Tropescilloscope: Anti-Villain

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

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