Tropescilloscope: Freudian Excuse

A traumatic incident (whether some abuse by a deranged parental figure or something else) that makes a villain or any character the way they are. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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