Stroke the Beard

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    This is the need for either Old Masters or Wicked Cultured villains to stroke their Bad Ass Beards/Beards Of Evil as a compulsion. Evil types usually do this while preparing their Evil Plans sipping A Glass of Chianti and indulging in Villainous Slouching. This version is somewhat discredited today.

    These people don't necessarily need an actual beard, as even placing their hand on their chin where a beard would be while in thought can suffice.

    This trait has several faces; the meticulous planning and deep thought this trope usually suggests tends to be associated with evil. The good type usually suggests a zen-like peacefulness. Some also liken it to shrinks stroking their Freud-like beards. The overarching theme with this trope is intellectualism (or at least sneakiness).

    Compare Putting on My Thinking Cap.

    Examples of Stroke the Beard include:

    Anime and Manga

    Film

    • Pai Mei of Kill Bill was awesome at this.
    • Robin does this in Robin Hood: Men in Tights while pondering an archery contest. Then flicks his fingers clean.
    • Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels; he usually strokes his beard meditatively just before doing something totally Badass.
      • He and Anakin Skywalker spend a good minute stroking their chins, signaling to each other on how they should make their getaway from General Grievous in a deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith.

    Literature

    • Judge Dee often does this.
    • Guan Yu is one of the earliest examples. Just watch any Chinese opera show featuring him as a character.
    • In Dragonlance, a dwarf stroking his beard is considered an insult to the party he's speaking to.

    " Stroke your beard the wrong way, and the dwarves will bar the gates to the mountain once again." - Tanis Half-Elven

    • Archaeologist Radcliffe Emerson had a beard when he met Amelia Peabody, but not after they married; he still strokes his chin meditatively as an action-equivalent to a Catch Phrase. The habit has even been picked up by other characters, including his daughter-in-law.

    Live Action TV

    • The Pushing Daisies episode "Oh, Oh, Oh, It's Magic!". The magician does this when he tells Emerson in a very dramatic voice that he needs his help in solving the murders of his assistants.
    • In an episode of Modern Family, some of Manny's friends draw a beard on his face with magic marker while he's asleep. He strokes his drawn-on beard this way while plotting his revenge.

    Newspaper Comics

    Stand-up Comedy

    Video Games

    Web Original

    Western Animation


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