History BadassBookworm / LiveActionTV

** Sylar. One of the first things that the audience learns about him before he was revealed was that his apartment was covered top to bottom with books. When he's trapped inside an empty dreamworld in his own mind, any visible space shown on screen was covered with images of books and clocks. When Peter gets stuck inside Sylar's head, Sylar heckles him with a comic book and in return, he humors Sylar with a copy of ''ThePillarsOfTheEarth''.

* Samwell Tarly from ''Series/GameOfThrones'', ButtMonkey of the Night's Watch, whose only knowledge of the world comes from books, becomes the first person in thousands of years to kill a White Walker.
** Tyrion Lannister, arguably the smartest man in any room he happens to be in.

* ''Series/Flashpoint'' has Constable Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti. While Spike's primary job is tech (okay, and bombs), he definitely has moments where he proves that he absolutely belongs in an elite police unit, and not just as the tech guy.

* ''Series/MacGyver''. Don't let his [[EightiesHair mullet]] and laid-back Minnesota drawl fool you: underneath that feathered-blond hairdo and behind all his folksy wisecracks lurks one of the most agile minds of any TV hero, capable of turning almost any collection of mundane objects into something amazing. He was so good at this that his name has become a ''[[MacGyvering real-life verb]]''. On top of that, if it comes down to a brawl, he can [[BlastingItOutOfTheirHands kick guns out of hands]] with the best of them, and he's an accomplished mountain climber and ice hockey player.

** Ethan James from ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder''. There's also one [[GodModeSue Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver]], science teacher, paleontologist and the whole franchise's [[TheAce Ace]]. The Badass Bookworming of Tommy was even lampshaded in an episode of ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'', where a former teammate of Tommy's even remarked that he found it hard to believe that ''Tommy'' became a Badass Bookworm. The series even parodied the trope in an episode of ''Dino Thunder'', where LovableJock Conner [=McKnight=] temporally became a Badass Bookworm thanks to a meteorite which changed the three Rangers' personalities (CuteBruiser Kira became a [[IBrokeANail dainty girly-girl]] and video game nerd Ethan became a JerkJock).

* While computer wizard Hardison from ''Series/{{Leverage}}'' starts out as being less-than-imposing in a fight, he ends up more than capable of taking down guards in a one-to-one fight.

* Lauren Lewis from ''LostGirl''.

* Djaq and Tuck from ''Series/RobinHood''. Though both only get their hands on one book each during the show's run, they are clearly well educated and have a love of reading, and are debatably the most BadAss characters on the show.

* Illya Kuryakin from ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'' holds a Masters degree from the Sorbonne and a [=PhD=] in quantum physics from the University of Cambridge and is demonstrated several times in the series to be doing tech work at U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters between field assignments. Nonetheless, he is one of the two top field agents in that ''multinational'' intelligence agency and hence gets frequent opportunities to demonstrate how utterly {{Badass}} he is.

** Charlie Young, the President's bodyman/personal aide, threw a punk against the wall for calling CJ a bitch. Also, there's this:

** T.J. from ''Series/PowerRangersInSpace''.

** Cameron Watanabe aka Cam from ''Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm''.

** There's also one [[GodModeSue Dr. Thomas "Tommy" Oliver]], science teacher and paleontologist as of ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'' as well as the whole franchise's [[TheAce Ace]]. The Badass Bookworming of Tommy was even lampshaded in an episode of ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'', where a former teammate of Tommy's even remarked that he found it hard to believe that ''Tommy'' became a Badass Bookworm.
** The series even parodied the trope in an episode of ''Dino Thunder'', where LovableJock Conner [=McKnight=] temporally became a Badass Bookworm thanks to a meteorite which changed the three Rangers' personalities (CuteBruiser Kira became a [[IBrokeANail dainty girly-girl]] and video game nerd Ethan became a JerkJock).
** Kendrix Morgan from ''Series/PowerRangersLostGalaxy'' would probably count if not for the fact that it's safe to assume ''every'' officer on that space colony was given mandatory fight training.

*** Julian Bashir, an unassuming and very geeky medical officer who [[spoiler: is revealed to have been genetically altered for enhanced physical and mental abilities, meaning he could have gone toe to to with ''Khan Noonien Singh'' had the opportunity presented itself]].

*** Just about every StarFleet officer is either this of a [[genius bruiser]].

* ''Series/TheSarahConnorChronicles'': While watching her beat up everyone, it's sometimes hard to remember that [[RobotGirl Cameron]] is ''incredibly'' intelligent. This is only natural, though, as she never sleeps, can read very quickly, and spends a lot of nights at the local university library just studying. Apparently, [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots she gets bored easily.]]

* [[BigBadSlippage Lex Luthor]] from ''Series/Smallville''. He'a an avid reader who likes to apply what he's learned to situations in his life. He's also a highly skilled fighter who can beat Green Arrow, the series most notable BadassNormal.

* Mr. Spock, and the Vulcan species, from ''Franchise/StarTrek''. What could be more non-threatening than a science officer ({{geek}}) with no emotion or ego? Well, screw with his ship or [[HeterosexualLifePartners his]] [[TheNotLoveInterest captain]] and you'll find out pretty quick he'll neck pinch you into submission. You may also find out that Vulcans are, on average, [[SuperStrength three times as strong as humans]]. And if you '''really''' provoke him he ''will'' [[ShootTheDog shoot the damn dog. Just to prove the point]]. And God help you if you say anything bad about [[BerserkButton his mother]]. He says at one time that the Vulcans were once barbarians who nearly killed one another off before adopting the teachings of Surak; it is strongly implied that the Romulans are descendants of Vulcans who would not or could not embrace Surak's philosophy. The Vulcans rejected violence because they were so very, very good at it.
* ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]''
** Commander Data, as an android, has the mental processing speed of a computer as well as super strength and resilience. "I assume your handprint will open this door whether you are conscious or not."
** Captain Picard is a reclusive classical scholar most of the time and doing things like pulling off political {{Batman Gambit}}s against a whole empire, assuming the role of a hardened criminal to infiltrate a gang of mercenaries, and single-handedly defeating a group of terrorists the rest of the time. And ever since the last few scenes of Season Three, he has had Borg strength, too. The movies eventually take things a bit too far in the physical combat direction, but there's a good reason why he and Data relate so well to each other. Picard fought and killed two Klingons sent to murder him. He's also taken down more Borg drones in single combat than any other character, and he's endured torture multiple times. Oh yeah, a knife to the heart and (years later) a phaser bolt to the same spot were not enough to kill him. ''That's'' badass.
** Montgomery Scott. One of the best engineers of his day, and a fierce barroom brawler when he's pissed off.

** ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Space Nine]]'' gives us Julian Bashir, an unassuming and very geeky medical officer who [[spoiler: is revealed to have been genetically altered for enhanced physical and mental abilities, meaning he could have gone toe to to with ''Khan Noonien Singh'' had the opportunity presented itself]].

* Illya Kuryakin from ''Series/TheManFromUNCLE'' holds a Masters degree from the Sorbonne and a [=PhD=] in quantum physics from the University of Cambridge and is demonstrated several times in the series to be doing tech work at U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters between field assignments. Nonetheless, he is one of the two top field agents in that ''multinational'' intelligence agency and hence gets frequent opportunities to demonstrate how utterly {{Badass}} he is.

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* Illya Kuryakin from Series/TheManFromUNCLE holds a Masters degree from the Sorbonne and a [=PhD=] in quantum physics from the University of Cambridge and is demonstrated several times in the series to be doing tech work at U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters between field assignments. Nonetheless, he is one of the two top field agents in that ''multinational'' intelligence agency and hence gets frequent opportunities to demonstrate how utterly {{Badass}} he is.

** One private is talking to Webster about his Harvard education. When he hears Webster studied Literature, he excitedly says he's a huge fan of the ''Flash Gordon'' books.

-->'''To a Klingon warrior that has just insulted his beloved Enterprise:''' Laddie, d'ya not think you should ''re-phrase'' that? (Laddie does.)