Line #183 Main/BrainyBrunette


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11	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_hermione_potioning_7299.jpg]]]]
12	[-[[caption-width-right:350:[[Theatre/{{Macbeth}} Double, Double, Toil and Trouble,]] [softreturn] [[EEqualsMCHammer Time Dilation]], Edwin Hubble.]]-]
13
14	Stereotypically speaking, in fiction, [[DumbBlonde blondes are lacking in intelligence]], [[FieryRedhead redheads have short tempers]], so, [[BlondeBrunetteRedhead out of the trio]], [[BeautyBrainsAndBrawn brunettes are all brain]]. Outside of the trio, they will often be used as a {{Foil}} for the DumbBlonde in either a BrainsVersusBrawn or BrainsAndBrawn duo. Like the DumbBlonde, the brunette varies quite a bit. They can bashfully hide behind their books or [[{{Meganekko}} glasses]], with their hair done in pigtails or a bun or they can boldly use their smarts for their ambitions. Whichever it is, their knowledge is real--if she's on your side, then you can always count on her smarts in a fix. She may be a HotLibrarian, a scientist, or even a WrenchWench. If so, her SesquipedalianLoquaciousness and/or TechnoBabble will [[GeekyTurnOn turn people on]]. And she always has nice, thick, brown locks. What they don't (necessarily) have is strength, like the SquishyWizard (who may be TheSmartGuy himself), as they care more about their mind than their body. That's what makes a BadassBookworm so interesting, a rare combination.
15
16	This trope doesn't mean that blondes and redheads can't be [[TheSmartGuy the brains of the outfit]]. It's just more common for them to have brown hair, [[AlwaysFemale especially if they're female]], although there are some male examples.
17
18	May overlap with AsianAndNerdy, BollywoodNerd, or BlackAndNerdy.
19
20	Contrast DumbBlonde and FieryRedhead. And, as with both of them, this character can be either good or evil. Compare RedheadsAreUncool who might stand out as much as the brunette but have less confidence than even the bashful brainy brunette, there again for some, RedheadsAreRavishing.
21
22	----
23	!!Examples:
24
25	[[foldercontrol]]
26
27	[[folder:Advertising]]
28	* The Brown [[Advertising/MandMs M&M]] seems to be this, with glasses and all.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
32	* [[ActionGirl Lita]] from ''Animerica'', in contrast to the blonde Janine and [[FieryRedhead red-headed Jessica]]. There's also Wendy, Ron's older sister, and his previous {{Love Interest\|s}}, [[ShyBlueHairedGirl Yukina]]. [[DeadpanSnarker Kasuse]] and [[GeniusBruiser Yusuke]] may count, as well as [[spoiler:Maya, Lita's CoolBigSis]].
33	* Misa in ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'' is the only brunette in the cast and is also the [[TeenGenius most intelligent]].
34	* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' gives us Hange Zoe. Eccentric, intuitive, and ''obsessed'' with understanding the Titans, she is the closest thing to a scientist in the Scout Regiment. She also wears glasses.
35	* Yomi from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' fits this trope nicely. Excluding ChildProdigy, Chiyo, she's easily the smartest member of the group (with the possible exception of Sakaki).
36	* Casca from ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' a skilled strategist and surrogate leader for the band of Hawk.
37	* ''Manga/{{Boruto}}'', the ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' spin-off gives us Sarada Uchiha, the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha. She a preteen girl with RavenHairIvorySkin, gifted with incredible wits, is well-read, studious and good at planning strategies.
38	* ''Manga/BungouStrayDogs'' gives us strategic geniuses Dazai Osamu, Mori Ougai, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and detective extraordinaire Edogawa Ranpo. Louisa May Alcott, another strategist, may count, but her hair is very light brown. Outside the manga, there's also Taguchi Rokuzou (a hacker) and Sasaki Nobuko (a university lecturer and criminal genius).
39	%%* MagnificentBastard Lelouch Lamperouge from ''Anime/CodeGeass''.
40	%%* Light Yagami from ''Manga/DeathNote''. A brown-haired EvilGenius.
41	* In ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'', Shizuka has brown hair in the original series which is changed to black hair in the 2005 anime. Either way, though, she is very quick-witted and loves to study, unlike her friend Nobita.
42	* ''Anime/ElHazardTheMagnificentWorld'''s Afura Mann, the wind priestess of Mt. Moldune. She's portrayed as the most intellectual of the three and, in ''The Wanderers'' series, she has her very own library!
43	* Sheska from ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''; an extreme bibliophile with a photographic memory of everything she reads.
44	%%* ''Manga/GirlFriends2006'' has the bookish Mari, in contrast to her best friend, the BookDumb Akko.
45	* [[NationsAsPeople Lithuania]] from ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' is more serious than Germany, shown to be very efficient in battle smarts when he feigns a retreat and fools Prussia, and he's one of the ''[[PlentyOfBlondes very]]'' [[PhenotypeStereotype few Northern European countries]] with brown hair. It helps that his [[HeterosexualLifePartners former partner]] [[CloudCuckooLander Poland]] is an almost perfect {{Dumb Blond\|e}}. Russia even lampshades this when the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth is partitioned and he drags Lithuania away, commenting that he looks smart.
46	* ''Manga/HitoribocchiNoOOSeikatsu'' has Bocchi Hitori, the main character. She has long brown hair and despite being eccentric, is rather intelligent, and probably one of the better students in the class. In fact, the only reason why she didn't get into her best friend Kai's middle school was because she was too scared to attend the interview.
47	* ''Manga/MakenKi'': Yan-Min is a Chinese foreign exchange student, who's highly proficient in martial arts and has near encyclopaedic knowledge about the various [[KiManipulation applications]] [[LifeEnergy of Element.]] In chapter 55, she astounded Aililu and Lilu by explaining the nature of "Black Element" and in chapter 87, she was able to [[AwesomeByAnalysis explain the process]] of combining her own "Blue" Element with Azuki's "Green" and Celia's "Red" to create [[LightEmUp "White".]] Which is [[spoiler: the only thing that [[KryptoniteFactor can hurt]] [[BigBad Yamato Takeru]]]].
48	* ''Anime/MazingerZ'' gives two examples with TheProfessor Gennosuke Yumi and his daughter, Sayaka. Although she is an ActionGirl, she is pretty smart and knowledgeable.
49	** Hikaru Makiba from ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'' was one in the ''MazingerAngels'' spin-off.
50	%%* ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' gives us Shikamaru Nara, who is known for his 200+ IQ.
51	%%* Chao Lingshen and Satomi Hakase from ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi''. Also, Yue and Nodoka, for a given value of "brunette".
52	* Despite his [[LovableCoward cowardice]] and [[BadLiar habitual lying]], Usopp from ''Manga/OnePiece'' is the brains of the Straw Hats. Also, team archaeologist Robin.
53	** There's also Chopper, who acts as the crew's doctor. He's also a reindeer, so the brunette part is kind of justified.
54	** Trafalgar Law: surgeon, [[TheStrategist strategist]], and leader.
55	** Zig-zagged with Charlotte Pudding [[spoiler: she’s smart enough to fool half the Straw Hats but becomes emotionally volatile when her plan is foiled and she falls in love with Sanji]].
56	* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': Haruhi Fujioka. Though nobody in the host club is truly unintelligent, Haruhi is book smart to the point of being occasionally portrayed as a nerd, and possesses more common sense than most of them. Not to mention that everybody is gay for Haruhi.
57	* Fly Greena Aight from ''Manga/PlusAnima'', a researcher who studies the science behind the titular phenomenon of +Anima [[spoiler:in the hopes of stealing that power for himself]]; though the manga has very few color pages, the portrait of Fly's childhood self present on the back cover of volume 9 reveals that he has brown hair.
58	* ''Franchise/SailorMoon'': Usually averted in the manga but played straight in the anime:
59	** Nephrite has brown hair but was depicted as brash and cocky in the manga. When the series was first adapted, he kept his brown hair but [[AdaptationPersonalityChange was changed to a serious and intelligent individual and a skilled planner and manipulator]].
60	** Gurio Umino, Shingo Tsukino and Reika Nishimura are all brilliant students in all continuities but [[AdaptationDyeJob became brunettes]] for the same anime adaptation (of the three, only Umino kept his brown hair for ''Crystal''). Apparently, someone who worked on the first anime season was fond of this trope.
61	** Haruna Sakurada has light brown hair in ''Anime/SailorMoonCrystal'' and she is a teacher (in the other anime series, her hair was a deep red with a [[FieryRedhead fiery temper to go with it]]).
62	* Leo Regulus from ''Manga/SaintSeiyaTheLostCanvas'', said and proven to be a battle genius.
63	* Hakkai from ''Manga/{{Saiyuki}}'' is the intellectual of the ikkou. He could have had his pick of college scholarships had he wanted to continue his formal education, takes correspondence courses (including lockpicking, which becomes very helpful), reads thick obscure books, and worked as a school teacher until Kanan's death.
64	%%* ''Anime/{{Vandread}}'' gives us Parfait, who is a WrenchWench.
65	%%* InsufferableGenius Seto Kaiba from ''Anime/YuGiOh''.
66	[[/folder]]
67
68	[[folder:Comic Books]]
69	* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'':
70	** Bruce Wayne has jet black hair and his [[Characters/BatmanTheCharacter nighttime identity]] is known as "The World's Greatest Detective" while also being a polymath who is well versed in forensic science, martial arts, computer hacking and a variety of other fields.
71	** Tim Drake aka ComicBook/{{Robin\|1993}}[=/=]ComicBook/RedRobin, a TeenGenius who was able to figure out the secret identities of multiple superheros as a child and is expected to surpass the world's current [[GreatDetective best detective]] before he reaches the legal drinking age.
72	* ''ComicBook/{{Impulse}}'': Despite being largely BrilliantButLazy Bart has a PhotographicMemory and is actually [[DitzyGenius quite smart]] and knowledgeable about technology. Highlighted after he [[SuperSpeedReading read an entire library]] in an afternoon while recovering from being kneecapped.
73	* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': Dr. Bruce Banner is the leading expert on Gamma Radiation. The Hulk himself usually isn't a genius (He's not dumb, but he's no Banner) and usually isn't brunette either.
74	* ''ComicBook/IronMan'': Tony Stark... billionaire, playboy, '''genius''', philanthropist.
75	* ''ComicBook/JetDream'': Marlene, who's described as "Powerful as a wrestler, but with a cool, precise Teutonic mind."
76	* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker, a TeenGenius as a youth and still a science prodigy into his adulthood.
77	* ''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'': Kara Zor-El's SecretIdentity (Linda Lee Danvers in the Silver Age, Linda Lang in the post-Crisis universe, Kara Danvers in ''ComicBook/SupergirlRebirth'') is always a brown-haired, nerdy girl. Earth's science is pretty primitive to her.
78	* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'': [[Characters/SupermanLoisLane Lois Lane]] in continuities where she's not a FieryRedhead. And where [[IdiotBall she's actually brainy]].
79	* ''ComicBook/XMen'':
80	** Nobel Prize-winning geneticist [[Characters/XMenMutants Moira MacTaggert]].
81	** As well as self-proclaimed "Goddess of Computers" [[Characters/MarvelComicsKittyPryde Kitty Pryde]].
82	** [[Characters/MarvelComicsRogue Rogue]] is smart enough to not only fly a spaceship but once outsmarted an extra dimensional being and brought him into the main universe. She also reads alot of books in her spare time.
83	** Cyclops (Scott Summers) counts. He was a studious man in his youth and grew into an excellent field commander with a keen mind for strategy and tactics.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Fan Works]]
87	* Male examples in ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Japan has black hair and is very smart. Italy, a brunet, is a genius in art.
88	* Both [[TheHero Vale]] [[CuteBookworm Whitaker]] and [[TheSneakyGuy Phlox]] from the ''[[Literature/TheHungerGames Hunger Games]]'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/SomeSemblanceOfMeaning''.
89	* Chihiro Toriumi, in ''Fanfic/GraduateMeetingOfMutualKilling''.
90	* Tilly in ''[[Fanfic/MegsFamilySeries Meg's Family]]'', doubling as a BrainyBaby. Her mother Jillian used to be one herself, before an accident while bleaching her hair blonde put an end to that.
91	* ''Fanfic/{{Quicken}}'': Taylor is a brown-haired, fifteen-year-old bookworm. In her first appearance she quotes a line of ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''.
92	* Ruth Smith-Rhodes-Stibbons, third daughter of wizard Ponder Stibbons, who combines her father's ferocious intellect with her mother's practical skills (Mum is an Assassin) and has the ability to make ideas happen. Ponder has an uneasy feeling she might turn out to be brighter than he is. Ruth appears in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' of Creator/AAPessimal.
93	* Anne Boleyn in ''Fanfic/WhitehallUniversity''
94	* In ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' fanfic ''Fanfic/{{ResurrectedMemories}}'': Technically auburn as a human but Ember/Amberline has a lot of natural cunning and perspective. In addition, she also works hard to get good grades during her time as a student at Casper High.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
98	* Male example: TheProtagonist Milo Thatch of ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' serves as a linguist and cartography expert who directs the expedition to find the lost continent of Atlantis and has light brown hair to match.
99	* Belle from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' is treated like an outcast in her village because she loves to read books. And yep, she's a brunette.
100	* Maria Posada from ''WesternAnimation/TheBookOfLife''. She is probably the most rational, cultured person in the story.
101	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Brave}}'': Elinor is the only one in her family to have brown hair and is the only one capable of running the country.
102	* Tip from ''WesternAnimation/Home2015'' is described as a very resourceful girl. This proves to be true, when she's able to take care of herself when her mother is kidnapped.
103	* Hiccup from ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''. He manages to figure out a way to make Toothless able to fly again.
104	* Helen Parr from ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'' and Evelyn Deavor in [[WesternAnimation/Incredibles2 the sequel]]. Evelyn is a GadgeteerGenius while Helen is an expert tactician, and can also pilot multiple types of vehicles, from aircraft to motorcycles.
105	* Tiana from ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' is incredibly resourceful, clever, and observant. She's also an African-American brunette.
106	* Jane Porter from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' is similar to Belle from above. She is not only knowledgeable in zoology, but also smart enough to teach an adult who has ''never learned how to communicate like a human'' English, not to mention introduced him to physics, music, astronomy, dance, and geography. And yep, she's a brunette.
107	* In ''WesternAnimation/TurningRed'', pre-transformation, Mei had dark hair and was a straight-A student. Interestingly, after she gains her red panda form (which [[FieryRedhead turns her hair red]]), her grades start to slip due to her neglecting studying in favor of merchandising her panda form.
108	* Vanellope von Schweetz from ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' builds her own semi-functional kart out of thrown away junk and is shown to be a resourceful survivalist while ostracized in her own game.
109	[[/folder]]
110
111	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
112	* ''Film/TwoHeadedSharkAttack'': The three most intelligent students, Kirsten, Dana, and Paul, all have dark hair. Dana and Paul seem to know the most about aquatic wildlife, while Kirsten is the most level-headed about planning how to survive the shark attack.
113	* ''Film/AllCheerleadersDie'': The brunette Maddy is much more studious and intelligent than her fellow cheerleaders, who are mostly {{Brainless Beaut\|y}}ies.
114	* Upon meeting the remains of [[PromotedFanboy his favorite band, Smile,]] in ''Film/BohemianRhapsody'', [[Music/FreddieMercury Freddie Bulsara]] correctly points out that the guitarist, dark-haired Music/BrianMay, studies astrophysics. [[GenreSavvy "Makes you the clever one,"]] Freddie comments.
115	* ''Film/TheBoyWhoCriedWerewolf'': Jordan is a dark-haired, highly intelligent girl.
116	%%* There's magazine writer Summer from ''Film/DefinitelyMaybe''.
117	* Jenny in ''Film/AnEducation'' dreams of getting into Oxford, and she's got the brains to do it. She has a {{foil}} in DumbBlonde Helen.
118	* In ''Film/{{Exam}}'', Brunette and Dark are both women with dark hair that are noticeably intelligent during their time at the Exam.
119	* The [[AdaptationDyeJob previously blonde]] Trillian became this in ''Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy2005''.
120	* Ariadne in ''Film/{{Inception}}'', portrayed by Creator/ElliotPage.
121	* Inverted in ''Film/JennifersBody''. The brunette Jennifer is a vapid AlphaBitch (both before and after she is [[DemonicPossession possessed]]), while the blonde Needy is EndearinglyDorky with NerdGlasses.
122	* Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse:
123	** Tony Stark aliases ComicBook/IronMan built PoweredArmor in a cave “with a box of scraps” and couple movies later took on a criminal organisation with some gardening store supplies. At one point in Avengers he has to teach the blonde (Captain America) about electronics.
124	** Loki is a master of magic, which makes him the equivalent of a {{bookworm}} on Asgard because magic and science are the same thing in that realm. Ironically Loki got his intelligence from his mother Frigga who is blonde.
125	** Dr. Jane Foster is an astrophysicist.
126	** Peggy Carter is a witty, no-nonsense agent of the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR), and later the founder of S.H.I.E.L.D.
127	** Dr. Bruce Robert Banner has M.D, Ph.D and is renowned for his work Biochemistry Nuclear Physics... he can also turn into a giant green [[HulkingOut rage monster]] and fly a spaceship.
128	** Clint Barton/Hawkeye is actually very intelligent and a crafty tactician, therefore he is more dangerous when he’s BrainwashedAndCrazy.
129	** The darker haired Gamora is [[OnlySaneMan easily]] the smartest member of the ''Film/{{Guardians of the Galaxy\|2014}}''. Though brunette Peter Quill can also count is a gadget and starship flying genius.
130	** Hope Van Dyne from "Ant-Man" is very knowledgeable in different fields of science, especially since both her parents are scientists who founded Pym Technologies.
131	** Brown haired Peter Benjamin Parker aka Spider-Man is a TeenGenius who once unlocked a Storage Vault door by tinkering with the fuse box.
132	** Shuri (Film/{{Black Panther\|2018}}'s little sister) is, by WordOfGod, the smartest character in the MCU.
133	* Franchise/MonsterVerse:
134	** In ''Film/Godzilla2014'', Joe Brody, although his brown hair is graying in the present, is smart enough to work out straight away that whatever caused the Janjira tremors wasn't really an earthquake, and he proves to be further ahead than Monarch are at understanding the MUTO.
135	** Madison Russell, the brunette daughter of Mark and Emma Russell, has [[ChildProdigy all of her doctorate-wielding parents' smarts and intuition]] but she has none of their faults.
136	** Several members of Monarch's scientific ''top brass'' happen to have dark hair and some major scholarly credits in their respective fields, including Drs. Vivienne Graham, Sam Coleman, Nathan Lind, Ilene Andrews, and most of Aaron Brooks' Skull Island expedition in the spin-off graphic novel.
137	* Evelyn in ''Film/TheMummy1999''. She's also a HotLibrarian.
138	* Emma from ''Film/NoStringsAttached2011'', who studied at MIT, is a doctor in Boston, and turned up to a pajama party in actual pajamas in her college days.
139	* ''Film/TheSecret2007'': Sam is a brunette honor student who's intent on getting into an Ivy League school. She doesn't fit most stereotypes though, being a rebellious girl who's sexually active, uses drugs and doesn't dress or act nerdy at all.
140	* Gordie Lachance in ''Film/StandByMe,'' creates his own stories, and later goes on to college to become a writer.
141	* In the film version of ''Film/StarterForTen'', the character of Rebecca is a brunette and intuitive. She holds various protests and is often seen informing the main character, Brian Jackson, of her ideas.
142	* The ''Franchise/StarWars'' universe has quite a few examples:
143	** Princess Leia Organa is an intelligent leader and diplomat, who uses her wit to bring down the Empire.
144	** Han Solo is a laid back, no nonsense smuggler, who is very streetwise, and certainly knows how to navigate his way out of dubious situations (like with Greedo).
145	** Padmé Amidala is a very educated politician (both as a queen and later as a senator), who isn't afraid of using her wits to save her people.
146	** Rey is a very streetwise young woman, who knows how to survive on her own, and uses her knowledge of the Force against the First Order.
147	* Mocked in ''Film/WhereTheTruthLies'':
148	-->'''Lanny:''' My favorite catches were the intellectuals. They'd be the ones in the straight black dresses, severe black hair. Your basic neurotic, eyeglasses, cool jazz, liberal, "[[FlawlessToken I'll fuck any black guy as part of my personal apology for racism in America]]" type.
149	** The person reading his letter then looks across the room and sees a bookish-looking brunette. And you automatically imagine her doing one thing and one thing only...
150	* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries''
151	** Charles Xavier when he still has hair in the [[Film/XMenFirstClass First]] [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast Class]] [[Film/XMenApocalypse trilogy]]; he has a doctorate in genetics from the University of Oxford.
152	** Hank [=McCoy=] in the First Class trilogy; he's a doctoral-level scientist who graduated from Harvard University at the age of 15.
153	[[/folder]]
154
155	[[folder:Literature]]
156	* In ''Literature/TheAnderssons'', Ida Sofia is the {{bookworm}} out of the four original Andersson sisters. And yep, she also is a brunette.
157	* Claudia's sister Janine from ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' is an exaggeration with her AsianAndNerdy ways. Claudia feels bad when she compares herself to her genius sister.
158	* A borderline example is the title character in ''Literature/BeautyARetellingOfBeautyAndTheBeast''. Like Disney's Belle, she's an avid bookworm, of her father's three daughters she's always been called "the clever one," and her hair is described as "neither blonde nor brown." Subverted as she grows older and prettier, though, and becomes a brainy [[RedHeadedHero redhead.]]
159	* Amelia Marsh in ''Literature/DarknessVisible'' borders on the black end of the spectrum and is very intelligent/educated for a woman of her era. She speaks French, paints beautifully, and, to Lewis's surprise, can play chess. [[SassySecretary Mrs Emiline Pound]] also counts, though her hair is going gray. It is her tireless work in the Warden's archives which [[spoiler:finally reveals the identity of the traitor among them.]]
160	* Magdalena Swär in "De skandalösa" by Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt, is similar to Jane Eyre in both background, personality and appearance. So of course, she too is an intelligent woman with brown hair.
161	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
162	** Tiffany Aching, who read the dictionary for fun when she was a girl, always pestered traveling scholars with difficult questions, and turned out to be very clever and talented for a witch her age.
163	** [[Literature/GoingPostal Adora Belle Dearheart]] the city's leading golem expert. She even speaks their language, reputed to be very hard for humans to learn. She's also one of the series' biggest examples of DeadpanSnarker. And this is [[WorldOfSnark Discworld]]!
164	* Anji Kapoor, from the ''Series/DoctorWho'' Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures, is a genius or very close to it when it comes to economics, to the point of seeming to be [[BollywoodNerd a bit of a nerd]] when you get her started on the topic.
165	* [[MeaningfulName Prudence]] and [[AcademicAthlete Sally]] in ''Literature/DontCallMeIshmael''. Prudence is described as "nearly a [[TeenGenius genius]]", plays three instruments and is usually seen reading {{doorstopper}}s. Sally is the best in her year.
166	* Lessa from ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' qualifies as she is not only the one to figure out Threadfall patterns and trick a Dragonrider into challenging a Lord Holder to a death match, but she also figures out how to save the planet and then does it against the wishes of everyone else involved.
167	* ''Literature/HaniAndIshusGuideToFakeDating'': Ishu is dark-haired and a very high achieving student. Before meeting Hani, her main pastime while not attending school was studying and reading.
168	* Hermione Granger from ''Literature/HarryPotter'' is the cleverest student in her year, and she also is a brunette.
169	* Rei Taylor of ''Literature/ImInLoveWithTheVillainess'' has both prior knowledge of the ''otome'' game 「Revolution」 from her pre-incarnation life, and an incredible capacity for cunning, deception, and working with and around external forces and agents to the betterment of her long-term plans and personal desires.
170	* ''Literature/TheInfernalDevices'':
171	** Tessa Gray is a wide reader and quotes poetry quite often. She has the potential to lapse into BadassBookworm territory.
172	** Charlotte Branwell is ''very'' intelligent.
173	* Jane Eyre, the title character of ''Literature/JaneEyre'' by Charlotte Brontë, shows us that this trope is at least OlderThanRadio. She's an intelligent woman with brown hair, who works as a teacher.
174	* Jo March in ''Literature/LittleWomen'' has thick chestnut hair, "her one beauty", and is a devoted writer.
175	* Linh Cinder from ''Literature/TheLunarChronicles'' is a clever DeadpanSnarker who is also the best mechanic in New Beijing.
176	* ''Literature/{{MARZENA}}'' gives Dutch Psychotherapist Livia, who also works in Psy-Ops. There's also possibly Dr. Lauren, an expert neurologist and neurosurgeon, although the color of hair is never mentioned.
177	* The titular character from ''Literature/{{Matilda}}'' is usually depicted with brown hair and is very, very brainy.
178	* Myra from the ''Literature/NightfallSeries'' is a brown-haired bookworm, who joins the mission against Prince Vladimir because she can contribute with her ideas. When she ends up a captive in the palace, she needs to rely on her wits to survive.
179	** Prince Vladimir, a dark-haired WickedCultured ManipulativeBastard, serves as a villainous male example.
180	* Keladry, the protagonist of Creator/TamoraPierce's ''Literature/ProtectorOfTheSmall'', is described as having mousy brown hair. She's a GeniusBruiser whose favorite subject is math, and her classmates frequently ask for her help. During the dull stretches of managing her refugee camp in the fourth book, she amuses herself with engineering projects.
181	* October "Toby" Daye in ''Rosemary And Rue'' is a tough and savvy private investigator who servers both mortal and faerie clients.
182	* The Baudelaire siblings from ''Literature/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' since they are able to escape from many dangers relying only on their skills and knowledge.
183	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
184	** Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish is an EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette and is not only a financial genius but a MagnificentBastard who has the whole continent of [[CrapsackWorld Westeros]] dancing to his tune.
185	** Several of the Tyrells also have this trait, the eldest son and heir Willas being a noted scholar (to make up for his crippled leg), and Margaery having no small amount of her own political nous.
186	* Elke Schreiber of ''Literature/AWitchsBurden''. Elke is rarely without a book and, as expected of a teacher, loves history, languages, and philosophy. She also never shies away from a good debate.
187	[[/folder]]
188
189	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
190	* At least in the later seasons, Chloe O'Brian in ''Series/TwentyFour''.
191	* [[OnlySaneEmployee Liz Lemon]] on ''Series/ThirtyRock''. Emphasized by the fact that the show's two other female regulars are both {{Dumb Blonde}}s. In fact, every character ever played by Creator/TinaFey.
192	* ''Series/{{Angel}}'': Fred Burkle was a physics student and later the head of the company's Science Division with long wavy brown hair. Her high intelligence was a great asset to the "Fang Gang".
193	* Sharon "Shaz" Granger from ''Series/AshesToAshes2008'', who despite having a low ranking in CID ([[TruthInTelevision as was actually the norm for women in 1980s Britain]]) is far smarter than Ray or Chris and often provides valuable information when solving cases.
194	** As is shown by her [[spoiler: running after an armed shooter in 1x07]],[[spoiler: shooting down a bent copper in her wedding dress in 2x08]] and by her [[spoiler: disarming a armed criminal at gunpoint and turning his weapon against him in 3x08]] she can be just as much a brave Badass as Gene and the others.
195	* George from ''Series/BeingHumanUK'' is described as having a brain like a "planet" and is said by several characters to be able to carry a much more prestigious job than hospital janitor if he wanted.
196	* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': Amy Farrah Fowler and Leslie Winkle (both Ph.Ds). Sheldon's assistant Alex was this, too.
197	* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Temperance Brennan, and basically every other main character.
198	* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Subverted with Cordelia who was shown as an example of the BrainlessBeauty. Though, after exams, it was revealed that she actually had very good grades which she simply chose to hide from her peers, thinking it would make her less popular.
199	* ''Series/TheCape'': Orwell, a brown-haired young woman who's also a genius hacker.
200	* ''Series/{{Carrusel}}'' has Valeria, Carmen, and Alicia, to a lesser extent. All three girls have jet black hair and are good students. Valeria is a talented painter. Carmen is very good with people. And Alicia is very mature and has common sense.
201	* Detective Kate Beckett from ''Series/{{Castle\|2009}}''.
202	* Prue Halliwell in ''Series/{{Charmed\|1998}}''.
203	* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'''s big sister Ellie Bartowski.
204	* ''Series/{{Community}}'': Annie Edison is a GoGetterGirl example.
205	* ''Series/ControlZ'': Sofia is bookish, analytical and very intelligent, while also being black-haired.
206	* ''Series/ConversationsWithFriends'': Frances and Bobbi are both dark-haired students at Trinity College in Dublin, who both show the keen intelligence along with knowledge of sophisticated subjects you'd expect as a result.
207	* Emily Prentiss from ''Series/CriminalMinds''. Her predecessor, Elle Greenaway, was also intelligent, but Emily gets more credit because she has yet to [[VigilanteExecution be dumb enough to kill someone in cold blood]]. [[TheWoobie Special Agent Doctor Spencer Reid]] also qualifies.
208	* Most of the brunettes in ''Series/{{CSI}}'' probably qualify; Sara Sidle definitely does. It carries over to ''Series/{{CSINY}}'' and probably ''Series/CSIMiami'' as well. All the casts have several smart brunettes.
209	* Joey Potter on ''Series/DawsonsCreek''.
210	* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Zoe [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome can blow up a computer]] with her brain. And Romana I is repeatedly shown to be smarter than the Doctor. Of course, Barbara was the very first brainy companion, being a history teacher. And let's not forget widely beloved IntrepidReporter [[Creator/ElisabethSladen Sarah Jane Smith]], who is repeatedly shown both on ''Series/DoctorWho'' and ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'' to be quite intelligent, considering she [[Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures saves the Earth]] roughly every week. In [=NuWho=] there's medical student Martha. Also Clara, who's graduated from nanny to schoolteacher since she was introduced and whose alternate Victorian governess self was relatively blasé about the TARDIS being BiggerOnTheInside.
211	* Creator/SummerGlau's character Bennett Halverson on ''{{Series/Dollhouse}}''.
212	* ''Series/Dracula2013'': Mina is a woman with dark brown hair who's a medical student, while also doing some scientific research on her own. As this is the 1890s, she's more notable by having intellectual pursuite than would be the case otherwise.
213	* Alex P. Keaton from ''Series/FamilyTies'', played by the brown haired Creator/MichaelJFox. Out of all of the Keaton family, he's the most studious and even has a choleric, Type A personality to boot.
214	* ''{{Series/Firefly}}'': River Tam, who is considered a child prodigy, intelligent beyond her years, and athletically gifted. At one point, Book finds her marking up his bible and she tells him that she's fixing it because the contradictions mean it's broken. She has unkempt brown hair.
215	* Lindsay Weir on ''Series/FreaksAndGeeks'', though she is a reluctant one -- her plotline revolves mostly around her desire to be more than just a brain.
216	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'':
217	** Talisa is dark haired and is a highly competent nurse and fully capable of engaging Robb in a debate.
218	** Margaery has light brown hair and is a very adept conversationalist and manipulator.
219	* ''Series/GetSmart'':
220	** 99 is of course the level-headed counterpart to Max
221	** Dr. Steele (played by Ellen Weston in "Classification: Dead," "The Groovy Guru," and "Operation Ridiculous") is a brilliant toxicologist (with a cover as a chorus girl), with six years at Johns Hopkins, four years at the Winthrop Institute of Research, and two years on the road with ''Hello Dolly.''
222	* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'': All three eponymous Gilmores fit the bill in varying degrees. Rory, the youngest, is the most clearcut example -- a CuteBookworm member of the GeniusBookClub and a GoGetterGirl. Her mother Loerlai is a more offbeat example -- a BunnyEarsLawyer who is an incredibly quick thinker. Unlike her daughter, she is more street smart than book smart. Emily, the grandmother, is a Brainy Brunette of the ManipulativeBitch persuasion, rounding up a trio of book/street/people smarts.
223	* ''Series/GossipGirl'': Blair Waldorf is both a book smart GoGetterGirl ''and'' a cunning ManipulativeBitch.
224	* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': Claudia displays her intelligence in ways beyond her deep curiosity and academic bookwork tendencies. She essentially invents a vampire physical therapy for her injured father figure Louis, plus she has the cunning to put together an elaborate and successful murder plot.
225	* Sarah Mackenzie from ''Series/{{JAG}}''.
226	* ''{{Series/Legion\|2017}}'': Just like in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'', Charles Xavier is a brown-haired scientist.
227	* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'':
228	** Elrond Half-elven has dark hair, and he is an Elf with political aspirations, to the point where he became King Gil-galad's right, writing his speeches and going in diplomatic missions.
229	** Bronywn is another example, as much as a peasant woman can be. She is TheMedic for her village, rallies her people behind her when the Orc threat becomes clear, and is proficient at coming up with battle strategies in defence of her village.
230	** Among the Orcs, Adar kept his former Elvish looks mostly intact. He has pitch-black hair, and is one of the smartest characters in the show, being a very cunning strategist.
231	* Amelia Folch from ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime''.
232	* The younger Dunphy daughter, Alex, on ''Series/ModernFamily''.
233	* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'':
234	** Abby Sciuto. Underneath her punk groupie looks, she's a scientist and Mensa member.
235	** Ziva is clever, with her smart-ass comments, multiple languages, skill with weapons, and PhotographicMemory.
236	* ''Series/NeverHaveIEver'':
237	** Devi is an academically driven girl with dark hair.
238	** Fabiola is a science prodigy with dark hair.
239	* Averted and played straight in ''Series/NoOrdinaryFamily''. Stephanie is a world-class research scientist who graduated from MIT and is blonde. Her nerdy yet attractive sidekick Katie, also shown to be very intelligent, is a brunette.
240	* ''Series/OneOfUsIsLying'': Bronwyn is a brunette honor student who's top of her class and aimed at attending Yale. Her grades start to slip under stress before and after the Simon Says drama. Bronwyn admits she cheated on an exam, which Simon Says used against her. Even so, she's definitely very smart.
241	* ''Series/PaperGirls'': Tiffany is a black girl who intends on going to MIT. Her future self it turns out really did, and is highly intelligent, formulating how the girls can go back in time.
242	* ''Series/PrettyLittleLiars'':
243	** Spencer Hastings is a slight [[DeconstructedTrope deconstruction]]: she's extremely smart, but [[TheBGrade she can't tolerate even the slightest slip.]] Sometimes the pressure of being [[TheSmartGuy The Smart Girl]] gets to her.
244	** Mona Vandervall also fits the bill, as well as crossing over into [[MagnificentBastard scary-]][[TheChessmaster smart]] category.
245	** Several minor characters also answer the criteria - Melissa and Veronica Hastings (it's a family thing), Shana Fring and Dr. Sullivan.
246	* Possible subversion in ''Series/{{Privileged}}'': Megan, the Yale graduate, is shown as a redhead; however, in the first episode, we're told that she dyed it red and we never really learn her natural colour, so it's possible she's simply a Brainy Brunette in disguise.
247	* Series/PunkyBrewster is quite resourceful, albeit not always successful with her plans. She's still pretty smart for (at the time the show premiered) an eight-year-old.
248	* Chuck in ''Series/PushingDaisies'' has a great general knowledge and speaks seemingly every language known to man.
249	* Dr. Helen Magnus of ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'', OmnidisciplinaryScientist extraordinaire, whose long brunette locks are a stark contrast to Creator/AmandaTapping's [[YouMightRememberMeFrom former role]] as the short-haired, blonde, and equally brainy astrophysicist Major Samantha Carter on ''Series/StargateSG1''. [[IAmNotSpock This was probably deliberate]].
250	* ''Series/Scoundrels2010'': Hope is a very intelligent, dark-haired girl who thinks she's too smart for school. It also [[TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry contrasts with her older sister]] Heather who's a DumbBlonde and a BrainlessBeauty.
251	* Diana from ''Series/TheSecretCircle''. She is the smartest one of the core group and often takes the lead because of her smarts and capability. Later on, Cassie seems to take the lead more often alongside Diana as Cassie begins to accept her witch ancestry.
252	* Maeve Wiley from ''Series/SexEducation'' is this in S2, although it's not certain that she's dyed her hair brown to change it to a new colour, or if she re-dyed it to her natural color.
253	* ''Series/SexLife'': Billie and her friend Sasha are both black-haired psychologists with all the intelligence you would expect.
254	%%* Rocky Blue from ''Series/ShakeItUp''.
255	* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'''s Jadzia Dax, the station's science officer.
256	* Sam from ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' went to Stanford and seems to be the researcher, especially in earlier seasons.
257	* Played with on ''Series/TeenWolf''. While dark-haired Stiles and Danny are both very smart (Stiles in terms of research and Danny in terms of technology) and the other brunette characters are ''certainly'' no slouches themselves, the smartest character on the show is without a doubt the redheaded Lydia.
258	* ''Series/TheUndeclaredWar'': Saara is a highly intelligent computer whiz working at GCHQ, the British agency in charge of cyber security for the UK. Kathy Freeman, who's the American NSA's liaison there, is equally sharp. Both have black hair. Saara finds malware the rest of her team missed on her very first day in the pilot.
259	%%* Maggie from ''Series/UnnaturalHistory''.
260	* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'': Elena, Bonnie, and some of the recurring characters as well (including ManipulativeBitch Katherine).
261	* ''Series/{{Voyagers}}'': Jeffrey Jones is quite resourceful and knowledgeable and has brown hair.
262	* ‘‘Series/{{Wednesday}}’’: The titular character, Wednesday Addams, managed to find out Garret Gates was dying of nightshade poison, second-hand, 30 years ago. She also has perfect grades before she attends Nevermore.
263	* ''Series/{{Wonder
264	Woman\|1975}}'': Wonder Woman helps out by solving complex theoretical scientific problems for Professor Warren in "The Pluto Files"
265	[[/folder]]
266
267	[[folder:Pinball]]
268	* Implied in ''Pinball/{{Genie}}'', as the wizard's apprentice is a dark-haired BedlahBabe.
269	[[/folder]]
270
271	[[folder:Theater]]
272	* AlphaBitch Lucy from ''Theatre/{{Thirteen}}'' is a brainy brunette who uses her brains for [[TheChessmaster her own ends]].
273	* Elphaba in ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'' excels in academics while at Shiz University and shrewdly figures out how the Wizard is playing everyone in Oz.
274	[[/folder]]
275
276	[[folder:Video Games]]
277	* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' has Mia Fey (a defense attorney and Phoenix Wright's mentor), Lana Skye (the Chief Prosecutor), and Ema Skye (Lana's younger sister, who is a police detective).
278	* Angela Delvecchio and Lisa Crocket of ''VideoGame/BackyardSports''.
279	* Elizabeth in ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' has dark brown hair and is ''very'' intelligent, and extremely book-smart, growing up in a tower with nothing to do but read, practice whatever skills struck her fancy, and repeatedly attempt and fail to break out. However, being isolated in that tower with no other contact also means she is very inexperienced at actually interacting with people.
280	* Makoto Nanaya from ''VideoGame/BlazBlue'' plays this trope under the cover of the paradoxical DumbBlonde stereotype. Unlike Noel, who has a hard time picking up on material, Makoto has no appreciation for studying and is a notorious goofball and sexual deviant (though to be fair, she keeps her dirtier fetishes to herself). Where this trope applies is that what she lacks in academic smarts (that's Tsubaki's territory), she more than compensates for in ''[[StreetSmart practical]]'' smarts and common sense, which serve her to no end in her job as an Intelligence officer.
281	* The default player character from ''VideoGame/ADanceWithRogues'' has black hair and is really the only character who ever fits the role of TheSmartGuy on your team.
282	* In the second ''VideoGame/DarkParables'' game, Literature/{{Cinderella}} is implied to have been this, based on the fact that [[spoiler:her husband constructed a library in her memory]].
283	* Kathy from ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'' isn’t a nerd and has trouble concentrating on projects, but she’s full of ideas, she’s a talented writer, and she can think outside the box.
284	* Doctor Delara Auzenne from ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'' is a renowned expert in Criminal Psychology and serves as a TF-29 Task Force resident psychologist.
285	* Morrigan from ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', whose intellect is beyond question (though she does seem to spend a lot of it on thinking up more ways to insult Alistair).
286	* In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'', Lana and her SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Mana/Muirne are kind, sensitive, and very intuitive {{White Magician Girl}}s. Also Oifaye, who was TheStrategist in the first part and then became the BigBrotherMentor to Celice's group.
287	* ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'': Although Tang has purple and white streaks in her black hair, she's the smartest and most studious among her peers.
288	* Princess Zelda in her only remotely brunette incarnation, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', is noted by her former tutor to have been an excellent student. She's also the chosen disciple of the Goddess of Wisdom, so it's only logical.
289	* Both April Ryan ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'' and Zoe Castillo from ''VideoGame/DreamfallTheLongestJourney''. And the WordOfGod is that the stereotype played (possibly without realization) a role in their design.
290	* Stern, the [[TheSmartGuy Material of Wisdom]] from the ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable'' games. Unlike the light-haired Nanoha whose form she was based on, Stern's hair is dark brown.
291	* [[EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette Miranda Lawson]] of ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' may well be the smartest person in the trilogy. How smart is she? She figured out how to resurrect a dead [[PlayerCharacter Commander Shepard]] with the same mind, the same morals and all their memories and skills intact with cybernetic implants replacing organs, tissue regeneration and bio-synthetic fusion without any prior training in medicine. She also ferrets out a mole in the first scene you meet her, seems capable of serving on a stealth frigate as [[NumberTwo XO]] and is an excellent infantry squad leader. Partially subverted since she is a [[DesignerBabies genetically optimized]] human who was grown and allowed to live by a perfectionist creator, because her genes passed his extremely exacting standards.
292	* ''VideoGame/MegaManStarForce'': Tom Dubius has brown hair and also comes up with interesting ideas for inventions, like the Wing Jacket and the Star Carrier.
293	* Mei Ling and Naomi Hunter in ''VideoGame/MetalGear''.
294	** Solid Snake (160-point IQ, speaks six languages) and Otacon (expert programmer, GadgeteerGenius, creator of Metal Gear Rex) are male examples (although Otacon's hair is more gray-brown than conventional brunet).
295	* In ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'', Giacomo and Eri turn out to be this, as shown after [[spoiler:''The Indigo Disk'' has been completed]]. Giacomo has black hair while Eri's a natural brunette, beneath all her makeup and hair dye. They also get the best grades out of the Star bosses (only behind [[spoiler:Penny/Cassiopea]]), easily passing their tests once they start showing up to school again. Giacomo also comments that he doesn't understand how people can have trouble studying.
296	* ''VideoGame/ShadowrunReturns'': Marie-Louise [[spoiler:Telestrian]] is a brunette elf with a master's degree in computer science. She writes IC programs (as in, those extremely expensive one-time computer superviruses that act as overpowered virtual reality spirit summons) when she's bored. She acts as your decker after you rescue her from a cult. And in Shadowrun canon, she eventually becomes the CEO of a Big Eight Megacorporation.
297	* ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsJudgment'': The game's main subpilots form a BlondeBrunetteRedhead trio, where the black-haired Katia Grignarl is the most levelheaded and inteligent, often serving as their leader. In terms of gameplay, this translates into increasing the mech's attack range if she's chosen as the subpilot for the mission.
298	* Rita from ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia''.
299	[[/folder]]
300
301	[[folder:Webcomics]]
302	* ''Webcomic/AngelMoxie'': Riley, the brunette member of a BeautyBrainsAndBrawn trio. Loves school, programs computers, and builds her own weapons from scratch.
303	* Noah from ''Webcomic/EnnuiGo'' has brown hair and is an astrophysicist, and later becomes the Minister of Science on Key Manati.
304	* Biologist Dr. Jean Poule in ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob''.
305	* In the RemixComic version of ''Webcomic/JetDream'', Marlene is even brainier, described as one of the best people in the Western world at [[ForScience Doing Science]].
306	* ''[[{{Webcomic/morphe}} morphE]]'' features Billy Thatcher a brunette chess champion who serves as the brains of the group and would probably be voted "Most likely to be shot by Amical" in the current seedling yearbook.
307	* Emily, from ''Webcomic/OurLittleAdventure'', is a straight example. Julie also has plenty of brains and brown hair, but it's apparently [[http://danielscreations.com/ola/comics/ep0134.html not her real hair color]].
308	* In ''Webcomic/PeterParkerForeignExchangeStudent,'' Peter is a genius chemist and designed his web-fluid from literal garbage. He keeps it a closely guarded secret both to protect his web's integrity and out of a sense of pride in his work.
309	* The nerdy Ruby of ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'' has what seems to be the only university-level education in the cast. Her intelligence may sometimes seem like an InformedAttribute, but she's stuck with being the book-smart, occasionally snarky contrast to her blonde sister Amber, and she does occasionally display some mental agility. So she lives this trope, complete with glasses.
310	* ''Webcomic/{{Sunstone}}'' has the bookish, raven-haired Allyson.
311	[[/folder]]
312
313	[[folder:Web Original]]
314	* ''WebVideo/TheAutobiographyOfJaneEyre'': Jane Eyre is portrayed by a dark-haired woman in this SettingUpdate adaptation. Jane says she has always been very good at school, loves books and reading and considers herself a smart girl. She's based on a very down-to-earth character.
315	* Matthew Patrick from ''WebVideo/EscapeTheNight'' is considered to be one of the smartest people to ever be on the show and he obviously has brunette hair.
316	* WebVideo/LaciGreen, pint-sized sex guru from the west coast.
317	* Gaea from ''Franchise/{{Noob}}'', dark or lighter brown [[AdaptationDyeJob depending on the media]], local ManipulativeBastard.
318	* Parodied by WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick, who thinks she knows everything but is really a KnowNothingKnowItAll. Played straight by MsExposition BBF Nella and MadScientist Dr. Block.
319	* Thalia, Calliope, and the rest of the Muses in ''Literature/ThaliasMusings''.
320	** Also, Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, Crafting, and Battle Strategy.
321	* Like the [[WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast Disney version]], Belle in ''WebVideo/UniversityEverAfter'' is an intelligent, well-read brunette.
322	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Abracadabra (Bethany Tarvetti). She has [[http://whateleyacademy.net/index.php/original-timeline/371-the-three-little-witches long straight black hair]] and is taking high-schooler courses as a Junior High student.
323	[[/folder]]
324
325	[[folder:Western Animation]]
326	* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius''. He's got brown hair and is a ChildProdigy GadgeteerGenius prone to LittleProfessorDialog; admittedly he lacks actual common sense, though that's somewhat justified, considering he is only ten.
327	* ''Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks''. Jeanette of the Chipettes is both the brainy one and the brunette in the Chipette trio.
328	* [[TheDragon Azula]], from ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', is [[MagnificentBastard terrifyingly]] intelligent and a ManipulativeBastard par excellence. And [[TheLancer Katara]] isn't dumb, either, though her brother Sokka is [[TheSmartGuy "the Idea Guy"]] of the Gaang. Of course, all but one character in the show are or were dark-haired.
329	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Centurions}}'', Max Ray is the smartest member of the original PowerTrio and has black hair (and a mustache to match).
330	* ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'':
331	** Elise is shown to have a very high intelligence, given that she is a secret government agent; however, she also has traits of a FieryRedhead.
332	** Dan himself also counts somewhat; he is shown to be [[BrilliantButLazy well read, but lacks any common sense]].
333	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' is a combination of this trope and DeadpanSnarker. It helps make her a famous [[TheSnarkKnight Snark Knight]].
334	* Bushroot's scientist love interest Dr. Rhoda Dendron from his origin story on ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck''.
335	* Dipper Pines from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is one. His twin sister Mabel technically counts too, but she's more of a GeniusDitz.
336	* Phoebe Heyerdahl from ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has black hair and is among the smartest children in the school. She was even given a free pass to the 6th grade in the episode "Phoebe Skips", ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
337	* Peggy Hill from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' is something of a subversion of this trope. Because while she presents herself as intelligent, she's actually just self-deluded. For one, she believes herself to be much better at Spanish than she actually is.
338	* Emily on ''WesternAnimation/LittleBear'' is a very educated child (with short brown hair), who passes on her knowledge to her best friends.
339	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' has Lisa Loud, who, despite being the second youngest of the family, is also the most intelligent of all the siblings.
340	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': {{Zigzagged\|Trope}}. [[Characters/MiraculousLadybugMarinetteDupainCheng Marinette Dupain-Cheng]] hair is colored blue, but is described as black InUniverse. Either way, Marinette is still an intelligent girl who regularly saves the day with a single Lucky Charm item and MacGyvering a use with it.
341	* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': Walter has brown hair and he is a machine and history expert.
342	* Mike Chilton in ''{{WesternAnimation/Motorcity}}''. He's a bit more subtle than other examples, but he is a strategic genius from his cadet training. He often relies on his IndyPloy, however.
343	* A furry variant: ''WesternAnimation/TheOctonauts'' has Dr. Shellington, a brown-furred sea otter, who is the field researcher aboard the Octopod. He is characterized by his knowledge on the various sea creatures the Octonauts come across.
344	* ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse''
345	** [[Characters/TheOwlHouseLuzNoceda Luz Noceda]] is shown to be highly creative, a fast learner, and a quick thinker. In fact, she is smart enough to accomplish such feats of intellect as figuring out a long-lost system of ancient magic that is almost unique to her and managing to outsmart Emperor Belos, a proven master manipulator, more than once.
346	** Subverted with [[Characters/TheOwlHouseAmityBlight Amity Blight]]. She is a natural brunette who has more than earned her spot as the top student at Hexside, but she usually dyes her hair green [[spoiler:or lavender]]. It's eventually shown that she inherited both her smarts and her brown hair from her father Alador, who is considered to be one of the top minds in his field of magic.
347	* Casey from ''WesternAnimation/PhantomInvestigators'' is the smartest member of the team and has brown hair.
348	* Inverted on ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'' where the redheaded Blossom is the brainy one, while the brunette Buttercup is the [[FieryRedhead aggressive spitfire]]. Bubbles is still the DumbBlonde, though.
349	* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'': Sean and his mom are both know a lot about science, and they both have brown hair. However, Sean's mom's hair is a bit reddish. Mitchell also counts as he is WiseBeyondHisYears.
350	* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''
351	** Gretchen and Spinelli invert their typical hair tropes, as Spinelli (brunette) is fiery and Gretchen (redhead) is brainy. Gretchen ''did'' have black hair in the pilot, though.
352	** T.J. plays with this, as he's quite ditzy when it comes to academics, but is a genius when it comes to his schemes on the playground.
353	** Miss Grotke, the gang's Indian-American teacher, plays this trope straight.
354	* Velma Dinkley of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'': Throughout her various incarnations, Velma is usually portrayed as a highly intelligent young woman with highly specific interests in science (which in the Scooby and Scrappy Doo series leads her to pursue a career as a NASA research scientist) or merely being very well read on obscure fields, such as ancient Viking writing (as in the second Scooby Doo series ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMovies'').
355	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
356	** In "To Surveil With Love", the B-plot focused on Lisa joining the debate team and ending up dyeing her hair brown to prove that they didn't take her seriously before, due to being blonde. Megan, the girl who made fun of Lisa for being blonde, is presented as one of these.
357	** In "Girls Just Wanna Have Sums", Springfield Elementary is segregated by gender. Since the girls' school isn't teaching math properly, [[SweetPollyOliver Lisa disguises herself as a boy in order to get into the boys' classes]], wearing a brown wig.
358	* Sandy from ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' is a brown furred squirrel and, along with Plankton, the most intelligent of the main characters.
359	* ''WesternAnimation/ThundarrTheBarbarian'': Besides her knowledge of magic and ancient history, Ariel also has more common sense than anyone else on the show, hero or villain. She has dark hair due to her Asian ancestry.
360	* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' has Noah (book smarts), Courtney (legal smarts), Cody ([[TechnoWizard mechanical smarts]]) and Alejandro ([[TheChessmaster people smarts]]).
361	** Heather specifically lampshades this in ''Action'' where she was looking for new hair and said: "I'm too smart to be Lindsay blonde, but [[Characters/TotalDramaCourtney Courtney]]'s hair would be perfect."
362	** ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'' has the Geniuses who both have dark hair.
363	[[/folder]]
364

Context Main / BrainyBrunette