Nebogipfel wrote:
I'm not so sure about the OP's contention that geniuses tend to be depicted as evil or as kids. Cumberbatch's Sherlock, Lizbeth Salander, Abed from Community, Doctor Who and arguably Dr. House, are all recent examples of ones that aren't. I need more information to convince me that there is a trend.
Child geniuses:
Jimmy Neutron
Dexter from Dexter's Lab
The kid from the Doritos commercials
Jason Fox
Stewie Griffen
Evil geniuses:
Dr. Eggman Robotnic
Lex Luthor
Several James Bond villains
Although yeah, there are several geniuses who aren't evil or children. Tom Swift, Neo, and the cast of The Big Bang Theory are examples. But it sure seems like there is a trend towards casting intelligent people as either children or villains.