History Main / SteamrolledSmartGuy

!! Examples:

* Marlin from ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' is rule and safety oriented to a fault. While traveling with Dory to rescue his son Nemo, he constantly worries about the various dangers the ocean poses. Typically, Dory either doesn't understand his instructions, forgets them, or decides that she knows a better path.
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* C-3PO from ''Franchise/StarWars'' frequently makes confident proclamations about how one course of action is foolhardy and fraught with risk, which characters like R2-D2 and Han Solo then ignore. It is especially prevalent in the opening of Episode IV, when he argues with R2 in the desert over where to go and the legitimacy of his "mission" to find Obi-Wan Kenobi.
* In ''Film/BringingUpBaby'', David Huxley is a meticulously organized museum curator who has plans to secure a huge donation. When Susan Vance comes into his life, however, he falls into a whirlwind adventure despite his constant protests.

* Josh from ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' usually disagrees with Drake on which course of action to take. Josh presents the responsible and mature solution, which Drake then usually ignores, despite Josh's protests.
* Chidi from ''Series/TheGoodPlace'' overthinks every decision. Whenever he suggests a logical course of action, Eleanor or Jason act impulsively instead, leaving Chidi with a stomachache.

* This is one of Sheldon's recurring fates on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory.'' He often comes up with extremely convoluted plans and schemes to solve problems, much to the chagrin and eventual dismissal of the rest of the group. It's a combination of his being an InsufferableGenius who thinks he's smarter than everyone and [[SmugSnake lords his intellect over others]], having NoSocialSkills so he can't deal with impromptu events, and his [[BadLiar total inability to lie]] and subsequent need for an elaborate cover story before telling even a small fib.

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* Bo Burnham's Netflix comedy special ''What.'' Has a song called Left Brain, Rig Brain, where the cold and analytical Left Brain berates the Right Brain for constantly ruining their life through impulsive behavior.

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* Pearl from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' is the "Mom" of the Crystal Gems, and many episodes of the show begin with her giving specific instructions/advice to Steven or Amethyst. Steven and Amethyst then disobey or mess up what they were supposed to do, leaving Pearl scrambling to fix their mistakes, often in the middle of a fight.
* Donatello from ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' favors scientific solutions to almost every problem and prefers to form a strategy before the Turtles face an enemy. Unfortunately, many of the Turtles' enemies are much more powerful than they are, and they have no choice but to engage in battle without being fully prepared. This makes Donatello prone to panic in the middle of a fight when it isn't going their way.
* Wirt from ''WesternAnimation/OverTheGardenWall'' sets his sights on Adelaide's house once Beatrice tells him that Adelaide could help them get home, developing a one-track mind about getting there above all else. However, Greg is easily distracted by the fantastical things they pass by. Greg frequently gets distracted and wanders off, forcing Wirt to chase after him.

* Bradford the Brakevan from ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'' is a huge stickler for the rules and always tries to get the engines to follow them, much to the chagrin of everyone else.
* Rabbit from ''Franchise/WinnieThePooh'' has a particular, rule-oriented way of living, and he always wants to lead the group in making decisions. However, Pooh and the rest of the gang always either don't understand what Rabbit is telling them, or take impulsive actions that derail his plan. A frequent plotline in Winnie The Pooh stories features Rabbit desperately trying and failing to protect his meticulously organized possessions from his friends' destructive tendencies.
* Dennis from ''WesternAnimation/KidVsKat'' likes to use thorough planning and research when dealing with Kat. Coop however, is too HotBlooded to listen to any of it most of the time and insists on [[LeeroyJenkins just blindly charging in without any kind of strategy]]. Highlighted throughout the episode "Menace The Dennis" when Coop has to leave town for a few days, leaving Dennis to be the one to stop Kat's latest plot, with Dennis formulating a plan to stop him and Coop outright demanding that Dennis charging Kat head-on is the ''only'' plan that will work.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'', Sean is an uptight perfectionist who likes to do things the traditional way, most notably by using the Scientific Method. He's TheSmartGuy and also serves as the StraightMan and OnlySaneMan in his gaggle of goofy friends, and they never listen to him, especially Jet since he always wants to make mistakes deliberately and play around to solve problems.

* The protagonists of the fourth season of ''WesternAnimation/InfinityTrain'' are Min-Gi and Ryan. Min-Gi is hardworking and responsible, while Ryan is impulsive and carefree. Their personalities frequently clash. In episode 5 in particular, Ryan tries multiple times to break into a club, while Min-Gi repeatedly and loudly insists that they wait in line to get in.
* John Stewart's Green Lantern from the DC Animated Universe iteration of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' is extremely serious, while The Flash is impulsive and silly. They are often paired together to form a StraightManAndWiseGuy duo. In the episode ''Brave And The Bold'', Green Lantern tells Flash to stay back and form a plan of attack on three separate occasions, and each time, Flash runs into battle before Green Lantern is finished talking.

* Rabbit from ''WesternAnimation/WinnieThePooh'' has a particular, rule-oriented way of living, and he always wants to lead the group in making decisions. However, Pooh and the rest of the gang always either don't understand what Rabbit is telling them, or take impulsive actions that derail his plan. A frequent plotline in Winnie The Pooh stories features Rabbit desperately trying and failing to protect his meticulously organized possessions from his friends’ destructive tendencies.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', King Triton assigns Sebastian to keep watch over Ariel. However, Sebastian is repeatedly unable to keep Ariel from sneaking off to visit humans.

* This is one of Sheldon's recurring fates on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory.'' He often comes up with extremely convoluted plans and schemes to solve problems, much to the chagrin and eventual dismissal of the rest of the group. It's a combination of his being an InsufferableGenius who thinks he's smarter than everyone and [[SmugSnake lords his intellect over others]], having NoSocialSkills and SuperOCD so he can't deal with impromptu events, and his [[BadLiar total inability to lie]] and subsequent need for an elaborate cover story before telling even a small fib.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing'', Zazu tries to teach a young Simba about the responsibilities of being a king. Simba is completely disinterested in these lessons. Zazu shows his frustration with birdlike screeches and squawks as he tries to keep Simba's attention.

* The other World Of Warcraft players in the ''Machinima/LeeroyJenkinsVideo'' have a meticulous plan for a raid that they have obviously spent a long time crafting, which Leeroy promptly ruins by running into battle prematurely.

* In IDW Comics' ''Franchise/{{Transformers}}'' 2005 comics continuity, Prowl is a {{deconstructed|Trope}} example of this. A [[TheSmartGuy cold, logical, and largely asocial 'bot]] in a faction led mostly by daredevil mavericks who value strength of personality as much as (if not more so than) tactical acumen, Prowl finds himself growing increasingly frustrated with Autobot command's refusal to just ''listen to him'' and do things that would end the war faster and with fewer casualties ([[ColdEquation at least in the long term]]). This frustration, combined with [[HeroWithAnFInGood a somewhat-shaky moral compass]] and [[WellIntentionedExtremist a firm belief that the ends justify the means]], cause Prowl to take increasingly extreme and unethical actions behind the other Autobots' backs in order to win the war ''his'' way. By the end of the comic's run, nearly every one of these actions has backfired on him horribly in one way or another.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'', Sean is an uptight perfectionist who likes to do things the traditional way, most notably by using the Scientific Method. He's the resident SmartGuy and also serves as the StraightMan and OnlySaneMan in his gaggle of goofy friends, and they never listen to him, especially Jet since he always wants to make mistakes deliberately and play around to solve problems.

Has no relation to an actual SmartGuy being literally [[ConstructionVehicleRampage run over by a steamroller]].

SubTrope of AntiIntellectualism. Also compare with NoRespectGuy, OnlySaneMan, TheDissenterIsAlwaysRight, and ButtMonkey. If they're the smart guy on a PlanetOfHats, then it's KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect.

This trope is a subset of SmartGuy, TheFinickyOne, and NervousWreck. In a StraightManAndWiseGuy duo, this character is always the StraightMan. More often than not, they are a {{Cloudcuckoolanders Minder}} to one or more characters. Often, the characters around them [[NotListeningToMeAreYou will tune out whatever they say]] or pull a LeeroyJenkins and charge ahead before they are even finished talking. Sometimes, they have a big old case of BigBrotherInstinct, and their stress comes from a genuine worry for their companions. Other times, they are only concerned with saving their own skin. If the character is a villain, this would be a variant of SurroundedByIdiots. If enough frustration mounts, it could lead to a case where TheSmartOneTurnsTraitor on the allies that ignored them.

SubTrope of AntiIntellectualism. Also compare with NoRespectGuy, OnlySaneMan, and ButtMonkey. If they're the smart guy on a PlanetOfHats, then it's KlingonScientistsGetNoRespect.