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