You are here | Sex, Sexuality, and Rape Tropes | Narrative, Characterization, and Plot Tropes | Impossible in Real Life | Too Common | Too Controversial | Gossip and Stereotypes
These tropes assign moral values to certain characters, character types, or situations, or are seen by most people as such. The wiki prefers to avoid opinions on the morality of real people, who are almost always far more complex than any fictional depiction. And in any case, calling a real person a villain or a jerk is really not a good idea. Even if most people think of them as such, at least one person will disagree; and even if that person never finds that example, it still creates hostility towards the individual, which we don't want on a wiki that tries to be neutral. In short, real people should not be described as "good" or "evil".
NOTE: Please consult the Real Life section maintenance thread
if you want to propose adding a trope here.
- Above Good and Evil
- Absolute Xenophobe - Also impossible, at least as far as we know.
- Abusive Offspring
- Abusive Parents - Also too common in real life.
- Abusive Precursors - Also attracts future speculation.
- Academic Alpha Bitch
- Academy of Evil
- Adult Hater
- Affably Evil
- A.I. Is a Crapshoot - Also thankfully not possible. Yet.
- Alas, Poor Villain
- Alignment-Based Endings - Also a narrative trope.
- All Crimes Are Equal
- The Alliance
- All-Loving Hero
- Alpha Bitch
- Always Chaotic Evil - Also impossible in real life.
- Ambiguous Innocence
- Ambiguously Evil
- Ambition Is Evil
- Amoral Afrikaner - Also a stereotype.
- Amoral Attorney
- Angel Face, Demon Face
- Angry Chef - Also gossipy and too common in real life.
- Animal Wrongs Group
- The Antichrist - Also impossible in real life.
- Anti-Anti-Christ - Also impossible in real life.
- Anti-Hero
- Anti-Villain
- Apocalypse Hitler - Also impossible in real life.
- Aristocrats Are Evil - Also a stereotype.
- Armies Are Evil
- Artifact of Doom - Also impossible in real life.
- As Long as There Is Evil
- Asshole Victim - Tends to invite Victim-Blaming when applied to real people.
- "Ass" in Ambassador
- At Least I Admit It - Also too controversial.
- The Atoner
- Avenging the Villain
- Baby as Payment
- Backstabbing the Alpha Bitch
- Bad Boss
- The Bad Guys Are Cops - Also too common.
- The Bad Guy Wins - Also a narrative trope.
- Bad Influencer - Also a gossip trope.
- Bad Is Good and Good Is Bad
- Bad Mood as an Excuse
- Bad People Abuse Animals
- Bad Samaritan
- Bait-and-Switch Boss - Also impossible in real life.
- Balance Between Good and Evil
- Bald of Evil
- Bastard Understudy
- Battleaxe Nurse
- Beard of Evil
- Beauty Is Bad
- Befriending the Enemy
- Beg the Dog
- Being Evil Sucks
- Being Tortured Makes You Evil - Also too controversial.
- Benevolent Boss
- Benevolent Dictator
- Benevolent Precursors
- Big Bad - Also a narrative trope.
- Big Bad Duumvirate
- Big Bad Ensemble
- Big Bad Slippage
- Big Bad Wannabe
- Big Good - Also a narrative trope.
- Bigot with a Badge - Also too controversial.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing - Also too common in real life.
- Black-and-Gray Morality
- Black-and-White Insanity
- Black-and-White Morality
- Black Eyes of Crazy
- Black Eyes of Evil
- Black Shirt
- Black Speech - Also impossible in real life.
- Blood Bath - Primarily associated with evil.
- Blood Knight
- Blue-and-Orange Morality - Impossible as this would require another sapient species to compare humanity to.
- Boarding School of Horrors
- Board to Death
- Bomb-Throwing Anarchists - Regardless of personal views, the trope is generally intended for villainous characters.
- Brainwashed and Crazy
- The Bully - Also too common in real life.
- Byronic Hero
- The Caligula - The sole exception is the Trope Namer and even then it’s debatable just how much he actually qualified as the trope.
- Can't Get Away with Nuthin' - Also impossible in real life.
- Card-Carrying Villain
- Celibate Hero
- Chaotic Evil
- Chaotic Good
- Chaotic Neutral
- Chaotic Stupid - Also, calling people stupid is really not a good idea.
- Character Alignment
- Child Eater
- Child Hater
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
- Chronic Villainy
- Churchgoing Villain
- CIA Evil, FBI Good
- Co-Dragons
- Complete Monster - First, being the strongest Evil Trope, it's also the most controversial. Also, despite how you might feel, there is no such proven thing as a 100% evil person or thing in real life. Not even Hitler. Besides, it is possible for a real person to have redeeming traits completely unknown to others, but fictional characters can be chalked up as having "no redeeming qualities", rendering this a characterization trope as well.
- Cop Hater
- Cop Killer
- Cop Killer Manhunt
- Corrupt Church
- Corrupt Corporate Executive - Also too common.
- Corrupt Politician - Also too common and far too controversial.
- The Coup - A political trope that is too controversial for real life; see The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized.
- Create Your Own Villain
- Creepy Child
- Creepy Crossdresser
- Creepy Good
- Creepy Souvenir
- Creepy Twins
- Criminal Craves Legitimacy
- Cruelty by Feet
- Culture Justifies Anything - Also too controversial.
- Cute and Psycho - Also a stereotype.
- Cut Lex Luthor a Check
- Daddy's Little Villain
- Dark Is Evil
- Dark Is Not Evil
- Dark Lord on Life Support
- Dark Messiah
- Dark Mistress
- The Dark Side
- Dastardly Whiplash
- Daycare Nightmare
- Death by Racism - Also too controversial due to it being centered on political correctness.
- Democracy Is Bad - Also too controversial.
- Demonization
- Department of Child Disservices
- Depraved Kids' Show Host
- Deranged Park Ranger - Also a stereotype.
- Desecrating the Dead
- Designated Hero - Also a narrative trope.
- Designated Villain - Also a narrative trope.
- Despotism Justifies the Means
- Devilish Hair Horns - Also characterization based on appearance.
- Devious Dolphins
- Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat
- Diplomatic Impunity
- Dirty Communists - Also a stereotype.
- Dirty Coward
- Disability as an Excuse for Jerkassery
- Disproportionate Retribution - Also too common in real life.
- Domestic Abuse - Also too common in real life.
- Doomed Moral Victor
- Draco in Leather Pants
- The Dragon
- Dragon Ascendant
- Dragon-in-Chief
- Dragon Lady - Also a stereotype.
- Dr. Feelgood
- Drunk on the Dark Side
- Dystopia Justifies the Means
- Eats Babies
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette - Also a stereotype.
- Elite Mooks
- The Empire
- Enemy Civil War
- Enfant Terrible
- Entitled Bastard
- Equal-Opportunity Evil
- Eunuchs Are Evil
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones
- Even Evil Has Standards
- Evil All Along - Also a narrative trope.
- Evil Brit - Also a stereotype.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good
- Evil Chancellor
- Evil Chef
- Evil Counterpart
- Evil Duo
- Evil Egg Eater
- Eviler than Thou
- Evil Eyebrows
- Evil Feels Good
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor
- Evil, Inc.
- Evil Is Cool
- Evil Laugh
- Evil Is Not a Toy
- Evil Is One Big, Happy Family
- Evil Is Petty
- Evil Is Sexy - Also a sexuality trope.
- Evil Luddite
- Evil Matriarch
- Evil Mentor
- Evil Nerd
- Evil Old Folks
- Evil Only Has to Win Once - Also a narrative trope.
- Evil Overlord
- Evil Parents Want Good Kids
- Evil Pays Better
- Evil Poacher
- Evil Power Vacuum
- The Evil Prince
- Evil Reactionary
- Evil Redhead - Also often overlaps with and is related to Fiery Redhead, which is a stereotype.
- Evil States of America
- Evil Stole My Faith
- Evil Tastes Good
- Evil Twin
- Evil Tower of Ominousness
- Evil Uncle
- Evilutionary Biologist
- Evil Vegetarian
- Evil Versus Evil
- Evil Wears Black
- Evil Will Fail - Also a narrative trope.
- The Extremist Was Right
- Face–Heel Turn
- Face of an Angel, Mind of a Demon
- Fair for Its Day - Also a narrative trope, too common, and too controversial.
- Fallen Hero
- False Prophet
- The Family for the Whole Family
- Family-Values Villain
- Fangs Are Evil
- The Farmer and the Viper
- Fat Bastard
- Faux Affably Evil
- Fetus Terrible
- Fighting Back Is Wrong - Also too controversial.
- Forced into Evil
- Former Friend of Alpha Bitch
- For the Evulz - Claiming real people to be motivated by the sake of doing evil is asking for trouble.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul
- Freudian Excuse
- From Nobody to Nightmare
- The Fundamentalist - Also a stereotype.
- Fun-Hating Villain
- Galactic Conqueror - Also (as of now) impossible in real life.
- Generic Doomsday Villain – Also impossible in real life.
- Giggling Villain
- Girl Scouts Are Evil
- God Save Us from the Queen!
- Good All Along - Also a narrative trope.
- Good Cannot Comprehend Evil
- Good Colors, Evil Colors - Also characterization based on appearance.
- Good Eyes, Evil Eyes
- Good Guns, Bad Guns
- Good is Not Nice – Also too common in real life.
- Good Is Not Soft – Also too common in real life.
- Good Parents – Also too common in real life.
- Good Pays Better
- Good Republic, Evil Empire
- Good Policing, Evil Policing
- Good Scars, Evil Scars - Also characterization based on appearance.
- Good Stepmother - Also too common in real life.
- Good Victims, Bad Victims
- Greed
- Green-Eyed Monster
- Grey-and-Gray Insanity
- Grey-and-Gray Morality
- Griefer - Also too common in real life.
- Guilt-Free Extermination War - It's never a good idea to trivialize heavy topics such as genocide.
- Gullible Lemmings
- Hate Crimes Are a Special Kind of Evil - Also too controversial because this centers on political correctness.
- Hate Sink - Nobody exists solely to be hated.
- Heel–Face Brainwashing
- Heel–Face Door-Slam
- Heel–Face Turn
- Heel–Faith Turn
- Heel Realization
- Hellhole Prison
- Hero Antagonist
- Heroes Love Dogs
- Heroic Bastard
- Heroic BSoD
- Heroic Comedic Sociopath
- Hero with Bad Publicity
- Heteronormative Crusader - Also too controversial because this centers on political correctness.
- He Who Fights Monsters
- Hobbes Was Right
- Holier Than Thou
- Honest Corporate Executive - Also too common.
- Horrible Judge of Character
- Humans Are Bastards - Also too controversial and invites misanthropic complaining — enough of it that the Troper Tales subpage was on the Permanent Red Link Club before Troper Tales as a whole was discontinued.
- Humans Are Good - Also not possible, as it requires another sapient species to compare humanity to.
- Humble Hero
- Hypocrite - Also too common, and calling someone a hypocrite is asking for trouble.
- Idealist vs. Pragmatist - People's motivations are complex and can't be easily slotted into "Idealist" and "Pragmatist" during real life conflicts.
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!
- If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!
- Immoral Journalist
- Incorruptible Pure Pureness - Also impossible in real life; there's no such thing as a 100% good person, not even Steve Irwin. This is also a characterization trope; a person can harbor negative actions or qualities unknown to others in the real world.
- Industrialized Evil
- Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain
- Innocent Means Naïve - Also a stereotype.
- It's All About Me
- Jerkass - Also too common and too contentious.
- Jerkass Has a Point
- Jerkass Woobie - Also a characterization trope.
- Jerk Jock
- Jerks Are Worse Than Villains - Also too controversial.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold
- Jerk With A Heart Of Jerk
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope
- Justified Criminal - Justifying criminal activity as an action of good is way too controversial for any reason.
- Karma Houdini - Listing any moments of unpunished crimes is just asking for trouble.
- Karma Houdini Warranty - Saying that someone deserved it after getting away with it for so long is also also asking for trouble.
- Karmic Death - Again, saying that someone deserved to die would be disgusting.
- Kneel Before Zod
- Kick the Dog
- Kids Are Cruel - Also a stereotype.
- The Kindnapper
- Knight of Cerebus - Also a narrative trope.
- Knight Templar
- Lack of Empathy - Also too common in real life.
- Lady Macbeth
- Lantern Jaw of Justice - Also a characterization trope based on appearance
- Laser-Guided Karma - Also too common in real life.
- Laughably Evil
- Lawful Evil
- Lawful Good
- Lawful Neutral
- Lawful Stupid
- Lawman Gone Bad
- Legalized Evil - Also too controversial.
- Lean and Mean
- Light Is Not Good
- Loan Shark - Also too common.
- Loners Are Freaks - Also a stereotype.
- Loser Son of Loser Dad
- Lovable Alpha Bitch
- Love Makes You Evil
- Mad Doctor
- Made of Evil - Also impossible in real life.
- Mafia Princess
- Magnificent Bastard
- Make the Bear Angry Again - Also a stereotype.
- Malevolent Mugshot
- The Man Behind the Man
- Manipulative Bastard - Too common in real life, and calling someone manipulative is asking for trouble.
- Man of Wealth and Taste - Also a stereotype.
- Mayor Pain - Either calling mayors evil, or complaining about incompetence.
- Mean Boss
- Meet the New Boss
- Memetic Psychopath - Also too controversial.
- Menagerie of Misery - Also too controversial.
- Mental Handicap, Moral Deficiency
- Minion with an F in Evil
- Misanthrope Supreme
- Monster Misogyny
- Mooks
- Mook Lieutenant
- Moral Disambiguation
- Moral Event Horizon - When or if a real person has crossed this is too subjective and controversial — yes, even Pol Pot.
- Morality Chain
- Morally Ambiguous Doctorate
- Moral Myopia
- Moral Pragmatist
- Mr. Vice Guy
- Murder by Inaction
- Narcissist
- Near-Villain Victory - Also a narrative trope.
- Necessarily Evil
- Necromantic - Also not possible to bring dead bodies back to life. Yet.
- Nepharious Pharaoh
- Neutral Evil
- Neutral Good
- Neutral in Name Only
- Never My Fault
- Nice Guy - Attracts gushing, and is too common in real life.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain
- Nice to the Waiter
- Noble Bigot - Also too controversial.
- Noble Bigot with a Badge - Also too controversial.
- Noble Demon
- Noble Top Enforcer
- No Love for the Wicked - Also a stereotype and a sexuality trope.
- Nominal Hero
- Not Evil, Just Misunderstood
- Not Quite the Right Thing
- Not-So-Harmless Villain
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist
- Obliviously Evil
- Obviously Evil
- Omnicidal Maniac
- Only Bad Guys Call Their Lawyers
- Orcus on His Throne
- Orderlies are Creeps
- Outcast Refuge - Declaring groups to be oppressed/oppressors is too controversial.
- Overlord Jr.
- Pacifism Is Cowardice - Also too controversial.
- Parasites Are Evil
- Pay Evil unto Evil
- Peace & Love Incorporated
- People Farms
- Pet the Dog
- Playing the Victim Card
- Poison Is Evil
- Politically Correct Villain - Also because political correctness is highly controversial, and its objective meaning varies from zeitgeist to zeitgeist.
- Politically Incorrect Hero - Because political correctness is too contentious.
- Politically Incorrect Villain - For the third time political correctness is too controversial.
- Poke the Poodle
- Pounds Are Animal Prisons - Also a Characterization trope.
- Pragmatic Villainy
- Preacher's Kid
- Predators Are Mean - Also impossible in real life.
- Predatory Business - Also too common in real life.
- Predatory Prostitute - Also a sex trope.
- President Evil - See Mayor Pain above, but with Presidents instead of Mayors.
- Principles Zealot
- Privilege Makes You Evil
- Propping Up Their Patsy - Discussing the guilt or innocence of accused or proven criminals is often a controversial topic, especially when the case allegedly involves someone being accused of someone else's crime. Also, calling real people "villains" is off mission for the wiki.
- Psycho for Hire
- Psychopathic Manchild
- Psycho Psychologist
- Punch-Clock Villain
- Pure Is Not Good
- Putting on the Reich - Also a characterization trope based on appearance and too controversial.
- Raised by Orcs
- Reasonable Authority Figure - Also too common in real life.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over
- Redemption Equals Death
- Red Eyes, Take Warning - Also a characterization trope based on appearance.
- Religion of Evil - Also too controversial.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent
- Retired Monster - Calling someone a lifelong Karma Houdini is never a good idea.
- Returning Big Bad
- Revolutionaries Who Don't Do Anything
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized - A political trope too controversial to use for real life instances.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified - See above.
- Rigged Spectacle Fight
- Right-Hand Cat
- Rightly Self-Righteous
- Roguish Poacher
- Rooting for the Empire - Also too controversial.
- Rousseau Was Right - As heartwarming as it would be, it's too common in real life.
- Sadist
- Sadist Teacher
- Saintly Church - Also too common in real life.
- The Savage Indian - Also a stereotype.
- Save the Jerk
- Scary Amoral Religion - Also too controversial.
- School Grade Hacking - It is often seen as a criminal offense.
- Science Is Bad - Describes scientists as evil, and would attract all sorts of anti-scientific flame bait.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!
- Sealed Evil in a Can
- Secretary of Evil
- Serial Killer - Also there are too many of them to list.
- Serial-Killer Killer
- Sheep in Sheep's Clothing
- Shut Up, Hannibal!
- A Sinister Clue - Also a stereotype
- Sinister Minister
- Sinister Swine - Also not possible, as pigs do not have a concept of morality.
- Sinister Sorority Sisters
- Sinister Suffocation
- Sissy Villain - Also a stereotype and too controversial.
- Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil - Also too controversial.
- Sliding Scale of Villain Effectiveness - Also a narrative trope.
- Sliding Scale of Villain Threat
- Slimeball
- Slowly Slipping Into Evil
- Small-Town Tyrant - Also a stereotype.
- Smug Snake
- Snakes Are Sinister - Also not possible.
- The Social Darwinist
- The Sociopath - Calling people sociopaths is not a good idea. Also too common.
- Sociopathic Hero - Again, we shouldn't be calling people sociopaths.
- Sociopathic Soldier - For the third time, calling people sociopaths is asking for trouble.
- Sorting Algorithm of Evil
- The Soulless - Also impossible in real life.
- Spikes of Villainy - Also a characterization trope based on appearance.
- The Starscream
- Start of Darkness
- Straight Edge Evil
- Straw Nihilist
- Stupid Evil
- Stupid Good
- Stupid Neutral
- Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome - Also a narrative trope.
- Suicide Is Shameful
- Superpowered Evil Side
- Supervillain Lair
- Sympathetic Adulterer
- Sympathetic Murderer - Sympathizing with real-life murderers is way too controversial for any reason.
- Sympathetic Slave Owner
- Sympathy for the Devil
- Tautological Templar
- Teacher's Unfavorite Student
- Teen Hater
- Teens Are Monsters - Also a stereotype.
- Temporarily a Villain
- Terror Hero
- Then Let Me Be Evil
- There Are No Good Executives
- They Look Just Like Everyone Else! - Also too common.
- Token Evil Teammate
- Token Good Teammate
- Tom the Dark Lord - Also a characterization trope; it's expected that people in real life would have typical names.
- Too Cool to Live - Impossible in real life.
- Took a Level in Jerkass
- Totalitarian Utilitarian
- Tragic Bigot - Also too controversial.
- Trapped in Villainy
- Troll - Also too common in real life.
- Trophy Child
- Troubled Abuser
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior
- True Neutral
- Tyke Bomb
- Ungrateful Bastard
- Unholy Matrimony
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid
- Utopia Justifies the Means
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show - Also a narrative trope.
- Villain Ball
- Villain Decay
- A Villain Named "Z__rg"
- Villainous Breakdown
- Villainous BSoD
- Villainous Crush
- Villainous Glutton
- Villainous Parental Instinct
- Villainous Valour
- Villains Blend in Better
- Villains Love Entertainment
- Villains Out Shopping
- Villain Protagonist - Also a narrative trope
- Villain Song
- Villain Team-Up - Also a narrative trope.
- Villain with Good Publicity
- Visionary Villain
- Washington D.C. Invasion
- Welcome to Evil Mart
- Well-Intentioned Extremist
- We Want Our Jerk Back!
- What the Hell, Hero?
- What You Are in the Dark
- White Hair, Black Heart - Also a characterization trope based on appearance.
- White Sheep
- Wholesome Crossdresser
- Who Murdered the Asshole
- Wicked Cultured
- Wicked Heart Symbol
- Wicked Stepmother
- Wife-Basher Basher - Also too controversial.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity - Also impossible in real life.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds
- Would Hit a Girl - The trope relies on how hitting women is treated as especially bad – without that it has no narrative meaning (which also makes it a characterization trope).
- Would Hurt a Child - Also too controversial.
- Yellow Peril - Also a stereotype.
- You Can't Thwart Stage One - Also a narrative trope.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame
