# Who is the smarter, stronger, or more clever character? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 2, 2025, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516 "2025-04-02T12:54:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/61 "2025-04-02T18:20:34Z")
Barney Fife could take out Ozzie Nelson with a single, perfectly aimed headshot—if he doesn’t drop his one bullet, shoot himself in the foot, or blow away Aunt Bee by mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/62 "2025-04-02T18:21:05Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Marvin would be too depressed to put up any kind of fight against Data. Hmmmm. Data is a good listener. I wonder if he could help Marvin. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/63 "2025-04-02T18:23:33Z")
If Barney Fife knew that Ralph Furley was allowing a man to live in one of his apartments with two women, he’d try to nip it in the bud. He’d fail. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/64 "2025-04-02T18:25:21Z")
> [@Yllaria](#): > > Data is a good listener. I wonder if he could help Marvin. Data is fully functional. He could try a variety of ways to improve Marvin’s mood. ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/65 "2025-04-02T18:25:40Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > One classic such confrontation is Reacher vs Travis McGee. I’d put my money on Reacher. Child says in an introduction somewhere about why he created Reacher: “Reacher always wins”. Because he was tired of the ‘ambivalent, conflicted, sensitive’ trend in thriller fiction at the time. They are very similar, of course: Reacher is sort of Travis without the boat. I can’t see why they would have reason to fight though. More likely to realize they’re on the same side.. “You take that one, and I’ll take the other… go!” 🙂 Another pairing is John Taylor (Simon R Green’s Nightside series) and Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher’s Dresden files). I would have liked to see an interaction between those two… ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/66 "2025-04-02T18:40:25Z")
Darrin Stevens II wouldn’t need a spell to take out Darrin Stevens I—just one well-placed knee to that wrecked spine of his or a ‘_misplaced_’ bottle of pain meds. Endora wouldn’t lift a wand to help, just sip her martini and whisper, “_Finally_.” ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/67 "2025-04-02T22:01:50Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Probably more but not necessarily ‘way more’. The car was said to be a 1928 Stanhope Touring car but was actually custom made from a Ford Model T and parts from other cars. Also remember that a horse is worth 2 or 3 horsepower. Apparently, Watt’s horses were slackers. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/68 "2025-04-02T22:44:02Z")
What about friend groups facing off in gang fights? Who has the edge in **Friends** vs. **How I Met Your Mother**? or **Happy Endings** vs. _New Girl_\*? And who’s going to go up against the **Always Sunny** gang? The brothers in **Malcolm in the Middle** , maybe? I think I might give the brothers the edge against any of the others because they’re so reckless. You have to take Frank Reynolds’s gun away from him, though. If you can. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/69 "2025-04-02T22:52:27Z")
SNL had the Brady Bunch take on the Partridge Family. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/70 "2025-04-02T22:53:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Also remember that a horse is worth 2 or 3 horsepower. Apparently, Watt’s horses were slackers. They couldn’t talk either. Both Mr. Ed and the car could. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/71 "2025-04-02T23:14:13Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > Who has the edge in **Friends** vs. **How I Met Your Mother**? Are you kidding? Marshall Eriksen can take on all the Friends by himself - the dude’s scary. And that’s without Robin and her guns in the mix. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/72 "2025-04-02T23:21:18Z")
And Lily! She’s scary [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AHdkg1FSTR0/hqdefault.jpg "Lily the most bad ass") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHdkg1FSTR0) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/73 "2025-04-02T23:30:37Z")
Seriously, Ted is as useless as one of the Friends, but Marshall, Lily and Robin are way scary. Robin has fought of a wolf with a knife. Marshall his used to wrestling his even larger brothers. Lily is the native New Yorker that teaches Kindergarten. She has speed and ferocity. Barney, may not be too useful. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/74 "2025-04-02T23:35:34Z")
Maleficent (Disney’s version) vs the Wicked Witch of the West - who would out-spell the other? One can turn herself into a dragon, the other has flying monkeys. No contest. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/75 "2025-04-02T23:51:44Z")
How about Anton Chigurh from No Country For Old Men versus Big Chris from Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? I think Anton Chigurh has that one hands down. Cheeky cockney hard man stands no chance against well, Anton Chigurh ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/76 "2025-04-03T00:18:30Z")
Haven’t seen either, so I get no vote ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/77 "2025-04-03T00:54:16Z")
I never got the impression the Addams clanwere superhuman beyond Fester’s light bulb trick. Herman is a Frankenstein’s Monster. Grampa is a vampire. They’d handle the Addams Family without breaking a sweat. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/78 "2025-04-03T00:56:54Z")
But Monica is **freakishly** strong. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/79 "2025-04-03T01:04:04Z")
Thing would pin the Munsters down one by one, while Cousin Itt smothered them under a tsunami of hair, and Lurch pounded out The Death March on the harpsichord. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516/80 "2025-04-03T01:29:22Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Seriously, Ted is as useless as one of the Friends, but Marshall, Lily and Robin are way scary. > […] > Barney, may not be too useful. Remember, it’s not just stronger, it’s also smarter and more clever. Barney would have skills to bring to the table. Ted, yeah, you’re right, pretty useless. > [@dirtball](#): > > And who’s going to go up against the **Always Sunny** gang? The Seinfeld gang, of course. Sociopaths vs. sociopaths. Jerry might even temporarily form a strategic truce with Newman and let him join the friend group temporarily, since Newman is a devious bastard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-smarter-stronger-or-more-clever-character/1016516.md?page=5)