Tropescilloscope: I Did What I Had to Do

An after-the-fact justification for morally questionable but necessary actions. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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