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