Tropescilloscope: Guile Hero

A smart hero who uses wits to gain victory. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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