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