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