Why is it that so many supervillains have to rely on intellect and wits while the hero gets to have superior physical...

Why is it that so many supervillains have to rely on intellect and wits while the hero gets to have superior physical power?
I don't necessarily dislike this, I'm just curious. Sometimes it makes it look like the villains are all weak or unstoppable, and the heroes are all dumb or unstoppable.

Because it's easier to write a story like that

Everything you're saying is wrong. You just notice the smart villains more.

America has a deep-rooted anti-intellectual bias.

/thread

Because viewers almost always spend less time with the villain, and it's difficult to constantly write an intelligent character who has to repeatedly use his wits to solve unique challenges

It's much easier to just write a Hero who just punches, shoots, or slashes and have the villain just clearly point out what their conflict

Like, for example, "we're not so different, you and I..."

Anything not hamfisted would take clever writing that would let readers figure this out on their own

But the protagonist isn't smart enough for that

Smart Villains as the Masterminds is an easier cliche to write conventions about. Superheroes aren't dumb and unstoppable just typically have a more physical powerset and aren't ridiculous tier supergeniuses or atleast they're significantly lesser tier supergeniuses. The point being because it's more interesting to see a Superhero outwit someone displayed as smarter than them.
That said there's tons of Super genius heroes and tons of dumb muscle villains.

Villains make problems, heroes solve them.

A genius villain is a versatile antagonist. They can come up with any plan or invention the writer can think of and use as a plothook.

Meanwhile a genius hero is difficult to write convincingly, since they need to struggle to solve the problem for a while before coming to the conclusion. If they're so smart, there's usually a point where it stretches suspension of disbelief that they haven't thought of [insert solution the writer didn't think of/didn't like].

Consider Doomsday.
He's as strong as Superman, if not more, so After their first encounter, he has to rely more on his wits to survive an encounter.

Or a helping hand from a Motherbox.

I can't even recall such villains anymore
Besides Batman villains and Xanatos
They're a dying breed

The way I see it, it's because a gives an anchor for everything wrong that's happening to the hero, especially superheroes that deal with street crime. Greed, Wrath, and Lust drives the small time bad guys, while the upper hierarchy fight over Envy and Pride.

Like Luthor, it allows them to stay relevant, because they outwit the law, and that makes them a bit more realistic

Because it's really hard to write smart hero vs smart villain.

What I'm trying to ask is, like, I notice heroes tend to be toned, muscular superpeople, with flashy powers, sometimes. And the villains tend to be masterminds, mad scientists, evil geniuses, etc, who aren't always physically impressive.
And even if they are, they still can't compare to their adversary's strength, is all.

What is this Rob Liefeld shit

Right? What in God's name could those pouches possibly be carrying?

Because a villain that relies on raw physical power wouldn't be much of a villain in any capacity.
They'd either be a dumb oaf, or chaos incarnate. The first of which is easy to defeat, and the second of which is basically producing an apocalyptic event and guaranteed to destroy cities. At which point for a weaker, yet smarter hero, the story becomes about surviving the apocalypse.

By having things the other way around we're dealing with stories about heroes reigning in their power and adhering to a moral code when it comes to dealing with smart villains who try to put them in situations which may force them to break that code. It can become a true struggle for the hero, both internally and externally and I guess it's intriguing to watch it if it's well written. Plus another reason, which is probably more likely, is that having the hero be leagues above the villain in power almost makes it impossible for a writer to write themselves into a corner. They can always bruteforce a win with a strong hero, while a weaker one requires actual extensive thought on part of the writer.

More motherboxes

> why did I sleep through all my lit classes and now have to get my answers from randos and tvtropes

Lit classes?
What do you think I am, a fuckin nerd?

Everything outside of Gym class and Lunch is a blur.

Physical power is a line. You're either further on that line than your opponent or your not. The winner is determined entirely by their relative strength. For an interesting fight, your brick needs to fight paper who can out-think him.

>paper who can outthink him

Uh-
Is this English?

not Sup Forums but
>Saints Row 3
>two financial geniuses, one administrative genius, one tech genius, and a luchador on the enemy syndicate
>when the administrator dies the luchador gets power just because he can kill everyone in the room with his bare hands

Because very few american/western artist can draw a fight scene with weight/fluidity.

So its easier to have a smart guy be the bad guy.

>Batman
FTFY

it's obviously a statement based on rock, paper, scissors you idiot.

This.

It's not just modern day though, the concept of the strong, heroic looking guy being good and the limp egghead being either in his place as the sidekick or against him as the villain is pretty standard stuff.
Even goes back to mythology with the trickster vs the warrior/champion.

Though at times even the champion is given some wit, often simply to best enemies and never to benefit anyone aside from themselves, and the wisdom of elders is usually recognized as valuable. I don't think I need to point out by this point how such stories obviously served as conditioning for children and the impressionable public.

IIRC this is exactly why the BtAS crew didn't use the Riddler very much. Too hard to come up with riddles that Batman could believably be stumped by while still making sense.

Sonic weapons and lasers and stuff. I shit you not.

>"it's OBVIOUSLY a reference to ROCK PAPER SCISSORS you IDIOT"
Have you ever interacted with another human being before?