History Main / ProperlyParanoid

->''Everyone's always told me that I'm paranoid and need to calm down, but guess what? I'm ''alive'', and everyone who told that to me is ''dead''! I have the US military spraypainting my name on the walls, setting laser trip mines, and firing ''a fucking missile launcher'' at me, and people have the gall to call ME paranoid!''

-->-- ''Old Saying''

* ''{{Batman}}'': A classic example is in the ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'' episode "Panic in the Sky" where all the top-tier members of the League turn themselves in as a show of good faith, after it appears that the Watchtower's binary fusion cannon has accidentally fired. They all think Batman's crazy for insisting he can find evidence of Lex Luthor's involvement... ha ha h-- '''[[MemeticMutation WRONG]]'''.
** Likewise, the Question. His crackpot theories seem a lot less crazy when you realize that he was right about Supergirl's disturbing dreams, Luthor triggering the apocalypse, ''and'' [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Baskin-Robbins' 32nd flavor]].

->''"Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face."''

->''"Everyone's always told me that I'm paranoid and need to calm down, but guess what? I'm ''alive'', and everyone who told that to me is ''dead''! I have the US military spraypainting my name on the walls, setting laser trip mines, and firing ''a fucking missile launcher'' at me, and people have the gall to call ME paranoid!"''

->''"You know, the lesson here might be that fear and paranoia is a bad thing, except that's what saved us"''

--->'''Warp Darkmatter''': What plot?! You think Zurg is behind every kitten stuck up a tree!
--->'''Buzz''': The fiend! Why can't he leave kitty cats out of his nefarious schemes?

--->'''Ron''': Oh, am I the only one who ''SAW THIS COMING?!''

** The witches are said to fix "monster under my bed" fears of children not by assuring there are no monsters but by giving a big stick to clobber monsters in case they attack. It gets one to feel safer more reliably and, after all, you never know...

* In ''GunnerkriggCourt'', Jack believes that the Court tracks students [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=703 through their food]]. Naturally, even a student quite disillusioned with the Court ask him why they would do it in such a ridiculous way. [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=726 Jack's right.]]

-->'''Shojo:''' Paranoia? I rule a city were I have to [[ObfuscatingInsanity fake senility]] just to avoid being assassinated. I took Improved Paranoia like 5 levels ago.

* In ''GunnerkriggCourt'', Jack believes that the Court tracks students [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=703 through their food]]. [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=726 He's right.]]

* In a case of WrongGenreSavvy, the Drow from R.A. Salvatore's novels are justifiably paranoid about their enemies and as such tend to get killed by their friends. This leads to a memorable metaphor to the effect that, "They spend so much time looking over their shoulder for assassins that the knife usually comes from the front."

** In any case, if you've read the supplementary novels you will learn why he is so dead set on the "Orlesian plot"-scenario: it always ''is'' an Orlesian plot, or at least there is an Orlesian plot involved somewhere along the line. In ''The Calling'' his BigDamnHeroes saves the day, since he cheerfully ignores all the loops and twists in the plot, and just goes after the most powerful Orlesian in Ferelden without even considering alternative explanation - and he's right.

* While being one of the most paranoid characters in the series, Ron Stoppable from ''KimPossible'' has been accurate many times, such as when he claimed that swimming in the lake of Camp Wannaweep was a bad idea. Turns out, the lake had been polluted by one of the neighboring camps, which resulted in Ron's camp bully (who took to swimming in the lake all summer) becoming a mutant villain. Another episode features said enemy of Ron being supposed cured of his mutation and reformed. Ron, however, remained suspicious, despite even having most of people he told his claims to pelted him with rotten vegetables. Guess what? He was right again as his enemy wanted to become a mutant again and get revenge on Ron. Ron even [[LampshadeHanging hung a lampshade]] at the end of the episode, stating that fear and paranoia is what saved the day. In one episode where Ron's so-called irrational fear of monkeys was apparent, he claimed that the simian-wise archaeologist was 'bad road'. Boy was he right big time as it turns out, he was a power-hungry Monkey Kung Fu expert who decreed that from now on, he'd be known as Monkey Fist. It was probably the fact that Ron suspected him from the get go is the reason he's more of Ron's enemies than Kim's. In the GrandFinale, Ron was worried that graduation from high school would bring about the end of everything (though he was referring to it more in terms of his relationship with Kim). Turns out his worry was more justified than he thought as an AlienInvasion struck the night of graduation, literally bringing about the end of the world. As Ron put it:
--->'''Ron''': Oh, am I the only one who ''SAW THIS COMMING?!''

* The titular hero of ''BuzzLightYearOfStarCommand'' theorizes that anything bad that happens in the universe is the work of his ArchEnemy, the Evil Emperor Zurg. It was even [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in the pilot movie.

** The freakiest thing is he's usually right, as Zurg, being the UltimateEvil, will do anything to cause chaos in the galaxy. Heck, there was even one episode completed devoted to this trope where Buzz (after working nonstop for weeks) captures a pen from one of Zurg's shuttles, believing it to be the key to one his most devious plans. Everyone thinks he's been wound a bit too tight and force him to take a vacation and relax. It turns out though that Buzz was right as the pen was the firing trigger for his ''(with dramatic sting music)'' '''Hyper''' DeathRay!

->'''Warp Darkmatter''': What plot?! You think Zurg is behind every kitten stuck up a tree!
->'''Buzz''': The fiend! Why can't he leave kitty cats out of his nefarious schemes?

->'''Ron''': Oh, am I the only one who ''SAW THIS COMMING?!''

-->'''Ron''': Oh, am I the only one who ''SAW THIS COMMING?!''

** Commander Vimes's paranoia increases with the price of the Assassins' Guild contracts on him [[spoiler: to the point where he has the distinction of being one of two people they no longer accept contracts on]]. It doesn't help that he's a lifelong cop in the most cynicism-inducing city on the Disc. Not to mention he ''enjoys'' it when someone tries to kill him....

* Batman tends to get called paranoid by people he works with when he whips out his fifth spare batmobile or his tenth secret identity or even a whole spare split personality in case of brainwashing. The problem is, they wouldn't have known he had them if he didn't need them right now. So any level of paranoid preparation that Batman appears to have is entirely justified. Not to mention, when you have no superpowers and are regularly involved in JLA-level superfights, not to mention having several dozen of the most horrifying psychopaths in existence all viewing you as their personal embodiment of Nemesis, there is no such thing as "too paranoid".

* Bryan Mills from ''{{Taken}}'' looks like a stock OverprotectiveDad until his warnings turn out to be too true. There really ''are'' white slavery rings that operate in in the center of Paris in an incredibly obvious fashion and will take you right out of a room under your name while you are talking to someone on the phone. SoYeah...

* Bryan Mills from ''{{Taken}}'' looks like a stock OverprotectiveDad until his warnings turn out to be too true.

* In ''{{Marble Hornets}}'', Alex, constantly films himself. After J watches the tapes, he starts filming himself as well. What they find is disturbing, [[NightmareFuelUnleaded to say the least]].

* [[TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] approaches this, with good reason. In the most recent book we learn it's contagious; his friend and sometime medic Waldo Butters [[spoiler: puts on a bulletproof vest and grabs garlic and a cross]] as soon as he hears that Harry needs help.

* ''Every single character'' in ''GravitysRainbow'' to some extent, but subverted in Slothrop, whose knowledge of many conspiracy theories leads him to create imaginary ones in his head, suspect everyone he knows and eventually lose his mind.

** Commander Vimes' paranoia increases with the price of the Assassins' Guild contracts on him [[spoiler: to the point where he has the distinction of being one of two people they no longer accept contracts on]]. It doesn't help that he's a lifelong cop in the most cynicism-inducing city on the Disc. Not to mention he ''enjoys'' it when someone trys to kill him....

* Kanayama no Hachirozaemon from the late 16th/early 17th century Japanese short story Akimichi. [[spoiler: Letting down his guard with Kitamuki is what gets him killed in the end.]]
* Many of ThomasPynchon's characters fall under this trope.

* In the VernorVinge novel "A Deepness in the Sky", Sherkaner Underhill [[spoiler: thinks that aliens from outer space are influencing world politics by altering information as it flows through the internet]]. To combat this, he sets up an intelligence division that consists only of his immediate family and who only communicate to each other in person, and pretends to go senile so nobody takes him seriously.