# Genius Genius is a rage comic face used sarcastically to mock stupidity, whether the target is someone else or the poster themselves. It debuted in a September 2011 Comixed strip about a tablet user who fixed his keyboard problem by essentially reinventing the laptop. ## Overview Genius is a rage comic character used sarcastically to mark obvious stupidity, whether the target is someone else or the panel author themselves[1]. In tone it sits with rage faces like 'You Don't Say,' where the caption is meant to be read as the opposite of admiration. The face wears a wide, self-satisfied smile and a lifted eyebrow, which is the tell that the 'genius' label is meant to sting. Panels using Genius typically end with the character celebrating a backwards decision, like solving a problem by inventing a slower, uglier version of what already existed. ## How It Spread On September 2, 2011, one day after the original strip, Memebase user Viktor_Alekzander uploaded a reply comic arguing that the face deserved a spot in the rage character roster[2]. That push worked: on December 27, 2011, Genius was added to the All The Rage Faces webcomic generator, which handed casual comic makers a ready-to-use asset. Through early 2012 the character showed up regularly on Memebase, then crossed over to We Know Memes in March 2012 and returned there for a 'best of' roundup in August 2012. From there it spread into the broader rage comic ecosystem, with a 'genius meme' tag on Tumblr and appearances on MemeCenter and Reddit. Around this same window, Urban Dictionary entries defined the word 'genius' in the sarcastic register the meme leaned into, treating it as a label people slap on trivially clever ideas like putting sprinkles on ice cream[1]. That casual sarcastic sense of the word kept the character in circulation even as newer rage faces cycled out. ## How to Use The Genius template typically caps the final panel of a four-panel rage comic, right after a character makes a decision that just barely counts as a solution. The joke works because the smug expression clashes with the pointlessness of the fix, so writers often set up a problem that already has a simpler answer being ignored. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Genius? Genius is a rage comic face used sarcastically to mock stupidity, often self-directed[1]. ### Where did Genius come from? It debuted on September 1, 2011, in a Comixed comic titled 'Idiot Savant Says…' by Cheezburger user 'antihero'[2]. ### What does Genius mean? It's a mock compliment aimed at a decision that isn't actually clever, matching sarcastic uses of the word[1]. ### How do you use Genius? The face typically caps a rage comic panel where a character solves a problem in the most roundabout way possible. ### Is Genius still popular? It's a classic 2011-2012 rage comic character; rage comic use overall has cooled since then[2]. ## References 1. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Genius]() 2. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/genius]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/genius Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library