the dragon kingdoms of Africa more than 25 years after the end of the series, contrasting against his BloodKnight [[DragonRider aviator]] older brother.
161* ''Literature/AVisitFromTheGoonSquad'': Sasha's college friend Bix, who is always bent in front of his computer and predicts, in 1993, that computer messaging is going to be a big deal and that social networking will make falling out of touch a thing of the past.
162* In ''Wally Roux, Quantum Mechanic'', the titular character is a Black prodigy who's smart enough to build dimension-hopping technology to go on an adventure.
163* ''Literature/WonderWomanWarbringer'': Jason Mayeux Keralis is a Black [[spoiler:MadScientist]] biologist with a great interest in Greek Mythology.
164[[/folder]]
165
166[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
167* ''Series/ThirtyRock'':
168** Toofer. In the {{pilot}}, he's told "Are there other Black nerds or is it just you and Urkel?"
169** In Season 7, Tracy dismisses UsefulNotes/BarackObama as "that half-nerd".
170** Tracy himself would count. He's definitely nerdy, he just doesn't display any of the common drawbacks (in that he's popular, cool, and has lots of sex). He's stated to be a big fan of both ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and ''Franchise/StarWars'', and one of his most famous scenes has him running around while screaming "I am a Jedi!" at the top of his lungs. This would be a bit of RealLifeWritesThePlot, since Tracy Morgan is a big fan of ''Star Wars'' in real life.
171** Also Grizz and Dot Com (to an extent), as they're both very well read, speak in soft eloquent voices, and are cultured in art and music, but their physical appearance suggest big, scary, Black body guards.
172* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Gunn references ''Daredevil'' #181 as part of a PerpSweating and later name-drops several versions of Franchise/TheFlash.
173* ''Series/{{Batwoman|2019}}'': Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox, is a tech whiz like his father but also socially awkward.
174* Boomer from the classic ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}'' can fit this trope, since he does have a knack for hot-wiring, such as on 'hovormobiles' as revealed in the episode 'Fire In Space'.
175* Jordan in ''Series/TheBernieMacShow'' is the nerdiest of the main cast, to a point where he tops the "Nerd Wall" in the girls' restroom at his school, much to his insecurity. Bernie then reminds him that one of the smartest and richest people were nerds, which causes Jordan to gain acceptance of his nerdiness.
176* In ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'', Steve's friend Herbert, who helped "hack" into the school's computer to change his grades.
177* Andre Junior, from ''Series/BlackIsh'' started out as a nerd -- his father, noticing there was only one other Black kid in his school, tried to get them to be friends, and was shocked to find out Junior had more in common with the nerdy crowd. He's mostly grown out of it to become a failed rap producer, but his younger brother, Jack, seems to be filling the spot.
178* Clarence from ''Series/BostonLegal'' although not strictly a nerd, was intelligent and socially awkward. The difference was that instead of replacing socialisation with intellectual pursuits, he found that he could socialise confidently in drag.
179* Cash from ''Series/BreakingIn'' is such a big [[Franchise/StarTrek Trekkie]] the agency found him stalking Creator/WilliamShatner, and was able to get Captain Kirk's chair as a reward for keeping him away. He also wanted to do a paired Franchise/StarWars cosplay, and was [[MistakenForRacist offended]] when the protagonist refused to join.
180* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine''
181** Captain Raymond Holt who finds things like obscure historical references to be ''absolutely hysterical''.
182** Also Terry Jeffords, who despite looking like a ScaryBlackMan, is actually a huge nerd. He enjoys fantasy books in particular, and used to dress up as a superhero when he was a kid. It's also discovered in a Season 4 episode that he secretly writes fanfiction in his spare time.
183* ''Series/TheChair2021'': Yaz is a promising tenure-track English academic at Pembroke University. She's also the department's only black woman, and a lot of her subplot is navigating the implicit racism and misogyny she faces from her older white colleagues.
184* ''Series/{{Community}}'': due to CharacterDevelopment and {{Flanderization}}, Troy goes from being a [[TheDitz ditzy]] JerkJock to a huge geek, who is still a ditz.
185* In ''Series/{{Continuum}}'', Lucas Ingram is the [=Liber8=] group's science and tech expert. As a zealous political terrorist, however, he doesn't actually have any nerdy mannerisms.
186* ''Series/DearWhitePeople'': Lionel. He dressed as [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Geordi LaForge]] at a high school dance, causing some mockery from other Black guys.
187* In ''Series/DegrassiTheNextGeneration'', Liberty Van Zandt is the queen of the nerds. Lakehurst's Damian might also count for this trope. In later seasons, Connor takes over Liberty's role as Supreme Black Nerd.
188* Marcus "Augur" Devereaux on ''Series/EarthFinalConflict'', although he's a downtown cyber-punk hipster kind of nerd.
189* Henry Deacon on ''Series/{{Eureka}}'', although he is also pretty outgoing and sociable. It's pretty much a given that any Black character in the town will fit this trope.
190* Chris Rock expresses this opinion of his childhood self in ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'': "Before the Internet, there were only two Black nerds. Me, and [[UsefulNotes/BarackObama this guy]]."
191* Mac from ''Series/TheFades'', who has a very wide variety of geeky interests to which he compares the show's central premise.
192* Leo of ''Series/FairlyLegal'' is an avid ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' and Magic: The Gathering player.
193* TropeCodifier Steve Urkel in ''Series/FamilyMatters'' is a black StereotypicalNerd, complete with NerdGlasses and NerdyNasalness, who obsesses over his grades and has built a robot, a jetpack, and a transformation chamber.
194* Carlton Banks in ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'' is a straight-A student, president of his school's glee club, and reads the dictionary ''for fun''. Will, despite being the cool guy {{Foil}} to Carlton, fits the bill as well, being a huge comic book fan who is seen playing with Spider-Man action figures on more than one occasion. He's also shown to have a surprising interest in classical literature, leaving pretty sophisticated notes in his copy of ''Crime and Punishment'' for instance. It's heavily implied that he'd be just as high an achiever as Carlton is if he'd just put the work in, but his BrilliantButLazy tendencies keep getting in the way.
195* Chidi from ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' was an ethics scholar and professor who dedicated his life to understanding ethics and morality born in Nigeria and raised in Senegal in his earthly life. Eleanor calls him a "human sweater vest" and he considers rowing out to the middle of a lake while reading French poetry to be his idea of a good time in paradise.
196* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'':
197** Dr. Miranda Bailey is an interesting example as she is also the resident SassyBlackWoman. A flashback has her being very shy and awkward and even used to wear glasses.
198** Dr. Maggie Pierce graduated from medical school at 19 and became department head at the young age of 27.
199* On the short-lived Comedy Central series ''Halfway Home'' the character Sebastian wants people to think he's a gangsta when the fact is he is a suburban kid who got arrested for hacking.
200* Micah from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' is a child prodigy, and probably the smartest character on the show. Technically he is multiracial (as is the character's actor), as his mother is white.
201* One of the earliest examples is Sergeant Kinchloe (played by Ivan Dixon) in ''Series/HogansHeroes'', the camp's radio and electronics genius.
202* ''Series/HolbyCity'' neatly subverts this trope, with La Charne Jolly being a rare female example. Alternatively, Ric Griffin...no, [[WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy not related to Peter]]...
203* Byron is this on ''Series/IAmFrankie''. He's Cole's best friend, he's Black, he builds his own little robots, he cries when his robot is damaged, he's one of the smart kids...
204* Moss, from ''Series/TheITCrowd'', is the extreme variation of this trope. He's nasally, awkward, timid, has no fashion sense and works in IT. He even has his afro parted to the side. That said, his Blackness is rarely if ever referenced. Incidentally, Creator/RichardAyoade, who plays Moss, is half Nigerian and half Norwegian.
205* Alec Hardison, TheSmartGuy of the ''Series/{{Leverage}}''. He's highly intelligent and is also the coolest guy in the room. Any room.
206--> "Age of the geek, baby!"
207** In the sequel series ''Series/LeverageRedemption'', his sister Breanna is just as nerdy as he is -- one episode has her as a huge fan of a ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' parody.
208* Malcolm and Hal's primary friends are a father and son team of these on ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle''. Stevie was also a GeniusCripple, making him a TwoferTokenMinority.
209* Miles Hawkins, the title character of ''Series/{{MANTIS}}'', is a scientist and has an interest in the arts.
210* Only a year later, Barney Collier (played by Creator/GregMorris) was the TokenBlack on the original ''Series/MissionImpossible'' team, hired specifically for his electrical/mechanical genius. In the 1980's {{revival}} series, we got Grant Collier, Barney's son (played by Greg Morris's real life son Creator/PhilMorris).
211* Franklin Aloysius Mumford from ''Series/MyWifeAndKids''.
212* Cookie in ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' is TheSmartGuy to the protagonist, always coming up with crazy inventions and being one of the very few students at James K. Polk Middle School to make the honor roll.
213* Music/IceT played a frighteningly convincing criminal version of this trope on ''Series/NewYorkUndercover''. His intelligence made him one of the most difficult villains to stop on the show, taking multiple episodes before he is defeated.
214* ''Series/OneHundredThingsToDoBeforeHighSchool'' has Fenwick, who is said to be the smartest student in his grade.
215* One of the black characters in ''Series/TheOrville'', John [=LaMarr=], is initially the navigator of the exploratory space vessel USS Orville and comes off as laid-back and non-intellectual. Later, one of his superior officers discovers that [=LaMarr=] had scored extremely well in aptitude tests. [=LaMarr=] says that he learned to hide his intelligence while growing up so as to fit in with his peers. Because of his new-found abilities, [=LaMarr=] is appointed as the Orville's chief engineer. Other than his technical expertise, he does not have any nerdy characteristics.
216* ''Series/TheOtherKingdom'' has British foreign exchange student, Winston P. Althazar who's shown to have a bit of nerdy personality aspects within in, especially with his obsession over the "wizardry" in Athenia.
217* Max Lewicki in ''Series/Perception2012'' is a graduate student in Neuroscience and not only works as a teaching assistant to his brilliant professor boss, but also is in charge of figuring out ways to keep said boss grounded and in control of his schizophrenia. Max is also a cultural nerd who is sometimes seen indulging in Star Wars themed pastimes (including wielding a light saber in an unidentified game where he claims to "whipping some Jedi ass" and also attending a scifi convention dressed as Lando Calrissian).
218* Dwayne in ''Series/{{PerfectHarmony}}'' has a big frame and deep voice but he has a very non-masculine personality
219* Alexandra Moreau from ''Series/PoltergeistTheLegacy'' is the rare female (and positively portrayed) example of this trope.
220* ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' has had a couple of these.
221** Damon in ''[[Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy Lost Galaxy]]'' is the team GreaseMonkey and MrFixIt, whose duties include helping repair their city-sized spaceship's engines.
222** An even better example would be Ethan from ''[[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder Dino Thunder]]'' -- gamer, comic fan and nearly inseparable from his laptop (his first scene shows him hacking the school sprinkler system for a prank). He does have a hidden athletic side that gets brought out in "[[EverybodyMustGetStoned Leader of the Whack]]".
223** ''Series/PowerRangersMegaforce'' has self-described computer geek Noah, complete with NerdGlasses.
224* Gus in ''Series/{{Psych}}''. Shawn disapproves of all Gus's comic books, spelling bee and grammar fixations, but almost every episode some of Gus's obscure nerd knowledge comes in handy. He also likes tap dancing (Lassie ends up trying it and realizing that it helps him concentrate on solving crimes).
225* The Cat's alter-ego Duane Dibbley in ''Series/RedDwarf''. He was introduced as the Cat's worst nightmare in the Despair Squid episode, then proved popular enough for a return appearance when a psychic monster sapped the Cat of his cool. John-Jules' claims the character is so popular because "no-one's ever written a Black nerd before”.
226* In ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'', Detective Barry Frost is well versed in computer technology, action figures, and [=MMORPG=]s.
227* Turk from ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' is both a Black nerd (Or "blerd", as he calls it) and one of the show's cooler characters. He actually referred to his cousin as one. One episode had him as a temporary medical resident after breaking his arm and he wore NerdGlasses to appear nerdier.
228* Rocky from ''Series/ShakeItUp'' is the biggest nerd opposed to [[ChildProdigy Henry]] on the show.
229* Jal from ''Series/{{Skins}}'': smart, sensible, and a talented musician. [[YouNeedToGetLaid Often teased for being too uptight.]]
230* The premise of ''Series/SmartGuy'' follows 10-year-old ChildProdigy TJ Henderson (played by Creator/TahjMowry), who is moved up to high school with his older siblings, Yvette and Marcus. Although he subverts the trope, having plenty of friends his age despite skipping six grades and likes to play sports, TJ does exhibit exceptional knowledge that may go over some of his high school classmates' heads.
231* In ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'', Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge. His inability to get a date is a RunningGag.
232* ''Series/StrangerThings'' has teenage Lucas Sinclair, who's a D&D fan and a long-time member of his school's AV club. His younger sister Erica is another example; she's a snarky 10-year-old girl who can solve complex math calculations on the fly all in her head, and has a pretty solid understanding of politics.
233* Darius Hawthorne on Aaron Sorkin's short lived series ''Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip''
234** Sort of. He's just more intellectual than the stereotypical black comic of his era but he's not necessarily nerdy.
235* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E20WhatIsAndWhatShouldNeverBe "What Is And What Should Never Be" (S02, Ep20)]], there is a Black college anthropology professor who is wearing glasses, a sweater, and a button up shirt.
236* Rufus Carlin is a nerdy, shy engineer and time machine pilot in ''Series/{{Timeless}}''. Another Black character in the same show, Connor Mason, is the inventor of the time machine.
237** Similarly, Malcolm Barrett's character Phil in ''Series/BetterOffTed'' and pretty much anything he's in is like that
238** Creator/PhilLaMarr made a monologue in ''Series/MadTV1995'' about how he was often cast in this trope as opposed to castmate Orlando Jones who came off as cooler
239* In ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'', James Trivette, the best friend and partner of the titular policeman, is into the modern approach of catching the bad guys, preferring to use computers and cellphones. With his expertise in technology and Walker's martial arts skills, it makes an unbeatable combination. In the first season, he originally wore glasses, but did not in Season 2 and onwards.
240* Raj from ''Series/WhatsHappening!!'', the ''original'' Black nerd, a NerdGlasses sporting, uncoordinated, aspiring writer. Some elements of the character served as the inspiration for [[TropeCodifier Steve Urkel]].
241* Brother Mouzone from ''Series/TheWire'' is exhibits some nerdy traits, such as being immaculately dressed in a bow-tie suit, a high-brow speaker, an avid reader, and an intellectual. However, he's also a [[BadassBookworm ruthless drug gang enforcer]].
242* David, the TokenBlackFriend in ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'', fits the smart, competent Black computer geek kid stereotype.
243[[/folder]]
244
245[[folder:Music]]
246* The African love interest in Kent Jone's ''Don't Mind'':
247--->"She got that high grade, Her weed come with diplomas"
248* Music/KanyeWest, Music/WillIAm, and a lot of the [[Music/TPain more]] [[Music/LupeFiasco "techno"]] [[Music/KidCudi rappers]] of the [[TurnOfTheMillennium 2000s]] to the mid-[[TheNewTens 2010s]] fit this trope. They strayed away from the more [[GangstaRap gangster lyrics]] of [[TheNineties the 90s]]. By the mid-late 2000s their music was the mainstream.
249[[/folder]]
250
251[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
252* Harvard Law graduate Wrestling/DavidOtunga qualifies, what with his goofy bowties and argyle sweater-vests.
253* Wrestling/XavierWoods definitely qualifies. He's a fan of anime, comic books, video games, and pretty much anything from TheNineties. Not only is he JustForFun/OneOfUs, Xavier Woods is also educated. One of his degrees is a Master's in Psychology and he's working on getting a [=PhD=].
254* Woods later carried this trope into Wrestling/TheNewDay, a trio of gleefully nerdy Black men. Their pinnacle of nerdiness came at Wrestling/WrestleMania, when they came out into the ring dressed in [[Anime/DragonBallZ Saiyan armor]]. When Woods isn't wrestling, he also has his super-successful [=YouTube=] [[WebVideo/UpUpDownDown gaming channel]], where many of his wrestling co-workers appear.
255[[/folder]]
256
257[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
258* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
259** Vulkan, the Black Primarch of the Literature/{{Salamanders}} Space Marine chapter was, with the possible exception of Ferrus Manus, the most technologically savvy of the Emperor's sons, being an expert weaponsmith. His chapter carries on this legacy as they often design and build their own weapons, particularly [[KillItWithFire flame throwers]] and the eponymous [[CarryABigStick war hammers]] (playing their John Henry iconography for all it's worth), and are generally one of the more intelligent, or at least reasonable, Imperial factions.
260** The Space Wolves chapter is also something of an example, as the few dark-skinned members come from a mercantile culture that lives on their planet's southern islands rather than the more primitive vikings in the frozen north the chapter usually recruits from. As a result, Black Wolves are more familiar with technology and more likely to take up skilled positions like tank commanders or Techmarines rather than foot soldiering.
261[[/folder]]
262
263[[folder:Theater]]
264* ''Theatre/TheFlick'': Avery is a young Black man. He wears glasses, he's socially anxious, he can be very shy, and he has an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema. (He can't be beaten at SixDegreesOfKevinBacon.)
265* ''Theatre/HarryPotterAndTheCursedChild'' featured Afro-British actress Noma Dumezweni as [[TheSmartGuy Hermione Granger]], making Hermione into this. The ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fandom has been floating the idea of Hermione as Black for quite some time now, and although this isn't really true in book canon (Hermione is described as having her face go pale or white, or blushing, many times) Creator/JKRowling (the author of the books) and Creator/EmmaWatson (a white actress who played Hermione in [[Film/HarryPotter the movies]]) have spoken in support of this casting choice.
266* The rock musical ''Theatre/PassingStrange'' focuses on a middle-class young Black man from L.A. who is into Zen Buddhism and spirituality, and leaves home to travel Europe and commune with other artists. Somewhat subverted in that he's also rock musician. The character is actually based upon the show's co-writer and [[LemonyNarrator narrator]] Stew, of the band The Negro Problem.
267[[/folder]]
268
269[[folder:Video Games]]
270* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'''s Cornelius and Sheldon, played straight.
271* ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'':
272** [[PlayfulHacker T-Bug]], the MissionControl [[PlayerCharacter V]] and [[BigFun Jackie]] work with in act I. She's a talented [[HollywoodHacking netrunner]] who quotes Aristotle.
273** [[HollywoodVoodoo The Voodoo Boys]] are a mysterious gang of hackers who are either of Haitian descent or just straight up from Haiti. Unlike most examples of this trope, they are dangerous and flat-out terrifying.
274* Claudette in ''VideoGame/DeadByDaylight'' was a botany student before she was pulled into the Entity's realm, where she uses her knowledge to heal survivors faster.
275* From ''VideoGame/DinoCrisis'' we have Rick, who spends most of the time in the control rooms as well as fixing technical problems.
276* James Parnell of ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}'' happens to own a fairly large collection of comic books and is mentioned to be expanding it. He's also eight feet tall, ex-military, ex-mercenary, owns an armor plated combat suit and fights multi-story tall monsters for a living.
277* Dr. Diggins from ''VideoGame/FossilFighters''. Brilliant scientist, able to understand alien technology. Lover of dinosaurs. Dorky enough to wear shorts and a Hawaiian shirt beneath his lab coat.
278* ''VideoGame/GrowingUp'':
279** Kato Ababio is a Black nerd who spends most of his school time studying to become a doctor and his free time playing [=MMORPGs=]. He struggles with balancing the two and is socially awkward in real-life dating.
280** Richard P. Nelson is Black and has a special interest in music, particularly electronica, movie and video game soundtracks. [[SensitiveArtist Because he's sensitive and introverted, he prefers making music behind the scenes instead of performing in front of the crowd.]]
281* Nishan of ''VideoGame/HighSchoolStory'' is a Black nerd with a mohawk. He used to do homework for jocks before transferring to your school in addition to maintaining his own high grades, and eventually builds a scale model of a Venusian volcano complete with toxic gas clouds.
282* The computer game adaptation of ''VideoGame/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'' makes Ellen a computer scientist and engineer. She still talks like a [[JiveTurkey jive-talking]] SassyBlackWoman, even after being tortured by a supercomputer for 109 years.
283* Louis from ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' works in IT. That alone might not be enough to make him into a nerd, but in comparison to Bill and Francis, who are a retired Green Beret who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and a BadassBiker, he can come across as a mix of one and an ActionSurvivor. The Sacrifice DLC shows him to be a bigger nerd than once originally thought: he can read Japanese, makes a joke by comparing computer firewalls with molotovs, and is worried about having no internet or Xbox to play with when he and the other survivors go to the Florida Keys to live on an island.
284* Dave Ray from ''VideoGame/{{Loopmancer}}'' is the protagonist Xiang Zixu's weapon designer and a GadgeteerGenius who provides him with all sort of equipment. He's also the sole black recurring character in the game and leader of their IT department.
285* ''VideoGame/Runaway2TheDreamOfTheTurtle'' has the African-French Professor Pierre Pignon.
286* Donald Anderson in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' and Sigint in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater''. [[spoiler:They are actually the same character]]. They're not exactly as nerdy as Otacon or other scientist characters, but they're not exactly skilled soldiers either.
287* ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption2'' has Lenny Summers of the Van der Linde Gang. Almost in defiance to the common stereotype [[DeliberateValuesDissonance (at the time)]] that Blacks were somehow unintelligent, Lenny is ''very'' [[BadassBookworm well-read]] and [[BewareTheNiceOnes cunning]]. {{Justified|Trope}} by his father lucking out big-time with some semblance of an education in spite of being a slave.
288* Your VoiceWithAnInternetConnection in ''VideoGame/RedFaction'', Hendrix. Needless to say, he [[BlackDudeDiesFirst doesn't make it to the end of the game]].
289* Jim Chapman in ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilOutbreak'' enjoys crossword puzzles, and is rather wimpy in all other respects.
290* In ''VideoGame/StardewValley'', the only two Black characters are Demetrius, a nerdy biologist, and his daughter Maru, an even more nerdy inventor.
291* Amani Ronga, who functions as MissionControl in ''VideoGame/WakingMars''. She occasionally drifts into {{Technobabble}} in her conversations with her expedition partner Liang, who politely says "Yes" whenever she does so.
292* ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadTelltale'': PlayerCharacter Lee Everett used to work as a history professor before the ZombieApocalypse. When his group meets Christa, another survivor, she can say that her boyfriend, Omid, decided to go on a cross-country tour of Civil War monuments, and asks, exasperated, "Who, other than old, white guys, would find this interesting". Lee will excitedly raise his hand.
293* Marcus Holloway from ''VideoGame/WatchDogs2''. A glasses-wearing hacker who loves old-school media (hence the username) and cheesy movies. A quick look at his internet history reveals a search for sexy anime elf babes, as well.
294* Dr. Richard Tygan in ''VideoGame/{{XCOM2}}'' is a biochemist and XCOM's head of research. He is described as one of the brightest minds on Earth.
295[[/folder]]
296
297[[folder:Visual Novels]]
298* Meredith Baker from ''[[VisualNovel/BlissStageLoveIsYourWeapon Bliss Stage: First and Final Act]]'' was the top of her class before The Bliss hit, and a literary SciFi and {{Fantasy}} FanGirl to the point of wearing a freaking [[Literature/HarryPotter House Ravenclaw scarf]].
299* Daniela from ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' is a [[spoiler:scientific research assistant]] who also has a job as a teacher.
300[[/folder]]
301
302[[folder:Webcomics]]
303* Justin "Ransom" Oluransi of ''Webcomic/CheckPlease'', while also the bro-est of bros, is a 4.0 GPA biology major and is frequently seen thinking in protein folding diagrams.
304* Sensei Greg of ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' is obsessed with anime, and even invented [[SupernaturalMartialArts anime style martial arts.]]
305* Morgan in ''Webcomic/NerfNow'', originally a female Demoman of ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''. She's the cast member with the clearest preference for classic, pretentious, and/or just plain brutally difficult games, the most disdainful of fanservice, and generally goes for the most complicated strategy in any game. On the [[http://www.nerfnow.com/comic/478 rare occasions]] the AuthorAvatar appears based on Jo's actual appearance instead of the usual "purple tentacle," he also counts.
306* Duane in ''Webcomic/PennyAndAggie'', who is a huge English nerd to the point that his class presidency reelection campaign logo was just the letter A.
307* Probably Dale, now that he's getting some CharacterDevelopment, though use of technology doesn't reliably indicate nerdiness in the ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent''-verse. Although defining himself by his ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' faction counts.
308* Ian Jones-Quartey, author of ''Webcomic/RPGWorld'', if his portrayal of himself in his autobiographical series [=IanComix=] is anything to go by.
309* Jacob of ''Webcomic/{{Shortpacked}}''. As almost everyone in the cast is also a nerd, the main contrast is that he's a 90s kid who makes Ethan and Amber (who grew up with Transformers and the Ninja Turtles) feel old.
310* Brandi of ''Webcomic/WapsiSquare'' is a female example. While her intellect [[DitzyGenius isn't always apparent,]] she's still a huge fan of ''Franchise/StarTrek'' and other such shows.
311[[/folder]]
312
313[[folder:Web Original]]
314* ''WebVideo/AndreTheBlackNerd'' invokes this in his name, and loves his video games and cartoons.
315* WebVideo/FriendlyNeighborhoodLibrarian is the epitome of Black and nerdy, geeking out over books in general, manga, and especially ''Franchise/DragonBall''.
316* [[https://twitter.com/The__Perv Mister X]] of [[https://geekjuicemedia.com/ Geek Juice Media]] is incredibly well-versed in almost everything related to geek culture.
317* The ''Series/LegionOfExtraordinaryDancers'' has The Fanboyz, a trio of, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin well]], {{Ascended Fanboy}}s all of whom are Black And Nerdy.
318* The ''Podcast/NitroGameInjection'' podcast has this in Larry Oji. Not only does he love video game music, he is also a huge ProfessionalWrestling geek.
319* ''Podcast/TheOnceAndFutureNerd'' has Nelson as a Black fantasy video game GenreSavvy nerd who indulges in ConversationalTroping as the story proceeds.
320* ''Website/TheOnion'':
321** [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/racial-harmony-achieved-by-casting-of-Black-actor,1277/ Racial Harmony Achieved By Casting of Black Actor as a Teen Computer Whiz.]]
322---> "You wouldn't normally think a Black kid would be running a high-school computer lab, but we have one doing just that," Blochner said of her show, whose uplifting and dignified portrayal of Black youths in America is being widely credited for the sudden flowering of racial justice and harmony across the nation.
323** [[http://www.theonion.com/articles/africanamerican-community-calls-for-new-Black-nerd,18389/ African-American Community Calls For New Black Nerd Archetype.]]
324* Jericho of the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse''. He's fifteen years old and is building ''power armor''. Working power armor. His clothes are also the most horrible thing on a campus full of HalfHumanHybrid[=s=] and other monstrosities.
325[[/folder]]
326
327[[folder:Western Animation]]
328* Wyatt from ''WesternAnimation/{{Sixteen}}'' isn't a complete nerd, but he is the most intellectual of the group. Though he looked very geeky as a kid (complete with glasses and vest).
329* Walter "Doc" Hartford of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers'' both fits and subverts the trope. A bona-fide computer psychiatry Ph.D. and top-notch hacker, he is also prone to making pop culture wisecracks and fond of jive slang, often acting as the team's comic relief. However, he also acts as the team's DeadpanSnarker and the BadassNormal.
330* Alan Powers ("Brain") from ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''. He's an animal like everyone else -- a bear to be exact -- but he celebrates Kwanzaa and has relatives in Senegal.
331* ComicBook/TheFalcon in ''WesternAnimation/AvengersAssemble''. In the show, he even designed his own wings/flight suit (as opposed to the comics, where they were built by the ComicBook/BlackPanther).
332* Max Gibson from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' is a computer hacker and scored a perfect 2400 on her SAT.
333* Andromeda from ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'' can be assumed to be African-American due to her voice actress, and is a nerdy conspiracy theorist. Remy also counts; he's unambiguously Black in an AmazingTechnicolorPopulation and has many nerd stereotypes down pat.
334* Wendy Wower of ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6TheSeries'' fits the bill. She's a Black GenkiGirl scientist (with green pigtails) who specializes in artificial intelligence, and was in fact the mastermind who came up with [[spoiler:the thesis that was used to create Baymax (which she didn't receive credit for due to her former science partner stealing it)]]. She later became a children's entertainer with her own science-oriented, educational TV program.
335* J.D. Bennett/I.Q. from ''WesternAnimation/BionicSix'', the (adopted) son of resident tech expert Jack Bennett/Bionic-1 and TeenGenius in his own right.
336* Darryl from ''WesternAnimation/BobsBurgers'' is an AmbiguouslyBrown kid around Tina's age who wears glasses, is an expert at video games, and is fairly smart and analytical.
337* Odie in ''WesternAnimation/ClassOfTheTitans''; he's the team [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guy]], being the distant descendant of [[Literature/TheOdyssey Odysseus]].
338* ''WesternAnimation/TheClevelandShow'': Cleveland's son Cleveland Jr, a [[GeekPhysiques chubby]], bespectacled geek whom his father describes as "a big, fat Urkel".
339* George Washington Carver from ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'', much like the historical figure he's based on. True to form, he's portrayed as pencil-necked science nerd who is obsessed with peanuts to the point of absurdity.
340* Duane Williams from ''WesternAnimation/CraigOfTheCreek'' is a computer programmer whose hobbies include cryptography and retro video games. [[BadassBookworm He's also a former college athlete who works out in his free time.]]
341* Tucker from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' is a black technology enthusiast and GadgeteerGenius who is frequently considered uncool at school.
342* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'': Downplayed with Jodie. She's Black and sacrifices a social life in order to do better in school, but she is not necessarily nerdy. She's considered "cool" by the others.
343* Karen, aka Bumblebee, from ''WesternAnimation/DCSuperheroGirls'' is a ShrinkingViolet TeenGenius who engineers her own suit.
344* Twins Orangella and Lemonjella [=LaBelle=] from ''Detention'', a pair of identical twins, each a PlayfulHacker who is deeply fluent in TechnoBabble. Their hacking is usually what gets them into trouble in the first place.
345* AJ in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents''. Although AJ has been [[{{Flanderization}} Flanderized]] into an InsufferableGenius with a touch of FlawlessToken.
346* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
347** Hermes Conrad, a perfectionistic, overachieving high-level bureaucrat and accountant at Planet Express who also happens to be Jamaican. His son Dwight appears to be following eagerly in his footsteps.
348** It's a RunningGag that many or all of the 3000-era Harlem Globetrotters are TheAce mathematicians and physicists who rank among the finest scientific minds in the universe, with their leader "Bubblegum" Tate holding teaching positions at two different universities.
349* Brock from ''WesternAnimation/TheGodzillaPowerHour'' isn't particularly nerdy, but he is Dr. Darien's science intern and definitely a smart guy.
350* Irwin from ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', [[VerbalTic yo]]. He's very geeky and socially inept. He also frequently hits on Mandy [[AbhorrentAdmirer despite the fact that she can't stand him.]]
351* Wade from ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. He's a ten year old genius who already completed high school and college within eight months and makes all of [[GadgeteerGenius Kim's gadgets]].
352* Lincoln's best friend Clyde [=McBride=] from ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse''. He's very intelligent and an excellent student, and even mentions that he helps his parents do their taxes.
353* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': Daniel Mumford is a black guy who is an expert on all things aquatic and all things Alaska.
354* One of the members of ''WesternAnimation/{{Minoriteam}}'' is Fasto, the jive-talking, womanizing fastest man alive. His civilian identity is that of Lando K. Dutton, a nebbish bookworm and professor of Women's Studies.
355* Max Kanté from ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'' is [[TheSmartGuy willing to rattle off facts and statistics at the slightest provocation]], is an avid gamer, and [[SmartPeopleBuildRobots built his own]] RobotBuddy [[CuteMachines Markov]].
356* ''WesternAnimation/MoonGirlAndDevilDinosaur2023'': Much like her comic counterpart, Lunella Lafayette is a brilliant multi-disciplinary scientist at the ripe old age of ''[[TeenGenius 13]]''. Bubble guns, radioactive-powered portal generators, and a full-on secret lab within an abandoned train station are some notable inventions. She does have her blindspots when it comes to recognizing an old cassette player.
357* Dutch Gordy in ''WesternAnimation/{{Motorcity}}'' is the Burners' mechanic, and a BadassBookworm who also becomes quite adorkable around [[BirdsOfAFeather Tennie]].
358* ComicBook/{{Superman}}'s MuggleBestFriend Jimmy Olsen becomes this in ''WesternAnimation/MyAdventuresWithSuperman'' due to a RaceLift, becoming a black nerd who's fascinated by conspiracy theories.
359* Eugene, who substitutes for Dilton in ''WesternAnimation/TheNewArchies''.
360* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': While everyone in Luz's social circle has at least some level of nerdiness, Gus stands out as the resident GradeSkipper and even becomes the in-universe equivalent of a {{Trekkie}} in season 3.
361* Sydney Skelley of ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' is a Black preteen girl who loves sci-fi, especially an InUniverse series called ''Commander Cressida''.
362* ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' and ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'' have Winston Zeddemore and Roland, respectively. Winston's frequently seen brushing up on historical texts (a trait carried on to the 2009 video game) and is a huge fan of Literature/SherlockHolmes, while Roland loves classical music. Of course, they're both very experienced with advanced technological equipment as well, due to their jobs.
363* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'', Vince's older brother Chad is this, though it's used only to illustrate a difference between him and Vince, who's an ace athlete. Also Rodney, one of the Pale Kids.
364* ''WesternAnimation/PJMasks'': Newton Star, a new hero introduced in Season 4. During the day he wears NerdGlasses (though he [[TheGlassesGottaGo loses them]] when transforming into his nighttime identity), and likes to spend all his free time in the library, studying anything space related. Even as a hero, he'd rather use his powers to go into space for exploration than to perform heroics.
365* Cassidy Williams, the Velma-counterpart in the previous incarnation of Mystery Inc in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'', [[spoiler:As Angel Dynamite, not so much.]]
366* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
367** One of the three nerds who roomed with Homer at Springfield U. The character in question, Benjamin, was once mistaken for Urkel in the comics.
368** Also Lewis, Bart's friend, in some incarnations.
369* [[TokenMinority Token Black]]'s father Steve in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. He works as an accountant and is revealed to be a massive ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' fan to the point that Token's name is {{retcon}}ned to be [[Creator/JRRTolkien Tolkien]] in the episode "The Big Fix". Randy chastises him for "not sounding like a black guy", and Steve gets back at him for his mistreatment by using [[UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents ebonics]] [[SoulBrotha to promote his rival weed business]].
370** ZigZagged by Token himself. While in previous seasons he was perfectly content to play as Tolkien-esque fantasy characters, superheroes, and ninjas with the other boys, he suddenly does a 180 and declares a distaste for "nerd" stuff in the same episode.
371* Static/Virgil from ''WesternAnimation/StaticShock''. He's an honor roll student that's heavily into Comic Books/Superheroes and occasionally gets bullied around (especially pre-series).
372* Cyborg in the animated ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' series. Unlike the other interpretations of Cyborg over DC history, this version learned robotics and rebuilt himself. Also a GeniusBruiser.
373* In ''WesternAnimation/TenkoAndTheGuardiansOfTheMagic'', Steel is a history buff, but mildly nerdy.
374* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama''
375** Cameron has spent most of his life reading due to growing up in a bubble (literally), knows a good deal about psychology, and tends to trip up in conversation due to his [[NoSocialSkills lack of social skills]].
376** Downplayed with Damien. He has a huge love for science, is mentioned to be a fan of a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-esque game, and is one of the most intelligent contestants in the fourth generation, but he doesn't flaunt his knowledge on these topics all the time. To a lesser extent, the also black Bowie and Caleb are the only boys from the fourth generation alongside Damien who don't lack in the intelligence department.
377* Cleo Carter from ''WesternAnimation/{{Tutenstein}}'', when it comes to Egyptology.
378* Taranee from ''WesternAnimation/WITCH2004'' is both Black and Nerdy and AsianAndNerdy. She's [[AdaptationPersonalityChange especially]] bookish in the cartoon adaptation. Taranee is quite smart and [[SmartPeopleWearGlasses wears glasses]].
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