Tropescilloscope: Villainous Breakdown

When their Evil Plan is foiled, a calculating villain loses their composure, if not their sanity. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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