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