Basic Trope: An especially strong, large, and dimwitted henchman for the forces of evil.
- Straight: Tiberius the Golem's job description is to smash enemies, intimidate the weak and follow the will of the army of Darkness the King of Dark. He can't think for himself, and is thus the least respected member of the Army.
- Exaggerated: Tiberius is 15ft tall with superhuman strength, the intelligence of a crocodile and the savagery of one too.
- Downplayed:
- Tiberius was hired for his strength much more than his brains. He's stronger than most of his coworkers and more than a match for the protagonist in a fair fight.
- Tiberius is a general known for his skill on the battlefield as well as his leadership. He ultimately does not have the brains for subtler politics and if left to his own devices would win many battles while losing the war.
- Justified:
- He is a literal Golem; destruction is his reason of living.
- Tiberius' low intelligence has lead him to develop an inferiority complex. He compensates for this by being as physically intimidating as possible.
- The villains are intellectually-oriented, and need a physically-imposing bodyguard to protect them from the heroes.
- Inverted:
- The Big Guy or Gentle Giant
- Dr. Crazystein is an Evil Genius who is physically frail, but gifted with a deadly intellect.
- Subverted:
- Tiberius the Golem turns out to have the mind of a college graduate.
- There are several rumors around Tiberius that seem to Exaggerate his fighting skills, even going so far as to say he's "15 feet tall, incredibly strong, the intelligence of a crocodile and the savagery of one too." Instead, upon finally meeting the man of myth, Tiberius is revealed to actually be a small yet powerful martial artist who's like a Glass Cannon. Fast, hard hitting, but not so durable. Still an idiot, though.
- Double Subverted:
- His intelligence regresses, and he's back to being the Dumb Muscle.
- One of Tiberius' favorite martial arts is specifically those that revolve around grappling, like Greco-Roman Wrestling and Judo. He's mastered them to the point where he can effortlessly lift people up and toss them around like ragdolls. Unfortunately, his IQ is still pretty low.
- Parodied:
- Zig Zagged: Tiberius seems to be a not so bright enforcer, but then we see him trying to study a difficult subject to seem smarter. He then gives it up - only to try some other way to exercise his brain, give that up, and repeat over and over.
- Averted: The Big Bad selects his minions for brains, stealth, and street smarts instead of brawn, as he doesn't like to risk them actually fighting the good guys.
- Enforced: An acting troupe has one guy whose muscles, size, and good looks make him worth including, but his acting skills leave a lot to be desired. So they always try to write a part for him that doesn't tax his acting skills too much.
- Lampshaded: "Let me guess. That guy built like a glacier is your hired thug, right?"
- Invoked:
- Darkness, the King of Dark creates Tiberius because he wants a walking Weapon of Mass Destruction.
- The Big Bad and The Dragon decide that they don't have enough manpower as-is to stop the heroes, so they employ Tiberius to create an additional obstacle for them.
- Exploited: The heroes point out to Tiberius that the other Forces of Darkness don't really respect him. He may not be particularly intelligent, but he still has feelings, and Tiberius pulls a MookâFace Turn.
- Alternatively, Tiberius hates being disrespected, and is actually plotting with the Heroes to take out Darkness the King of Dark, pulling a quite literal Et Tu, Brute? on him.
- Defied: Tiberius constantly studies so that he can be admired for his brains and not for his strength.
- Discussed: A criminal profiler talks about how people who happen to have a lot of brawn, not much brains, and not much morals often tend to wind up in certain career choices.
- Conversed: "Well, I can tell that guy isn't being kept around for his brains..."
- Deconstructed:
- Tiberius is actually aware that others think of him as an idiot. This insults him greatly, and leads him to quit the army.
- Tiberius isn't particularly bright, and requires constant supervision... which is easier said than done, as most of his superiors are too frightened of him to be in the same room, much less reprimand him for his mistakes. As a result, he becomes more and more of a loose cannon, engaging in wild sprees of destruction for the sheer glee of it at the worst possible moment. Darkness considers him a liability, but even he doesn't dare say that to Tiberius's face.
- Reconstructed:
- Tiberius defects to the heroes' side, and Darkness the King of Dark obtains the services of something even stronger - and this one is mindless, and won't object to however the forces of darkness treat it.
- Tiberius is not that smart, but he is smart enough to fight well, and so he is very dangerous.
- Played For Laughs: Tiberius is huge, and maybe he follows orders well, but he turns out to be a Minion with an F in Evil and his non-directed attempts to menace people are decidedly non-menacing.
- Played For Drama: Tiberius is either an Implacable Man, The Berserker, or a Genius Bruiser that knows the heroes' every move. If possible, he can even become a Brute-In-Chief.
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