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Captain Obvious / Comic Books

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All examples found in comic books are here!
  • Fantastic Four: Reed Richards is constantly pointing obvious things out, especially in the early years of the book. It got to be a running gag of The Thing pointing out how crazy it was for Reed to take the time to point this stuff out.
    The Thing: "Ya know, Reed, if a Martian came around, you'd be too busy trying ta figure out how he got to Earth than fighting back!"
  • In The Dark Tower prequel comic The Fall Of Gilead, The Dragon General Grissom has a Captain Obvious moment when he tells the Big Bad that their troops are falling into traps in full view. The villain then lampshades it.
  • Hawkeye: In Vol. 1 #4, a villain helpfully tells Hawkeye, "I am a villain."
  • The Mighty Thor:
    • Several issues back in the 60's had an advanced alien race send a "recorder" android along with him to an unknown galaxy to observe information. He said almost everything that was going on in the panel. Granted, he was a recording android and everything, and he was probably making notes to himself.
      [Thor and the android get sent into a vortex of "biochemical molecules"].
      Recorder: Observation: We have been plunged into a vortex of rapidly regrouping bio-versal molecules!
    • There's also this gem, when masses upon masses foes made of said molecules attack Thor and the Recorder:
      Thor: Begone, things of evil! Not all thy masses shall topple mighty Thor!
      Recorder: Observation: it shall take more than platitudes to stem this mighty tide!
  • When the protagonist of CrossGen's Mystic finally caught on that her very obvious beau was one of the bad guys, he got one back at her:
    Darrow: You always did have a fine grasp of the painfully obvious.
  • New Mutants:
    • Mocked by the abrasive Dr. Nemesis:
      Sunspot: I need help here!
      Dr Nemesis: Is that the game? We all bark out something stunningly obvious? In that case... ICE CREAM IS DELICIOUS!
      Moonstar: You're not funny Dr Nemesis. Amara's hurt.
      Dr Nemesis: Double points. My turn.
    • Also, somewhat unexpectedly, by the usually less testy Kurt Wagner in X-Men Legacy #231 after eight X-Men land on Muir Island:
      Magneto: We shouldn't go into the island's interior until we're sure this site is secure.
      Nightcrawler: Thank you, Magneto. It's good to have you on my team. From now on you can be in charge of stating the obvious.
  • Scott Pilgrim: Wallace is actually helpful most of the time, but once a fight actually starts..."Scott, watch out! I think that guy might be Gideon!"
  • In Sonic the Comic, Tails' Captain Obvious statements did not go unnoticed by Sonic the Hedgehog.
    • From issue #005:
      Tails: Wow! The Death Egg!
      Sonic: Tails, what is it with you and stating the blatantly obvious?
    • And later on in the same strip:
      Tails: Sonic! You're alive!
      Sonic: And you're still stating the obvious, I see.
    • In issue #115:
      Tails: They... they're joining together!
      Sonic: Tails, you always were an expert at stating the flipping obvious!
    • In one of the Summer Specials:
      Tails: Sonic! He's attacking us!
      Sonic: Thanks Tails, I had noticed.
  • Spoofed in an issue of Soulsearchers and Company, where the opening caption reads: What if Soulsearchers And Company talked like 1960's Hanna-Barbera heroes?
    Janocz: Kelly! A giant tentacle is going to grab me!
    Kelly: Oh no! Janocz is being grabbed by a giant tentacle!
    Giant tentacle: Ha ha! I, a giant tentacle, have grabbed Janocz!
  • Star Wars:
    • Star Wars: Kanan: Caleb states the obvious twice in Issue 8.
      Caleb Dume: The temple is under attack!note 
      Depa Bilaba: Yes, that seems obvious.
      • Later:
      Caleb Dume: You're bombing the tower!
      Rackham Sear: That's right, Kid. Thank you for noticing.
    • Star Wars Legends:
      • In Star Wars: Empire's End, Palpatine has an announcement to make after Han Solo has shot him: "The Corellian has killed me."
      • Dark Empire also contains a non-example: When Palpatine is about to pass his spirit into a fresh clone body, Luke walks in, revealing his status as a Fake Defector and his intent to destroy all the clones in the room, preventing Palpatine's perpetuation. Palpatine's response ("Very well... then I must die.") is not a case of stating the obvious, but rather a challenge for Luke to Bring It. He brings it, but it's not enough.
  • Superman:
    • In The Supergirl From Krypton (1959), Superman falls into this:
      Supergirl: Why my father's name was Zor-El, your father's brother!
      Superman: Great Scott! Then you're my — cousin!
    • Lampshaded in Supergirl (1972) #1 when a blackmailer sees Supergirl swooping down on him:
      Crook: S-S-Supergirl!
      Supergirl: Clever of you to notice!
    • In Many Happy Returns this was done in tongue-in-cheek fashion when The Spectre and Fatalist turn up:
      Linda: Now who's this guy?!
      The Spectre: Still thrusting yourself into situations that are over your head, are you, Fatalist?
      Kara: I think he's called "Fatalist".
      Linda: Brilliant, Holmes.
    • During Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the 8th Grade, Supergirl, Lena and Belinda track Streaky down and find a huge hole in the floor.
      Supergirl: He tunneled down into... some kind of secret chamber.
      Belinda: Really? I would never have guessed.
    • In Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, Lex Luthor sometimes falls into due to his hamminess.
      Lex: And, Superman... My greatest enemy... is you!
    • How Luthor Met Superboy: When young Lex Luthor leads Superboy into a Kryptonite trap, Superboy shouts "A... KRYPTONITE TRAP!!!"
    • Day of the Dollmaker: When Toyman's interrogatory ends with Toyman seriously injured and one of killer dolls destroyed, Cat Grant mutters it could have gone better. Supergirl replies "You think?" in sarcastic disbelief.
      Catherine Grant: "Well... That could've gone better."
      Supergirl: (raising one eyebrow) "You think?!"
    • The Leper from Krypton: As a family is watching Luthor's broadcast, the father exclaims (after Lex has introduced himself, mind you) "Lex Luthor!"
      Lex Luthor: "Attention! This is Luthor speaking from Metropolis Prison via an electronic thought-projector which has cut into the transmission frequency of your tv hookup!"
      Man: "Lex Luthor!"
    • The Death of Luthor: After Lex Luthor explains he believes "Supergirl" to be a hoax created by Superman, one of his underlings exclaims: "A hoax!"
    • The Condemned Legionnaires: When Satan Girl shows up in the Legion's hideout carrying a massive load of Kryptonite to kill Supergirl, Kara's inner dialogue superfluously comments that her evil counterpart "is carrying a massive load of Green Kryptonite to drop on [her]".
  • Young Justice dabbed into this at times when exposition was needed to point out something not clear in comic format. Of course, whenever Young Justice did something the author thought was stupid, it got mocked.
    Robin: The kids... They've turned old! And those other kids are dancing out of control!
    Superboy: Wow. I can tell you were trained by the world's greatest detective.
  • Ultimatum:
    • Xavier is well aware that he's saying something obvious, but he says it anyway, as it does not seem so obvious to Magneto: he's not God.
    • Pym tells the Wasp that everything is OK, that she's going to be fine. Hawkeye pointed: "She's not OK. She's dead."
  • In the X-Men/Teen Titans crossover "Apokolips...Now," Deathstroke takes an unconnected swing at an unseen figure behind him while delivering a spiel about how the figure missed his chance to land a punch on him, then says "What—?! I missed!"


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