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