Tropescilloscope: Anti-Villain

The antagonist is rather morally ambiguous instead of straight evil. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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