Servile Snarker

It takes a butler like Alfred to snark at the Batman. Regularly.

Bertie Wooster: Do you think I should play Minnie the Moocher for the Glossops tonight, Jeeves?
Jeeves: I could not advise it, sir. I have not heard that Sir Roderick is musical.
Bertie Wooster: Oh, but Lady Glossop is.
Jeeves: There is also that to be considered, sir.

— Jeeves and Wooster

You wouldn't like taking orders from some pompous, rich higher-up for a living, would you? Well, neither does the Servile Snarker. Often, the only way to express that resentment or question your employer's decisions is to snark at them for all it's worth—after all, what are they going to do, fire you? Some employers may genuinely enjoy the banter or actually value their valet's second opinion (even if they end up disregarding it). Some might even consider them a member of the family and know that there's genuine love behind the mocking.

The Servile Snarker is a combination of a Deadpan Snarker and The Jeeves (although the original Jeeves, as the above quote shows, can be pretty snarky). Thus, any butler, maid, slave, servant, whatever, who is heavily sarcastic to their master and/or their master's guests and yet still manages to keep their job is this trope. They are often a master of the Stealth Insult, and of Mirth to Power.

See Sassy Secretary for another variation of this character. If the servant is a robot or computer it overlaps with Silicon Snarker. Also see Sarcastic Devotee, No Hero to His Valet, Honest Advisor, Court Jester, Haughty Help, Balking Summoned Spirit, and French Maid.

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Examples:

Anime & Manga

• Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler always finds the opportunity to poke fun at his master's inability to function without his help.
• Whis from Dragon Ball Super. He is the assistant to Beerus, the resident God of Destruction. He is very sarcastic to Beerus, a person who blows planets on lesser than a whim, and gets away with it! It is more because, Whis is Beerus's teacher, as in the one stronger than him. It also works that he's not directly under Beerus, but he's under Omni-King, Supreme Ruler of the Multiverse.
• In Durarara!!, towards Izaya, it's Namie of all people. Sure, she'll take any opportunity to insult him, but that doesn't mean she doesn't do everything she's told with style, and it doesn't mean Izaya can't return the favor, either.
• Riza Hawkeye, in Fullmetal Alchemist, is Roy Mustang's adjutant. Her job duties have her mixing this up with Sassy Secretary, but whichever way you look at it, she's the only person who gets away with sassing him — sometimes full-stop yelling at him. The fact that she does get away with it is partly due to his understanding that she's completely loyal to him and only has his best interests at heart, and partly due to Ship Tease.
• Nonna, Katyusha's second-in-command from Girls und Panzer. While Katyusha has a bit of a Hair-Trigger Temper, Nonna is able to get away with correcting Katyusha, telling her to wipe her face, suggesting that she gave Oarai three hours to surrender in order to eat and take a nap, and asking if comparing her heart's size to the Siberian plain means it's also made of ice.
• Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya is snarky in general, especially towards SOS-Brigade-leader Haruhi Suzumiya, who treats him as essentially nothing more than a slave and toy for her amusement.
• In K, the Blue King gets this from both his second-in-command, Awashima, and his third, Fushimi — more so from the latter. He seems to prefer it this way since he keeps Fushimi around despite the fact that Fushimi was previously a member of the Red Clan.
• Hayasaka from Kaguya-sama: Love Is War. She has faithfully served Kaguya since they were both children and loves her like a little sister, but she isn't above tearing into her over how she acts around Shirogane.
• Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss is sarcastic in the extreme. He continues to be sarcastic to his master Nanami even after he develops a Bodyguard Crush on her.
• α (Alpha) of Lapis Re:LiGHTs is the Robot Maid of the noble half-succubus Emilia. In spite of her being so fond of her mistress she enrolled in the same prestigious school as her to continue serving her, she is constantly being brutally honest and snarky with her. This is allegedly due to a flaw in her "Linguistics Systems".
• Linith from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. She has very little respect for her creator Precia, and is not above talking back or using sarcasm even during her last words ("my never kind master, Precia"). Has a better relationship with Fate, but is not above teasing her a little over her being sleepy in her Lotus-Eater Machine dream.
• Matsurika from Maria†Holic is a particularly harsh example: she's beyond snarky with her master, she's flat-out abrasive with everyone.
• Haru Jigokumeru's butler in Ojojojo likes to make sarcastic comments at the least opportune times, but serves faithfully nonetheless.
• Usually as the punchline of a chapter, Koito, the Miko for Elda, the title character of Otaku Elf, offers up a smartass remark at her charge's latest silliness. For example, after finally getting Elda to go outside, she's asked to massage Elda's achy legs. As she does so, she remarks:
  Koito: Your legs and spirit seem awfully dead for an immortal.
• Leo from PandoraHearts is like this to his master and best friend Elliot mercilessly, although his intentions are honest (to keep Elliot from acting like a spoiled Blue Blood, essentially).
  Elliot: Who's side are you on, Leo?! Isn't a servant supposed to help his master?!
  Leo: A servant's duty is to correct his master's wrongdoing, too. But I see. You want a servant who blindly approves of his master's thinking, right? I actually wanted to do a good job. Real pity.
• Watase of Poor Poor Lips, Ren's maid who has a sarcastic remark ready for all of her mistress' antics. We later meet more of the maid staff in Ren's household, whereupon we get to see that this is a trait shared by all of them.
• The Saga of Tanya the Evil: The only person in the world Tanya will put up with talking back to her even slightly is her adjutant, Victoria Serebryakov. It's a downplayed example, as Victoria is still scared stiff of Tanya and will often shut up quickly at the first sign of anger, but she has on several occasions questioned Tanya's orders and not been punished for it, which is unique in the series. As a result, she's probably the closest thing to a friend Tanya has.

Comic Books

• Batman: Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred Pennyworth was considered as a candidate for the Trope Namer. It takes an extraordinary man to snark at someone who regularly makes others wet their pants in fear. He's also somewhat unique among examples of this trope in that his snarkiness, at heart, comes out of love for the man he snarks against. It's made abundantly clear that, despite his support, he really would rather Bruce Wayne not be Batman, and he's not shy about taking advantage of the fact that he's one of the only people who can dress Batman down and actually be listened to.
• Wong, faithful manservant and friend to Doctor Strange, is normally a straitlaced and serious character, but in the issues of The New Avengers when he's had to serve the title characters he gets very... snippy with them.
  Wong: [entering the mansion, loaded down with luggage] When I dedicated my life in service to you as Sorcerer Supreme, I remember I closed my eyes and prayed that one day I would grow up to be a second-rate Jarvis for a second-rate pile of Avengers.
• Not a servant per se, but Master I-Ching from New Super-Man is used like this in Issue #9, where he serves as a Trolling Translator for Kenan and Lex Luthor. Naturally, Hilarity Ensues.
  Kenan: Master I-Ching... you're helping me?
  I-Ching: You are my disciple. I will always be here for you.
  Kenan: Thank y—
  I-Ching: No matter how idiotic your decisions, I will be here.
  Kenan: ...Thank you.
  I-Ching: No matter how foolish, how ill-conceived, how hellishly short-sighted—
  Kenan: All right, all right! THANK YOU, Master I-Ching!
• In Plasmer, the Doorman is apparently an artificial intelligence with a holographic projection, left to guard the technology used for British doomsday weapons from previous wars. After the villains take control, he gets increasingly snarky in his “how can I help” speeches, although they don’t really listen. They should have listened.
• In Silverblade, former child star Bobby Milestone is the major domo for Jonathan Lord: the only servant looking after the aging movie star's massive estate. Milestone has a line in snark that would do Afred Pennyworth proud, and gets away with it, possibly because he knows that he is the only one who will put up with Lord's crap. Every time he threatens to quit, Lord gives him a rise.
• The incarnation of Jarvis, Tony Stark's butler, found in Ultimate Marvel is very sarcastic towards his master, unlike the traditional Earth 616 Jarvis. He's also drawn to resemble Michael Gough, the Alfred of the Burton/Schumacher movies.

Comic Strips

• The eponymous maid from Ted Key's Hazel. Later adapted as a TV sitcom starring Shirley Booth.
• Eve Sisulu, the Black maid in the South-African strip Madam & Eve, serves snark more than anything else in the Anderson house.
• Nodwick is a henchman rather than a butler, but still fits in here because he's, well, a henchman. If you were employed by two Jerkasses and a cleric who fuses naivety and stupidity into one Genre Blind package, wouldn't you fit in this trope too?

Fan Works

• In Amazing Fantasy, Aleksei cheekily ribs his boss Melissa over her love life and says she provides all the teen drama he could ever want to watch without paying the cable bill.
• Child of the Storm has JARVIS, as usual, usually to Tony. Additionally, there is the example of Uhtred, after he develops Undying Loyalty to Harry (Harry saved his life) and becomes his Sworn Sword. While this is nominally a bodyguard/warrior-retainer position, Uhtred's mainly a friend, a counsellor, and a loyal right hand. He also sometimes likes to play up the servility of his role, despite Harry finding it irritating. Harry sourly remarks that he thinks that Uhtred does this because he knows it annoys him — and all the evidence indicates that yes, this is in fact the case.
• Dobby is this to Harry in Harry Potter and the Daft Morons, usually over their competition to get to the kitchen first. Harry uses cheffing as stress relief, Dobby does it as his duty to his beloved master, leading to insults from Harry and this trope from the house elf.
• Invader Zim: A Bad Thing Never Ends: The Computer and Bob are both willing to snark to Zim's face even while reluctantly following his orders.
• Neither a Bird nor a Plane, it's Deku!:
  • The Kryptonian Educational and Life Enrichment Xenosakolouthos (or K.E.L.E.X. for short) was downloaded into Izuku's spaceship to be his personal tutor and last remaining link to Krypton. K.E.L.E.X.'s directives are dictated by logic and the most efficient courses of action, but that doesn't stop him from snarking at his charge.
    K.E.L.E.X.: [after Izuku fails to cut in a straight line with his Heat Vision] I SINCERELY HOPE THAT JOR-EL AND LARA LOR-VAN NEVER INTENDED ON YOU JOINING THE ARTIST'S GUILD.
  • Mercy is Lexi Luthor's chauffeur, bodyguard, and best friend. Despite being on the payroll of a Luthor, Mercy frequently snarks at her employer's fascination with Japanese culture.
    Lexi: [to Izuku] In the spring, I'll start managing LexCorp's Japanese branch here in Tokyo, set up shop at a fancy hotel somewhere, and spend my days living the life of a good little JK. I might even eat toast while running to school if the opportunity might arise. Mercy might do it, too.
    Mercy: I'm not running around with toast in my mouth.
    Lexi: Suit yourself.
• The New Adventures of Invader Zim: Ying is a robotic Battle Butler who is utterly loyal to his employer, Nyx. But he doesn't let that loyalty stop him from snarking at her as much as he does everyone else.
• Ash's Pokédex in Pokémon Reset Bloodlines. He even says at one point that one of his functions is to "provide helpful advice and witty commentary".
• Shizune in Son of the Sannin, unlike in canon, has no problem in sassing Tsunade. It's implied that Naruto's rebellious nature rubbed off on her.

Films — Animation

• Iago in Aladdin to his boss Jafar, the Sultan and pretty much the entire cast.
  Iago: Okay, he's cracked. Jafar! Jafar! Get a grip! Good grip.
• Downplayed with the servants in Beauty and the Beast. They're snarky towards each other, but they're very tactful towards the Beast, especially at the beginning.
• Alfred in The LEGO Batman Movie, possibly even more so than in the comics. At one point, he "accidentally" presses a button while dusting that lets Robin down into the Bat Cave — and into Batman's life.
• Zazu in The Lion King regularly snarks at or about Mufasa and his son Simba. It gets him in trouble with Scar who treats him as a court jester and makes him sing, with Zazu pressing Scar's Berserk Button by mentioning his brother's name, saying "But no I would have never have had to do this with Mufasa." Even his excuse sounds vaguely snarky: "Yes sire, you are the king, I was merely noting the difference in your royal, managerial approaches." In the stage version it gets to the point that you find yourself wondering how he's still alive by the time the curtain goes down. When Scar asks "What's wrong with this picture?" Zazu replies under his breath "You're in it." Scar goes on to say "I need bucking up" prompting Zazu to reply "You are bucked up ... royally" earning a Death Glare from Scar.
• Sir Hiss to Prince John in Robin Hood. "I knew it, I just knew this would happen, I tried to warn you but oh no, you wouldn't listen" is practically his catchphrase. He gets more abuse for it than most, however.

Films — Live-Action

• Hobson in Arthur:
  Arthur: I think I'll take a bath.
  Hobson: I'll alert the media.
  Arthur: Do you want to run my bath for me?
  Hobson: It's what I live for. [waits for Arthur to leave] Perhaps you would like me to come in there and wash your dick for you, you little shit.
• Black Narcissus: Angu Aya is the native Indian who has been a servant at the house since it was for the general's harem. Now when it's being used as a convent by some incompetent nuns, she stands by snarking at every mistake they make. Even when one of the nuns has run off and the others chase after her screaming her name in a panic, Aya mimics them.
• The Christmas That Almost Wasn't: Blossom is Prune's butler, who helps him out in his various schemes but never fails to put his own opinion forth.
• In Delusions of Grandeur, Blaze is Don Salluste's valet... but even when he isn't outright sabotaging Salluste's money-grubbing plans, he's serving him by making a few snarky quips there and there, or with lots of eye rolls when silent.
  Salluste: [in the bath] There ain't enough foam.
  Blaze: [shampooing him] Well, there ain't enough hair, either...
• Mammy from Gone with the Wind. Hattie McDaniel's performance, in particular, is thought to have inspired the characteristics of the Sassy Black Woman. Particularly when Scarlett is trying to fast before the Wilkes' barbecue, Mammy makes a sly comment about Ashley not proposing to her. An enraged Scarlett starts stuffing her face.
  Mammy: Now don't eat too fast. I don't need you to have it come back up again.
• Annie, the family maid in It's a Wonderful Life isn't afraid to speak her mind — after George has a heart-to-heart talk with his dad and tells him how great he is:
  George: [toward kitchen door] ... did ya hear that, Annie?
  Annie: [behind door] I heard it; it's about time one'a you lunkheads said it!
• Vincenzo from the Olsen Twins film, It Takes Two. However, due to his relationship with the Calloways, he does it all in good humor. Everyone knows this and seems to be willing to verbally spar with him in good fun. However, he very subtly voices his displeasure for Clarice.
• In Laughter in Paradise, Simon's butler Benson is under no illusions about what kind of man his employer is, and has a fine line in subtle putdowns. With his wages several months in arrears, he has cause for his low opinion of Simon and he ultimately decides to run a con on his boss.
• Maleficent's raven-man servant, Diaval, while being entirely loyal to her, is willing and capable of snarking back to her when she's offended him (by transforming him into a dog) or he disagrees with her actions.
• In The Man Who Changed His Mind, Clayton is The Igor to Dr. Laurience, but knowing that he could die at moment, combined with the fact that no one else will work for the eccentric Laurience, allows him to be extremely sarcastic to his employer (and everyone else).
• Marvel Cinematic Universe: Some of the same guys from the Comics section get bonus points for their movie versions. For instance, we have the A.I. version of Jarvis in Iron Man. Interestingly, in what is either Fridge Logic or Fridge Brilliance depending on how you look at it since Jarvis is an A.I. invented by Tony, Tony must have designed him that way. The Fridge Brilliance occurs if the behavior originated as confirmation responses and error checking for Jarvis' voice recognition, as most of Jarvis' snark occurs when agreeing with Tony. Tony probably added the sarcastic tone to make Jarvis sound less like an insincere yes man, then liked it so much he threw it in.
  Tony: [seeing the rendering of the Mk III armor] ... A little ostentatious, don't you think?
  Jarvis: What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet.
  Tony: Tell you what. Throw a little hot rod red in there.
  Jarvis: Yes, that should help you keep a low profile.
• Killick in Master and Commander, in SPADES. He regularly snarks the Captain "Lucky Jack" when things don't go his way. The Captain is no pushover but seems to have a secret reserve of tolerance for Killick.
• Meet Me in St. Louis: The Smith family's maid Katie comes out with a sarcastic quip every other line.
  Agnes: Katie... where's my cat? Where is she?
  Katie: I don't know... a little while ago she got in my way so I kicked her down the cellar steps. I could hear her spine hit on every step!
  Agnes: Oh! If you've killed her, I'll kill you! I'll stab you to death in your sleep and tie you to two wild horses 'til you're pulled apart!
  Katie: Oh, wouldn't that be terrible now?
• The leader of Sir Robin's minstrels in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He tries to sing about how great his master is, but it's hard to do because Robin is a coward. In the end, he becomes one of these by changing the lyrics and singing about how Robin "bravely" ran away.
• On Moonlight Bay has Stella (Mary Wickes), the Winfield family's housekeeper and cook. In her first appearance, she complains that the house the family has moved to is too big.
  Stella: I'm being paid to be a cook, not a cross-country runner.
  Mr. Winfield: Stella, bring me some hot coffee.
  Stella: Okay, but it'll be cold by the time I hike back.
• Maume Maria of Reap the Wild Wind doesn't hesitate to take a leaf out of Mammy's book of snarking — and to be fair, Loxie gives her plenty of reasons.
  Loxie: Why, Drucilla, that is a lovely shawl.
  Maume Maria: That's the only thing I ain't been asked to carry.
• Riff-Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show displays barely concealed contempt for his master throughout the film in their interactions.
• Tucker from The Ruling Class, who makes sarcastic (though not particularly witty) and derogatory comments behind his employers' backs.
• Alfons Hatler from the German crime parody Der Wixxer, though he's certainly not subtle. Has a habit of saying "Arschloch" the minute whoever he was attending to turns their back.
• Wonder Woman: While she's more subtle than most, Etta takes quite a few snarky shots at Steve and Sir Patrick.

Game Shows

• On Taskmaster, Alex may be the resident Butt-Monkey and Beleaguered Assistant to The Taskmaster, but he most certainly gets his digs in every chance he gets with a hilariously stiff upper lip:
  Alex: So we're mid-task, and this one was all about protecting the Taskmaster Candle. So called because of its short fuse. Ready for the next one?
  Greg: (Silently and angrily rips off Alex's bandana)

Literature

• In Amarathine Saga: In Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox, Argent, who unwillingly serves as a butler for a large magical estate excels at this, although he prefers non-verbal expressions of snark, such a raised eyebrows, tsk-ing sounds, and condescending tones of voice, since, as his internal narration points out, "he couldn't be held accountable for words left unsaid."
• Lynn Belvedere, in Gwen Davenport's Belvedere. Later portrayed by Clifton Webb in a series of films, and by Christopher Hewett in the TV sitcom Mr. Belvedere.
• Higgins in the Bloody Jack series sometimes resorts to sarcasm to show what he thinks of Jacky and her ways.
• Magnus in the Codex Alera is like this all the time.
  Magnus: And Your Highness expected me to listen?
• A Court of Thorns and Roses: Feyre's maid Alis constantly banters with Feyre during A Court of Thorns and Roses.
• Lewis's valet George from Darkness Visible is genuinely fond of his employer, but that doesn't stop him putting in the odd dig:
  George: Would sir like his customary black, or would he perhaps like to be adventurous and try something in a dark grey?
  
  George: Mr. Marsh is not to be foolish without your supervision. I understand, sir.
• Terry Pratchett's Discworld:
  • The Igors. "Oh no, thur. The Igorth would never think to point out their marthterth' mithtaketh. It'th in the Code."
  • Not to mention Albert, Death's manservant, sometimes does this as well. "I'm laughing like all hell deep down, sir."
• Don Quixote:
  • Deconstructed with Sancho Panza: What happens in Real Life to the employee that cannot say anything about his master without being sarcastic? Why, Sancho is beaten by Don Quixote at chapters XX and XXX of Part I, and gives him a hurricane of insults at chapter XLVI:
    Don Quixote, when he heard such blasphemies uttered against his lady Dulcinea, could not endure it, and lifting his pike, without saying anything to Sancho or uttering a word, he gave him two such thwacks that he brought him to the ground; and had it not been that Dorothea cried out to him to spare him he would have no doubt taken his life on the spot.
    "Do you think," he said to him after a pause, "you scurvy clown, that you are to be always interfering with me, and that you are to be always offending and I always pardoning? Don't fancy it, impious scoundrel,..."
  • And the only murder that is explicitly shown in this novel is the bandit who dared to snark to his leader.
    One of the squires observed in his mixture of Gascon and Catalan, "This captain of ours would make a better friar than highwayman; if he wants to be so generous another time, let it be with his own property and not ours."
    The unlucky wight did not speak so low but that Roque overheard him, and drawing his sword almost split his head in two, saying, "That is the way I punish impudent saucy fellows." They were all taken aback, and not one of them dared to utter a word, such deference did they pay him.
• Loiosh, the jhereg familiar of assassin Vlad Taltos in Steven Brust's Dragaera books. Loiosh obeys Vlad's orders and always calls him "boss", but also keeps up a constant stream of wisecracks through their telepathic link. Having raised Loiosh from a hatchling, Vlad's own Deadpan Snarker personality is largely to blame for Loiosh's attitude.
• In Dragon Bones, Axiel and Oreg snark lots. Justified in that Axiel was the valet of Ward's late father, and is much older than Ward, who, in turn, respects him a lot. When Ward and his brother Tosten fight each other with their eyes closed, to show off, Axiel reprimands them, using a foreign word. When he is asked what it means, he explains it means "stupid boys". When Oreg calls Axiel a "grumpy old dwarf" in return, Tosten reprimands Oreg for showing too little respect to his elders. Hilarious, as Oreg is Really 700 Years Old, or, possibly, even older, as he was Made a Slave by the ancestor who founded the Hurog family line, of which Ward and his siblings are descended. Both Axiel and Oreg get away with the snarking because Ward knows they're fiercely loyal to him where it counts.
• The Dresden Files: Bob the Skull does a lot of this whenever he's lecturing Harry on some obscure bit of lore, otherwise he tends toward being a shameless pervert. Notably Bob's personality shifts depending on his owner, so it's Harry's fault he's like this - though in Harry's defence, he was 16 when he first picked up Bob, and the first impression matters (which is why there's only a subtle difference when Butters, who already knew Bob as Harry's servant, owned him). Bob as owned by someone with fewer scruples and no sense of humor is utterly terrifying.
• Dean from Glen Cook's Garrett, P.I. books. All of the above traits combined with a matchmaker (trying to make sure that Garrett marries one of Dean's ugly nieces, or at least tie the knot with his girlfriend). All that in a fantasy universe whose inhabitants are divided between either one of the various snarky tropes, or pure snark targets (sometimes both at the same time).
• Girls Kingdom has several maids who get snarky with their mistresses when the opportunity presents itself:
  • Misaki, the protagonist, may get along amazingly with her Mistress, Himeko, but even she can't help but let out a few cutting remarks here and there, which Himeko is nice enough to roll with. She snarks at the state of Himeko's dorm when she first visits and offers a snarky remark after Himeko nearly falls on the train when it starts moving.
  • The Kokonoe twins are smartasses with everyone, even their own mistress, Kagura, but especially with their coworker Kirara and favorite target Misaki. Given half a chance, they will offer up some biting, snarky commentary on whatever is going on around them, including their remarks about Himeko handfeeding Misaki donuts, calling it feeding time at the zoo, every time it happens. This is one of their less bothersome traits, however, at least compared to how much they enjoy molesting Kirara and Misaki.
  • Haruka has this as part of her job description. Inaho hired her for both maid duties and her constant Boke and Tsukkomi Routine, with her the tsukkomi. This means that she needs to offer snarky remarks on cue and smack Inaho with a paper fan, on top of serving as her maid, something she is all too happy to do.
• The later Harry Potter books have Sirius Black's house-elf Kreacher — although in this case, the snark is only the tip of the iceberg of animosity as he's outright vile to all of Sirius' guests and betrays Sirius to his death in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
• Sebastian from Heidi, especially in regards to Mrs. Rottenmeier. At one instance, Heidi reminds Rottenmeier that she didn't say "please" when she asked for something. Sebastian quips in "you know, you didn't" — and Rottenmeier excuses herself to have a sudden word with the cook.
• P. G. Wodehouse's Jeeves of Jeeves and Wooster. He does enjoy working for Bertie and genuinely cares about him, but will make it known when he does not care for his master's taste in clothes or music.
• Land of Oz:
  • Kaliko, Chief Steward to the Nome King in the Oz books, is quite willing to let his monarch know when he's being an idiot. The Nome King, despite being a Bad Boss and quite willing to kill off his generals when they annoyed him, kept him alive — probably because Kaliko was also a Hypercompetent Sidekick and the King didn't want to have to replace him. (Kaliko ends up departing this trope to become the new Nome King, to the great relief of his subjects.)
  • Jellia Jamb, head of the Palace maids in the Emerald City, also displays traces of this from time to time, having a mischievous sense of humor that occasionally raises its head — most notably in the famous "translation scene" from The Marvelous Land of Oz.
• Jane Austen includes a Silent Servile Snarker in Mansfield Park:
  Baddeley: [to Fanny, whose suitor has come to discuss things with her and her uncle] Sir Thomas wishes to speak with you, ma'am, in his own room.
  Mrs. Norris: Stay, stay, Fanny! What are you about? Where are you going? Don't be in such a hurry. Depend upon it, it is not you who are wanted; depend upon it, it is me, but you are so very eager to put yourself forward. What should Sir Thomas want you for? It is me, Baddeley, you mean; I am coming this moment. You mean me, Baddeley, I am sure; Sir Thomas wants me, not Miss Price.
  Baddeley: No, ma'am, it is Miss Price; I am certain of it's being Miss Price. (and there was a half-smile with the words, which meant: "I do not think you would answer the purpose at all.")
• Katarina's Lady-In-Waiting Anne in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! doesn't hesitate to snark at her or facepalm at her antics, which is hard to resist doing because of how nutty Katarina is. Anne is secretly glad that her charge isn't just nice but also crazy and unpredictable though because it means she doesn't know how to suck up to her, leaving her free to be herself and stop considering herself a tool like she was raised to believe.
• Bazzard from The Mystery of Edwin Drood is incredibly snarky and rude at all times. His employer is such a nice guy that he lets him get away with it since he feels that Bazzard's going through a lot of trouble just working for him.
• Archie Goodwin, Nero Wolfe's legman, bodyguard and general assistant, spends most of his time making sarcastic digs at his boss. In a variation, this is actually what he's hired for since Wolfe would just stagnate and refuse to do anything at all unless he had Archie prodding him on.
• The Supervillainy Saga:
  • Cloak can only barely hide his exasperation and affectionate contempt for the Bunny-Ears Lawyer and Card-Carrying Villain star of the series. The fact he's the ghost of an Expy of Batman makes it even funnier.
  • Later, Diabloman takes over this role from Cloak and, to an extent, Agent G and Jane Doe who end up employees of Merciless despite being the heroes of their own books.
• Allik Neverfar in Wax and Wayne is required by his religion to honor Metalborn (the setting's magic users) as Pieces of God. Whether he's happy with this or not, he's not above sarcastically telling the Metalborn Wax that he will believe his word to be true, even if it means blatantly denying reality in front of him, or calling him a genius for a suggestion that Allik would have done if it were possible (his Translator Microbes don't work at the same time as his lifesaving heating device, and he can't give the translator to the others and use the heating device himself).

Live-Action TV

• Several junior characters get this in on their superiors on Babylon 5, to varying degrees of subtlety:
  • Ivanova would snark often at Sheridan, usually with just enough subtlety to be on her way out the door before Sheridan could retort. In this case, the two officers had a healthy rapport from years of working together previously on Mars.
    Ivanova: Good luck, Captain. I think you're about to go where... everyone has gone before.
  • In turn, Ivanova has Lt. Corwin's dry wit to deal with:
    Ivanova: If I live through this job... without completely losing my mind, it'll be a miracle of biblical proportions.
    Corwin: Well, there goes my faith in the almighty!
  • And Londo Mollari gets one in on Emperor Cartagia, who he met twice previously, as a drooling infant and as a teenager trying to peek up girls' skirts:
    Cartagia: Ah, Mollari. It's wonderful to see you again.
    Londo: And you, Majesty. I could swear you have not changed since the last few times I saw you.
    Cartagia: Oh, you are of course too generous.
• Edmund Blackadder from Blackadder the Third is made of this trope.
  Prince George: What can I do with a girl that I can't do with you, eh?
  Blackadder: I cannot conceive, sir.
• Laura from The Brittas Empire is the Hypercompetent Sidekick of Gordon Brittas, a phenomenal case of the Pointy-Haired Boss. Unlike most of the staff, she actually likes Gordon, but she still needs to dish out some serious snark to cope with working for him.
• Zoila from Devious Maids, especially since her employer, Genevieve, is a high-maintenance and co-dependent Drama Queen. Genevieve usually misses the point, anyway.
• Doctor Who:
  • Jenny Flint can be pretty snarky towards Madame Vastra... which makes a lot of sense, since she's actually married to her and only playing the maid role because they live in Victorian London.
  • K9 frequently managed to be incredibly snarky despite being a supposedly monotone robot dog, such as in this exchange from The Invasion of Time.
    The Doctor: You are the most insufferably arrogant, overbearing, patronising bean tin.
    K9: Master?
    The Doctor: Nothing. Someone once said that to me, once.
    K9: Correction, master. Several people have said that about you.
    The Doctor: Thank you. Thank you very much.
    K9: Thanks are not necessary.
    The Doctor: Well at least no one's ever called me smug!
    K9: Correction.
• Farscape:
  • Lieutenant, later Captain, Miklo Braca sometimes functions as this for Scorpius and Grayza. Of course, with Grayza, in particular, it's wise to be heavier on the servile than the snark, but he lets it out full-strength in one wonderful speech at the end of the "We're So Screwed" trilogy...
  • Also, Pilot. It's the only way the poor guy stays sane. He's sworn to obey any order that doesn't put Moya in harm's way, but that doesn't mean he can't make fun of those giving the orders if they're particularly stupid or pissing him off.
• Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, who was this trope's original title.
  Uncle Phil: Geoffrey, go fetch my tools.
  Geoffrey: You mean your knife and fork?
  • For the most part, Uncle Phil tolerates Geoffrey making fun of his girth... as long as he's creative about it.
• Game of Thrones:
  • Bronn is not afraid to speak his mind to Tyrion, which is one reason Tyrion keeps him around since he knows Bronn will tell him the truth.
    Tyrion: Stannis has more infantry, more ships, more horses. What do we have?
    Bronn: There's that mind of yours you keep going on about.
    Tyrion: Well, I've never actually been able to kill people with it.
    Bronn: Good thing. I'd be out of a job.
  • Likewise, when Tyrion first goes to work with Daenerys he is not afraid to speak his mind to her. At first she listens to him and is receptive to changing her plans if he thinks a plan won't work, and even names Tyrion as her hand. This changes as she loses her grip on her sanity in the seventh season.
• Hogan's Heroes: In one episode, as Klink talks about the symbolic meaning of "The Flight of the Valkyries", Helga says, "As a warrior, you must feel it deeply," with a very insincere look on her face. Klink is facing away from her, so he doesn't pick up on the sarcasm.
• Jeeves of Jeeves and Wooster, even more so than in the original stories. Lampshaded by Bertie:
  Bertie: Jeeves, I'm sure that nothing is further from your mind, but d'you know you have a way of saying, "Indeed, sir," which gives the impression that it's only a feudal sense of what is fitting which prevents you from substituting the words, "Says you!"
• Florence Johnston from The Jeffersons. She's the Jeffersons' live-in housekeeper whose quips and insults became famous, especially against her employer, George.
• Season 3 of Jessica Jones (2015) briefly includes a secretary for Alias Investigations named Gillian, who responds to every request with a complaint or a sarcastic comment.
• Bertram in Jessie, who usually responds to any misadventures the kids and the title character have (or anything, really) with snarky commentary.
• Angharad the maid is one for King Arthur in Kaamelott. She doesn't hesitate to snark and talk back to Guenièvre, the knights or even Arthur himself and is quick to point out the absurdity of their actions.
• The title character from Merlin (2008) has this in spades. He and Arthur have a very Vitriolic Best Buds relationship to say the least. It's shown that after a while, Arthur actually comes to (mostly) appreciate someone who won't be a Yes-Man, but will always give him thoughtful, non-obsequious advice. As with Alfred in the Batman mythos, it's clear that they are much more than master and servant (YMMV on whether it's Slap-Slap-Kiss or Heterosexual Life-Partners).
  Merlin: How long have you been training to be a prat?
  Arthur: You can't address me like that.
  Merlin: I'm sorry. How long have you been training to be a prat... my lord?
• Niles from The Nanny, especially around (or regarding) C.C. Babcock. While he's Maxwell's butler, he gets all the amazingly incisive and sarcastic lines.
  Maxwell: Where the devil is C.C.?
  Niles: Well, it is raining outside sir, perhaps she melted.
• Holly, the ship's computer, is like this in early episodes of Red Dwarf, when he's more servile and less of a full-fledged crew member.
  Lister: [after discovering his actions gave rise to the Cat's religion] Holly!
  Holly: Yes, God?
• Rome:
  • Posca, Julius Caesar's personal secretary/slave. Posca is property — he can be killed for speaking out of turn — but he owns everybody. When Caesar dies, everyone else politics. Posca weeps.
    Mark Antony: Cheer up, Posca, you're not dead yet.
    Posca: I sincerely hope not, because if this is the afterlife it is very disappointing!
  • Cleopatra's maid has some aspects of this as well, chewing her mistress out for smoking opium and other bad habits, even though the queen beats her for her sass and can certainly have her killed at a whim. When Cleopatra commits suicide she follows suit, and not just because it's expected of her.
• Benson from Soap. When he got a spinoff show of his own he started out as one of these before climbing his way up to the lieutenant governor position (while still maintaining his snarkiness). Later butler Saunders, while having a more formal personality, was just as snarky as Benson.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Mila, Enabran Tain's aide. At one point, she is secretly hiding the rebelling leader of Cardassia, one of the most dangerous spymasters in the Alpha Quadrant and one of the best Bajoran terrorist-turned-colonels. It doesn't stop her from putting them all in their place when they need it and if they need a snarky kick up the rear end, she's there to provide one.
• Taboo:
  • Brace does what he's told, but he reserves the right to snark while he's at it.
  • This exchange between Coop and one of the Prince Regent's footmen:
    Coop: How is he this morning?
    Footman: Toe and arse this morning, sir.
    Coop: Oh, God. I know about his toe. What happened to his arse?
    Footman: One can only imagine.
• Ianto from Torchwood.
  Jack: It's just a mind probe.
  Ianto: Remember what happened last time you used it?
  Jack: That was different. And that species has extremely high blood pressure.
  Ianto: Oh, right, their heads must explode all the time.
• Two and a Half Men has Berta (Conchata Ferrell), the housekeeper.
  Charlie: I don't pay you to mock me.
  Berta: Charlie, you'd have to pay me not to.
  
  Berta: [to Evelyn, who has just gotten her lips plumped] Man, the last time I saw a mouth like that, it was trying to eat Jacques Cousteau.
• Charlie Young, personal aide to the President, on The West Wing. Actually... make that the entire West Wing staff. But especially Donna, who snarks it up practically every moment she has onscreen (which, thanks to Janel Maloney's rather lovely chemistry with Bradley Whitford, is quite a few).
• WKRP in Cincinnati had Hirsch, Mrs. Carlson's butler. She rings for him and he shows up in mere seconds:
  Mrs. C: Well? Where have you been?
  Hirsch: Mardi Gras, ma'am.
• Sir Humphrey Appleby of Yes, Minister is the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Administrative Affairs, and later Cabinet Secretary, and never misses an opportunity to subtly mock his political masters while insisting he is only there to serve them. As such a senior civil servant, he can get away with this level of snark even when it is caught.
  Humphrey: I am merely a humble civil servant. It's my job to carry out government policy.
  Hacker: Even if you think it's wrong?
  Humphrey: Well, practically all government policy is wrong. But frightfully well carried out.
  
  Hacker: Humphrey! Do you see it as part of your job to help ministers make fools of themselves?
  Humphrey: Well, I've never met one who needed any help.

Podcasts

• Jenkins of The Adventure Zone: Balance is a faithful employee of the Rockport Limited with an incredibly dry, acerbic wit. He seems pretty genuinely eager to help his passengers and passionate about "life on the rails" at first, but Tres Horny Boys' relentless jeering and idiocy gradually breaks his spirit and saps his enthusiasm.
  Merle: How do we summon you, Jenkins?
  Jenkins: Well, the train has four goddamn cars on it, so just open all the doors and yell.

Radio

• Ectoplasm (2000): Theremin is one, in his more polite moments. The rest of the time he's outright abusive.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1978): Marvin the Paranoid Android can be this sometimes, in his cynical and depressed way.
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue: Humphrey Lyttelton has twice played a butler in specials: the Laird's butler in Hamish and Dougal's Hogmanay Folic and Barry Cryer's butler in In Search of Mornington Crescent. In both, he continued to be Humphrey Lyttelton.
• The Jack Benny Program: Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, as valet to Jack Benny, (also on television, movies, and cartoons), was quick with a comeback to Benny's own deadpan snark.

Theatre

• Nicola from George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, although very fawning around his master, has no small amount of wit and sarcasm to fling around otherwise.
• The original Zanni (especially Colombina who was usually the only sensible person on stage) from Commedia dell'Arte, who made a regular habit of popping their masters' egos with panache.
• Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte seemed to like this archetype, Leporello in Don Giovanni and Despina in Così Fan Tutte are the standard supporting-role variety, while Figaro and Susanna in Le Nozze Di Figaro are rare examples of Servile Snarker protagonists.
• Almost all the servants in Molière's comedies are like this, heavily snarky and sassy to their rich and stupid or naive employers. Which makes it a sad thing when one modern translation of Don Juan adds a line not found in the original text, the inclusion of which makes it impossible to play the servant Sganarelle as anything but a buffoon.
• Liza from Peter Pan. She doesn't necessarily start out like this, but once Mr. Darling starts living in a dog kennel and riding it to work, well...
• Trope is Older Than They Think: the smart and snarky servant was a Roman stock character.
  • The Roman Playwright Plautus created the Ur-Example with the title character in Pseudolus, though he is somewhat different in that he actually chooses the life of a slave, feeling that it (paradoxically) gives him more freedom.
  • Pseudolus also appears in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Video Games

• Alfred, of course. For example, this little gem from the Batman Begins video game:
  Batman: Alfred, I need a way inside the asylum.
  Alfred: Might I suggest donning a pair of tights and pretending you're a bat, sir?
  Batman: Cute.
• BlazBlue brings us Hibiki Kohaku, who simply LOVES taking shots at his master Kagura Mutsuki. Then again, given his abilities, it only makes sense that he has a tendency to throw some shade.
• Kaliban of Crying Suns can be quite snide at times, commenting on the player’s tendency to ask lots of questions and making the occasional remark when you start a new run after a death.
  Idaho: I am ready, machine.
  Kaliban: That's what you said last time.
• The butler in Discworld Noir. Although his snark is directed at Lewton, not his employer. (He doesn't actually have any scenes with his employer.) He's a lot less polite about it as a result. He'd raise obstruction to an art form if not for the fact that you have business with both his bosses, neither of whom appreciate being kept waiting.
• In Disgaea 4, while Fenrich may be obsessively loyal to his master Valvatorez, he isn't afraid to admit that he can at times be a total moron, and usually expresses these opinions through underhanded compliments.
• The Elder Scrolls:
  • Haskill from The Shivering Isles Expansion Pack for Oblivion is the Chamberlain of Sheogorath (the Daedric Prince of Madness) and a Deadpan Snarker without peer. Partway through the questline, you get the ability to summon him for sass (and questline advice) on demand. He'll even snark at you while giving you Sheogorath's shrine quest if you decide to do it after you've become Sheogorath, lampshading how you're praying to yourself like a loony so that you may set a divenely ordained quest for yourself and then reward yourself upon its completion with an artifact that is already yours.
  • Skyrim: Lydia the Housecarl is sworn to carry your burdens...but not to be polite about it. Though technically at first, that was the only snark she would deliver to you in the original game (granted, being said from opening her inventory that players are bound to do a bunch with followers made it so certain players would hear that a lot). The Dragonborn DLC upped the ante for snark degree among her lines.
• Aschen of Endless Frontier is Haken's android servant and seems to consider it her duty to act as The Foil to his Lovable Sex Maniac personality. She sometimes fuels his jokes, sometimes insults them, but it's always with a Deadpan Snarker attitude. Of course, he considers her more like a sidekick than a servant, and has no problem with calling her "sister".
• Fable III:
  • Jasper; bonus for being voiced by John Cleese.
  • And another with Hobson, who is certainly a Shout-Out to John Gielgud's character from Arthur (1981).
• Fallout: New Vegas has Yes Man, an AI who is programmed to be incapable of disobeying anyone and is instrumental to the Wild Card mission path where you take over Vegas for yourself. In said path, no matter your actions, Yes Man cannot disobey you and will be forced to proceed with the plan. This includes blowing up the Hidden Securitron Bunker, which is absolutely vital to the plan or if you elect not to deal with certain potentially troublesome factions. However, Yes Man is capable of pointing out the problems of your actions in an intensely passive-aggressive manner and will note that you sure are brave trying to conquer Vegas with no standing army whatsoever.
  Yes Man: This is going to be great! I'm going to help you accomplish so much, whether I want to or not!
• Cherche is both this and a Ninja Maid to Virion in Fire Emblem: Awakening. And she can actually marry him, if the player so desires.
• Ozvaldo von Hrafnavines from Genshin Impact is a raven familiar who is staunchly loyal to Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, and is willing to go along with her antics, even acting as her Translator Buddy by simplifying her quasi-Elizabethan speech. This, however, does not mean he hesitates to sass back at her every now and then to keep her chuuni at bay. For example, when it snows, this exchange happens...
  Fischl: A wonderful sight indeed. Why, it reminds me of my home world, where at the sight of the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, the very blood and tears of sinners turn to ice! ...Achoo! Atchoo!
  Oz: Not only their blood and tears, but also their saliva and mucus, mein Fräulein.
  Fischl: Oz...! Ahh—choo!!
• Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy:
  • Whim; she is often punished for the remarks, though.
  • Raze and Yun share the same traits but are smart enough to keep it to themselves.
• Joker in Mass Effect, especially in Mass Effect 2. Every time you finish an important mission (recruitment or loyalty), he will comment on it.
  Joker: Good work reforming those geth, Commander. That will never come back to bite us in the ass.
  
  Joker: Glad we figured out Jack is crazy. Because that was really up in the air, just hanging there.
  
  Joker: Thane seems like the strong, sensitive, murdering type. You know those are always great to have around. A real cuddler.
• Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal has Dr. Nefarious' dry-witted manservant Lawrence.
  Lawrence: You put the "wit" in "twit", sir.
  Dr. Nefarious: Yes, I do, don't I...
  
  Lawrence: Even drooling imbeciles can achieve success in certain fields, sir. Mad Science, for example.
  
  Dr. Nefarious: That moron [Captain Quark] could never hope to match wits with the likes of me!
  Lawrence: If anyone can beat a moron at his own game, it's you, sir.
• In the recent Sonic the Hedgehog games, Dr. Eggman got himself Orbot. In his first appearance, Orbot snarked at Eggman to no end, but recently, he still snarked at him, but it was toned down a bit.
• In Tales from the Borderlands, Loader Bot is quite prone to this, especially if you made him self-destruct in Episode 1. While he's always there to save your hide from the bad guys, he'll usually snark about your incompetence if he doesn't shun you. Hell, even when you're on good terms with him, he starts delving into this later on!
  Loader Bot: [having just pried a door open out of Helios' thruster room] We really should stop meeting like this.
  Rhys: I am SO happy to see you, buddy!
  Loader Bot: You are very needy.
• In XCOM 2's DLC "Shen's Last Gift", the evil AI Julian can be reprogrammed to serve XCOM in a SPARK unit, forcing him to serve XCOM while preserving all of his snark.

Visual Novels

• In Mystic Messenger, Jaehee Kang is the Beleaguered Assistant to Jumin Han, who is in line to become the CEO of his father's mega-corporation. Jumin relies on and trusts Jaehee immensely, and not just because she's amazing at her job and taking care of whatever he asks of her (including watching his cat while he's away) but because he values the fact that she's willing to say what she thinks of him (although she's always relatively polite about it). He doesn't mind when she says that his enthusiasm for his business ventures related to his cat can be outlandish, or that he has a hard time relating to others—he's been surrounded by people who have never disagreed with or challenged him his whole life, and because of it, he greatly appreciates those who are honest with him.
• Nasuverse:
  • Fate/stay night: Archer. Constant snarky sniping with Tohsaka mixed with genuine and sarcastic praise.
  • An argument could be made for Kohaku and her mistress Akiha from fellow storyline Tsukihime.
• Umineko: When They Cry: Beatrice's butler Ronove keeps his job because he keeps his mistress from getting bored.

Webcomics

• Admiral Piett is this for Darth Vader in Darths & Droids, which is a feat given Vader's usual reaction to failure and disrespect.
  Vader: Your competence and your impertinence continue to maintain an unsteady equilibrium.
• Drowtales:
  • Liriel can get away with some pretty daring things.
  • To a lesser extent, Chrys' "protector twin", Shinae, as seen here.
• Belvidier from Evon, Alfred to Hero's Batman and kicker of ass, when the need arises.
• Mr Kornada's robotic assistant Clippy in Freefall isn't above sarcastically commenting on his master's profoundly limited intelligence.
  Kornada: I shall play dumb and run him out of time.
  Clippy: A part I'm sure you shall play excellently, sir.
• Ardsley Wooster, Gil's manservant in Girl Genius, isn't above a well-timed eye roll or directing the girl his master's trying to impress to one of master's "favorite novels" in the library. Slight subversion, as Wooster isn't really a manservant but a spy, and Gil, unbeknownst to him, is fully aware of this.
• Impure Blood:
  • Elnor can be this, to Caspian.
  • And Dara positively encourages it in Roan.
• Erwin in Irregular Webcomic! serves in the German Army under Nazi Colonel Haken, yet often makes snarky comments about Nazi policies.
• Corrick of Plume snarks as a way to deal with his often obnoxious and unfriendly protectorates. He ramps it up after Dom becomes his new charge.
• Rebirth: Li may have Undying Loyalty towards Noah, but she still reprimands and snarks at him from time to time, especially considering his awkwardness towards Neo and his past treatment of him, even casually telling him it wasn't his first time forgetting his son's birthday.

Web Videos

• Lizzie Mae, the titular slave from the web series Ask a Slave. In the series, modern-day Americans ask her questions, and she answers them in a snarky, often sarcastic manner. The series was based on creator Azie Mira Dungey's experiences working at Mount Vernon portraying one of George Washington's slaves, and all the questions asked are based on actual questions tourists asked her.
• Roland, Kaiba's right-hand man, is generally in the background of Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series. He still gets in one good shot in "A Grand Day In": when Kaiba asks Roland what he should name his tournament, specifying that he wants something "that has the Kaiba brothers written all over it," Roland suggests the Grand Prix. Pronounced with the x.

Western Animation

• Shackleford from The Critic. At times, he goes from snarky to outright resentful of the Sherman family, but especially to Jay, who he always reminds was adopted.
• DC Comics Animated: Alfred is just as snarky in animation as he is in the comics.
  • Batman: The Animated Series:
    • In the April Fools' Plot episode "The Last Laugh", Bruce is in a Modesty Towel walking to the bathroom, eager for the bath Alfred "draw" for him. But he finds the bathtub empty and Alfred proceeds to give Bruce an actual literal drawing of a bath as a prank. Bruce is not amused.
    • The "Beware the Creeper" episode, where Alfred gives this gem:
      Alfred: Sir, something you may find interesting.
      Batman: Go ahead, Alfred.
      Alfred: The police just received a call about a giggling lemon-yellow maniac trashing a thrift-shop, but here's the strange part: he paid for his purchase with Jack Rider's credit card.
  • Batman: Mask of the Phantasm:
    Alfred: Why, you're the very model of sanity. Oh, by the way, I pressed your tights and put away your exploding gas balls.
    Bruce: [smirks] Thank you, Alfred.
  • He has some gems in Justice League as well.
    • When the team leaves Wayne Manor after defeating some Hawkmen, leaving one out front, and Alfred walks up:
      Alfred: I've asked Master Bruce to refrain from leaving trash in the yard...
    • When Wally West takes a tour of the Bat Cave:
      Wally: Hey, that's a giant dinosaur!
      Alfred: And I thought Batman was the detective.
  • The movie Justice League: Doom features quite possibly the snarkiest incarnation of Alfred yet:
    Alfred: I made you chicken soup. You can eat while you brood, and I'll put in your stitches myself. It will be delightful, I'm sure.
    Alfred: By the way, Master Bruce? That was sarcasm.
  • In Son of Batman, Alfred maintains his posture and dry sense of humor when dealing with Damien, who is much less tolerant of backtalk from a servant.
    Damien: Watch yourself, Pennyworth. I'm not so young that I don't understand sarcasm.
    Alfred: ... While I am much too old to care.
• DuckTales:
  • Scrooge's butler Duckworth on the first DuckTales:
    Scrooge: I've been slimed by the Blob!
    Duckworth: There's a first time for everything, sir.
  • Mrs. Beakley with Scrooge in the 2017 DuckTales. In the first episode, she flat-out says that he's only going back to adventuring because a couple of children insulted him.
• Norm the Genie from The Fairly OddParents!. After Crocker spazzed while holding his chocolate shake, he said:
  Norm: That's how I like my shakes. Spazzed, not stirred.
• My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic:
  • Spike often veers into this when having to deal with Twilight Sparkle, on top of his usual snarkiness.
  • According to "Hearth's Warming Eve", Smart Cookie and Clover the Clever were this to Chancellor Puddinghead and Princess Platinum, respectively.
  • Angel also veers into this when his owner gets into a situation that might require a backbone.
• Maurice from The Penguins of Madagascar, but anyone would if they're right-hand man to someone like Julien.
• Norm from Phineas and Ferb. The episode "Nerdy Dancin'" gives us this (the look on Perry's face when he heard those words is priceless):
  Norm: Well next time you can do all the cooking, and I'll stand around coming up with Evil Plans that ultimately fail!
  Dr. Doofenshmirtz: [after an awkward silence] Wow. Cuttin' deep, man.
• Spider-Man: The Animated Series: Mad scienstist Alistaire Smythe finds himself in the employ of the crime boss the Kingpin. For a good portion of the series he is the person who interacts with Kingpin the most, and he often snarks at everything around him. On a few ocassions, Smythe oversteps and Kingpin threatens him as a reminder of who is in charge.
• Total Drama Pahkitew Island: After declaring her his "sidekick", Scarlett becomes this to Max. Justified in that she's clearly far more intelligent and competent than he is.
• Evangelyne from Wakfu is technically Princess Amalia's lady-in-waiting and bodyguard, but in truth, they've grown together and are very much like a pair of sisters. As such, the older Eva rarely has qualms against putting down the little spoiled princess.
  Amalia: Pay for this? Just ask the chamberlain.
  Evangelyne: You mean, the chamberlain of the kingdom that's some ten thousand leagues from here? No problem. I'll go, I'll explain how you ran away, and I'll be back in two months with the royal guards.

Real Life

• Jourdon Anderson, a former slave, dictated this letter to his former master. Although arguably that was a subversion — the letter was to show his master that the two men were equals. Presumably, he didn't talk like that to his master when he was a slave.
• This was (believed to be, anyway) one of the roles of the infamous court jester. True, they would come out, prance around, maybe do some juggling or tell a joke to keep the nobility entertained during meals and such, but they were often about the only people in the kingdom/fiefdom/whateverdom that could get away with lambasting the one sitting on the throne. In a court full of yes-men, the one in the garish costume cracking jokes about the state of the economy, political matters, and well-known-secret scandals could safely be the Only Sane Man because, well, he was a fool, so long as he knew where to draw the line. And the ones he was joking about had a better sense of humor than temper.
  • By one account, King Phillip VI's jester was the only person who dared to tell him that the French had lost the naval battle of Sluys in 1340. He exclaimed "Oh, the cowardly English, the cowardly English!" and when asked why he replied, "They did not jump overboard like our brave Frenchmen!"
• Napoleon's elite personal bodyguards were nicknamed "Les Grognards" (the "Whiners" or "Grunters") because they were the only men who could freely complain and argue over the state of affairs within earshot of the Emperor of the French.
• Siri, the iPhone 4S's speech recognition software, has literally hundreds of easter eggs, including some rather humorous responses to certain requests. According to this article, Siri was actually designed to be a bit sharp — "friendly and humble, but also with an edge" — for a more personable reaction.
• Athenians tolerated backchat from slaves, something which perplexed foreign visitors.

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