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