Line #94 Main/HamAndDeadpanDuo


1	[[quoteright:240:[[Franchise/{{Naruto}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ham_and_deadpan_duo_4.png]]]] [[caption-width-right:240:The hammiest and most exuberant shinobi ever and his Eternal Rival, the laziest and snarkiest shinobi in existence.]]
2
3	A pair of characters, either lifelong partners or just met up, in which one is a ham of decent size and the other speaks in a deadpan tone. The juxtaposition of the two, along with each of them on their own, is a common source of comedy for the audience.
4
5	Can overlap with a few DuoTropes:
6	* When combined with StraightManAndWiseGuy and BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine, usually the straight man/tsukkomi is the deadpan and the wise guy/boke is the hammy one.
7	* A subtrope of RedOniBlueOni, where the ham is the red one, and the deadpan is the blue.
8	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl brings gender to the mix: The Savvy Guy is deadpan and the Energetic Girl is hammy.
9	* GleefulAndGrumpyPairing which contrasts their positive and negative emotions.
10	* The SuperTrope to HammyVillainSeriousHero, where the ham is the villain and the deadpan the hero.
11
12	----
13	!!Examples:
14
15	[[foldercontrol]]
16
17	[[folder:Advertising]]
18	* [[https://www.youtube.com/@IcelandicMountainSpirits The commercials for Icelandic Mountain Vodka]] star Creator/HafthorJuliusBjornsson as a relentlessly, ''obnoxiously'' cheerful and overbearing spokesman for the brand, and his BeleagueredAssistant Einarr, who never gets anything right and lives in fear of his boss.
19	-->EINARR! It's too small!
20	[[/folder]]
21
22	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
23	* ''Manga/HiyoAndVivid'': Ayamorin is an outgoing, cheerful Wu-tuber who tries to make Hiyo smile, while Hiyo is physically incapable of smiling despite being Ayamorin's biggest fan.
24	* ''Franchise/LupinIII'' has the flamboyant titular thief and his sullen gunman Jigen as well as stoic samurai Goemon.
25	* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'': Loud, bombastic, fun-loving Present Mic and deadpan, stoic, often gloomy Eraser Head. Eraser Head also has this dynamic with the loud, flashy, energetic All Might.
26	* ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' has the hammy and exuberant Might Guy and his slouchy and snarky Eternal Rival Kakashi Hatake.
27	* ''Franchise/OnePiece'' gives us:
28	** The very shouty, energetic, over-the-top Luffy when paired with one of his crewmates or allies who are TheStoic and TheComicallySerious, like his NumberTwo Zoro and DeadpanSnarker ally Law.
29	** The loud, constantly-posing Franky and the subdued and stoic Nico Robin.
30	* ''Manga/NickAndLever'': Nick is a loud and flashy LargeHam, whereas Lever is more deadpan and subdued. Unlike most examples where the deadpan half of the duo is snarky and gloomy, Lever is just as cheerful and optimistic as Nick.
31	[[/folder]]
32
33	[[folder:Comic Books]]
34	* ''ComicBook/CableAndDeadpool'' has a whole series built on this -- the StraightManAndWiseGuy variant, naturally. Cable is the rough, militant deadpan to Deadpool's over-the-top hamminess. If Cable is not available, he's usually swapped out for Comicbook/{{Wolverine}}.
35	* ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' is the ComicallySerious TerrorHero deadpan, and Robin (Dick Grayson) is the LargeHam TechnicolorNinja HurricaneOfPuns quipmaster.
36	* ''Comicbook/SupermanBatman'' again has the Dark Knight as the deadpan, while the Man of Steel is the large ham.
37	* ''Comicbook/TheMask'': Anyone wearing the magical mask becomes Big Head, an evil [[ZanyCartoon cartoon character]] complete with [[CloudCuckooLander wacky attitude]] and [[ToonPhysics impossible physics]]. The downside? They're frequently targeted by Walter, an [[MadeOfIron inhumanly strong]], stoic and silent brute who wants the mask for himself.
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Creators]]
41	* Of the Creator/PennAndTeller duo, Penn is very loud and opinionated, while Teller is pretty much a mime.
42	* Creator/LaurelAndHardy. Ollie is pretty hammy while Stan is mild-mannered. However, Ollie more often plays the StraightMan who attempts to approach the situation seriously, and it's Stan's tomfoolery that gets them into "a fine mess". This is a rare example of the Ham being the Straight Man and the Wise Guy being the Deadpan.
43	* Creator/JeffDunham has two puppets that are frequently seen together: hyperactive {{Keet}} Peanut and the quieter José Jalapeño [[FunetikAksent onna Steek]].
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Fan Works]]
47	* ''Fanfic/SoulEaterTroubledSouls'':
48	** Tsuji is the brash, wisecracking Ham to Marcellus's cool Deadpan.
49	** Claudia is the theatric Ham to Caius's restrained Deadpan.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
53	* A villainous example occurs with Darla Dimple and her manservant Max in Creator/MarkDindal's ''WesternAnimation/CatsDontDance''. Darla is the spoiled ''prima donna'' of Mammoth Studios and lives for giving over-the-top performances. Hulking giant Max, however, maintains the dispassionate demeanor of TheStoic, crushing upstarts without qualm or mercy.
54	-->'''Max:''' Will that be all, Miss Dimple?\
55	'''Darla:''' For the moment. Thank you, Max. ''[pats his hairless head]''
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
59	* In ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'', with Creator/RaulJulia and Creator/ChristopherLloyd sharing a screen, there is [[HamToHamCombat ham in abundance]]. Gomez and Fester are balanced out by Morticia and Wednesday who are far more subdued, sometimes wrapping all the way around to ColdHam.
60	* In ''Film/TheFifthElement'', Korben Dallas, the serious ActionHero, is the Deadpan; and Ruby Rhod, the CampStraight JiveTurkey NonActionGuy is the Ham.
61	* Jay and Silent Bob from Creator/KevinSmith's movies, with Jay being the LargeHam and Bob being the SilentSnarker.
62	* In ''Film/Batman1989'', Batman is a serious DeadpanSnarker, making jokes while keeping a serious tone. Joker is a glorious Ham, living life to the fullest and showing the full gambit of Emotions while doing things that seem funny to him. It helps [[{{Foil}} contrast the two]] and show that, while they may both be functioning Sociopaths (more so in Batman's case) and/or Psychopaths (more so in Joker's case), they handle their game and life overall differently.
63	* ''Film/MenInBlack'' has Agent J, a hammy sassy black man, and Agent K, a stoic grizzled veteran who is so deadpan [[TheComicallySerious it's hilarious]].
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Literature]]
67	* In ''Literature/DustOfDreams'', book nine of the ''Literature/MalazanBookOfTheFallen'', there are Draconus and Ublala Pung, of all people. One is a millennia-old Elder God, the other a giant man-child. While they wander the prairie, Ublala is being his usual cheerfully boisterous self and Draconus remains the reserved DeadpanSnarker.
68	-->'''Ublala Pung:''' I've met gods before. They collect chickens.\
69	'''Draconus:''' We possess mysterious ways indeed.
70	[[/folder]]
71
72	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
73	* In ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', Captain Kirk (while he is not always this way and can in fact be a DeadpanSnarker at times) is "a man of deep feelings" which tend to express themselves [[LargeHam hammily]] whenever he's excited or [[KirkSummation trying to make a point]]. Spock is required to be TheStoic by cultural tradition, so his expressions (unless [[NotSoStoic something is wrong]]) tend to be very deadpan. And if Kirk isn't around, Doctor "Bones" [=McCoy=] serves up the cranky ham in response to the "green-blooded hobgoblin".
74	[[/folder]]
75
76	[[folder:Video Games]]
77	* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' racing games have Chick and Stew, two anthropomorphic roosters introduced in ''VideoGame/CrashTagTeamRacing'' who are in Motorworld for a sports report: Chick is the serious commenter and Stew the wacky one. [[TheBusCameBack They come back]] in ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacingNitroFueled'' where they present the DLC content to the players before [[PromotedToPlayable becoming playable themselves]] and with default stats which fit their respective personalities.
78	* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' has Lord Bale and Sindri Myr, a Chaos Lord and Sorcerer respectively. Bale's role is to go around making loud noises, while Sindri's is to be an increasingly obvious [[TheStarscream plotting betrayer]] speaking in [[ColdHam relatively measured tones]] -- the only time he goes into true LargeHam mode himself is [[spoiler:his ascension to Daemon Prince]].
79	* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': Sparda's twin sons form this dynamic; Dante is prone to bouts of hamminess (although he clearly plays it for [[ItAmusedMe amusement]], shits and giggles) while Vergil is completely straight-laced.
80	* In ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', in the Shivering Isles expansion, we have Sheogorath and Haskill. The first is a god of madness, who tends to spend half of the time yelling everything he says and making all sorts of [[NonSequitur non-sequiturs]]. The other is his chamberlain, who is completely stoic about absolutely everything and tends to be quite snarky in his conversations with the player.
81	* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' has [[{{Chuunibyou}} Fischl von Luftschloss Narfidort]], the [[LargeHam hammy]] Prinzessin der Verurteilung who speaks in a quasi-Elizabethan manner; and Ozvaldo von Hrafnavins, her [[LoyalAnimalCompanion loyal raven]] {{familiar}} who not only [[TranslatorBuddy "translates"]] Fischl's manner of speech but also [[ServileSnarker sasses back at her every now and then]].
82	* Junkrat and Roadhog in ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' are a downplayed example, in that Roadhog isn't always ''deadpan'', but he's definitely TheQuietOne and does get some snarky lines, while Junkrat is manic and rubbery, an irrepressible font of energy. It even extends to their motions in things like the "Junkertown: The Plan" short: Roadhog is relatively controlled and slow, while Junkrat bounces around like a post-apocalyptic take on ComicBook/TheJoker.
83	* [=McBurn=] and Duvalie, members of the QuirkyMinibossSquad from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel''. [=McBurn=] is BrilliantButLazy to the Nth degree and rarely shows emotion, while Duvalie is a {{Tsundere}} who frequently, and loudly, voices her annoyance with him. Amusingly, she sees herself as the OnlySaneMan of the duo when she really isn't one to talk.
84	* The VideoGame/RatchetAndClank series gives us hammy [[MadScientist mad scientist]] Dr. Nefarious and his [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] butler Lawrence.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
88	* The protagonist of ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'' is deadpan at times, while Mortelli is a ham.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Web Animation]]
92	* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': Ren is quiet, thoughtful, and prone to expressing his wit in deadpan and sarcastic ways, such as when he's asked to distract the sniper during the tournament, despite being the one with no shield, and his response is an understated "Sure, why not". His lifelong partner Nora is expressive, energetic, and loud. During the same tournament fight, when Jaune asks her to finish the fight with a single hit, she grins broadly, leaps in the air with her power needlessly flaring everywhere just for effect, and hits all four opponents with an exaggerated hammer swing. When Nora is telling Yang a story about her dream, she exaggerates the adventure for mood and suspense, while Ren quietly interjects with the actual, more boring, facts of the dream, deadpanning her enthusiasm.
93	[[/folder]]
94
95	[[folder:Western Animation]]
96	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Droopy}}'' is always the Deadpan pitted against a LargeHam antagonist (Wolfie the wolf, or Spike the bulldog).
97	* ''WesternAnimation/GreenEggsAndHam'' pairs the BADGUYS: hammy rookie Gluntz with deadpan old-timer Mc Winkle.
98	* In the ''WesternAnimation/MerrieMelodies'' cartoon ''The Lion's Busy'', Beaky Buzzard, the deadpan bird speaking in CreepyMonotone, follows around Leo, the hammy lion, waiting for him to die so that Beaky can eat him.
99	* ''WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries'': During the three-part "World' Finest," Joker comes to Metropolis to make an alliance with Lex. [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/straightman01_6517.png Joker remains his hammy, over-the-top self, while Lex is stoic and only barely tolerant of his new partner.]]
100	* Creator/HannaBarbera Studios' ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'' are composed of the {{Keet}} dachshund Little Dog paired with TheStoic sheepdog Big Dog. Little Dog is full of cockamamie ideas and InsaneTrollLogic, which routinely kick off the pair's adventures. Big Dog goes along, having no better idea. Thus, a loud idiot leads a quiet moron, and HilarityEnsues.
101	* The energetic Pinkie Pie and her deadpan sister Maud Pie from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.
102	* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'', TheComicallySerious Batman is often paired with BoisterousBruiser Aquaman.
103	* From ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' and their own spin-off series, there's WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain. Brain, the EvilGenius, mostly behaves in a deadpan manner (bar the occasional exclamation of "[[BigYes Yes!]]"), while the energetic Pinky is constantly jumping around and involuntarily spouting {{Verbal Tic}}s.
104	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HamAndDeadpanDuo