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