Tropescilloscope: Historical Villain Upgrade

A work's portrayal of a historical villain is heavily modified from the real-life figure the character is based on. (read more at tvtropes.org)

Film Frequency (%) Film Frequency (#)

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