Tropescilloscope: Adaptational Villainy

A character is more of a villain in an adaptation than they were in the original material. (read more at tvtropes.org)

More Tropes Italian Films Male Frontal Nudity Adaptational Villainy Unwitting Instigator of Doom Fanservice Failed a Spot Check Hope Spot Bland-Name Product Flashback Air-Vent Passageway Dramatic Irony Ass Shove The Dreaded Eyepatch of Power Blood from the Mouth Parental Neglect Butt-Monkey Deus ex Machina O.O.C. Is Serious Business The '80s The Starscream Curse Cut Short Gone Horribly Right Ambiguous Ending Double-Meaning Title Rewatch Bonus Men Are the Expendable Gender The '60s The Dog Bites Back No Ending Monumental Damage Fatal Family Photo Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas Chekhov's Gunman No Good Deed Goes Unpunished Better to Die than Be Killed The Hero Death of a Child Why Don't You Just Shoot Him? Bound and Gagged Adorkable As Himself Very Loosely Based on a True Story Those Two Guys Earn Your Happy Ending Sanity Slippage Big Eater There Is No Kill Like Overkill Scary Black Man Auto Erotica Brainless Beauty Meaningful Background Event Only Sane Man Gainax Ending All Men Are Perverts Scare Chord Offscreen Teleportation folderlabel Good Is Not Nice Malevolent Masked Men Sacrificial Lion Disproportionate Retribution Idiot Ball Only One Name Developing Doomed Characters Shell-Shocked Veteran Refuge in Audacity Needs Wiki Magic Love Brother–Sister Incest Evil Is Petty Fingore Tap on the Head Not So Above It All The Stoner Chase Scene Improvised Weapon Manly Tears Slasher Smile Meaningful Echo Adaptational Attractiveness Creative Closing Credits Villain with Good Publicity Dark Is Not Evil Captain Ersatz Demoted to Extra Dramedy As You Know Russian Films Artistic License – Gun Safety An Aesop Real Life The '50s Funny Background Event Unusually Uninteresting Sight Did Not Get the Girl Due to the Dead Word of God The Chick Five-Man Band Slasher Movie Heterosexual Life-Partners Hooker with a Heart of Gold Punch-Clock Villain Knight Templar In Medias Res Call-Back Manic Pixie Dream Girl Danny Peary Cult Movies List The End... Or Is It? Wham Line Genre Throwback Suspiciously Similar Substitute Central Theme Arranged Marriage Title Drop Once More, with Clarity! Ship Tease Affectionate Parody Deal with the Devil Shipper on Deck La Résistance Index of Film Westerns No-Holds-Barred Beatdown Film Series Breaking the Fourth Wall Bring My Brown Pants Action Girl Gorn Tempting Fate Anachronic Order Bunny-Ears Lawyer Eureka Moment Rule of Three Storming the Castle Badass in a Nice Suit Ungrateful Bastard Man on Fire Older Than They Look Sequel Escalation Rape as Drama Gratuitous English Funny Foreigner Ascended Extra Suspiciously Specific Denial Bowdlerise Impaled with Extreme Prejudice Suddenly SHOUTING! Setting Update Gold Digger Closed Circle Insult Backfire Stylistic Suck Kubrick Stare Broken Aesop Drowning My Sorrows Shower Scene Hollywood Law Fanservice Extra Beard of Evil Ironic Echo Book-Ends Mr. Exposition Dutch Angle Evil Laugh Despair Event Horizon Freudian Excuse Wicked Cultured Zombie Stories Television Movie Index Death by Sex Friend to All Children Put on a Bus Back from the Dead Adapted Out For the Evulz Cain and Abel Evil vs. Evil Animated Credits Opening Too Dumb to Live Red Herring He Who Fights Monsters Beta Couple Greater-Scope Villain Star-Crossed Lovers Token Minority I Just Shot Marvin in the Face Video Credits And I Must Scream The '70s Action Prologue Dogged Nice Guy Rule of Cool Adult Fear The Dragon Foreshadowing Pet the Dog Age Lift Disguised in Drag Why Did It Have to Be Snakes? Wretched Hive Fire-Forged Friends Slap-Slap-Kiss Cool Old Guy Sequel Hook Aside Glance Antagonist Title Daddy's Girl Getting Crap Past the Radar Sir Swears-a-Lot Neck Lift Paper-Thin Disguise Deliberate Values Dissonance Ghost Fiction I Want My Beloved to Be Happy All for Nothing Bittersweet Ending Recycled IN SPACE! Chuck Cunningham Syndrome Darker and Edgier Off-into-the-Distance Ending Hidden Depths Foregone Conclusion Parental Abandonment Spanner in the Works Lampshade Hanging Big Bad The '90s Actually Pretty Funny Daylight Horror Pun aka: Incredibly Lame Pun Camera Abuse Brutal Honesty Red Eyes, Take Warning Alpha Bitch Death Glare Ugly Guy, Hot Wife Accidental Misnaming The Casanova Toplessness from the Back Protagonist Title Those Two Bad Guys Left the Background Music On Totally Radical Captain Obvious Historical Villain Upgrade Faking the Dead The Lost Lenore Bilingual Bonus Not Quite Dead Stalker with a Crush Heel–Face Turn Abhorrent Admirer Not Using the "Z" Word Determinator Reasonable Authority Figure The Ghost Get Out! You Killed My Father Evil Cannot Comprehend Good Evil Brit Up to Eleven Riddle for the Ages Pre-Asskicking One-Liner Ax-Crazy Imagine Spot A Date with Rosie Palms Dramatic Gun Cock Artistic License – Geography Madness Mantra He Knows Too Much Happily Married Break the Cutie Anachronism Stew One Steve Limit Hypocritical Humor Eiffel Tower Effect Disney Villain Death Humiliation Conga Bullying a Dragon Time Skip Extremely Short Timespan Made of Iron Fun with Acronyms Never Trust a Trailer Cowboy Cop Becoming the Mask Together in Death Loophole Abuse Sexy Discretion Shot Artistic License – Physics Demonic Possession Wounded Gazelle Gambit Tranquil Fury Poor Communication Kills Music Stories Mistaken for Gay Final Girl Same Language Dub Cold-Blooded Torture Noodle Incident Frame-Up No Celebrities Were Harmed Our Zombies Are Different Names to Run Away from Really Fast Say My Name Woman Scorned For Want of a Nail Crazy Jealous Guy Never Trust a Trailer aka: Trailers Always Lie Guile Hero My Beloved Smother Immune to Bullets Depraved Bisexual Unreliable Narrator Villain Song Adaptation Distillation Mind Screw Major Injury Underreaction One-Man Army Dark Reprise Abusive Parents Stock Footage Public Domain Feature Films Film Noir Index Sinister Minister Jerk Jock The Reveal Missing Mom Obfuscating Stupidity Outrun the Fireball Foil Mercy Kill Shown Their Work Wham Shot Death Seeker Fantasy Films Mooks One-Word Title You Have Outlived Your Usefulness Damsel in Distress Male Gaze Historical-Domain Character From Bad to Worse Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique Visual Pun Apocalypse How Film Noir Determinator aka: The Determinator Nothing Is Scarier Department of Redundancy Department Bottomless Magazines The Stinger Lock and Load Montage The Cavalry Morality Pet Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy The Voiceless Affably Evil Informed Ability Gender Flip In Name Only Blackmail Line-of-Sight Name Serial Killer Decoy Protagonist Flipping the Bird Psychopathic Manchild The Lancer Sci-Fi Horror My God, What Have I Done? "Shaggy Dog" Story Insane Troll Logic Girl-on-Girl Is Hot What You Are in the Dark Aww, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other Vomit Indiscretion Shot Mystery and Detective Films Yandere Faux Affably Evil In the Back Playing Gertrude Almost Kiss The Stoic Disney Death Ms. Fanservice Ripped from the Headlines Adults Are Useless Those Wacky Nazis Only a Flesh Wound Bald of Evil Off with His Head! Cool Old Lady Fainting Exact Words Jitter Cam Deadpan Snarker It Can Think Villain Opening Scene "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue Betty and Veronica Hero Antagonist Let's Get Dangerous! Enemy Mine Big Damn Heroes Politically Incorrect Villain Smoking Is Cool Heroic BSoD Framing Device Not So Different Hell Is That Noise The Film of the Book Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene Camp Gay Jerk with a Heart of Gold Well-Intentioned Extremist No Name Given Anyone Can Die Animal Motifs Black Best Friend Kids Are Cruel Soft Glass 20 Minutes into the Future Car Fu Screw the Money, I Have Rules! Shut Up, Hannibal! Hollywood Darkness Kill It with Fire Retcon Random Events Plot Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil Big Bad Duumvirate Rule of Funny You Have Failed Me Establishing Character Moment Rasputinian Death Improbable Aiming Skills Spared by the Adaptation Novelization Vomit Discretion Shot Evil Sounds Deep Screw This, I'm Outta Here! The Alcoholic Dull Surprise Shoot the Shaggy Dog Comically Missing the Point Implacable Man Reality Has No Subtitles Reality Ensues Punctuated! For! Emphasis! The Un-Favourite aka: The Un Favorite My Greatest Failure Broken Bird The Hero Dies May–December Romance Calling the Old Man Out Meaningful Name Spell My Name with an "S" Peek-a-Boo Corpse Non-Indicative Name Manipulative Bastard Colour-Coded for Your Convenience aka: Color Coded For Your Convenience Canadian Movies Last-Name Basis Martial Arts Movie An Axe to Grind Small Name, Big Ego Fake Shemp Cruel and Unusual Death Screw the Rules, I Have Money! Unusual Euphemism Big-Bad Ensemble More Dakka Distracted by the Sexy Bloodier and Gorier Diabolus ex Machina MacGuffin Stealth Hi/Bye Narrator Amusing Injuries The Ditz Christmas Movies Index Epic Fail Credits Gag And the Adventure Continues French Films Hoist by His Own Petard Leaning on the Fourth Wall Country Matters Evil Counterpart Skewed Priorities Exactly What It Says on the Tin Jump Scare Hair-Trigger Temper Psycho for Hire Grey and Gray Morality Take That! Dirty Cop Real Life Writes the Plot The Bad Guy Wins Cloudcuckoolander Crapsack World Advertised Extra What Happened to the Mouse? Wrong Genre Savvy Reckless Gun Usage Pimped-Out Dress Spiritual Successor She's Got Legs Fan Disservice Spiteful Spit Half the Man He Used to Be This Is Gonna Suck Black Comedy Rape The Big Guy Dressing as the Enemy No-Sell It Will Never Catch On Never Found the Body Nice Job Fixing It, Villain! Deliberately Monochrome Gory Discretion Shot Large Ham I'm a Humanitarian All Just a Dream Attempted Rape Police Brutality From Nobody to Nightmare Your Head A-Splode Karma Houdini Artistic License – History Berserk Button Undying Loyalty Ambiguously Gay Catch-Phrase Homage Creepy Child Bi the Way Children Are Innocent Only in It for the Money Belligerent Sexual Tension Badass Boast Rule of Symbolism Pre-Mortem One-Liner Armor-Piercing Question Truth in Television Interrupted Suicide Redemption Equals Death Chewing the Scenery Artistic License – Law Jerkass Has a Point The Remake Drugs Are Bad Science Fiction Films Horror Comedy Rated M for Manly The Cameo Race Against the Clock Facial Horror Sassy Black Woman Took a Level in Jerkass Black Comedy Adaptation Name Change The Smurfette Principle Beware the Nice Ones Not What It Looks Like Honor Before Reason Driven to Suicide You Have Got to Be Kidding Me! Neck Snap I Need a Freaking Drink Heroes Want Redheads Extreme Doormat Meet Cute Works Set in World War II Bond Villain Stupidity Anti-Hero Show Within a Show Papa Wolf Straight Gay Darkest Hour Intergenerational Friendship Obviously Evil A.I. Is a Crapshoot Market-Based Title Laughing Mad Pragmatic Villainy Fourth Date Marriage Canon Foreigner Amoral Attorney Brick Joke Not Even Bothering with the Accent Translation Convention Shirtless Scene The Oner Improbable Weapon User Married to the Job Arc Words Naïve Newcomer Arch-Enemy Thriller Fatal Flaw Karmic Death Pretty Little Headshots Dual Wielding Bar Brawl As Long as It Sounds Foreign Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold Chekhov's Skill Kill 'em All Authority Equals Asskicking Blood Knight Big Brother Instinct Smug Snake Redshirt Army Conspicuous CG Oh, Crap! Break the Haughty Didn't Think This Through Instant Death Bullet The Musical Bitch in Sheep's Clothing Eagleland Japanese Films Author Appeal Kick the Son of a Bitch Be Careful What You Wish For Early-Bird Cameo Slashed Throat Bloodless Carnage Catapult Nightmare The Brute Artistic License – Biology Does Not Like Shoes Dropped a Bridge on Him Kick the Dog Crazy-Prepared Black and Gray Morality Properly Paranoid Grievous Bottley Harm Celebrity Paradox Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane Cool Car Revenge After the End Villain Ball Scenery Porn All Girls Want Bad Boys Historical Hero Upgrade Laser-Guided Karma Race Lift Bad "Bad Acting" Sports Stories Even Evil Has Loved Ones Our Vampires Are Different Shout-Out Light Is Not Good Badass Longcoat Whole Plot Reference Anguished Declaration of Love Fiery Redhead Woman in White Stepford Smiler Bare Your Midriff Adaptational Heroism Mr. Fanservice Crucified Hero Shot Card-Carrying Villain Coming-of-Age Story I Did What I Had to Do Four-Temperament Ensemble Improbable Infant Survival aka: Infant Immortality Cat Scare Artistic License – Military Pragmatic Adaptation Match Cut Knife Nut Bond One-Liner Femme Fatale Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism As the Good Book Says... Even Evil Has Standards Here We Go Again! Corpsing Bury Your Gays Combat Pragmatist The Atoner Romantic False Lead Bavarian Fire Drill Blatant Lies Lighter and Softer Corrupt Corporate Executive Black Dude Dies First Recap / RiffTrax aka: Riff Trax Movies She Cleans Up Nicely The Smart Guy Insistent Terminology The Sociopath Pyrrhic Victory Eye Scream Romantic Comedy Cool Shades Adaptation Expansion The Ace Not So Stoic Have a Gay Old Time Red Shirt Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer Never My Fault Would Hurt a Child Contrived Coincidence Stealth Pun Babies Ever After Green-Eyed Monster Epic Movie Hero of Another Story Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome Moment Killer Continuity Nod Mexican Standoff Hong Kong Films Logo Joke Double Entendre Freeze-Frame Bonus Early Installment Weirdness Drill Sergeant Nasty Leitmotif '80s Hair Sadistic Choice And Starring Evil Is Hammy Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass Expy Cluster F-Bomb Everyone Has Standards Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday Genre Shift Military and Warfare Films Agony of the Feet Evil Plan No Antagonist Death by Irony Naked People Are Funny Scenery Gorn The Vamp Domestic Abuse Posthumous Character Guns Akimbo Take a Third Option Leave the Camera Running Groin Attack Parental Substitute Taking You with Me "The Reason You Suck" Speech B-Movie "Well Done, Son!" Guy Empathic Environment A Father to His Men It's Personal Victoria's Secret Compartment Biopic Adaptational Badass Manchild Important Haircut Punny Name Ragtag Bunch of Misfits Actor Allusion The Chessmaster Documentary Big Applesauce Dirty Old Man Vampire Fiction Annoying Younger Sibling German Films Mugging the Monster All There in the Manual How We Got Here Twist Ending Ambiguous Disorder Took a Level in Badass The Great Depression The Faceless Silence Is Golden Intrepid Reporter Taking the Bullet Adaptation Dye-Job What the Hell, Hero? Room Full of Crazy Maybe Ever After Curb-Stomp Battle World of Ham Batman Gambit Reality Is Unrealistic Really Gets Around An Arm and a Leg Irony Police are Useless Blonde, Brunette, Redhead Historical In-Joke Body Horror Cassandra Truth The Load Award-Bait Song Drives Like Crazy Unspoken Plan Guarantee Badass Grandpa Rousing Speech N-Word Privileges Vitriolic Best Buds Villain Protagonist Rich Bitch Big "NO!" War Is Hell Accidental Murder Handicapped Badass Heel Realization Killed Mid-Sentence Obstructive Bureaucrat Dissonant Serenity British Films Dark and Troubled Past Defiant to the End Motor Mouth Pay Evil unto Evil Hypocrite The Bully Psychological Thriller True Companions Villainous Breakdown Defrosting Ice Queen Bolivian Army Ending The Place Heroic Sacrifice Mighty Whitey Easily Forgiven Bait-and-Switch Fat Bastard Bad Boss BFG Cat Fight Red Oni, Blue Oni Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking Horror Films Mundane Made Awesome Mad Scientist Big Fancy House The Mole Bloody Hilarious Super Strength Creator Cameo Asshole Victim Costume Porn Vacation Films Badass Normal Cool Guns Roger Ebert: Great Movies List Stuff Blowing Up Based on a True Story Love at First Sight Dirty Coward A God Am I NO INDOOR VOICE Would Hit a Girl Fantastic Racism Offscreen Moment of Awesome Sealed Evil in a Can Action Survivor Retirony I Have Your Wife Destination Defenestration Covers Always Lie Gilligan Cut Evil-Detecting Dog Beauty Is Never Tarnished Jerkass Training Montage Dying Moment of Awesome Australian Movies The Quiet One Awesome, but Impractical Anti-Villain Dark Action Girl Tagline Face Death with Dignity Red Right Hand Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right! Badass Bookworm Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping Fish out of Water The Mafia Make It Look Like an Accident Precision F-Strike Eldritch Abomination Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! Alliterative Name Does This Remind You of Anything? The Alleged Car Worthy Opponent Alas, Poor Villain Silent Movie Love Triangle Dwindling Party Hate Sink Boom, Headshot! Trailers Always Spoil Product Placement Overly Long Gag Plot Hole Overprotective Dad Ominous Latin Chanting Throwing Your Sword Always Works Henpecked Husband Broken Pedestal No OSHA Compliance Disappeared Dad The Un-Reveal Nice Hat Soundtrack Dissonance Re-Cut The X of Y Death by Adaptation timeperiod Toilet Humour aka: Toilet Humor Aluminum Christmas Trees Mama Bear Action Genre Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" Humans Are Bastards The Power of Love Superhero Famous Last Words Animal Title Index Fate Worse than Death "Awesome McCool" Name Unresolved Sexual Tension Downer Ending Pretty in Mink It's All About Me Serious Business Casting Gag Face–Heel Turn Plucky Comic Relief Call-Forward Chekhov's Gun Sole Survivor Author Avatar Made of Explodium Every Car Is a Pinto Deconstruction All There in the Script A Minor Kidroduction Parental Incest Roaring Rampage of Revenge Mood Whiplash Your Cheating Heart Genre Savvy Character Development Dumb Blonde Loads and Loads of Characters Retired Badass Composite Character Dies Wide Open Nice Guy Expository Hairstyle Change Chiaroscuro Only Known by Their Nickname Self-Deprecation Mythology Gag Running Gag