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