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