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