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