Tropescilloscope: From Nobody to Nightmare

A character evolves from humble beginnings to terrifying fame. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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