Tropescilloscope: Chekhov's Gun

A plot device that isn't significant until later in the story. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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