Tropescilloscope: Superhero

Stories where the hero has superhuman abilities. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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