History Main / LivingLieDetector

* ComicBook/WonderWoman, thanks to her enchanted lasso, is probably one of the most well-known examples. The Lasso is able to force people to tell the truth, as mentioned above -- it takes godlike willpower to prevent this, and the subject will not be able to lie, only avoid saying anything at all.
** As she is the living embodiment of truth, being around Wonder Woman at all makes people slightly more truthful but this effect is easier to resist than being in contact with her lasso.
** As Creator/MercedesLackey pointed out in her introduction to "The Circle" trade paperback, the lasso doesn't just make its captive ''tell'' the truth, it makes them ''see and confront'' the truth.
** Wonder Woman's creator, Creator/WilliamMoultonMarston, also ''basically invented the polygraph'' ("LieDetector"). Note, however, that under his pen the Lasso was an all-purpose ''MindControlDevice'' that Wonder Woman was (sometimes) [[MindOverManners nice enough]] to use as "just" a lie detector. This is airbrushed out in almost all modern comics and screen adaptations, though some of them may retain "You will forget this interrogation ever happened" as a valid power.
** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': While Marston's Wonder Woman was not considered an avatar of the truth, nor was the magic lasso yet the "Lasso of Truth", through her low-level telepathy Diana was still usually aware of it when she was being lied to. If a villain was hiding their true nature and making benevolent claims, she could generally tell if their actual intent was nefarious.
** Wonder Woman's sister [[ComicBook/WonderGirl Troia]] also has this ability, but in a lesser form.
** Notably, the Lasso of Truth was ultimately used to [[spoiler: bind Darkseid and thus free the BrainwashedAndCrazy population of Earth from the power of the Anti-Life Equation]] in ''ComicBook/FinalCrisis''.
** While the reasons [[DependingOnTheWriter vary]], Diana herself is usually able to tell if she's being lied to even without the lasso if she's paying attention. This means that when [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 she wants to deny]] Ares' claim of [[LukeIAmYourFather being her maternal grandfather]] she doesn't even complete what she was going to say before her own intrinsic connection to the truth tells her he's not lying.

* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} from ''ComicBook/XMen''. He does not have it as an innate power, but [[HyperAwareness his senses are sharp enough]] that they [[YouCanAlwaysTellALiar can spot "tells"]]. When the X-Men were hunting down ComicBook/{{Cable}} in ''ComicBook/XCutionersSong'', wrongly accusing him of having assassinated Professor X, Cable got out of a fight by saying to Wolverine "''I did not shoot Xavier.''" Wolverine's senses correctly told him that Cable was being truthful.
* In ''ComicBook/TopTen'', ''everybody'' has powers (or gadgetry) that would usually make them a superhero. Duane "Dust Devil" Bodine's mother is the human lie detector, which is one of the reasons he doesn't like to deal with her.
* Rorschach of ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' seems to discern truth from lies by means of listening to the tone in people's voices. However, due to his [[ColdBloodedTorture unsavoury techniques]], it's equally likely that he discerns truth from lies by seeing whether you're still saying it after he breaks your fingers. Although the first one could still be true, as he fully believed that [[spoiler:Veidt killed half of New York just from hearing him say it]].
* ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'':
** Superman has some ability to detect lies thanks to his SuperSenses. With him being Superman, the problems he faces aren't usually as small as someone ''lying''... but it ''is'' pretty handy for a reporter.
** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} knows the same trick and was using it at least as far back as the 1960s.
** In ''ComicBook/TheKillersOfKrypton'', Kara is interrogating the patrons of an alien bar about Rogol Zaar, and she uses her super-hearing to know who is being truthful and who is lying.

* All telepaths in both Marvel and DC ([[ComicBook/XMen Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, White Queen]], ComicBook/MartianManhunter, etc.) use this trick.

* In ''ComicBook/LokiAgentOfAsgard'', Loki meets a woman named Verity Willis who has this power during a mission on behalf of Asgard. She is introduced during a speed-dating event where she sees through the bullcrap would-be dates feed her. Loki becomes interested when they realize she can see through their illusionary appearance of a 40-year-old divorcee after she asks them if they were cosplaying. Verity then goes on to demonstrate how much having this power can [[BlessedWithSuck suck]] when it's [[PowerIncontinence always active]]. Ever since she was a child, she could see through any falsehood, [[spoiler:because she swallowed the ring of Andvari, which reveals all lies and illusions, and it merged with her]]. She never believed in the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus, she can't [[WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief suspend disbelief]] in order to enjoy fiction, and she's had her heart broken at least once by lying paramours. She buries herself in mathematics, computer programming, and other non-fiction, all the while not even being able to lie to herself that it's enough. Loki offers her their sympathies and assures her that there are people in the world who will never lie to her. [[ConsummateLiar Not them]], of course.
* This is one of the abilities manifested by revivers in ''ComicBook/{{Revival}}''. It doesn't seem to work all the time and may be tied to the {{Telepathy}} some of them demonstrate.
* In ''ComicBook/TheSuperiorSpiderMan2023'', Bailey's {{Psychometry}}-type Spider-Sense allows him to indirectly act as one of these, as his visions of the future are accurate enough to pick apart lies and falsehoods. The Superior Spider-Man feared that Bailey's powers would reveal how [[GrandTheftMe Otto took over Peter's body]] and refused to let Bailey touch him.

* In ''ComicBook/ImmortalHulk'', the Devil Hulk persona claims to be able to [[TheNoseKnows smell lies]] as part of his power set. It's later implied that the Savage Hulk can do it too, but hasn't figured out what the "funny smell" he detects when people lie to him means.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan2099'': Lyla is a household AI, who among other things, can monitor the health status of the tenant, including their heart rates. In later volumes, she repurposes this function to detect if the people Miguel interrogates are telling the truth or not.

** Two ''separate'' minor characters are named Polly Graph. Both have this ability, but it works in different ways for each.

** While the reasons [[DependingOnTheWriter vary]] Diana herself is ususally able to tell if she's being lied to even without the lasso if she's paying attention. This means that when [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1987 she wants to deny]] Ares' claim of [[LukeIAmYourFather being her maternal grandfather]] she doesn't even complete what she was going to say before her own intrinsic connection to the truth tells her he's not lying.

* ''Literature/NowhereStars'': [[TheSmartGirl Aisling Waite]], [[RedBaron The Truth's Lantern]], has this power as part of her identity as TheSeekerArchetype. Roland implies it isn't flawless, however, and that a cleverly worded response can fool it.

* Ed Exley in the original book of ''Film/LAConfidential'' is so insanely good at reading people that it is said he sometimes cannot look at himself in the mirror.

* This is the defining skill of Davian, protagonist of ''Literature/TheLicaniusTrilogy''. When anyone lies to him, he sees a wisp of black smoke curling up from their mouths. He doesn't know that some liars are skilled enough to hide this from him, however.

* In the ''Literature/LordDarcy'' stories, the head of His Majesty's Most Secret Service has this as his unique Talent.