Tropescilloscope: Informed Ability

A character reputedly has a certain ability or attribute, but the audience never sees it. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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