Basic Trope: A character who doesn't seem to smile at all.
- Straight: Mark is the only character of the series to never smile.
- Exaggerated:
- Mark is always scowling, even during a heartwarming moment.
- Mark has never smiled his entire life.
- Every character never smiles at all.
- Downplayed:
- Mark frowns, but sometimes cracks a grin if he feels like it.
- Mark always looks vaguely disappointed or annoyed.
- Mark does smile, but it's not that often, and it's more for show as a politician giving an official press meeting or running for election and almost never because he's genuinely happy.
- Justified:
- Mark has a Dark and Troubled Past.
- Mark is physically unable to smile due some sort of disease or curse.
- Mark is The Woobie; his less-than-pleasant life has given him little reason to smile.
- Mark is Surrounded by Idiots.
- If Mark smiles, the world will be destroyed.
- Mark finds his smile to be awkward.
- Mark is The Stoic.
- Mark has a flat affect.
- Mark hates smiling.
- Inverted: Mark is a Perpetual Smiler.
- Subverted:
- Mark then goes to one full episode of smiling with his teammates...
- Mark's natural smiles are indistinguishable from his frowns to the untrained eye.*
- When He Smiles
- Double Subverted: ...then goes back to the remainder of the series frowning again.
- Parodied: Mark's frown never vanishes, even when everything is going ridiculously well for him like during the birth of his son, in his graduation, the day he wins a million dollars and so forth.
- Zig-Zagged: Mark goes through phases where he alternates between smiling and frowning, leaving others confused about his true emotions.
- Averted: Mark smiles or frowns when the situation is appropriate.
- Enforced: "We need to show how gritty and serious the Anti-Hero is. I know! We'll make him frown all the time."
- Lampshaded: "You don't seem to smile a lot, Mark."
- Invoked: Mark went through a Training from Hell to never smile for some unspecified purpose.
- Exploited: Mark is a Perpetual Frowner to upset people and thus give him leverage in social situations.
- Defied: Other characters try to get Mark to smile.
- Discussed: "Would it kill him if he at least smile already?"
- Conversed:Bob: "Have you noticed how Mark never smiles in this show?"Alice: "Yeah, it's like he's allergic to happiness or something."
- Implied: Mark is often seen with a neutral expression, leaving the audience to speculate on whether he smiles or not when off-screen.
- Unparodied: Mark's perpetual frown is not exaggerated or mocked in any way. It is simply his natural expression throughout the story.
- Untwisted: It is initially implied that Mark has a secret reason for never smiling, but as the story progresses, it becomes clear that there is no deeper explanation behind his lack of smiles.
- Deconstructed: Mark's constant frowning is explored in depth, revealing how it affects his relationships and perception by others. It is shown to isolate him and make it difficult for him to connect with people.
- Reconstructed: After the deconstruction, Mark gradually learns to open up emotionally and allows himself to smile more often, leading to improved relationships and personal growth. His smiles become genuine and meaningful moments in the narrative.
- Played for Laughs: Mark's perpetual frown is exaggerated to comedic effect, with various humorous situations arising from his inability to smile. His serious demeanor is often contrasted with lighthearted moments, creating comedic irony.
- Played for Drama:
- Mark's lack of smiles becomes a source of tension and emotional depth in the story. It symbolizes his inner struggles, emotional barriers, or a tragic past. The serious tone and impact of his frown evoke a sense of sadness, melancholy, or intensity in dramatic scenes.
- Mark refuses to smile because he is Surrounded by Idiots and when they meddle with his life (read: ruin it) in their attempt to liven up the killjoy, Mark explodes and gives them all an extremely vicious "The Reason You Suck" Speech that dynamites all the bridges he has built.
- Played for Horror:
- Mark's constant frown takes on a sinister quality, heightening the sense of unease or foreboding in the story. His expression becomes unnerving and contributes to a sense of dread or fear in suspenseful or terrifying situations. The absence of a smile may be associated with a dark secret or a malevolent nature, enhancing the horror elements of the narrative.
- Mark almost never smiles, and when he does, it's always a Slasher Smile that tells his soon-to-be victims that he will do something terrible to them...
- Mark never smiles because he is Surrounded by Idiots and when they inevitably do one stupid thing too many in their attempt at livening up the killjoy, Mark with his neverending frown decides to get rid of the idiots permanently…
Back to Perpetual Frowner, where smiles go to die and laughter is but a distant dream. :(
