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