Basic Trope: The smartest member of the
Five-Man Band.
- Straight: Brian is not as skilled at fighting as the other members of the group, but he's a genius.
- Exaggerated: Brian knows everything about the universe.
- Downplayed:
- Brian may be the smartest member of the group, but not by much.
- Brian's knowledge only extends to one or two specific fields.
- Justified: Brian began his education at a very young age.
- Inverted:
- Subverted: Brian appears to be smart, but he's just a quack.
- Double Subverted:...Or at least, that's what he wants you to think. Or maybe not.
- Parodied: Extraverted Nerd.
- Zig Zagged: Brian starts out as the smart guy, but then reveals that his intelligence is a result of an Applied Phlebotinum and he is actually an idiot. But it turns out that Bob lied about the Applied Phlebotinum, he is really smart. But then it turn out that it was Bob's Evil Twin all along, and the real Bob is smart, just not as smart as he pretended to be in the first place. Or is he?
- Averted: Everyone's smart so there's no definite Smart Guy.
- Enforced: The actor playing The Smart Guy has made it clear in his contract that his character must be very wise and all-knowing.
- Lampshaded: "I know a lot more than you about those glyphs. You need me."
- Invoked: Brian's mom puts him in all sorts of programs at a young age to try to boost his intelligence.
- Exploited: The villain kidnaps Brian, knowing that without his intellect, the Five-Man Band is helpless.
- Defied: Brian decides he doesn't want to be known for his intellect, and Obfuscates Stupidity, becoming Brilliant, but Lazy.
- Discussed: "This is Brian. He's the brains of the operation."
- Conversed: "See, they all call him smart all the time, so you know any clever plans are gonna come out of him — don't expect to see him get physical, though."
- Deconstructed:
- Brian's education was the result of one mean Education Mama whose regiment has left him emotionally damaged and continuously stressed.
- Brian sees his worth as tied up in his intellect.
- Brian eventually gets A God Am I complex as he begins his Face Heel Turn.
- Brian has a mental condition that compels him to devour any and all information he can come across. He'll do anything to get more data.
- The other four realize that Brian doesn't come up with anything much more useful than what any of the others come up with, and because he's The Load, they kick him out of the group.
- Reconstructed:
- ...But The Power of Friendship that he experiences helping the team helps him little by little, and actually becomes proud of his smartness.
- Brian uses his intelligence to become a Gadgeteer Genius or Guile Hero, becoming useful to the team once more.
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The Smart Guy
