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