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