Tropescilloscope: Black and Gray Morality

Evil villain, flawed hero. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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