Tropescilloscope: Batman Gambit

A plan that relies on its victims doing what they do naturally. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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