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