Tropescilloscope: Deus ex Machina

A miracle that saves the heroes at the last minute. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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