Tropescilloscope: Foil

A character who highlights another character's trait(s), usually by contrast. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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