History Main / InsufferableGenius

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* ''Literature/AndreaVernonAndTheCorporationForUltraHumanProtection'': This is Inspector Well Actually's power. He has superhuman perception powers and deductive powers, but can only use them when correcting someone else. His CatchPhrase is "Well, ''actually''..." [[PowerIncontinence He can't turn this off,]] and almost destroys the world when the BigBad says there's no way he can defeat the heroes now. His girlfriend Kayla has the literal job of making leading statements so that he can correct her in a condescending tone; everyone else in the corporation agrees that she's a saint.

* ''Series/{{Monk}}'': One of the title character's {{Catch Phrase}}s is "unless I'm wrong, which I'm not," but otherwise he's not at all arrogant. Well, except when [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome on medication]].

[[noreallife]]

* Patrick becomes one of these on an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', where he becomes super smart and rejects Spongebob's childlike behavior, insults Squidward's clarinet playing, and calls Sandy an idiot. All of this is because Spongebob accidentally replaced the top of Patrick's head with [[IncrediblyLamePun brain coral]].

"No... now calculate the chances you're getting punched."\\
[[note]][[NotHelpingYourCase If you haven't figured it out it's 100%]][[/note]]]]

[[note Answer]][[NotHelpingYourCase If you haven't figured it out it's 100%]][[/note]]]]

[[note Answer]][[NotHelpingYourCase If you haven't figured it out it's 100%]][[/note Answer]]]]

[[note]][[NotHelpingYourCase If you haven't figured it out it's 100%]][[/note]]]]

"No... now calculate the chances you're getting punched."]]

* Ryuunosuke in ''LightNovel/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'' shows streaks of this after coming out from [[{{hikikomori}} being a reclusive]] GadgeteerGenius for five months: he doesn't even bother listening to the teacher's lecture and also eats [[TrademarkFavoriteFood tomatoes]] in class, which the teacher finds irritating.

* ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' shows us that Sauron was also this, before going full on MagnificentBastard. He is still very smart, even in [=LotR=]. It's just that by this point, the good guys have figured out that forcing him into a fight is the way to win.

** Diane's ex, Sumner Sloane, is an even more insufferable jerk, but without any of Diane's better qualities.
** Frasier himself veers into this on occasion, though not to anywhere near the amount he does in his spin-off. While he occasionally grumbles about the gang going to him for free psychiatric advice, Carla notes he'll pout and sulk if they didn't (Frasier's response to being told this is [[IResembleThatRemark to pout and sulk]]).

* ''Series/CombatHospital'': Has Rebecca starting out as one of these, but slowly getting CharacterDevelopment over the course of the first season to mature out of it.

*** This trope is reason why Liz Shaw, the third Doctor's first companion who is an OmnidisciplinaryScientist herself, decided to leave. As the Brigadier noted, she often remarked all the Doctor needed "is someone to pass you your test tubes, and to tell you how brilliant you are." In short, she had enough of his ego and walked. That said, after the Doctor was granted back complete control of his TARDIS, he soon mellows into the nicest and more gentlemanly of the incarnations.

* ''Series/{{ER}}'': Kerry Weaver is of the opinion that she is an outstanding emergency physician who is pretty much always right about everything. Despite having NoSocialSkills where her colleagues are concerned, she is [[JerkassHasAPoint entirely correct]] in this opinion -- it is shown more than once that she is probably the most capable emergency physician the department has, she spends most of the show as ''everybody's'' boss, and without her the ER tends to rapidly fall apart.

** One thirteen year old caller to Frasier's show (played by Creator/ElijahWood) calls about bullies picking on him for his smarts. After Frasier advises him that he'll get the last laugh later in life, the caller immediately turns into this, picking apart Frasier's advice and outright insulting him for it. Frasier then in turn takes a certain amount of vindictive glee in pointing out that the caller had now just announced to any of his bullies who might have been listening exactly where he is.

* ''Series/{{House}}'': The title character manifests his arrogance in different ways (he prefers putting others down to puff himself up), but he justifies his attitude by always being one intuitive jump ahead of the rest of the staff. It makes it very difficult to train his staff, because he'd rather cut them off at the knees than let them draw their own conclusions. (House's worst nightmare, according to "No Reason", is his subordinates solving the cases before he can.) His behavior is appropriate given the connections between House and Holmes (see Literature section above).

** Oddly (or [[TeensAreMonsters not-so-oddly]]) enough, this trope was strongly inverted in the earlier seasons, where Malcolm viewed his intelligence as something that made him a freak, and was extremely self-conscious about alienating his friends and family if he demonstrated it.

** Compare this with Hawkeye, Trapper and BJ, who use their mad surgical skills as a WeirdnessCoupon rather than boasting about them, and contrast with Frank Burns, who is [[SmallNameBigEgo just as convinced of his ability despite having none]].
* ''Series/ModernFamily'': Alex Dunphy is a smug, arrogant kid who repeatedly antagonises both her siblings and even her parents, while acting smarter than everyone. She has no friends for a reason.

* ''Series/TheMysticKnightsOfTirNaNog'': Garrett, the SixthRanger. He would tell anyone willing to listen of his supposedly great abilities (for example, the ability to calm animals by looking at them). But then, we learn he's actually ''able'' to do these things.

* ''Series/{{Pandora}}'': Jax's roommate Pilar is incredibly intelligent and can be an arrogant know-it-all at times, since she views her superiority to her peers as a simple empirical fact and doesn't get why they would be offended by the attitude.

* ''Series/{{Psych}}'': Downplayed example with Shawn Spencer. He is an insufferable detective, disrespectful to [[TheHumphrey more than few people]], who makes his best friend do all non-detective work for him, brazenly lies to the police, and solves a homicide or heinous crime every week. It's gotten to the point where [[TheLestrade the real detectives]] know he'll probably solve the case, but try to keep him away anyhow because he's ''just that annoying''. Though ''usually'', Shawn is more childish than insufferable.

** When he was introduced on ''Series/StargateSG1'', Rodney [=McKay=] -- prickly, whiny, and arrogant -- continually got shown that he was not always right. In ''Series/StargateAtlantis'', he doesn't have to worry about being upstaged since Carter, the one person possibly smarter than him, is at least two galaxies over, so his brains, and considerable courage under pressure, have been critical in saving the day so many times that his friends and the rest of the Atlantis team is willing to accommodate him. And, of course, he's always willing to brag about how he is the smartest guy in the world at the drop of a hat. In one scene, his password consisted of three birth dates: Newton's, Einstein's and ''his'', upon which Sheppard mused, "Never underestimate that man's ego."

*** Dr Julian Bashir. In the early seasons, he's considered unbearably smug by many of his colleagues boasting about beating Vulcans in tennis matches, curing planetary plagues, and almost being valedictorian. This is usually done humorously and often ends with him learning to temper himself. As a result, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, by middle seasons of the show, he's settled down and, while still retaining a brash flair, he's much more more tolerable to both his colleagues and the audience. [[spoiler:Then, in Season 5 it's revealed he was illegally genetically engineered as a child and has, in fact, been holding back his genius all this time. After that reveal, the writers once more make him an Insufferable Genius to LudicrousPrecision, ImprobableAimingSkills, InstantExpert, [[SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat New Knowledge as the Plot Demands]] and all-round MartyStu levels, and without any of the [[AnAesop aesops]] or humour of the earlier seasons. Even the ''actor'' hated this development]].

** There's Q, who in addition to being godlike has an IQ in the quadruple digit range. At the start of the series, he's also beyond insufferable, planning on wiping out "less advanced" species and examining humans like they're simple toys. He gets less insufferable in later appearances, partly from time with Captain Picard and partly from his species (who are apparently not appreciative of his behavior) briefly stripping him of his powers. Still, he always retains this.

'''Vash:''' That makes it it even worse.

* Professor Karl-Friedrich Boerne, the pathologist in the Münster ''Series/{{Tatort}}'' is not only the best there is at dissecting and analysing corpses, but also an expert on several other subjects, is fluent (though not accent-free) in English, Spanish, French and Russian, has given piano recitals and performed as a stage magician, has won prizes playing golf and showjumping, and is an expert fencer. He is also a lover and connoisseur of fine wine and classical music (which he listens to at ungodly hours and volume). And he's always ready to let you know how good he is at everything, and absolutely ''loves'' it when people have to admit that he was right all along…

* [[TokenEvilTeammate Myron]] of ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' is a brilliant teenager responsible for the creation of [[FantasticDrug Jet]], one of the most potent and addictive drugs available in the post-apocalypse. However he's more or less designed to be a HateSink as he's annoying, amoral, condescending, and has a SmallNameBigEgo.

** If you choose to betray him, either for the NCR, Legion or for yourself, he'll ask you why you did it. You can declare your allegiance to the faction of your choosing... or you could bluntly tell him, "I don't like you." After you do the deed, his obituary, entitled "A Tragedy Has Befallen All Mankind", states that he was a man of incredible vision and genius that will likely never be replaced, recognizes him as the best hope for a prosperous future, possessed incalculable knowledge of several key subjects, and generally talks about him like he's a MessianicArchetype. It all sounds like a WhatTheHellPlayer until you realize from the note at the end that ''House wrote the obituary himself''. Several characters mention reading the obituary and all dryly comment that whoever Mr. House really was, he was a guy who had a ''very'' high opinion of himself.

* Sohee in ''VideoGame/GuardianTales'' calls anyone not as smart as her (read: basically everyone) a gorilla and boasts about her intelligence regularly. Marianne (who's also a case of this but isn't nearly as insufferable as Sohee) sometimes calls Sohee as a sociopath.

** Dr. Mitch Shudlem has one of the highest Wisdom scores in the entire game, and is the second best medic. His way of speaking makes it clear he is certain that his presence is carrying the team and everyone should be grateful for his presence.

** ''Mask of the Betrayer'' follows up with Gannayev, who is very confident in his status as Rasheman's best, brightest and most beautiful spirit shaman, and will helpfully remind anyone of this fact should the opportunity arise. [[InsultBackfire Trying to knock him down a peg only encourages him]].
* ''VideoGame/NoStraightRoads'' has DJ Subatomic Supernova, a man whose life goal is to send his music out into space to played on an endless loop and an egotistical {{Jerkass}} who treats everyone else around him as though they are insignificant. He's also a former astrophysicist and university professor, and is described in an [[https://mobile.twitter.com/NoStraightRoads/status/1318135385168449537 unused briefing profile]] as the smartest member of NSR.
* ''VideoGame/TheOuterWorlds'': Celeste Jolicoeur is ''the'' pre-eminent fashion designer in the setting, and ''boy'' does she know it. That said, she is also a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, who takes her craft seriously, and is more than willing to drop everything to help a grease-spattered ugly duckling of a tramp freighter engineer find the perfect dress for a date.
* Jubilost Narthropple of ''VideoGame/PathfinderKingmaker'' is an interesting example of the trope. On the one hand he is ''very'' much an insufferable genius and never stops abrasively reminding everyone around him of how much smarter he is than them, which frequently lands him in hot water. On the other hand, he does legitimately have the skills to back up his claims, and is [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold strongly motivated]] to make life better for the same "simpletons" he constantly derides.
* Deconstructed in ''VideoGame/Persona4''. Naoto Shirogane is known as [[GreatDetective "the Detective Prince"]], considered one of the greatest investigators the world has ever seen... and boy, Naoto will ''not'' let you hear the end of it. As it turns out, [[spoiler:''she'' is desperately trying to compensate for what she views as her twin weaknesses of being both a teenager in an adult's profession and a woman in a man's world. Her attitude, as well as her (justified) conviction that Mitsuo isn't the actual killer, eventually get her thrown off the Inaba murder cases entirely, forcing her to take her life into her own hands to prove the killer is still out there. She defrosts greatly after the Investigation Team rescue her.]]

* ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'': The Consular's healing companion Tharan Cedrax certainly has his moments. Like many of the other examples, his scientific prowess and intelligence certainly do match up to his boasts. [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold He also is a surprisingly loyal and compassionate fellow when the chips are truly down]]. [[spoiler:He won Holiday's freedom from a Hutt by challenging a BountyHunter to the death ''and'' gave up eternal scientific glory to upgrade her to full sentience. Then, he was willing to tell the First son of the Emperor to get lost and release his friend Syo Bakarn, despite the First Son being a powerful Force User and Tharan being a relatively squishy {{Muggle}}]] A good way to gain affection with him is to help others, but point out how their foolishness got them into a mess in the first place.

Also contrast with GentlemanAndAScholar (whose intelligence does not prevent him from being gracious, friendly, and polite), SmallNameBigEgo (who thinks he's an Insufferable Genius but is merely Insufferable, if not an InsufferableImbecile) and AcademicAlphaBitch (who is the high school version of the Insufferable Genius and feels the need to [[ControlFreak order the school]] to her specifications). See KindheartedSimpleton which is the opposite of this trope. Compare RightlySelfRighteous if it's the character who is morally right despite how condescending they are. Compare also SmugSuper and the ArrogantKungFuGuy, whose egos come from personal strength instead of intelligence. See TallPoppySyndrome for how they're often reacted to. See MischiefFace for moments when they may be scheming.

** Tony Stark. In ''Film/IronMan1'', he is an engineering genius, billionaire, and ladies' man, he's got the ego to match. He enjoys putting the boot to his rivals and opponents, but he's usually having too much fun to be a dick to anyone else. In ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}},''he keeps it up and spends most of the non-action scenes striking a perfect balance between indispensability and insufferability. Summed up perfectly in this well-known exchange:

Also contrast with GentlemanAndAScholar (whose intelligence does not prevent him from being gracious, friendly, and polite), SmallNameBigEgo (who thinks he's an Insufferable Genius but is merely Insufferable, if not an InsufferableImbecile) and AcademicAlphaBitch (who is the high school version of the Insufferable Genius and feels the need to [[ControlFreak order the school]] to her specifications). See KindheartedSimpleton which is the opposite of this trope. Compare RightlySelfRighteous if it's the character who is morally right despite how condescending they are. Compare also SmugSuper and the ArrogantKungFuGuy, whose egos come from personal strength instead of intelligence. See TallPoppySyndrome for how they're often reacted to.

* Literature/VanManderpootz is so conceited that he thinks Einstein can be ranked as equal to or ''just below'' himself, and in the machine that allows one to see one’s ideals, when he thinks of an ideal man, he sees his own unchanged reflection and thinks Dixon forgot to start the idelisator (just for comparison: Dixon, thinking of an ideal girl, sees a vision of a famous actress with a heavy dose of AdaptationalAttractiveness and pines for days afterwards).

*** Viciously [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]] in ''The Final Problem''. [[spoiler:Moriarty counted on this to sow doubt in Scotland Yard's mind regarding Sherlock's legitimacy]].
* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'': ComicBook/LexLuthor. [[spoiler:[[SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute Major Zod]]]] also likes to remind people that the Kryptonians' intelligence is highly evolved.

* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': Seven of Nine, being a former Borg drone, has definite Insufferable Genius tendencies. She does back up her superior attitude by saving the crew's collective ass a little more frequently than she almost destroys them all, which is more than can be said for a surprising number of her crewmates.
** ''Voyager'' also gave us the Doctor ([[Series/DoctorWho not that one]]), who was programmed to be the ideal doctor, and knew it. His constant preening didn't stop him from becoming [[EnsembleDarkhorse a much-loved character]], though. In fact, it may even have helped.
** Like Seven of Nine, the Doctor had a great deal of knowledge but little social experience. It's hardly surprising they formed an OddFriendship.
** And then there's one-shot character Mortimer Harren, who boasts about his theoretical knowledge and talks down to everyone -- including TheCaptain herself.
** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' gives us Dr Julian Bashir. In the early seasons, he's considered unbearably smug by many of his colleagues boasting about beating Vulcans in tennis matches, curing planetary plagues, and almost being valedictorian. This is usually done humorously and often ends with him learning to temper himself. As a result, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, by middle seasons of the show, he's settled down and, while still retaining a brash flair, he's much more more tolerable to both his colleagues and the audience. [[spoiler:Then, in Season 5 it's revealed he was illegally genetically engineered as a child and has, in fact, been holding back his genius all this time. After that reveal, the writers once more make him an Insufferable Genius to LudicrousPrecision, ImprobableAimingSkills, InstantExpert, [[SuddenlyAlwaysKnewThat New Knowledge as the Plot Demands]] and all-round MartyStu levels, and without any of the [[AnAesop aesops]] or humour of the earlier seasons. Even the ''actor'' hated this development]].
*** [=DS9=] also gave us, in a one-off example, Professor Gideon Seyetik, whose very first appearance involved talking [[LargeHam very loudly]] about how awesome he was. Later, he turned out to be rather self-aware about his ego complex, and [[spoiler:eventually sacrificed himself to preserve his wife's health.]]
---->'''Seyetik:''' A great terraformer has the green thumb of a gardener, the eye of a painter, and the soul of a poet. And of course it doesn't hurt to be a raging egomaniac!\\

'''Seyetik:''' Of course! ''(laughs)''

--->'''Vash:''' It's over, Q, I want you out of my life. You're arrogant, you're overbearing and you think you know everything.\\
'''Q:''' [nonplussed] But I ''do'' know everything.\\