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