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