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Basic Trope: A superhuman hero or villain who is highly confident.

  • Straight: Super Bob has Super-Strength, and he enjoys juggling Mooks to remind villains of how powerful he is.
  • Exaggerated: ...and then he pretends to be super humble as he embellishes each of the times where he saves the day!
  • Downplayed: Super Bob doesn't go out of his way to show off, but clearly enjoys it when he gets an opportunity.
  • Justified: Super Bob is one of the most powerful beings on Earth and has successfully defeated every villain and foiled every crime known to man, and has been lauded each time for his efforts.
  • Inverted:
  • Subverted: Super Bob is made out to be a Smug Super in his public appearances by his agent, in real life he's a humble and down to earth Nice Guy.
  • Double Subverted: ... All while Super Bob secretly harbors nothing but scorn for Muggles and most other supers. His nice guy facade is just so he isn't kicked off of the Super Team.
  • Parodied: Super Bob's smugness is completely out of place, and he often becomes the Butt-Monkey or object of a Humiliation Conga.
  • Zig Zagged: Super Bob is a smug jerkass, except it's just an act he uses that to psych out opponents, only to reveal that the real mask is when he's acting nice to his friends, except that was an act to get the bad guys to trust him...
  • Averted: Despite being one of the most powerful beings on the planet, Super Bob is neither humble nor smug, he simply acknowledges his abilities and uses them as best he can.
  • Enforced: The Author is making a Super Team and wants a Token Evil Teammate that isn't too evil, so he makes Super Bob a Smug Super.
  • Lampshaded:
    Citizen: "Why are you such a smug jerk all the time? Isn't being super strong and a beloved hero enough?"
    Super Bob: "Yeah it's nice, but being a Smug Super is like being a villain, and winning!"
  • Invoked: Newspaper director James J. Jonah hates Super Bob, but he can't outright libel him out as a villain, so his reports spin things to make him appear like a Smug Super.
  • Exploited: Super Bob's arch enemy Ultra Sally knows he's a smug bastard, so she manipulates Bob by feeding his ego and then catching him in a trap.
  • Defied: Super Bob is confident in his abilities and himself, but he decides to remain humble about it.
  • Discussed: "If Super Bob weren't so smarmy he'd actually be a lot more effective and popular."
  • Conversed: "It's just like real life. These characters with super powers acting all smug are just like actors and athletes who get full of their own ego."
  • Deconstructed:
    • Super Bob's smugness is due to deep rooted psychological issues. He's actually got more in common with the villains, but is too lazy to actually commit crimes and prefers the good publicity. As his increasingly erratic behavior alienates friends and the public he slips further down the slippery slope into outright villainy.
    • Super Bob's smugness is actually due to insecurity - he keeps talking about how great he is because he's trying to convince himself, not the people he's talking to. Not only is he secretly depressed, but the resident Magnificent Bastard finds Super Bob child's play to manipulate with a few well-placed compliments or insults.
  • Reconstructed:
    • Super Bob gets therapy, deals with his issues... and stays mostly smug, but now that he's secure in his self he doesn't need to be mean spirited anymore, and in fact develops a soft spot for people with similar issues.
    • Awesome Ego. The fact that Super Bob has been and will always be a Smug Super that can back his talk is exactly his appeal.
  • Plotted A Good Waste: Super Bob's smugness is the central point in a modern day Super Hero / Greek Tragedy story.
  • Played For Laughs: Super Bob spends several minutes casually holding off the villain while bragging about what little threat he poses to Super Bob, and all the stronger guys he's already beaten.
  • Played For Drama: Super Bob's smugness alienates everyone he loves, gets the world to despise him, and leads to him getting killed by a certain villain he pissed off and underestimated.
  • Implied: People seem somewhat resentful of Super Bob, but the audience does not get much understanding of his personality.

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