Johnny Cage: What's Raiden got that I haven't got?
Liu Kang: Godlike power?
Kung Lao: A personality that is not at all like sanding paper?
Johnny Cage: ... Jerks.
Liu Kang: Godlike power?
Kung Lao: A personality that is not at all like sanding paper?
Johnny Cage: ... Jerks.
When one character is jealous of another one, they use the Stock Phrase "What's he got that I ain't got?" It's meant as a rhetorical question, but the Deadpan Snarker or another character will usually answer them anyway, almost always insultingly.
See also What Does She See in Him?, and Better Partner Assertion, which might be what leads up to this. Overlaps with Shallow Cannot Comprehend True Love if the one asking this question is judging a romantic rival based on superficial traits.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- In Episode 5 of FLCL, Haruko titillates Amurao into giving her a weapon she can use against the Monster of the Week. Unlike Naota, all he can manage to summon up with his N.O. is a tiny little slingshot. When Haruko heads off into battle, leaving Amurao behind, he's reduced to screaming the trope title at her as she departs.
- In Digimon, this is the last thing Puppetmon (AKA Pinocchimon) says before his demise. He spent much of his time tormenting the Digi-Destined out of envy beforehand, due to Cherrymon telling him they have something he lacks. Cherrymon explains post-mortem that what they have are friends.
- Maken-ki!: You'd think most girls wouldn't give Takeru the time of day, considering he's plain-looking, book dumb, and a lecher. Yet, none of it's stopped several of the hottest girls at Tenbi from falling for him and it drives the other guys up the wall in confusion and frustration. Which gets lampshaded during the water polo match in Episode 9, when Celia flirts with him too:
Guy: (shouts from offscreen) WHY DOES THAT JACKASS GET ALL THE GIRLS??!
(guys team starts booing Takeru) - Peach Girl: Sae builds herself up by bringing other people down and stealing things they want from them such as her friend's boyfriends. When Momo and Toji finally manage to get together Sae is bothered by how happy Momo seems with her non-extravagant relationship with him. She tries to fill the hole that her jealousy and insecurities bring her by having her rich boyfriend buy out stores for her. When she is surrounded by all her new items she still isn't satisfied and angrily blurts out "I have way better things than her! Yet why does she (Momo) seem so damn happy all the time?! What does she have that I don't?!" She destroys some of her purchases before thinking that there must be something about Momo being with Touji that makes it seem like she's "winning" over Sae. So Sae then decides to try to steal Toji from Momo.
Comic Books
- In Irredeemable, a flashback shows Volt hitting on his married teammate Bette Noire and this exchange occurs:
Volt: I can light up Vegas for a week with a sneeze, but you're going with pigeonman. Is that how it is? What can he do that I can't?
Bette Noire: Can you hammer a railroad spike through a 2x4 with only your—
Volt: Whoa! Too much, don't want to know, never mind, earmuffs earmuffs! - In Justice League Europe, The Flash leans in a gangly manner against a table upon learning that Power Girl is interested in Aquaman, looks over to where Aquaman is standing in a heroic pose and asks "What does he have that I... never mind."
Comic Strips
- In Liberty Meadows:
Frank: Look at the way Brandy's fawning over Roger. It's just disgusting. Take away his height, his good looks, his bulging muscles, his piercing eyes, his perfect teeth, his rock-hard abs... What does he have that I don't?!
Ralph: Brandy. - A cartoon gag of Ever Meulen for the Belgian magazine Humo has a grown-up version of Wiske from Suske en Wiske stare lovingly at Tintin, while the equally grown-up version of Suske asks her: "What's he got that I ain't got?"
- One Dave Berg strip from MAD magazine had a variant of this where a guy mocks his girlfriend's crush on a celebrity by asking "Oh come on; take away his money, looks, personality and fame, and what have ya got?" Her reply: "You."
- Foxtrot: Paige venomously says this of two girls, wondering what they've got that she and her best friend Nicole haven't got. Nicole obliges by pointing out their perfect bodies, their straight-A records, the half-dozen guys fighting to carry their lunch trays, one of them is a concert violinist...
Fan Works
- In the RWBY fic Hunters' Anthology
, Eric Kalloser (The Great) asks this of Pyrrha, who replies:
"Integrity." - In makes sure I die first, a frustrated Luo Binghe asks Liu Qingge what it will take for her to "take his side" instead of loving Shen Qingqiu, as he considers both of them scum. Liu Qingge fires back she's not a thing for men to quarrel over her ownership — and the narrative implicitly points out this is why Luo Binghe had no chance to ever make her bend to his craving for attention, since he doesn't even respect her agency when Shen Qingqiu always did.
- In the Stargate SG-1 fic "What You Already Know: Resolutions", Rodney McKay basically does this after learning that Sam Carter is involved with Daniel Jackson. While he doesn't explicitly ask why Sam chose Daniel over him, once he sees that they're sharing a room at the Antarctic base McKay asks why Sam's dating an archaeologist who can't be anywhere near as brilliant as she is, only to receive the following speech from her;
Daniel is one of the most brilliant people I have ever met. He can speak over thirty languages and can read and write dozens of dead ones. Don't you have any idea of the significance of that? And then there's the staggering amount of knowledge he has of archaeology, anthropology, and the history of languages. He has three Ph.D.s, all of which he earned by the time he reached his mid-twenties. But that's not even half of it. Daniel is capable of these... these enormous leaps of logic that, many times, have left me in the dust. He doesn't think linearly. When everyone else is still on A and B, he's jumped completely over the rest of the alphabet and reached Z. He's the kind of person who can think outside the box with ease, and, quite often, he's out there all by himself. If he'd gone into our fields of science, if that's where his talents lie, he'd make you look like an idiot.
Films — Animation
- In Rock-A-Doodle, a jealous Goldie Pheasant makes this comment while complaining about how "The King" has become a star and she's still stuck in the chorus. Her boss, Pinky, doesn't miss a beat: "A voice!"
- The Lion King (1994): A Deleted Scene has Scar asking Zazu what Mufasa has that he doesn't. As Zazu starts rattling a long list of said qualities, Scar decides that he needs a queen... and that Nala would be an ideal candidate.
Scar: "Mufasa, Mufasa..." I'm sick to death of him. What did he have that I don't have?!
Zazu: Nothing. You lack nothing at all. Except a few... minor things. Adoring subjects, respect of your species, a loving family, a devoted queen. Shall I go on, sire?
Scar: A queen! Yes! I need a queen!
Zazu: (stammers) A q-what?
Scar: She would rule by my side. We'll have cubs! Little Scars running all over the place! My heirs... My descendants... My lineage! I will be immortal!
Films — Live-Action
- Manhattan Murder Mystery:
Larry: I mean, take away his fake tan, his capped teeth, and his Cuban heels and what have you got?
Carol: You! - Don's Party: Middle-aged, horny, doughy Mal is frustrated that sexy Susan only pays attention to Don, the handsome host.
Mal: I want a bit of sausage. What's he got that I haven't got?
Susan: Sex appeal. - Dirty Dancing:
Neil Kellerman: Last week, I took a girl from Jamie, the lifeguard. And he said to her, right in front of me, "What does he have that I don't have?" And she said, "Two hotels."
- The Money Pit:
Walter: I mean, Max is rich, successful, handsome and talented, after all. What's he have that I don't?
Anna: Walls. - Holy Matrimony: Ezekiel has just caught Havana cheating on him.
Ezekiel: What does he have that I don't?
Havana: Nothing! About twenty hard years. Strong arms. Kisses great. It was the usual bar pickup stuff.
Ezekiel: What about the real husband stuff? What about that?
Havana: What is that?
Ezekiel: Can you trust him? Does he pray? Is he kind to plants and animals? Is his heart golden? Isn't this what a real husband supposed to be?
Havana: I think I'm gonna be sick. - From "If I Were King of the Forest" in the film of The Wizard of Oz:
Cowardly Lion: What makes the hottentot so hot?
What puts the "ape" in apricot?
Whadda they got that I ain't got?
All: Courage.
Cowardly Lion: You can say that again! [Beat] Huh? - In the rather obscure 1956 French film Plucking the Daisy (En effeuillant la marguerite), Agnes Dumont (Brigitte Bardot) needs to come up with money in a hurry and decides to enter a striptease contest, with a mask on her face and using the pseudonym Sophia. His boyfriend becomes interested in the mysterious Sophia. At one point, Agnes exclaims: "What does she have that I don't?"
- The Brady Bunch Movie:
Jan: [after being tossed out by a modeling agency] Why does everyone always choose Marcia?! What does she have that I don't?!
- Beauty and the Beast (2017) has a variation, when Gaston wonders aloud why he's attracted to Belle instead of other women, beyond the fact that she's beautiful, that is. Le Fou replies it's because she has "dignity", and doesn't pathetically throw herself at Gaston like all other women in town.
- Casper:
Casper: What's this Vic guy got that I don't, huh?
Kat: A pulse? - In Deadpool 2, after being literally torn in two by the Juggernaut, Wade pleads with Russell not to leave. As part of this, he asks what Juggernaut has that he doesn't, and hastily adds not to say 'legs'.
Wade: What's Juggernaut got that I don't have? Don't you say legs! I-I know you're gonna say legs!
Russell: [flipping him off] Legs!
Wade: Still hurts to hear out loud!
Live-Action TV
- In the Acapulco episode of El Chavo del ocho, a small argument breaks when Doña Florinda compares the hotel they're staying at with Don Ramón's house. Don Ramón retaliates by saying that's like comparing her to Sophia Loren. Doña Florinda then asks the question, and when Professor Jirafales offers to answer, he manages to dodge a bullet by saying that Sophia Loren has "publicity".
- How I Met Your Mother episode "Purple Giraffe":
Barney: What does Carlos have that I don't?
Robin: A date tonight? - The Avengers (1960s) episode "The Cybernauts":
Emma Peel: I must say, I can't wait to meet Oyama, "The Tall Mountain".
John Steed: What's he got that I haven't got?
Emma Peel: A hobby.
John Steed: Archeology, philately, knitting?
Emma Peel: Splitting doors. - Two and a Half Men episode "Is There a Mrs. Waffles?"
Charlie Harper: How does he do it? What does he have that I don't?
Alan Harper: Well, judging from first impressions, a genuine love of children and bladder control.
Charlie Harper: That was a cheap shot.
Alan Harper: I take them when I can. - That '70s Show:
Michael Kelso: What does he have that I don't? I mean, I have the three things women want: I'm hot and I'm smart.
Donna Pinciotti: That's two things, you moron.
Michael Kelso: Nuh-uh, hot counts twice. - Cheers:
Cliff: What's he got that I ain't got?
Carla: Would you like that list alphabetically, or in order of importance? - When Ann starts going out with Mark on Parks and Recreation, her ex-boyfriend Andy asks her this. She is somewhat aghast that he doesn't realize how obvious the answer is, what with Mark actually being a mature adult who has a job and Andy is unemployed and homeless. This causes Andy to get his first regular job as a shoeshiner in the hopes of impressing Ann.
- In The X-Files episode "Hollywood A.D.", Mulder and Scully attend the premiere of a film very loosely based on one of their cases. The movie versions of Mulder and Scully have sexual tension ("Is that your flashlight, Mulder, or are you just happy to be lying on top of me?"), but in the end, movie Scully hooks up with Assistant Director Skinner. When movie Mulder protests ("What's he got that I don't?"), she replies, "Bigger flashlight."
- M*A*S*H episode "Margaret's Engagement":
Frank: What's he got that I haven't got?
Margaret: Lips.
Frank: Lips aren't everything! - An episode of Blue Bloods has this question posed to Danny by a hot nightclub owner, involving Danny's wife. Danny's response? "Me."
- Mystery Science Theater 3000:
- In the Season 10 opener "Soultaker", Mike asks this question when Joel briefly returns and tells the guys how well his life has gone since he escaped Dr. Forrester's clutches. Unlike most instances of this trope, Tom and Crow are sympathetic, telling Mike that he shouldn't worry about things like that because it isn't healthy. (Of course, the whole sequence is a playful nod to the "Joel vs. Mike" debates that had been raging on the Internet, as well as the crew's way of telling fans to lighten up about the whole thing.)
- Playfully referenced in the "Tribute to Pants" song in the Season 4 episode "Hercules Against the Moon Men", when Tom Servo sings the line "What do they got that I ain't got?", to which Joel and Crow reply, "Pants!" This implies a bit of pants envy on the part of Tom, who has a hoverskirt in lieu of legs and is thus incapable of wearing them.
Music
- "What's He Got" by The Producers. note
- In "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)," a young man, upon learning his wife is having an affair with another man, pleads:
And if there's time before I pull this trigger
Tell me what he's got that I ain't got- Originally released by a young record producer named Leon Ashley, "Laura" went to No. 1 on the country chart in the late summer of 1967 and soon became a standard, covered by Tom Jones, Frankie Laine, Marty Robbins, Kenny Rogers, and many others.
- Brooks & Dunn's "He's Got You," asks it in its chorus, and the title is the answer.
He'll hold you tonight, but I won't
What's he got that I don't?
The one thing I thought I'd never lose
He's got you
Theater
- In Of Thee I Sing, Diana asks Wintergreen this question, which the chorus echoes (his answer, of course, is corn muffins):
You seem to think Miss Turner hits the spot; But what has she got that I haven't got?
- In Cole Porter's Out of This World, Juno's List Song "I Got Beauty" uses this line in its verse.
- In the Broadway version of The Lion King, Zazu lights up Scar a bit more than he does in the original movie:
Scar: What did my brother have that I don't have?
Zazu: Do you want the short list or the long?
Scar: ... Whatever.
Zazu: Well, he had a loving family—
Scar: *grunt*
Zazu: —adoring subjects—
Scar: *groan*
Zazu: —a devoted queen—
Scar: That's it, I need a queen!
Video Games
- Mortal Kombat:
- Johnny Cage asks this in the 2011 installment. He gets snarked by a pair of Shaolin monks.
Johnny Cage: What's Raiden got that I haven't got?
Liu Kang: Godlike power?
Kung Lao: A personality that is not at all like sanding paper?
Johnny Cage: Jerks. - The above exchange gets a Call-Back in Mortal Kombat 11 as a fight intro.
- This moment gets called back again in another intro in Mortal Kombat 1, but this time the shoe is on the other foot.
Ashrah: I'm sorry, Kung Lao, but I am spoken for.
Kung Lao: What's Syzoth got that I haven't got?
- Johnny Cage asks this in the 2011 installment. He gets snarked by a pair of Shaolin monks.
Web Comics
- The Penny Arcade comic "A Truly Remarkable Circumference":
Clonetrooper 1: I mean, what's he have that I don't?
Clonetrooper 2: Well, and this is just for starters, the Wookiee penis is about as big around as my thigh.
Western Animation
- The Fairly OddParents!: "You mean besides the clothes, the hair, the money, and the stuff?"
- Popeye. A question often posed by Brutus about Popeye.
- Animaniacs:
Dot: I'd be a great model. What's Christie Brinkley got that I don't?
Yakko & Wacko: Billy Joel. - Back at the Barnyard: As Otis and friends watch an expy of the show Punk'd:
Otis: What's he got that I don't?Pip: His own show, fame, good looks, great pranks, writers.Otis: I got a couple of those.
- Looney Tunes:
- Daffy Duck in Hollywood:
Daffy: (flattering a studio cop) What's Errol Flynn got that you ain't got? (to audience) Don't answer that!
- Daffy Dilly:
Daffy: (breaking from interrogating a butler like a detective) What's Humphrey Bogart got that I ain't got?
- In the cartoon The Bear's Tale, a retelling of the Three Bears story, Goldilocks takes a wrong turn and ends up at Grandma's house. The wolf, who's already in bed and dressed as Grandma tells her to beat it because he's waiting for Little Red Riding Hood. Goldilocks leaves asking what Red has that she doesn't. Once she's gone, the wolf realizes that she has a point and decides to go to bear's house to wait for her.
- Daffy Duck in Hollywood:
- Jimmy Two-Shoes: In "Pet Rocky", we get this bit of dialogue when Beezy is frustrated by how his new pet is showing more affection for Jimmy than him.
Beezy: What's Jimmy got that I don't?
Heloise: A brain. - Hey Arnold!:
Helga: What's she [Ruth MacDougal] got that I haven't got?
Phoebe: Let me check my list: Long slender legs. A dazzling smile. Shiny chestnut hair. - From the Johnny Test Beach Episode: After Susan and Mary's crush Gil's attention is stolen by a hot blonde in a swimsuit, this conversation takes place:
Susan: What does she have that we don't?
Johnny: A gorgeous face, a perfect tan, strong white teeth...
Mary: Hey, we have... strong white teeth. - An episode of the The Archie Show has Betty and Veronica rewarding Archie for winning a foot race against Reggie with kisses. Hot Dog licks Jughead's face, repulsing him:
Hot Dog: (thought) What's Veronica got that I haven't got? Hmph. Must be her tutti-fruity lipstick.
- Done hilariously in Static Shock while the titular hero is musing over another kid's popularity (hilarious considering that the person asking has superpowers):
Virgil: What does Derek Barnet got that I don't have?
Richie: Let's make a list: Looks, height, all-state in track and field. Shall I quit while you're behind?
Virgil: (not amused) I thought we were tight, Rich. - In Donkey Kong Country, Bluster asks Candy this.
Bluster: What does that big hairy ape have that I don't?
Candy: Well...
Bluster: Yes?
Candy: Well, he's a big hairy ape. And you're not.
Bluster: Ouch.
