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X Marks the Hero/Playing With

< X Marks the Hero


Basic Trope: A character has a cross-shaped scar to show they're a Badass good guy.

  • Straight: Bob has a cross-shaped scar on his cheek. He's a badass and The Hero.
  • Exaggerated: Bob's entire body is covered in cross-shaped scars. He is a walking Crowning Moment of Awesome and The Messiah.
  • Justified: Bob's scar is actually a Power Tattoo that is the source of his badassness. He got it as a reward for doing good deeds.
    • Bob got it while enduring torture by the bad guys.
  • Inverted: Bob is completely scarred except for a cross-shaped area.
    • A meek villain has a cross-shaped scar.
  • Subverted: Bob, who has a cross-shaped scar, turns out to be a villain...
    • Bob gets a cross-shaped cut, but it heals without scarring.
  • Double Subverted: ...But he's a Noble Demon.
    • He gets another cross-shaped cut after it heals.
  • Parodied: Bob, who is a complete wimp, becomes a badass hero the moment he receives a cross-shaped scar. When it heals, he's a wimp again.
    • In over-the-top Munchkin fasion, Bob COVERS himself in these cross-shaped scars in an attempt to improve his capabilities.
  • Deconstructed: While Bob's cross-shaped scar makes him look badass, the wound has a tendency to randomly open during combat, crippling him.
  • Reconstructed: Bob overcomes the crippling injury through sheer Heroic Resolve.
  • Zig Zagged: Bob has an X-shaped scar and becomes Badass...then it heals... then he gets another scar that also heals, but he remains badass untill that scar reopens...
  • Averted: Nobody has cross-shaped scars.
  • Enforced: "The Hero doesn't look badass enough. Draw a cross-shaped scar on his cheek."
  • Lampshaded: "That guy has a cross-shaped scar. I'll bet he's a badass hero."
  • Invoked: Bob cuts his own cheek in the shape of a cross to show he's badass.
  • Defied: After getting the scars, Bob turns evil.
    • Thinking that these scars are unbecoming of a hero, he does whatever it takes to have them removed.
  • Discussed: "So, cross-shaped scar = Badass. How the hell does *that* work?"
  • Conversed: ”ANOTHER X-shaped scar? Are they in fashion or something?”

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