Tropescilloscope: Manipulative Bastard

A character who manipulates others through elaborate schemes and/or persuasive speaking. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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