Tropescilloscope: Anti-Villain

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

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