Tropescilloscope: Big Bad

The ultimate villain of the story, who's causing the problem the heroes must solve. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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