Tropescilloscope: Guile Hero

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

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