Red Eyes, Take Warning/Playing With

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Basic Trope: A character with red eyes has a high probability of being evil.

  • Straight: Lord Bloodstone has red eyes.
  • Exaggerated: Lord Bloodstone has red eyes and Glowing Eyes of Doom. Thus, Glowing Red Eyes of Doom, Take Warning.
    • Alternatively, Lord Bloodstone's eyes are completely red, including his scleras and pupils.
  • Justified: Lord Bloodstone is an Evil Albino.
    • Alternatively, all those who are granted power from a sinister source, such as a demon, have their irises stained red by it.
    • Lord Bloodstone is so angry that he actually burst a couple of blood vessels!
  • Inverted: Lord Bloodstone has Blue Eyes.
  • Subverted: A character with red eyes is established as dangerous, but turns out to be the hero.
  • Double Subverted: But it turns out that the hero is actually The Man Behind the Man.
  • Parodied: A character puts in red contact lenses. They immediately go on a killing spree.
    • Lord Bloodstone routinely douses himself with pepper spray to ensure that his eyes stay red when he does something evil.
  • Deconstructed: Lord Bloodstone was hated and feared ever since he was a child because of his sinister-looking eyes. The abuse he suffered twisted him into the villain that he is today.
  • Reconstructed: Lord Bloodstone was hated and feared ever since he was a child because the power of the Demon King that dwells within him, and people felt inherently afraid of him. As he grew more twisted and bitter, his eyes became redder, a sign of the Demon King gaining control. The hero has the same power, but maintains his heroic nature, and so his eyes are an untainted blue.
  • Zig Zagged: There is a wide variety of eye colors people can have, meaning that anyone, good or evil, can have red eyes.
  • Averted: No-one has red eyes.
  • Enforced: "Let's give the Big Bad red eyes so he can be identified as the villain."
  • Lampshaded: "So you're behind this all? I should have known since the moment I looked in your evil red eyes."
  • Downplayed: Lord Bloodstone has bloodshot eyes.
  • Invoked: "He must be the bad guy. Just look at those eyes."
  • Defied: "My eyes may be red, but my heart is pure!"
  • Discussed: "So, are red eyes a requisite for villainy?"
  • Conversed: "Why do such a high proportion of evil-doers have red eyes?"

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