Tropescilloscope: Chekhov's Gunman

Earlier-introduced minor character is actually very important. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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