Basic Trope : A character who is portrayed (or, at least, treated) as incompetent for comedic effect, to make another character (often The Hero) look better, or both.
- Straight : Bob is an incompetent loser who's always screwing up.
- Exaggerated : Bob is both a moron and complete jerk who is Too Incompetent to Operate a Blanket and is looked down on by almost everyone.
- Downplayed : Bob has a fair amount of flaws and isn't very bright, but is a decent enough guy and has a few talents.
- Inverted : The Ace
- Bob is a complete Mary Sue whom everyone loves without much reason to.
- Subverted:
- Bob is a prime example of a Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass; he may seem like a total loser, but he's got moments where his talented side truly shines.
- Bob is a clown, his 'incompetence' is merely a part of his act.
- or he's a Make A Wish volunteer, his 'incompetence' is merely to make the wisher(s) feel like a winner.
- Double Subverted:
- Considering how few and far between Bob's moments to shine happen, it makes sense for people to not think of Bob as "hidden badass" but "a higher power took pity on this wretched creature".
- The plot quickly reveals that the incompetence that is allegedly part of his art is real enough that Bob became a clown because that literally was the only work he was going to get.
- The plot quickly reveals that Bob is the only volunteer who gets such assignments because he is 'a natural'. It may be for the best that the plot doesn't dwells on this too long.
- Averted : Bob's friends and Bob himself have about as many flaws as each other and don't come across as better than one another.
- Lampshaded : Charlie and his friends talk about how much of a loser Bob is and how he makes them feel better about themselves.
- Defied : Bob gets Character Development when wanting to grow self-improvement.
- Discussed : "Why do Bob's friends stick around such a moron? For that matter, why does Bob hang around such smug, self-satisfied jerks?"
- Conversed : "Does every nimrod ever exist have to stupidly embarrass themselves all the time in front of others?"
- Deconstructed : It's rather obvious that Bob has an unhealthy relationship with his so-called friends, who only keep him around because they find him amusing and look good in comparison. Bob can't leave them because he knows he'll never find another group of friends willing to accept all his flaws.
- Played For Laughs : Bob's incompetence, ineptitude, and embarrassing behavior is usually done in a comedic manner.
- Played For Drama: Bob is the archetypical deadbeat who poisons everything and everybody he gets involved with, who never cared about meeting his children and when he was saddled with them they had to carry him instead of the other way around, who can't own two cents without wasting one on booze and the second on girls, and can't hold a job because he makes those idiots in informercials who can't do anything right look like rocket scientist Olympic gymnasts. The rest of the cast talks about him with disgust and the obvious implication they thank everything they hold holy that they are not in the same forsaken pit he is.
Here's MY main page for you to return to so you don't have to thank me for it cause it's—I THINK WE GET IT!!
