5 Laziest Ways To Explain Protagonist's Skills Ever Used by Directors

5. For Spy Prodigies: “It’s All In The Blood”

So, your young character only just found out their parents were superspies and now they, too, get dragged into that dangerous world — but you don’t want to spend screen time on actual training?

Worry not, because superspy abilities run in the blood! A superspy’s kids always have the DNA for it, they don’t even need training.

4. For Dorky Geniuses: “It’s All Their Autism”

You wanted to move the plot along but didn’t know how to do it, so you added a genius character who unveiled the truth quickly. How did they do it, though? That’s where autism and eidetic memory come into play: remember, all autists have immense mental abilities, and photographic memory can justify literally anything.

3. For Cool Kids: “It’s All From Video Games”

Every good movie needs a random cool kid, preferably around 12-13 years old, who can do some amazing things, don’t you agree? Explaining how that kid learned to pilot a plane could have been rather hard, but luckily, video games exist! It’s really easy for a child to learn all sorts of skills by sitting in front of their PCs every day.

2. For Dangerous Women: “It’s All Their Family”

To get on with the times, you needed a female character who wipes the floor with her male enemies. Props to you — but don’t make her too self-sufficient! If she knows how to fight or even do “masculine” chores, it’s because she had five brothers or her father always wanted a son. Cinema gods forbid a woman learn something on her own!

1. For Literally Anyone: “It’s All Military Training”

The movie was really missing that sweet action scene, so you added it in. Sure, that character had never shown any signs of being a professional assassin, but not all hope is lost: just reveal they’re ex-military and went to Iraq. Oh, here’s one even better — they’re ex-CIA! Now, you’re free to have them kill with carrots and pilot submarines. You’re welcome.