23 Characters Who Prove The Mind is the Best Weapon

You don't have to be an actual fighter to win a fight.

In fact, some of the most dangerous characters on television come after you with their intelligence and their ability to always stay one step ahead.

It doesn't matter how physically fit you are if you can't out-strategize your opponent. It's the smart ones, not the strong ones that you really need to look out for.

If it came down to it, we'd take brains over brawn any day.

Check out our slideshow below of 23 characters who prove the mind is the best weapon!

1. Patrick Jane - The Mentalist

Considering he's a consultant for the FBI, no one can argue that Patrick has got some tricks up his sleeve. But it's his ability to get to the bottom of any crime mixed with his talent for picking up on the smallest details that really put him over the top.

2. Amy Santiago - Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Amy Santiago is someone you would never want to compete with. She's incredibly smart, driven, and determined to win. She even won in a fist fight with a man twice her size by using the sash from the wedding dress she was wearing as a makeshift rope.

3. Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock

This guy is obviously intelligent, no doubt about it. His ability to solve mysteries is incredible, and he's the classic character people always compare others to when they solve a case.

4. Amanita Caplan - Sense8

What would Nomi and the rest of the sensates have done without Amanita? Died, probably. To be honest, we're pretty sure this girl could hold her own in a fist fight just fine, but she's able to get her friends out of dire situations through her stealth and mad hacking abilities.

5. Maddie Bishop - Siren

Maddie's intelligence is overlooked far too often on the show. It's actually insane just how smart she is, not even factoring in her knowledge of marine life. Maddie has saved Ryn and the mermaids on more than one occasion. She makes it look easy, but not many people would be able to pull off what Maddie can.

6. Tywin Lannister - Game of Thrones

Sometimes manipulation is the best tactic. Tywin discovers people's weaknesses and uses them to his advantage, and he always fully thinks out his plans before actually executing them.

7. Walter White - Breaking Bad

This chemistry teacher is more than he seems. In fact, he's a teacher you don't want your students going to for extra help. Despite being diagnosed with lung cancer, Walter proves he can hold his own when he quickly uses his intelligence to become a criminal mastermind.

8. Betty Cooper - Riverdale

Betty Cooper is singlehandedly the Sherlock Holmes of Riverdale. She spent all of Season 2 basically figuring out the black hood mystery on her own and at 16 years old is way smarter than 100% of the adults on the show.

9. Jiya - Timeless

Jiya literally helped created a time machine. That already makes her smarter than everyone on the planet. Plus a time machine can be used to get out of literally any situation. Case closed.

10. Felicity Smoak - Arrow

Thank goodness Oliver Queen brought Felicity onboard all those years ago. Felicity has saved everyone's lives on multiple occasions simple by out-thinking her opponent. She may not be a physical warrior, but even the strongest person in the world would have a hard time winning against her.

11. Mariana Foster - Good Trouble

Mariana can think her way out of any situation. She was hands down the smartest person in The Fosters and we can't wait to see how much she continues to grow in the new spinoff.

12. Madeline Mackenzie - Big Little Lies

Madeline was good at a lot of things. In fact, she could probably take on the whole world with a flip of her hair and a smile on her face. She makes it pretty clear in whatever she does that you do not want to get in her way.

13. Joe Goldberg - YOU

Joe definitely wasn't a good guy, but he was a pretty freakin' smart guy. It takes a lot of brains to get away with everything he did and never once get caught.

14. Stiles Stilinski and Lydia Martin - Teen Wolf

We had to include them both for this one because these two love birds are a detective duo. Before Lydia really honed into her banshee abilities, she and Stiles were the most physically defenseless of the bunch. That fact didn't stop them from seeking out danger and solving almost every supernatural problem in Beacon Hills.

15. Olivia Pope - Scandal

Olivia literally worked at the White House. This woman was so smart we still believe she eventually became the President. But to quote Olivia herself, "I am many things, stupid is not one of them." Yup, can't argue with that.

16. Chidi Anagonye - The Good Place

Decisions may not be his strong suit, but Chidi still has the ability to think the gang out of most situations. If it wasn't for him, he and his friends would've been captured and held in the real bad place a long time ago.

17. Cisco Ramon - The Flash

Cisco is essential to Team Flash. He's so essential, that the fastest man alive would've died a thousand times over without Cisco helping him through his earpiece.

18. Jane Sloan - The Bold Type

Jane may have never really been in a situation where she was faced with a physical threat, but that doesn't mean she couldn't handle it. There are so many incredible things spinning around in her mind that we'd love to see her be put to the test.

19. Francis Underwood - House of Cards

Francis is another master of manipulation. He may have crazy ideas, but there's no denying that they're crazy smart. This guy even managed to work his way up and become the President of the U.S.

20. Spencer Hastings - Pretty Little Liars

When you're being stalked by a mysterious cyber bully, someone's gotta figure out the clues. The liars were all intelligent but it was always Spencer they would turn to in order to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

21. Clarke Griffin - The 100

Clarke is probably the best example on this list. She is literally referred to as "the head" while her partner is referred to as "the heart." In a post-apocalyptic world, thinking on your feet is a must. It's because of Clarke's ability to use her brain that the delinquents survived as long as they did.

22. Abby Sciuto - NCIS

Not just anyone could be a forensic scientist in the NCIS. Abby is capable of just about anything and she's probably one of the most clever and intuitive characters on television.

23. Lena Luthor - Supergirl

Lena Luthor is an actual genius. Literally. There's physically nothing her mind can't do. If she wanted to, Lena could probably take over the world in the blink of an eye.