Tropescilloscope: Villain Opening Scene

A work opens by introducing the antagonist. (read more at tvtropes.org)

Film Frequency (%) Film Frequency (#)

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