Tropescilloscope: Black and Gray Morality

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

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