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