Tropescilloscope: The Dragon

The Big Bad's Number Two; often the penultimate challenge that The Hero must face before confronting the Big Bad. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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