History Main / BrainsEvilBrawnGood

* PlayedWith in ''Anime/DeathNote'', which pits VillainProtagonist Light, whose strength comes from magical powers, against antagonist and GuileHero L.

->''"Mr. Goody Two-Shoes, on the other hand, had life handed to him on a silver platter. The power of flight, invulnerability, and great hair. But I had something, far, far greater -- my amazing intellect, and knack for building objects of mayhem."''

->''"As far as brains go, I got the lion's share, but when it comes to ''brute strength''... I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the gene pool."''
-->-- '''[[LeanAndMean Scar]]''', ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994''

* Played with in ''Anime/CodeGeass'', in that stereotypical heroic character with CharlesAtlasSuperpower Suzaku is actually an AntiVillain working for the BigBad, while SquishyWizard Lelouch [[MagnificentBastard who behaves like a stereotypical villain]] is actually the show's WellIntentionedExtremist ByronicHero.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'': ZigZaggingTrope with the strong and noble LargeAndInCharge Mufasa versus manipulative LeanAndMean Scar (see the quote above). Scar certainly is a great deal more fond of using manipulation and cunning to get what he wants, and he's very talented at both of these things. In addition, he admits that he is physically far weaker than Mufasa. When it comes to actually ''ruling'' a kingdom, however, he has ''[[TheCaligula no idea what he's doing]]'', and the Pride Lands goes from a lush savannah to a barren wasteland in a matter of a few years, all because of his incompetence. It eventually gets to the point where even his hyena minions recognize that Mufasa was a much better leader. Upon Simba's return, however, he shows himself to be no less adept at the cunning manipulation that got him into power...and this trope is played with again when Scar proves himself to indeed be a viciously competent (if [[CombatPragmatist dirty]]) fighter when he's got no other options.

* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsThorOdinson Thor]] and his evil half-brother, [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]]. Only in comparison to ''each other''. Loki is actually super-strong (even by Asgardian standards) and Thor is [[GuileHero not particularly slow on the uptake, either]], he's just surrounded by too many geniuses like Loki, ComicBook/IronMan, and Odin, for it to show. Loki on the other hand is also ''blessed'' with the inversion of the trope from his birth species' (read: father's) side, as in they believe true evil can only come from brute strength and hold more brainy solutions in sneering contempt, Loki really cannot win ever (except maybe if he managed to incarnate as a [[TheFairFolk Dark Elf]] somehow).

* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmerica'': * [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM M.O.D.O.K.]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsSteveRogers Captain America]] follow this trope as well. Although both are pretty smart, M.O.D.O.K. is essentially a living supercomputer. M.O.D.O.K. even mentions this trope in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.

* The prequel comic to ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' reveals that this is the reason Billy decided to become a [[VillainProtagonist supervillain]] in the first place. Another one also reveals that [[DumbMuscle Captain Hammer]] has deeply anti-intellectual beliefs, telling kids that anyone who is "different", such as being good at math or science, is a potential supervillain and should be reported to the police.
* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': [[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner The Incredible Hulk]] and [[Characters/IncredibleHulkCentralRoguesGallery The Leader]]. Though some versions of the Hulk are smart. And Bruce Banner is a genius. Though more recent stories tend to play with Banner being a less than morally outstanding individual, himself.

* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]] and his evil half-brother, [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]]. Only in comparison to ''each other''. Loki is actually super-strong (even by Asgardian standards) and Thor is [[GuileHero not particularly slow on the uptake, either]], he's just surrounded by too many geniuses like Loki, Comicbook/IronMan, and Odin, for it to show. Loki on the other hand is also ''blessed'' with the inversion of the trope from his birth species' (read: father's) side, as in they believe true evil can only come from brute strength and hold more brainy solutions in sneering contempt, Loki really cannot win ever (except maybe if he managed to incarnate as a [[TheFairFolk Dark Elf]] somehow).
* [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] and Dr Sivana. While Captain Marvel is not stupid, he is still a child at heart and solves his problems through the application of physical force. Then again, he '''does''' have the Wisdom of Solomon...
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Somewhat inverted by [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] who has a lot of villains stronger and less intelligent than him (e.g. Rhino, Sandman, [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]], Comicbook/{{Venom}}, Lizard).

* Averted in ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'': Ozymandias is reputed to be the smartest man in the world, but he's also more than a physical match for most other heroes. Dr. Manhattan, in turn, is the most powerful hero ''and'' a scientist too.
* [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM M.O.D.O.K.]] and Characters/{{Captain America|TitleCharacter}} follow this trope as well. Although both are pretty smart, M.O.D.O.K. is essentially a living supercomputer. M.O.D.O.K. even mentions this trope in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.
* In ''Comicbook/ScottPilgrim'', Scott isn't very bright but he is the "best fighter in the province" according to Kim. Gideon, on the other hand, is a genius inventor who relies on his technology in a fight. Guess which one is the villain. Though calling Scott "good" isn't necessarily accurate until quite a bit in.
* Granted everyone in ''ComicBook/TheTick'' seems to have a few screws loose, but The Tick himself is most definitely Brawn=Good.

* Zig-zagged in one [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Beagle Boys]] story, where being zapped with Gyro Gearloose's brain-ray ''initially'' turns one of the Boys into an EvilGenius... but repeated doses cause him to [[VictoryIsBoring get bored with perfect crimes]] and focus on a ''real'' challenge: ending all crime, poverty, and hunger forever. [[StatusQuoIsGod Naturally, his brothers immediately reverse the ray after that.]]
* Comes up a few times in ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' in contrast to Mark Grayson's FlyingBrick powers:
** D.A. Sinclair is a MadScientist who kidnapped homeless people to turn them into an army of cyborg zombie slaves. While his Reanimen are tough he shows no combat abilities whatsoever.
** Angstrom Levy is Invincible's ArchEnemy, a brilliant dimension traveler who merged his mind with all his alternate dimension minds and gained all their knowledge as well. He never needs to fight Invincible directly because he can draw on knowledge of unlimited alternate versions of Invincible to plan around him.
** [[spoiler: Robot]] averts it, but only [[spoiler: when he is in one of his robotic shells]].
* ''ComicBook/MarvelTwoInOne Annual #5'' has the Hulk and the Thing foil a complicated, centuries-long plan by Pluto to destroy the universe, which even took out the Stranger, by smashing the ground underneath him really hard so he falls into his machine.

* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' films from the 1980s and '90s followed this formula for the most part, with Batman being [[MadeOfIron inhumanly tough (he survives being blown up, set on fire, and shot multiple times)]] and most of the villains ([[Characters/BatmanTheJoker Joker]], [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin Penguin]], [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler Riddler]]) being {{Evil Genius}}es but either pathetically short and chubby (Penguin) or [[SissyVillain so wimpy they can't effectively land a single punch]] (Joker, Riddler). However, Batman has plenty of intelligence in his own right. And ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' plays with this in a number of ways: [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 Mr. Freeze]] is both extremely intelligent ''and'' able to physically dominate Batman on occasion; however, it's shown that without his super-refrigerated suit and a subzero environment, he becomes very weak and even near death. Also double-subverted by [[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]], [[DumbMuscle who is so stupid that he can only repeat a few words he hears and has muscles on top of muscles]] - but all that physical strength is the result of a nasty steroid formula that was pumped into Bane's normally scrawny body. ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' has this in the first two movies-- while Batman is still the "World's Greatest Detective", he's more of a fighter than the League of Shadows and the Joker, who rely on [[GambitRoulette often complex]] evil schemes. Then ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' seems to subvert it with GeniusBruiser Bane, only to play it more straight as [[TheManBehindTheMan the woman behind the man]] is revealed.

* ''Fanfic/{{Stray}}'' inverts this with the main couple. Adamska, who has the muscles and the combat skills, is decidedly the more morally ambiguous of the two. Hal, the skinny nerd engineer, is the NiceGuy MoralityPet. Adamska isn't a completely straightforward Evil(ish) Brawn, however, since he's a GeniusBruiser who relies more on his ImprobableAimingSkills than raw power.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has this going on in the group dynamics. Gryffindor House's associated virtue is courage, while Slytherin's are cunning and {{ambition|IsEvil}}. Most of the heroes are in Gryffindor, while nearly every named Slytherin is at least an asshole and most are magic Nazis.

* [[Characters/{{AIM}} M.O.D.O.K.]] and Characters/{{Captain America|TitleCharacter}} follow this trope as well. Although both are pretty smart, M.O.D.O.K. is essentially a living supercomputer. M.O.D.O.K. even mentions this trope in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3''.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Somewhat inverted by [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] who has a lot of villains stronger and less intelligent than him. (The Rhino, Comicbook/{{Venom}}, [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]]).

** [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]] zig-zags this. Pre-Crisis he was much weaker than Superman physically but much more powerful with the use of his technology, usually including a force-field belt that Superman couldn't scratch and beam weapons capable of killing him, so Superman always had to think smart to have a chance against his alien foe. Post-Crisis he was always smart but went back and forth in terms of physical ability before ''ComicBooks/SupermanBrainiac'' settled on the "true" Brainiac[[note]]The other Post-Crisis Brainiac appearances were revealed to be ActuallyADoombot.[[/note]] being more than a match for the Man of Steel in a fistfight ''on top'' of his 12th-level intellect. When combined with technology at least on par with his Silver Age self, he becomes something of a StoryBreakerPower who Superman usually needs help to even the odds against.

** While [[Characters/SupermanBrainiacCharacter Brainiac]] is tougher than either of them, his physical might still doesn't measure against the Man of Steel and he has a twelfth level intellect, making him one of the smartest beings in the universe.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' has this going on in the group dynamics. Gryffindor House's associated virtue is courage, while Slytherin's are cunning and {{ambition|IsEvil}}. Most of the heroes are in Gryffindor, while nearly every named Slytherin is at least an asshole and most are magic Nazis. Played with on an individual level: both sides have a mix of clever and stupid people, but [[TheHero Harry]] is a jock who relies on his friends for anything requiring thought, while [[BigBad Voldemort]] is a genius who excelled at school and mastered more of the Dark Arts than anyone else, even inventing a ritual to restore himself from being NotQuiteDead.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', [[TheHero Ichigo]] is an impulsive guy who goes through one NextTierPowerUp after another while the show's BigBad Aizen is a cool thinker who fights through [[BatmanGambit subterfuge]]. Well, up to the point where he too begins going through one NextTierPowerUp after another like it's hot, but unlike with Ichigo Aizen's power-ups are always presented as "part of his plan".

** In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'', IdiotHero Po is up against the genius peacock Shen, who fights with the cannons he invented (and in personal combat with hidden knives). Though once again emotional intelligence helps save the day as it turns out that [[EnlightenmentSuperpowers coming to terms with your demons allows you to catch and throw back cannonballs]].

* The ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'' series plays with it in the form of protagonist Po, who while often goofy and occasionally ditzy has his emotional intelligence as his greatest strength.
** The original movie subverts it, as Po's character development is based on finding enlightenment to gain an edge against [[CatsAreMean Tai Lung]], who while a capable Martial Artist is also TheBerserker. Po's real problem isn't a lack of brains (he's too much of a kung fu nerd to ''not'' know all the moves) or brawn (he's a giant panda; they're pretty strong), but a lack of self-esteem and unconventional way of learning that kept him from truly realizing his potential. And once he ''does'' figure himself out, he spends most of his ensuing battle with Tai Lung making up for the skill difference with his tactical acumen, playing Tai Lung like a fuzzy spotted fiddle to keep him distracted and unable to properly retaliate.
** It's played far straighter in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' where he's up against the genius peacock Shen, who fights with the cannons he invented (and in personal combat with hidden knives). Though once again emotional intelligence helps save the day as it turns out that [[EnlightenmentSuperpowers coming to terms with your demons allows you to catch and throw back cannonballs]].
** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3'' once again subverts it as Po's strategies help the panda village to fight back against Kai's jombies and provide a crucial distraction against him.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' has a [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] example: Megamind is the brainy MadScientist villain who fights the muscular Superman-esque Metro Man, but he's the VillainProtagonist who's only a villain because he believes in a BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil. He would prefer to be the hero, but because he always came in second place to Metro Man, he [[ThenLetMeBeEvil chose to be the villain.]] [[spoiler:It's inverted at the end when he has to take on Titan, who was never particularly bright even before Megamind gave him powers to have a new ArchEnemy after the seeming loss of Metro Man, but Titan also has his smart moments, most notably when he catches Megamind's disguise by recognizing his mispronunciation of "Metro City."]]

* The ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' films from the 1980s and '90s followed this formula for the most part, with Batman being [[MadeOfIron inhumanly tough (he survives being blown up, set on fire, and shot multiple times)]] and most of the villains ([[Characters/BatmanTheJoker Joker]], [[Characters/BatmanThePenguin Penguin]], [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler Riddler]]) being {{Evil Genius}}es but either pathetically short and chubby (Penguin) or [[SissyVillain so wimpy they can't effectively land a single punch]] (Joker, Riddler). However, Batman has plenty of intelligence in his own right. And ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' plays with this in a number of ways: [[Characters/BatmanRoguesGalleryPart2 Mr. Freeze]] is both extremely intelligent ''and'' able to physically dominate Batman on occasion; however, it's shown that without his super-refrigerated suit and a subzero environment, he becomes very weak and even near death. Also double-subverted by [[Characters/BatmanBane Bane]], [[DumbMuscle who is so stupid that he can only repeat a few words he hears and has muscles on top of muscles]] - but all that physical strength is the result of a nasty steroid formula that was pumped into Bane's normally scrawny body. ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' has this on the first two movies - while Batman is still the "World's Greatest Detective", he's more of a fighter than the League of Shadows and the Joker, who rely on [[GambitRoulette often complex]] evil schemes. Then ''Film/TheDarkKnightRises'' seems to subvert with GeniusBruiser Bane, only to play it more straight as [[TheManBehindTheMan the woman behind the man]] is revealed.
* Inverted with Ajax and Swan in ''Film/TheWarriors''. Ajax is the strongest (or at least the second-strongest) Warrior among the gang's nine bruisers, and also stupidly pigheaded - and he pays for that pigheadedness by being arrested after getting himself into a situation he easily could've avoided had he not been so stubborn. Swan, meanwhile, survives the night and becomes the gang's new leader through being a GuileHero.

* The original ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' book series. Raistlin Majere was sickly and physically weak (His constitution score is ''3'', the lowest possible for an initial roll), highly intelligent, and gradually turned to evil. His brother Caramon is strong, slow-thinking, and a good guy.
* Inverted in Creator/JimButcher's ''Literature/CodexAlera''. [[MuggleBornOfMages Tavi]], our hero, is physically unimposing and the only person in his civilization outside of small children not to have elemental powers, meaning that his enemies tend to heavily outpower him in terms of brute strength [[spoiler: and even after he gets military training and starts developing powers, his enemies scale accordingly]]. Consequently, he has to use his brain to get out of most of his problems and is a full-blown GuileHero by the second book.

*** Wrestling/TripleH is a perfect example of both. As a heel, he can't win a match clean to save his life (despite being ''for years'' the most physically dominating main-eventer on the roster not named Wrestling/{{Kane}} or Wrestling/TheUndertaker, yet as a face, all he needs are his fists and maybe a sledgehammer in order to take out the rest of the roster.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', we have [[TheBigGuy brawny good guy]] Mr. Incredible who finds himself pitted against [[EvilGenius brainy bad guy]] Syndrome. It's [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in that Mr. Incredible is still quite clever and has tactical intelligence (his infiltration of Syndrome's base is a great example- he only gets caught because [[UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom Helen activates the tracking device on his suit]]) that Syndrome notably lacks (note all the times he causes trouble because he fails to think through the consequences of some dramatic flourish). Continued in [[WesternAnimation/Incredibles2 the sequel]], where there are numerous heroes with superpowers, but the ''only'' true villain is a human inventor.

** Evil genius Mojo Jojo vs the girls and their superpowers. Chemical X is the cause of both; think about that. Possibly subverted in that the girls, ''especially'' Blossom are fairly clever themselves, not to mention the (largely) harmless and ReasonableAuthorityFigure Professor Utonium.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' has Quasimodo, who is freakishly strong, quite kind, and if not dumb, at least poorly educated and very naïve, vs. Judge Frollo, who is physically weak and elderly but makes up for it with good tactics and military forces (though the climax shows he's quite handy with a sword). Interestingly, [[TheLancer Phoebus]] occupies both a physical and moral intermediate spot between the two, possessing only average physical strength and generally well-meaning but also InnocentlyInsensitive.

** The original movie subverts it, as Po's character development is based on finding enlightenment to gain an edge against [[CatsAreMean Tai Lung]], who while a capable MartialArtist is also TheBerserker. Po's real problem isn't a lack of brains (he's too much of a kung fu nerd to ''not'' know all the moves) or brawn (he's a giant panda; they're pretty strong), but a lack of self-esteem and unconventional way of learning that kept him from truly realizing his potential. And once he ''does'' figure himself out, he spends most of his ensuing battle with Tai Lung making up for the skill difference with his tactical acumen, playing Tai Lung like a fuzzy spotted fiddle to keep him distracted and unable to properly retaliate.
** It's played far straighter in ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' where he's up against the genius peacock Shen, who fights with the cannons he invented (and in personal combat with hidden knives). Though once again emotional intelligence helps save the day as it turns out that [[EnlightenmentSuperpowers coming to terms with your demons allows you to catch and throw back cannonballs]].

* The original ''Literature/{{Dragonlance}}'' book series. Raistlin Majere was sickly and physically weak, highly intelligent, and gradually turned to evil. His brother Caramon is strong, slow-thinking, and a good guy.

** ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'' has Quasimodo using his freakish strength for usually justified (or at least well-intentioned) purposes, whereas the physically weak (and morally weak) elderly ManipulativeBastard Frollo emotionally abuses Quasimodo into an extreme of self-loathing that is in some ways comparable to being weak until he overcomes said self-loathing. Interestingly, [[TheLancer Phoebus]] occupies both a physical and moral intermediate spot between the two, possessing only average physical strength and generally well-meaning but also InnocentlyInsensitive.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing1994'': ZigZaggingTrope with the strong and noble LargeAndInCharge Mufasa versus manipulative LeanAndMean Scar (see the quote above). Scar certainly is a great deal more fond of using manipulation and cunning to get what he wants, and he's very talented at both of these things. In addition, he admits that he is physically far weaker than Mufasa. When it comes to actually ''ruling'' a kingdom, however, he has ''no idea what he's doing'', and the Pride Lands goes from a lush savannah to a barren wasteland in a matter of a few years, all because of his incompetence. Upon Simba's return, however, he shows himself to be no less adept at the cunning manipulation that got him into power...and this trope is played with again when Scar proves himself to indeed be a viciously competent (if [[CombatPragmatist dirty]]) fighter when he's got no other options.
** Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}}'', which pits the clever and much smaller Mulan against the hulking Shan Yu. Though he's far from stupid, she still has to use her wits and not her fighting ability to come up with the plan to defeat him.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', we have [[TheBigGuy brawny good guy]] Mr. Incredible who finds himself pitted against [[EvilGenius brainy bad guy]] Syndrome. It's [[PlayingWithATrope played with]] in that Mr. Incredible is still quite clever and has tactical intelligence that Syndrome notably lacks. Continued in [[WesternAnimation/Incredibles2 the sequel]], where there are numerous heroes with superpowers, but the ''only'' true villain is a human inventor.
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' has the burly, dim-witted panda Po pitted against the evil, scrawny but superintelligent albino peacock Shen. (though when in actual combat, Shen held his own quite well). [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda The original]] was an inversion, as the story follows Po's quest for enlightenment which gives him the upper hand against TheBerserker [[CatsAreMean Tai Lung]]. [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3 The third]] also inverts, as Po's strategic schemes enable him to defeat Kai, who is both a formidable fighter and creates "jade mooks" to inflict pain.

* ''Manga/InuYasha''. The eponymous protagonist is an unkempt, not particularly smart guy whose only strategy is to AttackAttackAttack with his {{BFS}}, while his archnemesis Naraku is a grade-A ManipulativeBastard who accomplished far more with his [[EvilGenius mind]] than he ever did with his CombatTentacles. Notably, the heroes gained the ability to all but pulverize Naraku pretty soon after he showed up, but he managed to remain a significant threat until the end by [[ThePlan careful plotting]], means of a [[HealingFactor more]] [[BarrierWarrior defensive]] [[AttackReflector skill]][[MasterOfIllusion set]] and knowing when to do a [[VillainExitStageLeft strategic withdrawal. ]]

* Inverted entirely in ''Manga/ImGreatPriestImhotep''. TheHero is a TeenGenius (the teen part is [[FishOutOfTemporalWater a bit blurred]]), is ([[NotSoStoic usually]]) TheStoic and has a slim, yet athletic build which is still often overshadowed by other characters that specialize [[MagicKnight in more direct combat styles]]. The BigBad, on the other hand, is having the kind of [[HotBlooded personality traits]] [[BookDumb you would expect]] only from the StockShonenHero and/or an IdiotHero ''and'', as well as sporting [[MrFanservice a rather impressive muscular build for his age.]]

* Inverted in the ''Manga/DrStone'' anime and manga; the good guys are smart but most but not all of them are physically weak while the bad guys are physically stronger. This does not mean that the Bad Guys are stupid however, the bad guys are smart too, it is just that the good guys are just a little bit smarter, especially Senku. Examples include Senku vs Tsukasa and Chrome vs Magma. Senku's IQ is higher than Tsukasa's but only by a few points maybe even by only one. Senku is pretty much always one step ahead of Tsukasa, key phrase being "always one step ahead." One step ahead and no more meaning not two or three or ten steps ahead. Tsukasa pretty much always keeps Senku on the move and on his toes constantly. Senku can't stop thinking ahead because otherwise Tsukasa will catch up with him. And if that happens it is all over for Senku and his dream of bringing science back to the world.
* Inverted in ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency'', in which the Pillar Men, the main antagonists of the Part, have superhuman strength, whereas Joseph, the hero of this Part, is WeakButSkilled compared to his fellow Joestars and wins his battles by relying on his wits.

** Superman, of course, is far from stupid, but [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] ("a tenth level intellect") is the smartest man alive, and, unlike Superman, ''can't'' solve problems through brute force.

* [[Comicbook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] and Dr Sivana. While Captain Marvel is not stupid, he is still a child at heart and solves his problems through the application of physical force. Then again, he '''does''' have the Wisdom of Solomon...
* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'': [[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner The Incredible Hulk]] and [[Characters/IncredibleHulkCentralRoguesGallery The Leader]]. Though some versions of the Hulk are smart. And Bruce Banner is a genius.
** Though more recent stories tend to play with Banner being a less than morally outstanding individual, himself.
** This particular usage of the trope has been called out: "You're making the argument that Strong is good and Smart is evil to a bunch of ''comic book nerds''? You don't really want to sell comics, do you?"
*** Memorably so in the Book of Ratings:
--->Kind of obvious, really. Hero: Big green dumb strong guy. Villain: Small green smart weak guy. It's not really dripping with creativity, and the moral ends up being "clever planning and logic can never win against the sheer physical brutality of a guy who barely even knows where he is." This is not a moral that your average comic book reader wants to hear.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': Somewhat inverted by [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] who has a lot of villains stronger and less intelligent than him. (The Rhino, Comicbook/{{Venom}}, [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]]).
** Played straight by some of his more prominent foes (the [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Green Goblin]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doc Ock]]) where they tend to edge him out in terms of brains and he edges them out in strength.
*** Though Doc Ock's arms are actually stronger than Spider-Man overall, and actually made his debut by defeating Spider-Man in single combat. Though Doc Ock himself is indeed somewhat physically frail.
*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Green Goblin]]'s raw strength in proportion to Spider-Man also varies, when originally it was equal to an ordinary man, then slightly weaker than Spider-Man, and sometimes noticeably stronger depending on the Goblin Serum used.
* ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'': [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]] and his evil half-brother, [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]]. Only in comparison to ''each other''. Loki is actually super-strong (even by Asgardian standards) and Thor is [[GuileHero not particularly slow on the uptake, either]], he's just surrounded by too many geniuses like Loki, Comicbook/IronMan, and Odin, for it to show. Loki on the other hand is also ''blessed'' with the inversion of the trope from his birth species' (read: father's) side, as in they believe true evil can only come from brute strength and hold more brainy solutions in sneering contempt, Loki really cannot win ever (except maybe if he managed to incarnate as a [[TheFairFolk Dark Elf]] somehow).
* The prequel comic to ''WebVideo/DrHorriblesSingAlongBlog'' reveals that this is the reason Billy decided to become a [[VillainProtagonist supervillain]] in the first place. Another one also reveals that [[DumbMuscle Captain Hammer]] has deeply anti-intellectual beliefs, telling kids that anyone who is "different", such as being good at math or science, is a potential supervillain and should be reported to the police.

Often leads to ArmoredVillainsUnarmoredHeroes and/or PoliteVillainsRudeHeroes. This is the classic matchup in SwordAndSorcery and other forms of HeroicFantasy, where the sword will typically be wielded by a BarbarianHero (who, even if they're not outright stupid, will generally be at least BookDumb) and the sorcery will be in the withered hands of an EvilSorcerer marinated in forbidden lore. Contrast GuileHero and ScienceHero, who often overcome physically threatening foes with [[TheTrickster trickery]] or [[TheSmartGuy brainpower]] respectively; and EvilIsBigger, where the villain is physically superior to the hero.

* [[Characters/IncredibleHulkBruceBanner The Incredible Hulk]] and [[Characters/IncredibleHulkCentralRoguesGallery The Leader]]. Though some versions of the Hulk are smart. And Bruce Banner is a genius.

* Somewhat inverted by [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]] who has a lot of villains stronger and less intelligent than him. (The Rhino, Comicbook/{{Venom}}, [[Characters/MarvelComicsCarnage Carnage]]).

* [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]] and his evil half-brother, [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]]. Only in comparison to ''each other''. Loki is actually super-strong (even by Asgardian standards) and Thor is [[GuileHero not particularly slow on the uptake, either]], he's just surrounded by too many geniuses like Loki, Comicbook/IronMan, and Odin, for it to show. Loki on the other hand is also ''blessed'' with the inversion of the trope from his birth species' (read: father's) side, as in they believe true evil can only come from brute strength and hold more brainy solutions in sneering contempt, Loki really cannot win ever (except maybe if he managed to incarnate as a [[TheFairFolk Dark Elf]] somehow).