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