History Main / ScienceHero

** His Zyklon-A insecticide, which was originally developed as an insecticide, was modified into Zyklon-B and used in the Nazi death camps during the Holocaust to kill some of Haber's own family members.

* Most of the heroes of ''Film/TheCore'' were scientists -- which is mildly ironic, given that on the MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness, it isn't.

A hero who uses science, technology and/or super-science to save the day. A staple of [[SpeculativeFiction science fiction]] and an expression of the faith that science will save us rather than [[ScienceIsBad doom us]]. The Science Hero is the third part of the Hero Triangle, alongside with ActionHero and GuileHero.

* ''Series/TheOutpost'': Janzo is revealed to have a brilliant mind and extensive scientific knowledge. He puts them to good use aiding the good guys, including [[spoiler:curing the plagueling disease]].
* [[Franchise/{{Quatermass}} Prof. Bernard Quatermass]], the first of many Science Heroes in British television. An OmnidisciplinaryScientist that manages to kill ''multiple'' alien invasions and on some of said cases was on the field to begin with because he was involved on the projects that brought those aliens to Earth.

* ''Series/KamenRiderBuild'': The title character, Sento Kiryu, is a genius physicist and the second-smartest Franchise/KamenRider to date[[note]][[Series/KamenRider Takeshi Hongo, the first Rider]], is the only one smarter but doesn't qualify for this trope[[/note]]. He's also the only Rider to invent his own {{Transformation Trinket}}s, weapons, and upgrades, though he didn't invent his transformation belt. [[spoiler:It was created by "[[MadScientist Demon Scientist]]" Takumi Katsuragi, whose memories were wiped and became...[[AmnesiacDissonance Sento Kiryu]].]] Despite the fact that the show's villains employ similar technology, Sento rejects the notion of "evil science", viewing it as a tool that can be used either for good or ill depending on its user's intent. [[spoiler:Which is why he has no problem continuing to use the Build gear after learning that it was created to be a weapon of war.]]

->''"We are not merely men of science: we are men of hope."''

* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': The titular characters use their vast imaginations and technological prowess to sieze the day and they occasionally have to combat with them (usually in specials though).

* Brainiac 5 from ''ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}}'' has a twelfth-level intelligence and is absolutely unafraid to use it to create anything that will solve a situation, up to and including weapons of mass destruction. The AnimatedAdaptation turned him into a DoAnythingRobot.

** He was one of the first people to treat people with HIV in the 70s, back when it was considered an unstoppable act of god against gay people and political suicide to even discuss, [[DeterminedDoctor much less personally treat]]. The reason why AIDS can be treated today and is no longer an instant death sentence is because of his research, which he's still continuing into the 2020s.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', a character with a high Science skill and [[KarmaMeter Good Karma]] can become this, solving problems with their advanced knowledge. This especially comes into play in the VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas DLC Old World Blues, which takes place in a facility for a group of {{Mad Scientist}}s and where the Science skill gets quite a bit of work. In fact, if the main quest is completed with [[KarmaMeter Good/Neutral karma]], the epilogue states that the Courier becomes the benevolent caretaker of the technologies of the Big MT and kept them safe until they could be used to help mankind.
** In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', the Lone Wanderer's parents were the lead scientists and brains behind Project Purity, meant to cleanse the residual radiation in the tidal basin and provide mass amounts of clean drinking water to the entire Capital Wasteland. After the death of your mother in childbirth, the Project was abandoned for nineteen years until you father decided to leave Vault 101 and start it back up again.
** The Lone Wanderer can follow in their footsteps if taking the multiple tier [[LikeFatherLikeSon Daddy's Boy/Girl Perk]], which appropriately provides a boost to their Science and Medicine stat.

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', Kisuke Urahara is the universe's premier technological expert and, when he isn't providing support for the front lines or engaging in battle directly, is inventing new devices and weapons to use for every possible outcome. His prowess in creating counters for everything through what he knows is so great that Yhwach, a being of godlike power and near-ominpotence, classifies Urahara as a "Special Threat," warning all of his minions that there is nobody Urahara cannot outsmart or any plan Urahara cannot observe and find weaknesses in. Urahara's assistant and current head of the Soul Society's R&D department, Mayuri Kurotsuchi, is almost Urahara's equal in science and technology and conducts research even more furiously than Urahara, though his morals are less than pure. Kurotsuchi just finds himself repeatedly in situations where he must play the hero to survive.

* ''Manga/DrStone'''s Senku serves as the protagonist of the story, constantly trying to solve problems with his extraordinary knowledge of science. He even wishes to make a "Kingdom of Science" in the new, electronics-lacking future he's stuck in.

* ComicBook/TomStrong. Indeed in the whole America's Best Comics universe ScienceHero is actually the preferred term for what are commonly called {{Superhero}}es. Note that though called Science Heroes, not all the characters in that multiverse fit this trope. (For example, Splash Brannigan is called a ScienceHero despite having no scientific knowledge, background or indeed, common sense. His powers even derive from the fact that his body is composed of MAGIC four-dimensional ink.)

* ComicBook/SpiderMan invented the web-shooters that allow him to BuildingSwing around New York, and often finds himself up against much larger and/or stronger foes that require him to think on his feet to defeat them, such as when he defeats [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Morlun]] by [[SpikedBlood irradiating his own blood]]. He also invented a tracking device that's keyed to his own Spider-Sense and thus has no conventional radio signal to detect. Hank Pym was initially impressed by these inventions, and then amazed when he realized that Peter Parker created them at age 15 with virtually no resources.
* [[ComicBook/IncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]] is a great example, especially in the run-up to ''Fall of the Hulks'' where he spent a good while Hulkless. The man does such things as [[MacGyvering manufacturing his own super-tech mini-computer out of an old iPod]] and while men like Reed Richards and Tony Stark consider themselves smarter than him overall, they at least know when to bow to him as '''the''' eminent scientist in the field of nuclear radiation and its mutating effects on biology.
* [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]] stands out in this regard - his stretching abilities are usually used to make his research easier, not so much for fighting. In an issue of Marvel Team-Up from the 80's with Spider-Man, he lost his genius, and was ''extremely'' upset, even telling Spider-Man that he has always considered his mind to be his true super-power.

%%* The list goes on, ''ComicBook/{{Mockingbird}}'', [[ComicBook/XMen Forge]], [[ComicBook/BlackPanther Black Panther]] etc. The Marvel U is filled to the brim with this type of hero.

%%* The title character of Franchise/TheAdventuresOfTintin is usually this trope when he's not brawling or using stealth.
* Qubit from ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}''. Being an expy of another ScienceHero, the Doctor (specfically, the Tenth Doctor), he serves to try and counteract the terror going on with his scientific prowess and ability to invent ''anything.''
* Kalish in ''ComicBook/UniversalWarOne''. A man who saves the day with theoretical science!
* ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo'' is setting a new, two-fisted standard for these characters in his efforts to study/stop/bludgeon weird science across the globe. Also notable in that the titular Robo leads an entire organization of these people. He was built by UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla, who turns out to have been something of a Science Hero himself back in the day.

* ''ComicBook/AstroCity'' has Augustus and Julius Furst, the scientist/adventurer brothers. Augustus is the head of the [[BadassFamily First Family]], and while the rest of the team charges into battle with their super-powers or {{BFG}}s, Gus will hang back and analyze the enemy's weakness to six decimal places, then whip up some AppliedPhlebotinum to finish it off. Julius is the true BadassNormal of the family, and can hold his own against all manner of nefarious superhumans with a badass cigar and a home-built {{BFG}}.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}. Yes, he's [[DarkIsNotEvil stealthy and scary]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower and crazy strong and skilled,]] but the reason he's the [[BadassNormal most dangerous human in the universe]] is that he's forced to use [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist scientific smarts]] to get the job done -- unlike [[ComicBook/{{Superman}} other superheroes]], his strength has ''limitations''. Which explains why he's defeated beings referred to as gods [[BatmanGambit with his wits alone.]] He can take down anyone because [[CrazyPrepared he has contingency plans for anything happening and anyone going rogue.]] He's also a GadgeteerGenius who's had a part in the design of most of his own gadgets.
* The second ComicBook/BlueBeetle Ted Kord had elements of this, as seen in his cameo on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''.
* ''ComicBook/JillTrentScienceSleuth'' was a [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Science Heroine.

* The [[ComicBook/XMen X-Men's]] X-Club is an entire ''team'' of Science Heroes. X-Men's founder ([[ComicBook/ProfessorX Charles Xavier]]) and one of its charter members (Hank [[ComicBook/BeastMarvelComics "Beast"]] [=McCoy=]) are two of the world's most prominent geneticists in the Marvel Universe. Beast is super-strong and agile, but compared to the likes of Colossus and Rogue he's not really one of the team's heavy hitters; it's his mind that makes him formidable, and he can often be found tinkering with the [[CoolPlane Blackbird]] or Cerebro or the ImportedAlienPhlebotinum of the week.
* Both Jay Garrick and Barry Allen, the first and second Franchise/TheFlash respectively, are both experts in science. Jay is the director of a laboratory which was crucial in protecting Earth-Two, and Barry is a police scientist who uses his speed in creative ways in conjunction with his science knowledge.
* Franchise/{{Superman}}: One of Superman's many hobbies is fiddling with human or Kryptonian devices or phenomena and trying to make something useful. ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' was made of this stuff. To compare, he's much more science oriented than even ''Batman''; Batman uses science for practical reasons and forensic work, while Superman tends to do it [[ForScience just 'cause]].. That aspect of the character, however, was greatly toned down ComicBook/PostCrisis.
* [[ComicBook/TheAtom Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi]] are both university scientists with extensive knowledge in the field of atomic manipulation and molecular biology that spend their time shrinking down to the size of said atoms and molecules to kick the crap out of bad guys.
%%* In the Pulp-style ComicBook/{{Incognito}}, characters are referred to as "Science heroes" and "Science criminals", although by the present day, it's mostly spies and terrorists using dead Science Hero technology.
%% * ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'': There's a few of these peppered around, like Rotor, Uncle Chuck, Dr. Robotnik's Moebius counterpart, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Dr. Robotnik himself]] at one point...

* ComicBook/IronMan became quite the TropeCodifier for being a man who fights evil with his inventions.

* ''WesternAnimation/BigHero6'' is about a team of self-proclaimed nerds who fight evil with science/tech-created superpowers TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture.
* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' has Milo Thatch, who uses his linguist abilities to operate ancient technology, revive a dying civilization, [[spoiler:and save the princess from a band of mercenaries.]]

* The Film/{{Ghostbusters|1984}} are (mostly) doctors in various unusual fields who put their knowledge to work bustin' ghosts with a self-designed arsenal of anti-spook gadgets.
-->'''Peter Venkman:''' Back off, man. I'm a scientist.
* The entire cast of ''Film/RealGenius'' is a bunch of super-geniuses making a living on a California university. They both manage to create a high-tech laser theoretically capable of immense destruction as a grading project ''and'' manage to infiltrate a top-secret base to manufacture a DisastrousDemonstration when they find out that they've been duped into making a KillSat prototype for the CIA.
* Most of the crew of the Icarus II in Creator/DannyBoyle's ''Film/{{Sunshine}}'' (2007), especially Capa, are intended to be this. There ''is'' action, but there's also at least as much thinking.

* Dr. Emmett Brown of ''Franchise/BackToTheFuture'' fits, although his heroism tends to revolve around solving problems that he himself caused thanks to his reckless ForScience attitude.
* Bernard Quatermass of the Franchise/{{Quatermass}} movies is a rocket scientist who battles alien invaders and always manages to dispatch them by using science to uncover their weaknesses.
* Adam Royston from ''X the Unknown'', a CaptainErsatz of Quatermass that manages to find a way to trick and kill a monster with little more than his knowledge of radiation.

* Most of the heroes of ''Film/TheCore'' were scientists -- which is mildly ironic, given that on the MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness, it isn't.
* Ellie Arroway from ''Film/{{Contact}}'' is a Science Hero. The writer of ''Contact'', Creator/CarlSagan, was one too.
* The three astronauts onboard the ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}'' and most of the personnel at MissionControl. They manage to turn a doomed scenario into one of NASA's finest hours.
%%* Spider from ''Film/{{Elysium}}''.

* Mark Watney in ''Literature/TheMartian'', along with the rest of the mission and the team back on Earth that helps save him, definitely qualify. Given the training and skill of astronauts, this definitely qualifies as TruthInTelevision.

* Franchise/DocSavage and his team are the UrExample from TwoFistedTales.
* Literature/TomSwift is one too. A classic boy scientist who invented an electric gun that would become the inspiration for the ''taser'' and inspired many prominent science fiction writers.
* Creator/NealStephenson's books live, eat and breathe this trope. To give but an idea, ''Literature/{{Cryptonomicon}}'' provides us with an example of a ''cryptologist'' ScienceHero (who devises and breaks a variety of codes throughout the book, and gives an exact explanation of how it was done).
%%* [[AlienAmongUs Ax]] from ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}''.
%%* Otto and Laura of the ''Literature/HIVESeries''.

%%** Richard "Dick" Seaton in the ''Literature/SkylarkSeries''.
%%* Arcot, Wade, and Morey, a trio of science heroes created by Creator/JohnWCampbell.
* While stretching the term of the word 'Hero', [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Kiritsugu]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist Emiya]] of ''Literature/FateZero'' frequently does battle with magi who are almost universally more skilled and powerful than he is. His solution? Don't use magic, use a sniper rifle. The target is using magic? That increases body temperature, use infrared lenses. Magi do not guard against purely physical dangers and are almost always caught completely off guard by such methods. The mere fact that he ''does'' use technology makes many view him as worthless, weak scum. When he finally combines the two, he has an intensely powerful gun that uses bullets that happen to carry the trait that they [[PowerNullifier sever the magic using ability]] of those they are used on. You can't use mere armor to stop the bullet, and if you use magic to do so ''all your organs will be horribly ripped apart by the backlash of your magic circuits disintegrating.'' [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Oh, and he attaches normal cameras to the underside of bat familiars because you can't trick a camera with magic like you can the eye or brain and it also records better.]]

%%* Several of the characters in Creator/BenBova's grand tour series fit this trope. Particularly Kris Carenas.
%%* [[spoiler: Anton Pendrake]] from Creator/JohnCWright's ''Literature/WarOfTheDreaming''.
%%* In ''Literature/{{Dune}}'' Liet-Kynes is both a ScienceHero and a NatureHero, as an ecologist.
* Olaf Neddelsohn in ''Literature/TheCambistAndLordIron'' is, unusually, an ''Economics'' Hero, employing concepts like free market principles and revealed preferences against the challenges with which he is faced.
* ''Literature/HostileTakeoverShwartz'': Protagonist CC is a financial analyst, and she uncovers a diabolical peculation scheme with spreadsheets!
* In ''Literature/LordOfLight'', Yama, the Death God, becomes this after his HeelFaceTurn. He's responsible for most of the advanced weaponry on both sides of the war between the Gods.
* Quite a lot of Creator/RobertAHeinlein's works have this kind of hero. Of particular note is the fact he wrote the novel ''Film/DestinationMoon'' in the Film section was based on.
* [[Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] is a good-kind-of-crazy MadScientist -- he uses his omnidisciplinary talents in the service of making and marketing the best candies in the world, and in the process has created everything from a teleporter to antigravity technology. (In the 2005 film adaptation, tech-savvy Mike Teavee calls him out for [[ReedRichardsIsUseless not considering other uses for his technology]].) In ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', his skills help save most of the crew and guests of a space hotel from shapeshifting aliens, and he turns out to have invented both a FountainOfYouth pill and its RapidAging antidote.
* While he is mostly a GuileHero, Shiroe of ''LightNovel/LogHorizon'' spends a lot of time examining the physics of his new world and inventing strategies and technologies to take advantage of them. The Roderick Firm is an entire guild of Science Heroes, to the point where their nickname is "Roderick Labs".
* ''Literature/TheColdEquations'' has been argued long and hard by people ever since it came out, but the general consensus about the story and its ShootTheDog DownerEnding is that it was an (arguably necessary) [[{{Deconstruction}} slap in the face]] of the proliferation on Fifties sci-fi of the ScienceHero capable of creating a DeusExMachina AssPull and giving it a HandWave of "science!". The pilot main character hits all the points of the ScienceHero, but the more he tries to analyze the situation, the more he sees than the unfairness of the facts (especially [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation the Rocket Equation]] itself) cannot be surpassed with what he has on hand, no matter how creative he tries to think. Unfortunately the reaction of a modern reader tends to be more like "how incompetent did everyone involved from ship design up have to be to even get into this situation?"

* ''Literature/MaureenBirnbaumBarbarianSwordsperson'': Rod Marquand, a student who Maureen first encounters at the [[HollowWorld Earth's Core]] is a stereotypical example. He's an inventor who fights crime as a costumed superhero, and has what he calls a "subterrene" -- it's like a submarine, except it travels through earth rather than water.
* ''The Mercenaries'' by Creator/HBeamPiper. {{Multinational Team}}s for Free Scientists sell their services to the four superpowers dominating the world. The plot involves uncovering a traitor in their own ranks, something they can't delegate to the government as it would destroy their reputation and independence.

* The ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' have put many an UrbanLegend to the test by means of figuring out the specifics of how the legend is supposed to work and then trying to replicate the results with their extensive experience in special effects... and quite a few explosions.
--> '''Adam Savage''': Remember, kids, the only difference between screwin' around and science is writing it down.
* [[Franchise/{{Quatermass}} Prof. Bernard Quatermass]], the first of many Science Heroes in British television. An OmnidisciplinaryScientist that manages to kill ''multiple'' alien invasions and on some of said cases was on the field to begin with because he was involved on the projects that brought those aliens to Earth.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'' in all its incarnations has heroes like this, though it throws in plenty of diplomatic and straight-up military challenges for variety. The ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode "The Alternate" had this to say:
-->'''Dr. Mora:''' I'm beginning to think that the scientific method and police method have a lot in common. In science we look for the obvious. We track in straight lines. If something looks too good to be true, it usually isn't true. If there appears to be more to something than meets the eye, there usually is more. We take it step by step.
:: : By the [=DS9=] era, this had more or less become the Federation's [[PlanetOfHats hat]], and Starfleet engineers have a reputation for being able to "turn rocks into replicators". ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' also has Captain Janeway work her way up to commanding a starship from being a science officer, and helping out her crew as captain whenever they need scientific know-how.
* Grissom on ''Series/{{CSI}}''. All the CSI cast, in fact. The other two shows have varying levels, because some characters are more detective while others are more science-y.
* ''Series/MacGyver1985'', despite the jury-rigged nature of the title character's devices, definitely qualifies; nearly every episode's conflict is resolved by an improvised invention.
* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the Doctor in most of their incarnations, though they're not averse to less refined tactics when necessary. In fact, the word "doctor" comes from them (possibly as a result of a StableTimeLoop), and means "healer" across the universe. That is, except in the places where it means "[[BewareTheNiceOnes mighty warrior]]" instead.
* Mr. White of ''Series/BreakingBad'' is an [[AntiHero anti-heroic]] form of this. In the seven-episode first season alone, he uses his chemistry know-how to cook incredibly pure crystal meth, kill two drug dealers with phosphine gas, blow up an annoying yuppie's car, intimidate hardened criminals with exploding fulminated mercury, and melt through a solid metal lock with thermite. Though by the end he ceases being a hero and becomes a Science VillainProtagonist.

* On ''Series/StargateSG1'', Samantha Carter's physics/technological knowledge and Daniel Jackson's linguistic/archaeological/anthropological knowledge end up saving the day numerous times, justifying their inclusion on a front-line team. They can [[BadassBookworm kick ass when necessary]] too, though.
** While Sam does wield the science like nobody's business, she's also a highly skilled soldier, which justifies her inclusion on the team, brilliance aside.
* Science is also [[InsufferableGenius Rodney McKay's]] preferred weapon on ''Series/StargateAtlantis''. The importance of science in saving the city is Lampshaded by [=McKay=] and Zelenka when the military bursts in at the end of season 1 and takes over.
-->'''[=McKay=]:''' I should be in that meeting. I am the foremost expert on the defense capabilities of this city.\\
'''Zelenka:''' You know how it is -- when military steps in, scientists take a back seat.\\
'''[=McKay=]:''' Until they need us.\\
'''Zelenka:''' I don't think they need us.\\
'''[=McKay=]:''' Yeah, they don't think they need us, right up until the point that they need us, and then, they need us.
* ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'':
** Billy, the original Blue Ranger. When the team transitioned to ''Series/PowerRangersZeo'', he stepped back from heroics to support the Rangers from the lab full-time (though he still got into the occasional fight).
** His teammate Tommy stepped into this trope by ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'', having become a paleontologist and high school teacher by that point in addition to being a SixthRanger yet again.
* Ross from ''Series/{{Friends}}'' wrote a comic about a KidHero named "Science Boy", who had a superhuman desire to learn.

* Artemus Gordon of ''Series/TheWildWildWest'' is not only a GadgeteerGenius and a chemistry wiz, but he seems to have at least a basic familiarity with every field of scientific endeavor which existed at the time.
* ''Series/{{Sanctuary}}'': Dr. Helen Magnus, with a vengeance. She's also a VERY capable fighter who definitely MinoredInAsskicking.

* In the ''Series/{{Cosmos}}'' reboot, many scientists are highlighted for their crucial work in furthering understanding of the cosmos, but the one that really fits this trope is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clair_Patterson Clair Patterson]] who, as a side-effect of determining the Earth's age, realized how bad lead contamination was and refused all industry pressure to make him back off. He squared off with Robert Kehoe, an industry scientist, in front of Congress and his efforts resulted in the banning of all lead products in the United States.
* Sam and Dean Winchester on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' are the supernatural equivalent of this, taking down monsters using their in-depth knowledge of all kinds of mythology and the weaknesses of each creature in it.
* Detective Murdoch in ''Series/MurdochMysteries'', who believes in using the scientific method in solving crimes, whether that means analysing the situation as one would a scientific hypothesis, or [[{{Steampunk}} inventing new machines]] to aid detection.
* Lampshaded and parodied in the ''[[Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon Disneyland]]'' episode "Mars and Beyond", where the science hero is too busy thinking up arcane equations to notice the DamselInDistress has been [[MarsNeedsWomen kidnapped by evil Martians]]. Fortunately she's resourceful enough to rescue herself.

* ''Series/TheGreatBritishBakeOff'':
** Paul has extensive knowledge of the science of baking and is always explaining the various chemical processes that occur during a bake. Mary is also incredibly knowledgeable but she doesn't go into quite as much detail as Paul, preferring to use more easy to understand expressions.
** Biochemist Yann in season 8 came up with a load of smart scientific ideas to improve her bakes, including creating pearls of mango with agar and injecting gelatin to make a poppy.
* Dr. Tenperance Brennan and her team of “squints” on ''{{Series/Bones}} ''. Brennan is the scientific half of the Booth/Brennan team while Booth does the police work. Having MinoredInAssKicking helps too sometimes.

* ''Series/TheAndromedaStrain'': Team Wildfire are the heroes of the story, being a team of scientists fighting against the deadly [[ThePlague Andromeda virus]] using their scientific expertise, with each being a specialist in different fields.

* Jim Nye, science guy of feds such as Fringe Pro and Alpha 1. He is however, not an OmniDisciplinaryScientist, and trying to help people outside of his practicing fields usually leads to trouble.[[/folder]]

* Dr. Hawkins of ''VideoGame/{{MDK}}'' exemplifies this trope. Every level in which the player uses him involves finding a way to create weapons to kill enemies or gadgets to cross obstacles out of pure MacGyvering.
%%* The cast of ''VideoGame/ScienceGirls!'' ... when they're not just [[MagicPoweredPseudoscience using magic by a different name.]]
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'''s Gordon Freeman, at least as far as the backstory goes. In-game, he neither uses his intelligence and knowledge (MIT doctorate in theoretical physics, no less) to outwit his enemies nor to cunningly exploit physical phenomena in order to defeat them nor does he jury-rig impressive machines (although that is perhaps understandable, as he's not an engineer). Rather, Freeman hits things over the head with his trusty crowbar and empties magazines into them (being a much better shot than plausible, given the backstory), and only uses his intelligence to solve rudimentary puzzles that block his path. So, Science Hero in name only, in actuality an old-fashioned badass.
** Most former Black Mesa scientists represent the best hope humanity has for living through the Combine occupation, with [[TheHeart Eli Vance]] taking the top spot. There is an ironic twist in that those heroic scientists are also the ones responsible for starting the whole mess in the first place. Especially Freeman himself, who literally triggered it with his own hands (albeit with some engineering from Dr. Breen and the G-Man).
* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' features several such characters, most notably Winston, a gorilla who was himself created by the scientist who was his namesake, and Mei, a Chinese climatologist who was the only survivor of a failed expedition in Antarctica.

* In ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'' the "Gadgeteering" power set appears to be specifically made to accommodate player characters using this trope, complete with rayguns, robots and other near little science-y toys. A canon example is seen in Dr. Silverback, the settings big name Science Hero... who's also a sentient talking gorilla wearing a lab-coat.
* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'', Snake does all the sneaking and fighting, but Otacon's engineering and hacking is what enables him to do so.
* Giacomo, the main character of ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'', who invented the [[ClockPunk Clockwork Men]].

%% * Tails of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog''. In the games this mostly means "hook up a [[GreenRocks Chaos Emerald]] to pretty much anything".
* Bentley of the ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'' series. Considered to be the team mastermind, he performs a variety of science-based tasks, [[PersonOfMassDestruction many of which involve]] [[StuffBlowingUp destroying]] structures.
-->'''Bentley:''' Behold the majesty of gravity and inertia!

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'', a character with a high Science skill and [[KarmaMeter Good Karma]] can become this, solving problems with their advanced knowledge. This especially comes into play in the VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas DLC Old World Blues, which takes place in a facility for a group of {{Mad Scientist}}s and where the Science skill gets quite a bit of work. In fact, if the main quest is completed with [[KarmaMeter Good/Neutral karma]], the epilogue states that the Courier becomes the benevolent caretaker of the technologies of the Big MT and kept them safe until they could be used to help mankind.
** In ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', the Lone Wanderer's parents were the lead scientists and brains behind Project Purity, meant to cleanse the residual radiation in the tidal basin and provide mass amounts of clean drinking water to the entire Capital Wasteland. After the death of your mother in childbirth, the Project was abandoned for nineteen years until you father decided to leave Vault 101 and start it back up again.
** The Lone Wanderer can follow in their footsteps if taking the multiple tier [[LikeFatherLikeSon Daddy's Boy/Girl Perk]], which appropriately provides a boost to their Science and Medicine stat.

* From ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'':
** Beatrix is an [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate amoral]] MadDoctor AntiHero that [[DeadlyDoctor fights in the battlefield]] [[PlagueMaster using various viruses and diseases]] she concocted to either aid her allies or enfeeble her opponents. She does so with the aid of her large, [[ArmCannon prosthetic syringe-arm]] which she uses like a SniperRifle.
** Kleese is an InsufferableGenius MadScientist type of character who aids his fellow Battleborn both off and on the field. He is a brilliant physicist and tech expert. When it comes to quantum physic related problems and the sort, such as the universal law breaking capabilities of the Varelsi, he is the man his comrades turn to regardless of their feelings towards him. Being the former CTO of Minion Robotics, Kleese is an expert on Magnuses and their programming. His skills as such include knowing the effects of Varelsi portals have on Magnus A.I. and reprogramming rouge Magnuses to aid the Battleborn. On the battlefield, Kleese rides upon his hovering [[CoolChair Battle Throne]] which is capable of firing a Shock Taser as well firing a barrage of energy mortars. He also uses a laser firing Wrist Cannon as well as deploy tech that can open up Energy Rifts that support allies' shields and tech that can summon miniature Black Holes against opponents.
** Phoebe is a rich brilliant inventor who uses her creations to aid her in the battle against the legion of cosmic horrors threatening cause universal heat death. Her inventions include phasegate tech which allows her to teleport around the battlefield, and a cybernetic implant which allows her to telekinetically control four of her five rapiers.
* Ringo Andou from ''VideoGame/PuyoPuyo'' takes an interest in mathmatics, even theming her magic spells after math terms ("cosine", "tangent", "algorithm", etc.). She's also very curious and will question the logic other characters go by as being "unscientific". Gadgets and inventions, on the other hand, are more Risukuma's thing.

* ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' lives and breathes this trope. Naturally, the best exant example is the eponymous heroine, Agatha Heterodyne. Othar Tryggvassen {{GENTLEMAN ADVENTURER}} is a {{troperrific}} example, [[spoiler:with the dark-ish twist that he's also trying to kill all the others, and then ultimately himself.]] The best examples ''[[DisappearedDad were]]'' the Heterodyne Boys. Agatha's working up to follow in the footsteps of her father and uncle now that she knows who they are. And for a somewhat [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructive]] version, Klaus Wulfenbach protected all of Europa through his machines by conquering it, establishing the Empire, and check-reining all of the [[MadScientist Mad Scientists]] running loose everywhere.
* ''Webcomic/AMiracleOfScience'', being a world where being a MadScientist is a diagnosable mental illness, gives a few of these, including the population of an entire planet.

* A ScienceHero makes a brief appearance in one strip of ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}''. The Science Villain title character finds such ''good'' {{Mad Scientist}}s decidedly creepy.
* ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' often has Riff take this role, though he's also ''responsible'' for a lot of the disasters he's helped to solve.

* As his semi-official title suggests, Carlos the Scientist from Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale. Rather commendable, considering that scientific laws don't quite seem to ''hold'' in Night Vale.
** [[spoiler:But he isn't a hero. He's a scientist.]]
* ''Webcomic/GuildedAge'': The majority of people use medieval arms and armor, but gnomes employ guns and a lot of ClockPunk-inspired devices that far outstrip the rest of the setting's technology, including autonomous fighters good for war or training, and massive house-sized tanks. Then you have massive dirigibles providing bomber support, Rendar's flying machine and white phosphorous grenades, goblin Hammertanks, and Goblaurence's rocket launcher that he put together out of battlefield scrap. Though, a fair bit of it seems to be {{Magitek}}.

* [[WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory Dexter]] (and later [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Jimmy Neutron]]) embodied this trope for kids shows. (Even though they ''cause'' nearly as many problems they solve.)
* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'': Gadget Hackwrench fulfills this trope with ease. Plus, she is both a GadgeteerGenius and a WrenchWench.

* Peter Dickinson in ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'' has one foot in magic and one foot in science. He ultimately defeats the evil mage by explaining how his magic is scientifically impossible, and in doing so banishes himself from the world of magic forever.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', Batman is a science hero, moreso than in some other incarnations, as was his friend Ted Kord (second Blue Beetle) when he's shown in flashbacks.

* Wallace for ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit''. Though Gromit has quite a keen mind he does not get the impression that science is the answer to everything the way Wallace does.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SonicBoom'' most episodes that feature Tails as a major character tend to have him wielding some new invention he's built either to combat Eggman or improve the lives of his fellow villagers. Of course, in the grand tradition of the Science KidHero, this last part sometimes causes more problems than it solves.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': In contrast to Kim's ActionHero, the rest of the Possible family is almost entirely comprised of scientific geniuses, whether present or in the making. Doctors James and Anne Possible are both highly knowledgeable in their fields (rocket science and neurosurgery, respectively), which they have occasionally used to help their daughter. Jim and Tim have constructed various impressive gadgets over the years, notably a portable silicon phase disrupter, something that both its original creator and Dr. Drakken thought to be impossible. Slim created a series of cybertronic robot horses that are able to mimic the form and function of a real horse (along with handy magnahooves) and developed an advanced satellite surveillance system capable of monitoring his entire ranch and the surrounding area. Joss, while idolizing her cousin and wishing to be like her is clearly more this trope, which can be seen with her self-made grappling hook and impressive knowledge of her father's equipment. Nana, Kim's grandmother, is the only one who is able to match and even ''[[NeverMessWithGranny surpass]]'' her granddaughter's fighting abilities.

* Most astronauts possess a scientific degree. NASA, for instance, holds that a master's degree in the relevant field (generally hard sciences) is required for a mission specialist, with a doctorate being preferable, and even the pilot of a spacecraft has to have a bachelor's degree in one of the natural sciences, mathematics or engineering. Other space agencies have similar requirements. So astronauts ARE a subset of scientists, and thus it's not unusual that they're being both. Of course, since it's a given that they have to be in prime physical condition as well, any RealLife astronaut has the potential to be both a Badass and a Science Hero. (Think GeniusBruiser and/or BadassBookworm.)

Meteorologist who study tornadoes and hurricanes. Their early warnings of dangerous weather has saved countless lives

[[folder:Mythology]]
* Emperor Ravana is often thought of as the demonic villain of the {{Literature/Ramayana}}, but in his possibly native Sri Lanka folklore paints him [[AHeroToHisHometown in a very different light.]] Most record Ravana as a scholar king who improved the life of his people with advanced medicine and engineering, creating flying machines and floating bridges.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Literature/FactoryOfTheGods'' Julian is an engineer and - while his power armor makes him effective in a fight - he gets the most benefit from inventing and building off the factory.

* Franchise/DocSavage is a classic example from TwoFistedTales.

* In Creator/EEDocSmith's works:
** The ''Literature/{{Lensman}}'' series starts off with science heroes ''and'' villains, then quickly spins SerialEscalation. A specific example is [=LaVerne=] Thorndyke: "If it could be built, 'Thorny' Thorndyke could build it. If it could not be built, he could build you something just as good." Arguably a prototype for Montgomery Scott. The Virgil Samms era has Fred Rhodebush and Lyman Cleveland, but they are contracted civilian scientists who are sometimes needed near the front line rather than serving combat officers. And there's Bergenholm, the Arisians' thumb on the scales.

* Cyrus Harding (in Creator/JulesVerne's ''Literature/TheMysteriousIsland''), after the group crashes on an island, he basically builds a mini-civilization out of natural resources and his own engineering prowess, including building a telephone network and a nitroglycerin plant. The latter becomes very important when [[spoiler: the island is attacked by pirates and our heroes have to fight them off.]]

* [[Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] is a good-kind-of-crazy MadScientist -- he uses his omnidisciplinary talents in the service of making and marketing the best candies in the world, and in the process has created everything from a teleporter to antigravity technology. (In the 2005 film adaptation, tech-savvy Mike Teavee calls him out for not considering other uses for his technology.) In ''Literature/CharlieAndTheGreatGlassElevator'', his skills help save most of the crew and guests of a space hotel from shapeshifting aliens, and he turns out to have invented both a FountainOfYouth pill and its RapidAging antidote.

* [[Franchise/DocSavage Doc Savage]] and his team are the UrExample.
* ''Literature/TheColdEquations'' has been argued long and hard by people ever since it came out, but the general consensus about the story and its ShootTheDog DownerEnding is that it was an (arguably necessary) slap in the face of the proliferation on Fifties sci-fi of the ScienceHero capable of creating a DeusExMachina AssPull and giving it a HandWave of "science!". The pilot main character hits all the points of the ScienceHero, but the more he tries to analyze the situation, the more he sees than the unfairness of the facts (especially [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsiolkovsky_rocket_equation the Rocket Equation]] itself) cannot be surpassed with what he has on hand, no matter how creative he tries to think. Unfortunately the reaction of a modern reader tends to be more like "how incompetent did everyone involved from ship design up have to be to even get into this situation?"

* ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'' has Milo Thatch, who uses his linguist abilities to operate ancient technology, revive a dying civilization, [[spoiler:And save the princess from a band of mercenaries.]]

* ComicBook/SpiderMan invented the web-shooters that allow him to BuildingSwing around New York, and often finds himself up against much larger and/or stronger foes that require him to think on his feet to defeat them, such as when he defeats [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Morlun]] by irradiating his own blood. He also invented a tracking device that's keyed to his own Spider-Sense and thus has no conventional radio signal to detect. Hank Pym was initially impressed by these inventions, and then amazed when he realized that Peter Parker created them at age 15 with virtually no resources.

* [[ComicBook/BeastMarvelComics Beast]] of the ComicBook/XMen is super-strong and agile, but compared to the likes of Colossus and Rogue he's not really one of the team's heavy hitters; it's his mind that makes him formidable, and he can often be found tinkering with the [[CoolPlane Blackbird]] or Cerebro or the ImportedAlienPhlebotinum of the week.

* Franchise/{{Batman}}. Yes, he's [[DarkIsNotEvil stealthy and scary]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower and crazy strong and skilled,]] but the reason he's the [[BadassNormal most dangerous human in the universe]] is that he's forced to use [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist scientific smarts]] to get the job done -- unlike [[{{Superman}} other superheroes]], his strength has ''limitations''. Which explains why he's defeated beings referred to as gods [[BatmanGambit with his wits alone.]] He can take down anyone because [[CrazyPrepared he has contingency plans for anything happening and anyone going rogue.]] He's also a GadgeteerGenius who's had a part in the design of most of his own gadgets.

* The [[ComicBook/XMen X-Men's]] X-Club is an entire ''team'' of Science Heroes. X-Men's founder (Charles Xavier) and one of its charter members (Hank "Beast" [=McCoy=]) are two of the world's most prominent geneticists in the Marvel Universe.

* Franchise/{{Superman}}: One of Superman's many hobbies is fiddling with human or kryptonian devices or phenomena and trying to make something useful. ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' was made of this stuff. To compare, he's much more science oriented than even ''Batman''; Batman uses science for practical reasons and forensic work, while Superman tends to do it [[ForScience just 'cause]].. That aspect of the character, however, was greatly toned down ComicBook/PostCrisis.

* Franchise/WonderWoman [[ComicBook/WonderWoman1942 started out as a scientist with her own laboratory]] in which she and an Amazonian physician nursed ComicBook/SteveTrevor back to health, Diana aiding by inventing the Purple Healing Ray. She also flew an experimental stealth SpacePlane. Later writers moved her further and further from the role, instead focusing on the ties her mother and birth via Aphrodite's aid gives her to Myth/ClassicalMythology, despite the original comics usually treating those Olympians that showed up more as aliens than gods.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'',[[spoiler:Megamind]] is a MadScientist who chose to be evil because that's what he grew up believing mad scientists should do (and he was raised by convicts in jail.) He undergoes a HeelFaceTurn when he finds out he has other options and becomes a hero outright when [[spoiler:Tighten threatens his hometown.]] He enters combat using whatever devices he has already built and can carry on his person, making up for his lack of physical strength by quickly adapting whenever the battlefield situations change and finding unconventional uses for those devices.

See also GivingRadioToTheRomans. Compare NatureHero, BadassBookworm, OmnidisciplinaryScientist, and CelibateEccentricGenius if the Science Hero [[CelibateHero rejects romantic love in favor for using scientific knowledge for benevolent goals]]. Contrast ScienceIsBad and MadScientist though [[AntiHero heroic]] mad scientists are becoming more popular. Often a champion of the Enlightenment in works featuring RomanticismVersusEnlightenment and opposed by an EvilLuddite. If the work portrays them positively, it likely also ascribes to ScienceIsGood and, depending on certain situations, WorkingClassHero.

* ''Comicbook/JillTrentScienceSleuth'' was a [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] Science Heroine.

* The [[Comicbook/XMen X-Men's]] X-Club is an entire ''team'' of Science Heroes. X-Men's founder (Charles Xavier) and one of its charter members (Hank "Beast" [=McCoy=]) are two of the world's most prominent geneticists in the Marvel Universe.

%%* In the Pulp-style {{Comicbook/Incognito}}, characters are referred to as "Science heroes" and "Science criminals", although by the present day, it's mostly spies and terrorists using dead Science Hero technology.
%% * ''ComicBook/ArchieComicsSonicTheHedgehog'': There's a few of these peppered around, like Rotor, Uncle Chuck, Dr. Robotnik's Moebius counterpart, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Dr. Robotnik himself]] at one point...

* [[ComicBook/IronMan Iron Man]] became quite the TropeCodifier for being a man who fights evil with his inventions.

* ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy:''

%%* Daniel Dankovski, bachelor of medicine from ''VideoGame/{{Pathologic}}''.

* ''Videogame/LeagueOfLegends'' has heroic examples in Jayce and Heimerdinger, along with [[MadScientist Science]] [[VillainProtagonist Villains]] such as Singed and Viktor. Most of the Piltover/Zaun champions have at least a touch of this, with Ekko in the mix to show that Zaun's method can produce good guys too.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'', the Lone Wanderer's parents were the lead scientists and brains behind Project Purity, meant to cleanse the residual radiation in the tidal basin and provide mass amounts of clean drinking water to the entire Capital Wasteland. After the death of your mother in childbirth, the Project was abandoned for nineteen years until you father decided to leave Vault 101 and start it back up again.

* Jade Harley of ''WebComic/{{Homestuck}}'' is a scientist with a '[[RealityWarper dog]]', regularly uses [[ILoveNuclearPower radiation]] and, when she gets access to ItemCrafting, creates [[SmallGirlBigGun multiple large rifles]] for herself. Did we mention she's ''13'' by her introduction?

* Franchise/{{Batman}}. Yes, he's [[DarkIsNotEvil stealthy and scary]] [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower and crazy strong and skilled,]] but the reason he's the [[BadassNormal most dangerous human in the universe]] is that he's forced to use [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist scientific smarts]] to get the job done -- unlike [[{{Superman}} other superheroes]], his strength has ''limitations''. Which explains why he's defeated beings [[AGodAmI referred to as gods]] [[BatmanGambit with his wits alone.]] He can take down anyone because [[CrazyPrepared he has contingency plans for anything happening and anyone going rogue.]] He's also a GadgeteerGenius who's had a part in the design of most of his own gadgets.

* Dr. UsefulNotes/AnthonyFauci has served in various American health organizations since 1968, as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984, and for 20 years was one of the most cited scientists in the world. And he wasn't some desk jockey either. He has been on the frontlines, personally interacting with patients and researching every major international killer disease you can think of: AIDS, SARS, the 2009 swine flu pandemic, MERS, Ebola, and COVID-19 just to name a few.

---> '''Thaddeus S. Venture''': Ven-Tech? This building was my father's, it's built on my great-grandfather's building. That's the legacy! A legacy of superscience! A legacy of looking at tomorrow like it hasn't come yet and when it's heere, it'll be amazing!

---> '''Von Helping:''' But you know what saved me? The power of science. Not the kind of power ''he'' was after -- I'm talking about the power to make the world a better place, to ''help'' mankind. ''That's'' the kind of power you need if you want to escape gravity!\\
'''Dean:''' ... What's your least-super science class?\\

'''Von Helping:''' Err- botany. We'll try you on botany.

** Jonas Venture Sr. seems the ideal fulfillment of this trope -- at a distance. A closer look reveals he was not merely an AbusiveDad to Rusty, but callous and exploitative toward nearly everyone in his life. His concealed legacy makes him seem an amoral DesignatedHero at best, or a MadScientist VillainWithGoodPublicity at worst. DeliberateValuesDissonance suggests that the same deeds and qualities that make him repugnant to us make him perfect in the mid-20th century.
** Jonas "JJ" Venture Jr. is Rusty's LongLostSibling who quickly surpasses his washed-up brother. He seems to perfectly fulfill the ideal super-scientist image set by his father, but without Jonas Sr.'s worst flaws. Rusty resents his "little" brother for this success, but also admires him. [[spoiler: After JJ makes a HeroicSacrifice in the premiere of Season 6, his brother inherits the Ven-Tech company.]] This inspires Rusty to embrace his heritage in a sort of DeconReconSwitch.

** Hank and Dean, the youngest Ventures, have mixed feelings bout their heritage. Dean has an aptitude for science and, even after so many misadventures, undampened optimism that science can improve the world -- but little interest in the flambuoyant super-heroic lifestyle. Hank, in contrast, is less cerebral and has no knack for scientific study, but loves costumed heroics.
** Professor Richard Impossible, a CorruptedCharacterCopy of [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]], subverts and skewers this trope. He initially seems far more heroic and successful than Rusty but is quickly exposed as an abusive and patronizing {{Jerkass}}.