History BadassBookworm / TheDCU

** Plenty of Batman's RoguesGallery also count. Some notable ones are Poison Ivy, an expert botanist and one of Batman's most powerful foes, Bane, who [[PrisonsAreGymnasiums grew up in prison and gained the strength and intelligence to match the Bat]] and managed to figure out his SecretIdentity, Scarecrow, a master psychologist who created his own PsychoSerum and a unique fighting style, and Ra's Al Ghul, who's lived for centuries, and he puts all of this experience to good use leading the League of Assassins and fighting Batman, having also found out his respected foe's identity.

** Plenty of Batman's RoguesGallery also count. Some notable ones are Poison Ivy, an expert botanist and one of Batman's most powerful foes, Bane, who [[PrisonsAreGymnasiums grew up in prison and gained the strength and intelligence to match the Bat]] and managed to figure out the Bat's SecretIdentity, Scarecrow, a master psychologist who created his own PsychoSerum and a unique fighting style, and Ra's Al Ghul, who's lived for centuries, and he puts all of this experience to good use leading the League of Assassins and fighting Batman, having also found out his respected foe's identity.

* Plenty of Batman's RoguesGallery also count. Some notables one are Poison Ivy, an expert botanist and one of Batman's most powerful foes, Bane, who [[PrisonsAreGymnasiums grew up in prison and gained strength and intelligence]] and managed to figure out the Bat's SecretIdentity, Scarecrow, a master psychologist who created his own PsychoSerum and a unique fighting style, and Ra's Al Ghul, who's lived for centuries, and he puts all of this experience to good use leading the League of Assassins and fighting Batman, having also found out his respected foe's identity.

* Barry Allen, the titular character of ''Series/TheFlash2014,'' is the Fastest Man Alive and, after a few seasons of CharacterDevelopment and becoming StrongAndSkilled, undoubtedly the most dangerous superhero on Earth-1. He's also something of a ScienceHero and a nerd.

* Lucien, the librarian of the world of dreams from ''ComicBook/TheSandman''. When [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Dream]] is indisposed and the Furies begin ripping apart the Dreaming, some of Dream's more dangerous prisoners escape their captivity and try to wreak havoc. A few try to do so in the library, but those who ''tried'' didn't take Lucien into account.

** ComicBook/{{Bane}} is a good villain example. In prison, he spent nearly all his time reading tons of books, learned six languages and educated. All while training himself.

** Barbara Gordon is one. Even as ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl}},'' she is a bookworm, physically unimposing and underestimated and a literal librarian in her secret identity. As ComicBook/{{Oracle}}, [[HandicappedBadass she's in a wheelchair and still capable of kicking the ass of various muggers, five Men In Black and the elite secret agent Spysmasher on different occasions]], in addition to being a master strategist with a photographic memory, founder and leader of a [[ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey superhero team]]. unmatched computer skills and genius-level intellect.

** Barbara's villain counterpart, The Calculator, was rebooted as one of these. He is even able to outwit ''Batman himself'' as a knowledge broker.
** Tim Drake, third [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]] and third ComicBook/RedRobin. He devotes his free time to developing electronic gadgets and new chemical compounds for crime-fighting purposes, when he's not actively trying to [[spoiler: clone his dead friends back to life]]. He's been established as being way less agile than [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]], and [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cass Cain]] can wipe the floor with him (the single time he managed to beat her was an extreme case of her FightingFromTheInside), but he's still pretty awesome and can beat Killer Croc ''while having the flu''.
** Jason Todd, ComicBook/{{Robin}} II/Red Robin II[=/=]ComicBook/RedHood II, was unquestionably the [[ReadingIsCoolAesop biggest bibliophile]] out of Bruce's children and [[HighSchoolRocks loved school]]. Even when he was [[StreetUrchin eking out a living on his own in Crime Alley]] he kept a collection of books, and he was star struck by the library at Wayne Manor. This element of his character was lost in his [[DependingOnTheWriter incredibly inconstant]] appearances as Red Hood, but had it not he probably would have been rather offended to realize Tim dropped out of school when Jason was never able to graduate due to dying.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** While it isn't what she's most [[GagBoobs (in)famous for]], ComicBook/PowerGirl is a great scientist, having been taught to understand data and figures very well thanks to an A.I she was raised by. She even founded her own research and development company, Starware Industries.
** ''Comicbook/{{Supergirl}}'': Supergirl's different Secret Identities (pre-Crisis Linda Lee, post-Crisis Linda Lang, ''[[Comicbook/SupergirlRebirth Rebirth]]'' Kara Danvers) always look like a glass-wearing, small, physically unimposing, highly smart nerdy girl... who can lift millions of tons with ease.
** A certain mild-mannered reporter named [[{{Superman}} Clark Kent]] can be quite safely stated to be one of the biggest Badass Bookworms of them all.

** Brainiac. He's a skinny guy who [[BadassTeacher masquerades as a History Prof]]. He's also a RoboticPsychopath out to [[KillAllHumans wipe out the human race]] and can go mano-a-mano with Franchise/{{Superman}}.

!!Franchise/TheDCU

* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'': Although the second Nite Owl isn't as tough or smart as [[GeniusBruiser Ozymandius]], he's still a caped crimefighter with enough technical wizardry to build his own crimefighting weapons. He doesn't look threatening and is effectively a comic book geek living out a childhood fantasy.