Tropescilloscope: Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?

Villains never take the most direct approach to dealing with enemies. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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