Explain SMBC — the wiki for Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

eye-2

2024-11-10 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
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eye-2
Votey panel for eye-2
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Explanation

The comic shows the Eye of Sauron from The Lord of the Rings atop Barad-dur, shouting "Ow! Dammit! Stupid monocular vision!" The caption explains: "Due to its lack of depth perception, the Eye of Sauron was constantly stubbing its toe."

This is a straightforward visual and conceptual gag. The Eye of Sauron is depicted as a single giant eye -- and having only one eye means no stereoscopic (binocular) vision, which means no depth perception. The comic takes this literal anatomical consequence to its logical, mundane conclusion: if you cannot judge distances, you stub your toe on things. Applying the relatable, petty annoyance of stubbing your toe to an all-powerful, terrifying dark lord's iconic symbol is inherently funny through the contrast between the epic and the trivial. The joke also works visually because the tower of Barad-dur does somewhat resemble a leg, making the "stubbing" metaphor land even better.

View History (1) Original Comic