Tropescilloscope: Early-Bird Cameo

A character makes an appearance before being properly introduced later in the same work, in a sequel or in their own series. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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