Tropescilloscope: Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass

An idiot who can become awesome in situations. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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