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Some TV show protagonists build their whole personalities around being clever, and honestly, it would be a nightmare to get into an intellectual dispute with many of them. When it comes to developing characters that are engaging enough to lead a TV show, they often need to have pronounced personalities. This may mean that they are skilled, charming, funny, or something else that helps them to stand out.
However, when a character’s central defining trait is their intelligence, it can go a number of ways. Some highly intelligent characters use it to charm the people they meet. Others find it mundane and frustrating to try and communicate with people they view as being less intelligent. Whatever the case, there are some TV show protagonists who would be incredibly difficult to debate against.
8
Patrick Jane
The Mentalist
First up, we have a con man. Patrick Jane is best known for his ability to read people and reach conclusions that can appear like he is reading minds. However, Patrick is actually just highly skilled at analyzing people and micro-expressions. This led to Jane having a hugely successful career as a psychic.
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However, when his bravado and lying resulted in his family becoming the target of a dangerous killer, Jane was left broken and disillusioned by the value of his fame and fortune. Now, Jane assists the CBI as an expert consultant. Putting his incredible skills to good use, Jane is able to uncover dark secrets and reveal hidden details, which would make him a challenging rival in an intellectual showdown.
7
Raymond Reddington
The Blacklist
While Jane is incredibly skilled at reading people, he is mostly harmless. The same cannot be said for Raymond Reddington. Reddington is a notorious criminal who managed to evade capture for an extremely long time, and when he was finally caught, it was on his terms, as he walked into the FBI headquarters. Reddington is unpredictable and dangerous.
Ultimately, this makes him an intimidating rival who would dismantle and disarm the people he is up against. In addition, his unpredictable nature may see him act in unusual ways that serve a higher purpose which will not be clear until it’s too late. Reddington, however, is just a drop in the bucket compared to some of the other entries in this list.
6
The Doctor
Doctor Who
The Doctor is a very different character compared to the other entries in this list. For one, he isn’t even a human. However, over thousands of years, the Doctor has proven his fascination and obsession with the human race. In all honesty, for most people, it would be a lot of fun to go toe-to-toe with the Doctor in a debate, but his wealth of knowledge, which extends into every corner of time and space, is absolutely overwhelming and impossible to match up against.
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The Doctor has also been responsible for the downfall and dismantling of some of the most terrifying and intelligent monsters ever known. He is so intelligent, in fact, that he can fight against these rivals with nothing more than his own intellect and a sonic screwdriver. And yet, because of his jovial nature, he would still be a much more pleasant rival than many of the others further down this list.
5
Sheldon Cooper
The Big Bang Theory
Case in point, Sheldon Cooper is not as intelligent as The Doctor. He is less threatening than both Raymond Reddington and Patrick Jane, but he is undeniably more annoying than all the others combined. Sheldon is highly intelligent, and he is capable of dismantling arguments made by anyone who has a below genius-level IQ, but he is also sensitive, whiny, and childish.
When Sheldon doesn’t have things play out exactly as he wants, it breaks him. In this way, it could be possible to mentally break Sheldon just by being unexpected, but the level of rage and frustration he would experience would likely lead to countless hours of exposition about why that’s not fair. Ultimately, competing with Sheldon would not be in any way fun, and that is why he earns his spot on the list.
4
Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal
Next up, Hannibal Lecter is a terrifying man whose intelligence is impressive and intimidating. Hannibal is also a cannibal, and he frequently enjoys playing with his meals. Regardless of whether a rival is able to mentally match Hannibal, there is always the risk that he will tire of the games, and turn to bloody murder, before turning a body into a delicious fine-dining meal.
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But beyond that, Hannibal is also extremely intelligent, and capable of covering up his nefarious deeds. Hannibal builds trust, and positions himself in places where he gains authority, respect, and he becomes a trusted advisor. As a result, Hannibal may be able to utterly turn a person’s life on their head and cause an enduring disturbance through his dark actions.
3
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock
Combining some of the characteristics of individuals like Sheldon Cooper and Patrick Jane above, Sherlock Holmes is one of the most brilliant detectives to ever live. He is also incredibly annoying, and struggles to connect with anyone on an emotional level. The result is a man obsessed with puzzles who will uncover any secret, no matter how minor, through his keen observational skills.
Sherlock has gone up against rivals like Jim Moriarty, and managed to solve countless crimes. He is more than capable of finding out what is going on even with a bare minimum of clues, and his impressive mind contains countless references and resources that make him skilled at figuring out near-endless problems. If Sherlock is your rival, there is almost no chance of escape, or victory.
2
Dr. Gregory House
House
Dr. Gregory House is actually loosely modeled off of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. However, House is not a detective, but a medical practitioner. Despite this, the character is still utterly obsessed with solving puzzles, and he finds himself struggling to connect with and engage with people. And while House is not necessarily as intelligent as Sherlock in a broad sense, his medical specialty makes him more of a threat.
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The thing is, House is a doctor, and as such, he has access to lethal chemicals and materials. In addition, despite taking the hippocratic oath to do no harm, House is more than willing to bend and break the rules. If put into the right circumstances, House would prove to be an untrustworthy, unpredictable, and dangerous rival.
1
Rick Sanchez
Rick and Morty
Finally, the character taking the top spot may only exist within the bounds of an adult animated comedy show, but Rick Sanchez is ridiculously intelligent, and in possession of near-endless potential. Rick is an inventor who single-handedly solved multiversal travel. He also has highly questionable morals, having killed many versions of himself in other realities, and making decisions that seem extremely toxic, cruel, or manipulative. Rick is devastated by the tragic death of his wife, and he appears to care about almost nothing.
This lack of care and empathy is exactly what makes him such an enormous threat. Rick has no issues with letting a universe die, and simply moving on to another reality. And with his ability to invent almost anything, travel the multiverse, and call in help from strange and powerful entities from across the numerous realities, Rick Sanchez would prove to be an unrelenting and unforgiving rival. He chased one variant of himself across countless realities, and his punishments are extremely dark. By far, the most terrifying character to go up against from a TV show has to be the intellectual giant, Rick Sanchez.
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