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