Tropescilloscope: Freudian Excuse

A traumatic incident (whether some abuse by a deranged parental figure or something else) that makes a villain or any character the way they are. (read more at tvtropes.org)

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