Tropescilloscope: The Lancer

The Hero's foil and The Leader's trusted companion. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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