Tropescilloscope: The Lancer

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

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