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