History Main / SuperIntelligence

** The page quote comes from the episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGeniusS2E8SheensBrain Sheen's Brain]]", in which Jimmy's friend Sheen, a LoonyFan of superhero Ultralord with [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny the attention span of a fruit fly]], is threatened with being held back in school because of low grades. He convinces Jimmy to let him use a "Brain Gain" helmet to make himself smarter...only for it to [[GoneHorriblyRight work too well]], as Sheen develops PsychicPowers, [[AGodAmI a god complex]], and a desire to conquer the whole town.

* Danny Saunders in ''Literature/TheChosen'' has eidetic memory. He can memorize enough of the Literature/{{Talmud}} each day to satisfy even his father that he is on his way to being a proper Rebbe. He spends the rest of his time looking for other stuff to read.

** Pak Protectors are phenomenally intelligent. Humans are descended from Pak (we know them as ''Homo habilus''), so humans who manage to become Protectors are probably ''even smarter''. Brennan, after transforming in ''Literature/{{Protector}}'', is able to create a super-high-tech playground on a deserted iceball out beyond Pluto, not to mention cobbling together a number of phenomenal weapons during a later running fight with Pak Protectors, while Teela Brown in ''[[Literature/{{Ringworld}} The Ringworld Engineers]]'' deduces how Puppeteer stepping discs work, and how to tap into the system, based on no information except once having walked on one in the Fleet of Worlds.
** Writing about ''Protector'', Creator/LarryNiven said that the simple trick to writing super-intelligent characters is that they take minutes (or seconds) to work out things that took their writer hours, days, maybe weeks - the reader only gets the finished article. You're screwed if your super-smart character has actually got it wrong, though.

* In ''Literature/{{Matilda}}'', the title character gains telekinesis because she is ''so'' smart and underchallenged. Once she is finally provided intellectual stimulation well past what her age would normally merit, it vanishes.

* ''Film/{{Phenomenon}}'' had the title character become super smart.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'', "Sheen's Brain"

** The page quote comes from the episode "Sheen's Brain", when Jimmy's friend Sheen, a LoonyFan of superhero Ultralord with [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny the attention span of a fruit fly]], is threatened with being held back in school because of low grades. He convinces Jimmy to let him use a "Brain Gain" helmet to make himself smarter...only for it to [[GoneHorriblyRight work too well]], as Sheen develops PsychicPowers, [[AGodAmI a god complex]], and a desire to conquer the whole town.

*** Compared to the humans he hangs around, he's a genius, which seems to have gone to his head a bit in the new series, as evidenced by his frequent reminders to everyone around him that he's "very, very clever!"
*** In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin The Deadly Assassin]]" the Doctor is portrayed as more intelligent than other Time Lords, and when talking about a hacking incident (hacking into the most powerful computer on Gallifrey), said the Master was one of the few people skilled enough at math to do this, being "almost as skilled as myself".
*** He is also smarter comparatively to some other aliens, as in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E5EvolutionOfTheDaleks Evolution of the Daleks]]", the Daleks (who are smart enough to have time-travel capabilities that rival the Time Lords) said that the Doctor's knowledge and understanding of genetics is greater than theirs.
*** The reason they are sometimes considered "average" by Time Lord standards is because he got a 51%, which is a barely passing grade by Time Lord standards, though giving how this is the Doctor he probably didn't care about it at all.

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One of the more challenging superpowers to possess and write for, Super Intelligence describes a [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guy]] so mentally gifted or super-powered they can complete [[OmnidisciplinaryScientist a dozen doctorate degrees]] in the [[ClockKing fifteen minutes, forty two seconds]] it takes them to walk across a university campus.

Super Intelligence can be divided into roughly four big effects, which can be used individually or in combination:

Super Intelligence is a difficult power to possess, not only because IntelligenceEqualsIsolation, but because it can create a [[DumbIsGood pessimistic worldview]]. Since most super smart characters are already elbow deep in AppliedPhlebotinum, the transition to MadScientist isn't a big one. All together, the [[ScaleOfScientificSins fall]] into a ScienceRelatedMemeticDisorder in the [[ForScience pursuit of science]] makes a lot of Super Intelligent characters become villains. It's no picnic for {{Science Hero}}es either, they can fall victim to the anti-intellectualism of those they want to help. [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Also]], their [[MyBrainIsBig brains tend to go watermelon-sized]].

On the writer's front, suffice it to say that it's hard to write someone who is smarter than yourself by virtue of not knowing how to properly motivate, characterize, or empathize with them. Most writers get around this by treating the Super Intelligence as being only science related, and having no effect whatsoever on their interpersonal skills. Another potential hurdle writers cross is that, as an internal power, Super Intelligence has to be [[LuckilyMyPowersWillProtectMe demonstrated verbally]], usually through SesquipedalianLoquaciousness or a MouthfulOfPi. Though a few plain spoken Super Intelligent characters might instead [[GadgeteerGenius tinker with electronics]] or engage in sporadic {{Nerdgasm}}s.

Super Intelligent characters sometimes overlap with TheSleepless or TheInsomniac, maybe because their mind is too active to ever be put to rest, or because they [[{{Determinator}} regard sleep as a waste of time]]. {{Inver|tedTrope}}sions of this are found rarely if ever, though it could be argued that a mind that works more would also need more sleep -- as a matter of fact, sleep is known to aid [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_and_creativity creativity]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_and_Memory memory formation]] and possibly [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_and_learning learning]] in general. On the other hand, gifted children are known to [[http://giftedkids.about.com/od/younggiftedchildren/a/youngtraits.htm need less sleep]] even as infants, and exceptionally high-achievers (high IQ or otherwise) are [[http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mr-personality/201107/creative-insomnia-genius-never-sleeps known to sleep much less]].

See also IntelligenceTropes for more description for super intelligent beings.

Potentially the biggest "risks" of writing a character with Super Intelligence is that they become a DeusExMachina or EinsteinSue, capable of [[InvincibleHero solving every problem with no trouble]], or a TVGenius who develops stereotypical "smart person" traits without actually demonstrating their intelligence.

* A requirement for all high-level espers in ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''. Since they need to be able to perform insanely complex calculations in real time in order for their abilities to work, super intelligence is a given. Accelerator, one of the strongest characters in the series, was originally so smart that post getting brain damage during his attempt to save Last Order's life, having the combined intelligence of the 10,000 MISAKA Sisters thinking for him is only equal to half his original power.

* The Laughing Man in ''Anime/GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'' is highly intelligent but generally not particularly exceptional in that regard. However his ability to hack into all kinds of computers is far outside of what even most experts would consider possible. He can hack into virtually everything through a wireless connection and even edit himself out of the perception of all people with neural implants (which is almost everyone) and covering his face with a silly smiley logo on all camera feeds nearby ''in real time!'' And he does that by just using his brain and neural implants (and probably hijacking poorly protected computers in his vicinity for additional computing power). [[spoiler:However he's not really good with people and when his first attempt to use his abilities to uncover corruption and crime fails spectacularly, he gives up on trying to help the people and retreats into hiding.]]
* This is one of the traits exhibited by the Pillar Men from ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure''. They can learn languages just by hearing them for a few seconds and take apart guns despite having never having seen them before, since guns didn't exist in their time.

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
** The Leader, enemy (and in pretty much every way except ''[[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation color]]'' the exact opposite) of ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk.
** The Leader once participated in a group of super-geniuses called the Intelligencia that pools their resources to do evil ForScience. [[Characters/MarvelComicsAIM M.O.D.O.K.]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsFrightfulFour the Wizard]], [[Characters/FantasticFourCentralRoguesGallery the Mad Thinker, the Red Ghost]] and [[Characters/AntManEnemies Egghead]] have all been members.
** ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'':
*** Reed Richards is usually held up as the standard of human Super Intelligence in comicdom. He's made breakthroughs in virtually every area of human knowledge as well as inventing a few. [[ReedRichardsIsUseless He is useless]].
*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Doctor Doom]] is ''almost'' as brilliant as Richards and is also a powerful sorcerer (Reed's sole blind spot is magic). One of the reasons why Doom hates Reed so much is because he can't accept Reed [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter being smarter than him]].
*** Reed's daughter Valeria might be even smarter than her father or Doom, and she's still a ''child''.
** [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] is at times considered the smartest man alive, but is held back due to his low self-esteem. In fact Eternity once told him he would become the "Scientist Supreme" -- the first person to understand magic through science.
** [[Characters/MarvelComicsUltron Ultron]], being based on Hank Pym's mind, has this as well, to the point he claims that he's surpassed his "father." And on at least one occasion, Pym's acknowledged this.
** ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'':
** Bruce Banner is pretty high up on the genius list, to the point that he's sometimes considered a bigger threat than the Hulk.
** Amadeus Cho, sidekick to the Hulk and [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules Hercules]], has this ability, which is attributed to his "hypermind". He is repeatedly established as being the seventh most intelligent person in the world.
** In general, and in no particular order, the eight smartest humans on Earth are stated to be: [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Reed Richards]], [[Characters/MarvelComicsDoctorDoom Victor von Doom]], [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]], [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]], [[ComicBook/XMen Hank McCoy]], [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]], [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Amadeus Cho]], and [[ComicBook/BlackPanther T'Challa]]. There are also heaps of others who aren't ''quite'' as smart but are still super-geniuses by any standard, although some of them are augmented in various ways.
** In 2016, [[https://www.newsarama.com/30407-marvel-wants-you-to-know-moon-girl-is-the-smartest-person-in-the-marvel-universe.html Marvel themselves announced]] that they would be introducing a new character into their universe, and that this individual would be, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the smartest person in the entire Marvel lexicon. Who are they? A new alien? A being that's transcended a physical body? Nope -- they're a [[KidHero nine-year-old]] African-American New Yorker named Lunella Lafayette. Everyone, meet [[ComicBook/MoonGirlAndDevilDinosaur Moon Girl]]. It's been stated InUniverse that she outclasses ''everyone'' mentioned above. Oh, and her best friend and crime-fighting partner is a [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever giant red T. Rex named Devil Dinosaur]], and they occasionally [[FreakyFridayFlip switch minds]].

** ComicBook/{{Superman}} and his [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} Kryptonian kin]] have had versions of this at different times. Kryptonians have super fast thought processes and perfect memory meaning, among other things, that they can speak most languages. In a story, Superman was shown having a combination of super spatial reasoning and superfast calculative processes that allowed him to knock around villains in a precisely calculated way. In ''ComicBook/AllStarSuperman'' the overexposure to sunlight that was killing him also tripled his powers including his intelligence. Other aspects of his intelligence (comprehension, creativity, etc.) are explicitly not superhuman.

* In ''ComicBook/AllFallDown'', both IQ and IQ Squared were world-class inventors in their prime.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'', the superhero Qubit and the supervillain Modeus are the two smartest people in the world (possibly in the universe too). [[spoiler:Though Qubit ultimately proves to be just a little bit smarter.]]

** Lou Martin, thanks to ImportedAlienPhlebotinum, receives several superpowers, among which a massively augmented intelligence that would enable him to [[GadgeteerGenius build rocket engines from garbage]], comprehend languages he [[ScrewLearningIHavePhlebotinum never heard before]] and see inhabitants of the [[SpiritWorld astral plane]]... If he gave a damn. True to his identity as a slacker, Lou never bothers to concentrate enough to tap his mental powers, unless his life depends on it (which actually happens [[WeirdnessMagnet more often than not]]).

* The titular character of ''ComicBook/TheAdventuresOfBarryWeenBoyGenius'' is a ChildProdigy with an ImpossiblyHighIQ of 350. Not only is he an OmnidisciplinaryScientist who makes [=WMDs=] for fun, but he can also [[UninhibitedMusclePower tap into his body's full physical potential]] via biofeedback and other methods, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with grown adults in fights. However it comes at the [[BlessedWithSuck cost]] of leaving him physically unable to relax or [[SleepDeprivationPunishment even sleep]], and he predicts that at the rate his intelligence is increasing he'll have gone mad by the time he's 21.
* ''ComicBook/TheHypernaturals'' has two main characters gifted with a"hyper intellect" -- Thinkwell on the side of heroes and Sublime on the side of villains. They are arguably the two most accomplished scientists in the known Universe, and them trying to outthink each other drives a good part of the comic.
* ''ComicBook/RisingStars'' has Matthew Brody. Notable for being smart enough to keep it secret and letting out just enough to make the money he need to fund his development. Once he's done... Well, [[ReedRichardsIsUseless he is not useless.]]
* TAO, aka Tactically Augmented Organism from ''ComicBook/WildCATsWildStorm'', is an unusually multifaceted version. While he's a GadgeteerGenius and a [[TheStrategist master tactician]], his most fearsome ability is [[ManipulativeBastard manipulation of others]], to BrownNote levels. Allow him to speak to you and you're headed for MindRape.
* Jason from ''ComicBook/JupitersLegacy'' is incredibly intelligent, capable of building a superhuman detector that out-classes the US government's when aged twelve.

* In ''Fanfic/HellsisterTrilogy'', both Franchise/{{Superman}} and ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} have this power. The latter states their advanced brain patterns combined with their super-vision is what allows them to hypnotize people.

* ''Fanfic/AHollowInEquestria'': Both Ulquiorra and Twilight are competitors for this title, each of them highly intelligent, and possessing extensive knowledge about various topics.

[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]

* ''Film/TheComputerWoreTennisShoes'' had Dexter Riley (Creator/KurtRussell) become very smart as a result of a computer accident.

* The eponymous character in the ''Literature/ArtemisFowl'' series has the second and fourth attributes, and the highest tested IQ in Europe. [[TeenGenius Did we mention he's only 14?]]

** Paul Atreides. The author actually makes a stab at how having otherworldly powers feels to a character.

* Victor Stott, protagonist of the 1911 novel ''Literature/TheHampdenshireWonder'', is a ChildProdigy gifted with the "super-learning" type of superintelligence. Before his fifth birthday he reads the whole ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' and judges it elementary compared to his own reflections. Unfortunately for him, IntelligenceEqualsIsolation, as there's nobody in the world who could understand his thoughts.
* In Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' series, protagonist Flinx stumbles upon a species of InnocentAliens on the planet Ulru-Ujurr, who are [[{{Unperson}} Under Edict]] by the United Church for no immediately apparent reason. He discovers the reason when he manages to communicate with them telepathically and discovers that they are capable of exponential learning. The only thing they lack is motivation, something Flinx supplies by offering to teach them the "game of civilization" in exchange for sanctuary. When he meets them, they are hunter-gatherers. By the time he leaves, they are capable of building starships that are capable of doing thing that are generally believed impossible (such as landing on a plane without their FTL drive destroying both ship and planet). Ten years later, they can tunnel through space-time. About the only thing saving the Commonwealth from annihilation at their hands is the aforementioned lack of ambition and that they apparently consider the whole thing a kind of game.

* Several members of the Lambsbridge Gang, from ''Literature/{{Twig}}'', have various forms of enhanced intelligence. Jamie is essentially a human database, able to recall everything that's ever happened to him in perfect detail and sort through it to find pertinent information, at one point identifying the families of one of every four people in a crowded church based on having seen and overheard them over the course of years. Gordon rapidly gains skills and is naturally charismatic, exhibiting significant intuitive abilities. Sylvester has a mental form of AdaptiveAbility thanks to regular injections which enhance his brain plasticity, allowing him to rapidly gain relevant skills to a large extent, but at the cost of awful memory and retention rates. A fourth member of the group, Lillian, is a MadScientist in training capable of reanimating the dead at the age of twelve, but this is not superhuman, merely extreme skill.

* On ''Series/{{CSINY}}'', the autopsy of a brilliant physicist revealed a sewing needle embedded deep in his brain, that'd been there since an unnoticed accident in his early infancy. It's speculated that its presence caused his neural wiring to develop differently from most people's, which may have made his groundbreaking insights possible.

*** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS14E3TheDeadlyAssassin "The Deadly Assassin"]] the Doctor is portrayed as more intelligent than other Time Lords, and when talking about a hacking incident (hacking into the most powerful computer on Gallifrey), said the Master was one of the few people skilled enough at math to do this, being "almost as skilled as myself".
*** He is also smarter comparatively to some other aliens, as in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E5EvolutionOfTheDaleks "Evolution of the Daleks"]], the Daleks (who are smart enough to have time-travel capabilities that rival the Time Lords) said that the Doctor's knowledge and understanding of genetics is greater than theirs.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E3SchoolReunion "School Reunion"]]: Krillitane oil induces this if consumed, and the chips[[labelnote:*]]French fries[[/labelnote]] the students of Deffry Vale school are being encouraged to eat are cooked with it. Rose also gets some because she's been eating the chips. However, it wears off if you stop consuming the oil.
** As mentioned above, every single Dalek is genetically engineered to be a genius. In one episode, it's said that a Dalek can make billions of calculations in a handful of seconds, which is then demonstrated by showing one figuring out a high-security number code for a locked door in less than a minute.
* ''Series/{{Fringe}}'': The third season episode "[[Recap/FringeS03E03ThePlateau The Plateau]]" features Milo, a mentally challenged man who was given a super intelligence booster drug ([[ForScience and then several more]]). Since the testing protocol required reversing the drug, Milo escapes and fights back. He uses a ballpoint pen to set off a chain of events so that the scientists, and anyone else hunting him, all die of supposed accidents (basically distracting one person, who distracts another and another until a bus swerves out of the way and hits his target). By the end of the episode, the effect can't be reversed, and Milo can only communicate with computers.
%%* Charlie from ''Series/{{Heroes}}'' is the super memory variety.
* ''Series/TheInvisibleMan'''s "Flowers For Hobbes": Hobbes is infected with an intelligence-boosting virus. He doesn't seem to mind that all those who are infected ultimately become catatonic or suicidal, as long as he's able to contemplate ideas too complex to explain to non-enhanced people (ideas that, coherently enough, [[TakeOurWordForIt we never get to hear]]). The title of the episode should [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome give you a hint]] as to how it ends.
* This is JJ's power in ''Series/NoOrdinaryFamily''. So far he's used it to excel at the school subjects he used to flunk, learn Hebrew in a day and join the school's football team thanks to AwesomeByAnalysis. The graphic representation of his power resembles John Nash's in ''Film/ABeautifulMind''.
* ''{{Series/Probe}}'''s "[[Recap/ProbeMetamorphicAnthropoidicPrototypeOverYou Metamorphic Anthropoidic Prototype Over You]]": Josephine, the [[EpunymousTitle titular ape]], has been [[AnimalTesting modified]] to be more intelligent. She's created her own UsefulNotes/SignedLanguage and written language, and is working on "[[UsefulNotes/GreatAmericanNovel The Great Orangutan Novel]]".
* Brainiac on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' is a living computer disguised as a Professor of World History. Able to process information at an ungodly rapid rate, multitask like you would not believe, and [[ManipulativeBastard manipulate]] people with ease, he's one of the most dangerous villains on the show.
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E19TheNthDegree The Nth Degree]]", an alien UpgradeArtifact zaps Reginald Barclay, increasing his IQ [[ImprobablyHighIQ into the four-figure range]]. Having become TheAce, Barclay overcomes his usual insecurity, but everything is [[FlowersForAlgernonSyndrome normal again]] [[StatusQuoIsGod by the end of the episode]]. (Except apparently he's a savant at 3-D chess, which he hadn't played at all before.)
* That's the main plot point of ''Series/WickedScience'': two teenagers are zapped by a mysterious magnetic pulse that turns them into {{Gadgeteer Genius}}es. Since they have very different ideas about what to do with this gift - one [[IJustWantToBeNormal Just Wants To Be Normal]], the other edges on EvilGenius - they often clash with spectacular results, i.e. cloned T-Rexes and flying lawnmowers running amok in the school.

[[folder:Roleplay]]
* In ''Roleplay/DawnOfANewAgeOldportBlues'', Benedict's superpower increased his mental acuity to an incredible degree. His advanced reasoning is unparalleled, he has an [[PhotographicMemory eidetic memory]], and his sensory processing is so exceptional that he basically has SuperSenses. The downside? [[MySkullRunnethOver He can't turn it off]].
[[/folder]]

* ''Progenitor'': Includes typical ''TabletopGame/{{Wild Talents}}'' hyper-mind, but ramps it up from there. In addition to the usual benefits, sufficiently high level Hyper-Mind characters can calculate odds to make insane amounts of money in no time flat, learn any language in minutes, look at global trends to predict the near future, and reverse possess people who try to mind read them without knowing it. That's right, their thoughts are so complex and intricate that when someone tries to interpret them, they become sentient inside that person's mind.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Scion}}'' does the same thing with Epic Intelligence and the corresponding Knacks.
* ''TabletopGame/Space1889'': there is an intelligence amplifier in Moon of Madness from Challenge 67.

* The Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Alakazam is said to have a IQ of 5,000. This is more of a InformedAttribute than anything as it never been shown to do anything particularly smart, and [[ImpossiblyHighIQ IQ tests do not work like this]].
** Slowking are said to study the mysteries of the world everyday. Bizarrely, its super intelligence is only the result of toxins leaking from a symbiotic clam Pokemon biting its head. It's pre-evo is one of the most stupid Pokemon, and it reverts back into to this state if the clam, Shellder, is ever removed.

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'': Deus, corporate executive with a vague plan that involves building up the industrial capacity of a small African country and rapidly expanding it with an army of superpowered mercenaries, implies that he might have [[https://www.grrlpowercomic.com/archives/comic/grrl-power-1040-benevolish/ Super Intelligence]]. With Super Wisdom, Emotional Intelligence, Prediction, and Recall as RequiredSecondaryPowers.

* It's revealed in issue 25 of ''WebComic/{{Spinnerette}}'' that [[EvilGenius Dr. Universe]]'s intelligence is indeed the product of a superpower, when he and [[SuperStrength Tiger]] end up switching powers after both were caught in the blast of an experimental PowerNullifier. Universe gained an impressive HeroicBuild from it, but found that his mind was slower to make logical connections and generate ideas, while the then-physically weaker Tiger found himself becoming overwhelmed with brain activity. With that said, Universe retained his love for science and his prior knowledge and motivations without this power, so he's still no idiot in its absence.

* ''Website/SCPFoundation'', [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2757 SCP-2757 ("Dr. Wondertainment's Projector Fantastico™")]]. When the SCP-2757 projector is used with the film SCP-2757-1g ''Professor Abnormal's 101 Experiments'', one of the devices used on the experimental subjects is an intelligence enhancer. The subject retains their high intelligence after the experiment ends.

* ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'':
** Grey Matter from the first series and Brainstorm from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce'' are both hyperintelligent, though unluckily both are portrayed as a TVGenius. We find out that both of their entire races have this going for them, and we get some bantering about which is smarter. And Azmuth, creator of the Omnitrix (and a member of Grey Matter's race, the Galvans) is as far above all of them as they are above humans. [[InsufferableGenius Problem is, he's very much aware of it]]. When they started appearing alongside each other, they underwent DivergentCharacterEvolution. Grey Matter was more of a saboteur and infiltrator whose knowledge was mostly in mechanics, while Brainstorm's intellect was mostly tactical and deductive.
** Still later Ben picked up other alien forms with ''specialized'' super intelligence: Gutrot was inherently a genius at chemistry, Jury Rigg was a GadgeteerGenius (when his stuff didn't simply fall apart), etc.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'': GeniusBruiser Computron has a vast intelligence much greater than sum of the intellects of his component Technobots, letting him perform many AwesomenessByAnalysis feats. His super-intelligence is a rare and unique ability, especially compared to other {{combin|ingmecha}}ers, who are usually DumbMuscle regardless of the intelligence of their component 'bots. Here, Computron had his super intelligence transferred to him by an intellectually-enhanced Grimlock, with the latter subsequently being reverted back to his normal ditziness.