diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py
index 6d83e5afd8..30303961d4 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/__init__.py
@@ -27,8 +27,9 @@ import random
 import stat
 import tempfile
 import time
+from abc import ABCMeta, abstractmethod
 
-from ansible.compat.six import binary_type, text_type, iteritems
+from ansible.compat.six import binary_type, text_type, iteritems, with_metaclass
 
 from ansible import constants as C
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError, AnsibleConnectionFailure
@@ -42,7 +43,7 @@ except ImportError:
     from ansible.utils.display import Display
     display = Display()
 
-class ActionBase:
+class ActionBase(with_metaclass(ABCMeta, object)):
 
     '''
     This class is the base class for all action plugins, and defines
@@ -62,11 +63,39 @@ class ActionBase:
 
         self._supports_check_mode = True
 
-    def _configure_module(self, module_name, module_args, task_vars=dict()):
+    @abstractmethod
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        """ Action Plugins should implement this method to perform their
+        tasks.  Everything else in this base class is a helper method for the
+        action plugin to do that.
+
+        :kwarg tmp: Temporary directory.  Sometimes an action plugin sets up
+            a temporary directory and then calls another module.  This parameter
+            allows us to reuse the same directory for both.
+        :kwarg task_vars: The variables (host vars, group vars, config vars,
+            etc) associated with this task.
+        :returns: dictionary of results from the module
+
+        Implementors of action modules may find the following variables especially useful:
+
+        * Module parameters.  These are stored in self._task.args
+        """
+        # store the module invocation details into the results
+        results =  {}
+        if self._task.async == 0:
+            results['invocation'] = dict(
+                module_name = self._task.action,
+                module_args = self._task.args,
+            )
+        return results
+
+    def _configure_module(self, module_name, module_args, task_vars=None):
         '''
         Handles the loading and templating of the module code through the
         modify_module() function.
         '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
 
         # Search module path(s) for named module.
         for mod_type in self._connection.module_implementation_preferences:
@@ -329,10 +358,12 @@ class ActionBase:
 
         return data[idx:]
 
-    def _execute_module(self, module_name=None, module_args=None, tmp=None, task_vars=dict(), persist_files=False, delete_remote_tmp=True):
+    def _execute_module(self, module_name=None, module_args=None, tmp=None, task_vars=None, persist_files=False, delete_remote_tmp=True):
         '''
         Transfer and run a module along with its arguments.
         '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
 
         # if a module name was not specified for this execution, use
         # the action from the task
@@ -441,13 +472,6 @@ class ActionBase:
         if 'stdout' in data and 'stdout_lines' not in data:
             data['stdout_lines'] = data.get('stdout', u'').splitlines()
 
-        # store the module invocation details back into the result
-        if self._task.async == 0:
-            data['invocation'] = dict(
-                module_args = module_args,
-                module_name = module_name,
-            )
-
         self._display.debug("done with _execute_module (%s, %s)" % (module_name, module_args))
         return data
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/add_host.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/add_host.py
index 0e7d3187e5..65026eb513 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/add_host.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/add_host.py
@@ -20,27 +20,32 @@
 from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
 __metaclass__ = type
 
-import re
-
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.parsing.utils.addresses import parse_address
-from ansible.errors import AnsibleError, AnsibleParserError
+from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
+
 
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     ''' Create inventory hosts and groups in the memory inventory'''
 
-    ### We need to be able to modify the inventory
+    # We need to be able to modify the inventory
     BYPASS_HOST_LOOP = True
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         if self._play_context.check_mode:
-            return dict(skipped=True, msg='check mode not supported for this module')
+            result['skipped'] = True
+            result['msg'] = 'check mode not supported for this module'
+            return result
 
         # Parse out any hostname:port patterns
         new_name = self._task.args.get('name', self._task.args.get('hostname', None))
-        #vv("creating host via 'add_host': hostname=%s" % new_name)
+        self._display.vv("creating host via 'add_host': hostname=%s" % new_name)
 
         name, port = parse_address(new_name, allow_ranges=False)
         if not name:
@@ -48,7 +53,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         if port:
             self._task.args['ansible_ssh_port'] = port
 
-        groups = self._task.args.get('groupname', self._task.args.get('groups', self._task.args.get('group', ''))) 
+        groups = self._task.args.get('groupname', self._task.args.get('groups', self._task.args.get('group', '')))
         # add it to the group if that was specified
         new_groups = []
         if groups:
@@ -58,8 +63,11 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
         # Add any variables to the new_host
         host_vars = dict()
+        special_args = frozenset(('name', 'hostname', 'groupname', 'groups'))
         for k in self._task.args.keys():
-            if not k in [ 'name', 'hostname', 'groupname', 'groups' ]:
-                host_vars[k] = self._task.args[k] 
+            if k not in special_args:
+                host_vars[k] = self._task.args[k]
 
-        return dict(changed=True, add_host=dict(host_name=name, groups=new_groups, host_vars=host_vars))
+        result['changed'] = True
+        result['add_host'] = dict(host_name=name, groups=new_groups, host_vars=host_vars)
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assemble.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assemble.py
index 34dc98be06..64fb2f45cc 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assemble.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assemble.py
@@ -20,16 +20,14 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 import os
 import os.path
-import pipes
-import shutil
 import tempfile
-import base64
 import re
 
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
 from ansible.utils.hashing import checksum_s
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = True
@@ -75,10 +73,16 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         tmp.close()
         return temp_path
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         if self._play_context.check_mode:
-            return dict(skipped=True, msg=("skipped, this module does not support check_mode."))
+            result['skipped'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "skipped, this module does not support check_mode."
+            return result
 
         src        = self._task.args.get('src', None)
         dest       = self._task.args.get('dest', None)
@@ -87,12 +91,15 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         regexp     = self._task.args.get('regexp', None)
         ignore_hidden = self._task.args.get('ignore_hidden', False)
 
-
         if src is None or dest is None:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="src and dest are required")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "src and dest are required"
+            return result
 
         if boolean(remote_src):
-            return self._execute_module(tmp=tmp, task_vars=task_vars)
+            result.update(self._execute_module(tmp=tmp, task_vars=task_vars))
+            return result
+
         elif self._task._role is not None:
             src = self._loader.path_dwim_relative(self._task._role._role_path, 'files', src)
         else:
@@ -136,7 +143,8 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             res = self._execute_module(module_name='copy', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp)
             if diff:
                 res['diff'] = diff
-            return res
+            result.update(res)
+            return result
         else:
             new_module_args = self._task.args.copy()
             new_module_args.update(
@@ -147,4 +155,5 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 )
             )
 
-            return self._execute_module(module_name='file', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp)
+            result.update(self._execute_module(module_name='file', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp))
+            return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assert.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assert.py
index d39484f366..effe5ba96b 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assert.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/assert.py
@@ -21,14 +21,19 @@ from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
 from ansible.playbook.conditional import Conditional
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     ''' Fail with custom message '''
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
 
-        if not 'that' in self._task.args:
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
+
+        if 'that' not in self._task.args:
             raise AnsibleError('conditional required in "that" string')
 
         msg = None
@@ -38,7 +43,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         # make sure the 'that' items are a list
         thats = self._task.args['that']
         if not isinstance(thats, list):
-            thats = [ thats ]
+            thats = [thats]
 
         # Now we iterate over the that items, temporarily assigning them
         # to the task's when value so we can evaluate the conditional using
@@ -47,19 +52,18 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         # that value now
         cond = Conditional(loader=self._loader)
         for that in thats:
-            cond.when = [ that ]
+            cond.when = [that]
             test_result = cond.evaluate_conditional(templar=self._templar, all_vars=task_vars)
             if not test_result:
-                result = dict(
-                   failed       = True,
-                   evaluated_to = test_result,
-                   assertion    = that,
-                )
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['evaluated_to'] = test_result
+                result['assertion'] = that
 
                 if msg:
                     result['msg'] = msg
 
                 return result
 
-        return dict(changed=False, msg='all assertions passed')
-
+        result['changed'] = False
+        result['msg'] = 'all assertions passed'
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/async.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/async.py
index 1012f83a9f..51e2413af2 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/async.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/async.py
@@ -23,13 +23,20 @@ import random
 from ansible import constants as C
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' transfer the given module name, plus the async module, then run it '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         if self._play_context.check_mode:
-            return dict(skipped=True, msg='check mode not supported for this module')
+            result['skipped'] = True
+            result['msg'] = 'check mode not supported for this module'
+            return result
 
         if not tmp:
             tmp = self._make_tmp_path()
@@ -60,7 +67,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         async_jid   = str(random.randint(0, 999999999999))
 
         async_cmd = " ".join([str(x) for x in [env_string, async_module_path, async_jid, async_limit, remote_module_path, argsfile]])
-        result = self._low_level_execute_command(cmd=async_cmd)
+        result.update(self._low_level_execute_command(cmd=async_cmd))
 
         # clean up after
         if tmp and "tmp" in tmp and not C.DEFAULT_KEEP_REMOTE_FILES:
@@ -69,5 +76,3 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         result['changed'] = True
 
         return result
-
-
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/copy.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/copy.py
index aca7bd3eb5..447cdda278 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/copy.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/copy.py
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 import json
 import os
-import pipes
 import tempfile
 
 from ansible import constants as C
@@ -30,10 +29,15 @@ from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
 from ansible.utils.hashing import checksum
 from ansible.utils.unicode import to_bytes
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' handler for file transfer operations '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         source  = self._task.args.get('src', None)
         content = self._task.args.get('content', None)
@@ -44,11 +48,17 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         remote_src = boolean(self._task.args.get('remote_src', False))
 
         if (source is None and content is None and faf is None) or dest is None:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="src (or content) and dest are required")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "src (or content) and dest are required"
+            return result
         elif (source is not None or faf is not None) and content is not None:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="src and content are mutually exclusive")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "src and content are mutually exclusive"
+            return result
         elif content is not None and dest is not None and dest.endswith("/"):
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="dest must be a file if content is defined")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "dest must be a file if content is defined"
+            return result
 
         # Check if the source ends with a "/"
         source_trailing_slash = False
@@ -69,19 +79,24 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                     content_tempfile = self._create_content_tempfile(content)
                 source = content_tempfile
             except Exception as err:
-                return dict(failed=True, msg="could not write content temp file: %s" % err)
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['msg'] = "could not write content temp file: %s" % err
+                return result
 
         # if we have first_available_file in our vars
         # look up the files and use the first one we find as src
         elif faf:
             source = self._get_first_available_file(faf, task_vars.get('_original_file', None))
             if source is None:
-                return  dict(failed=True, msg="could not find src in first_available_file list")
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['msg'] = "could not find src in first_available_file list"
+                return result
 
         elif remote_src:
             new_module_args = self._task.args.copy()
             del new_module_args['remote_src']
-            return self._execute_module(module_name='copy', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars, delete_remote_tmp=False)
+            result.update(self._execute_module(module_name='copy', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars, delete_remote_tmp=False))
+            return result
 
         else:
             if self._task._role is not None:
@@ -117,7 +132,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             source_files.append((source, os.path.basename(source)))
 
         changed = False
-        module_result = {"changed": False}
+        module_return = dict(changed=False)
 
         # A register for if we executed a module.
         # Used to cut down on command calls when not recursive.
@@ -142,7 +157,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
             # If local_checksum is not defined we can't find the file so we should fail out.
             if local_checksum is None:
-                return dict(failed=True, msg="could not find src=%s" % source_full)
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['msg'] = "could not find src=%s" % source_full
+                return result
 
             # This is kind of optimization - if user told us destination is
             # dir, do path manipulation right away, otherwise we still check
@@ -160,7 +177,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 if content is not None:
                     # If source was defined as content remove the temporary file and fail out.
                     self._remove_tempfile_if_content_defined(content, content_tempfile)
-                    return dict(failed=True, msg="can not use content with a dir as dest")
+                    result['failed'] = True
+                    result['msg'] = "can not use content with a dir as dest"
+                    return result
                 else:
                     # Append the relative source location to the destination and retry remote_checksum
                     dest_file = self._connection._shell.join_path(dest, source_rel)
@@ -250,9 +269,10 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
             if not module_return.get('checksum'):
                 module_return['checksum'] = local_checksum
-            if module_return.get('failed') == True:
-                return module_return
-            if module_return.get('changed') == True:
+            if module_return.get('failed'):
+                result.update(module_return)
+                return result
+            if module_return.get('changed'):
                 changed = True
 
             # the file module returns the file path as 'path', but
@@ -265,9 +285,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             self._remove_tmp_path(tmp)
 
         if module_executed and len(source_files) == 1:
-            result = module_return
+            result.update(module_return)
         else:
-            result = dict(dest=dest, src=source, changed=changed)
+            result.update(dict(dest=dest, src=source, changed=changed))
 
         if diffs:
             result['diff'] = diffs
@@ -288,8 +308,6 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             f.close()
         return content_tempfile
 
-
     def _remove_tempfile_if_content_defined(self, content, content_tempfile):
         if content is not None:
             os.remove(content_tempfile)
-
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/debug.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/debug.py
index 01a59d1ad2..5a5a805e74 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/debug.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/debug.py
@@ -20,27 +20,32 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     ''' Print statements during execution '''
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         if 'msg' in self._task.args:
             if 'fail' in self._task.args and boolean(self._task.args['fail']):
-                result = dict(failed=True, msg=self._task.args['msg'])
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['msg'] = self._task.args['msg']
             else:
-                result = dict(msg=self._task.args['msg'])
+                result['msg'] = self._task.args['msg']
         # FIXME: move the LOOKUP_REGEX somewhere else
         elif 'var' in self._task.args: # and not utils.LOOKUP_REGEX.search(self._task.args['var']):
             results = self._templar.template(self._task.args['var'], convert_bare=True)
             if results == self._task.args['var']:
                 results = "VARIABLE IS NOT DEFINED!"
-            result = dict()
             result[self._task.args['var']] = results
         else:
-            result = dict(msg='here we are')
+            result['msg'] = 'here we are'
 
         # force flag to make debug output module always verbose
         result['_ansible_verbose_always'] = True
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fail.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fail.py
index b7845c95c5..c78f1683a9 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fail.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fail.py
@@ -20,16 +20,22 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     ''' Fail with custom message '''
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         msg = 'Failed as requested from task'
         if self._task.args and 'msg' in self._task.args:
             msg = self._task.args.get('msg')
 
-        return dict(failed=True, msg=msg)
-
+        result['failed'] = True
+        result['msg'] = msg
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fetch.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fetch.py
index bbdedbdc7f..478eac3f82 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fetch.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/fetch.py
@@ -26,13 +26,20 @@ from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
 from ansible.utils.hashing import checksum, checksum_s, md5, secure_hash
 from ansible.utils.path import makedirs_safe
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' handler for fetch operations '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         if self._play_context.check_mode:
-            return dict(skipped=True, msg='check mode not (yet) supported for this module')
+            result['skipped'] = True
+            result['msg'] = 'check mode not (yet) supported for this module'
+            return result
 
         source            = self._task.args.get('src', None)
         dest              = self._task.args.get('dest', None)
@@ -41,10 +48,14 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         validate_checksum = boolean(self._task.args.get('validate_checksum', self._task.args.get('validate_md5')))
 
         if 'validate_md5' in self._task.args and 'validate_checksum' in self._task.args:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="validate_checksum and validate_md5 cannot both be specified")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "validate_checksum and validate_md5 cannot both be specified"
+            return result
 
         if source is None or dest is None:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="src and dest are required")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "src and dest are required"
+            return result
 
         source = self._connection._shell.join_path(source)
         source = self._remote_expand_user(source)
@@ -58,8 +69,12 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             slurpres = self._execute_module(module_name='slurp', module_args=dict(src=source), task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp)
             if slurpres.get('failed'):
                 if remote_checksum == '1' and not fail_on_missing:
-                   return dict(msg="the remote file does not exist, not transferring, ignored", file=source, changed=False)
-                return slurpres
+                    result['msg'] = "the remote file does not exist, not transferring, ignored"
+                    result['file'] = source
+                    result['changed'] = False
+                    return result
+                result.update(slurpres)
+                return result
             else:
                 if slurpres['encoding'] == 'base64':
                     remote_data = base64.b64decode(slurpres['content'])
@@ -103,18 +118,30 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             # these don't fail because you may want to transfer a log file that possibly MAY exist
             # but keep going to fetch other log files
             if remote_checksum == '0':
-                result = dict(msg="unable to calculate the checksum of the remote file", file=source, changed=False)
+                result['msg'] = "unable to calculate the checksum of the remote file"
+                result['file'] = source
+                result['changed'] = False
             elif remote_checksum == '1':
                 if fail_on_missing:
-                    result = dict(failed=True, msg="the remote file does not exist", file=source)
+                    result['failed'] = True
+                    result['msg'] = "the remote file does not exist"
+                    result['file'] = source
                 else:
-                    result = dict(msg="the remote file does not exist, not transferring, ignored", file=source, changed=False)
+                    result['msg'] = "the remote file does not exist, not transferring, ignored"
+                    result['file'] = source
+                    result['changed'] = False
             elif remote_checksum == '2':
-                result = dict(msg="no read permission on remote file, not transferring, ignored", file=source, changed=False)
+                result['msg'] = "no read permission on remote file, not transferring, ignored"
+                result['file'] = source
+                result['changed'] = False
             elif remote_checksum == '3':
-                result = dict(msg="remote file is a directory, fetch cannot work on directories", file=source, changed=False)
+                result['msg'] = "remote file is a directory, fetch cannot work on directories"
+                result['file'] = source
+                result['changed'] = False
             elif remote_checksum == '4':
-                result = dict(msg="python isn't present on the system.  Unable to compute checksum", file=source, changed=False)
+                result['msg'] = "python isn't present on the system.  Unable to compute checksum"
+                result['file'] = source
+                result['changed'] = False
             return result
 
         # calculate checksum for the local file
@@ -143,8 +170,10 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 new_md5 = None
 
             if validate_checksum and new_checksum != remote_checksum:
-                return dict(failed=True, md5sum=new_md5, msg="checksum mismatch", file=source, dest=dest, remote_md5sum=None, checksum=new_checksum, remote_checksum=remote_checksum)
-            return dict(changed=True, md5sum=new_md5, dest=dest, remote_md5sum=None, checksum=new_checksum, remote_checksum=remote_checksum)
+                result.update(dict(failed=True, md5sum=new_md5, msg="checksum mismatch", file=source, dest=dest, remote_md5sum=None, checksum=new_checksum, remote_checksum=remote_checksum))
+                return result
+            result.update(dict(changed=True, md5sum=new_md5, dest=dest, remote_md5sum=None, checksum=new_checksum, remote_checksum=remote_checksum))
+            return result
         else:
             # For backwards compatibility.  We'll return None on FIPS enabled
             # systems
@@ -153,5 +182,5 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             except ValueError:
                 local_md5 = None
 
-            return dict(changed=False, md5sum=local_md5, file=source, dest=dest, checksum=local_checksum)
-
+            result.update(dict(changed=False, md5sum=local_md5, file=source, dest=dest, checksum=local_checksum))
+            return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/group_by.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/group_by.py
index 126d04dd6f..a891d3c70d 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/group_by.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/group_by.py
@@ -19,19 +19,27 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     ''' Create inventory groups based on variables '''
 
     ### We need to be able to modify the inventory
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
 
-        if not 'key' in self._task.args:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="the 'key' param is required when using group_by")
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
+
+        if 'key' not in self._task.args:
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "the 'key' param is required when using group_by"
+            return result
 
         group_name = self._task.args.get('key')
         group_name = group_name.replace(' ','-')
 
-        return dict(changed=True, add_group=group_name)
-
+        result['changed'] = True
+        result['add_group'] = group_name
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py
index e0c1c088b8..cada2f53a0 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/include_vars.py
@@ -20,14 +20,18 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 import os
 
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
-from ansible.parsing import DataLoader
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         source = self._task.args.get('_raw_params')
 
@@ -43,7 +47,11 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 data = {}
             if not isinstance(data, dict):
                 raise AnsibleError("%s must be stored as a dictionary/hash" % source)
-            return dict(ansible_facts=data, _ansible_no_log=not show_content)
+            result['ansible_facts'] = data
+            result['_ansible_no_log'] = not show_content
         else:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="Source file not found.", file=source)
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "Source file not found."
+            result['file'] = source
 
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/normal.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/normal.py
index 9ea962a240..bf93fdad2d 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/normal.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/normal.py
@@ -19,11 +19,15 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
 
-        results = self._execute_module(tmp=tmp, task_vars=task_vars)
+        results = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
+        results.update(self._execute_module(tmp=tmp, task_vars=task_vars))
 
         # Remove special fields from the result, which can only be set
         # internally by the executor engine. We do this only here in
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/package.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/package.py
index fce79ee22e..ca9dde43df 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/package.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/package.py
@@ -17,18 +17,20 @@
 from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
 __metaclass__ = type
 
-
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' handler for package operations '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
-        name  = self._task.args.get('name', None)
-        state = self._task.args.get('state', None)
         module = self._task.args.get('use', 'auto')
 
         if module == 'auto':
@@ -40,13 +42,15 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         if module == 'auto':
             facts = self._execute_module(module_name='setup', module_args=dict(filter='ansible_pkg_mgr'), task_vars=task_vars)
             self._display.debug("Facts %s" % facts)
-            if not 'failed' in facts:
+            if 'failed' not in facts:
                 module = getattr(facts['ansible_facts'], 'ansible_pkg_mgr', 'auto')
 
         if module != 'auto':
 
             if module not in self._shared_loader_obj.module_loader:
-                return {'failed': True, 'msg': 'Could not find a module for %s.' % module}
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['msg'] = 'Could not find a module for %s.' % module
+                return result
 
             # run the 'package' module
             new_module_args = self._task.args.copy()
@@ -54,8 +58,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 del new_module_args['use']
 
             self._display.vvvv("Running %s" % module)
-            return self._execute_module(module_name=module, module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars)
-
+            result.update(self._execute_module(module_name=module, module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars))
+            return result
         else:
-
-            return {'failed': True, 'msg': 'Could not detect which package manager to use. Try gathering facts or setting the "use" option.'}
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = 'Could not detect which package manager to use. Try gathering facts or setting the "use" option.'
+            return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/patch.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/patch.py
index b411fcdc35..c08f901cf5 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/patch.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/patch.py
@@ -23,20 +23,27 @@ import os
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         src        = self._task.args.get('src', None)
-        dest       = self._task.args.get('dest', None)
         remote_src = boolean(self._task.args.get('remote_src', 'no'))
 
         if src is None:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="src is required")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "src is required"
+            return result
         elif remote_src:
             # everything is remote, so we just execute the module
             # without changing any of the module arguments
-            return self._execute_module(task_vars=task_vars)
+            result.update(self._execute_module(task_vars=task_vars))
+            return result
 
         if self._task._role is not None:
             src = self._loader.path_dwim_relative(self._task._role._role_path, 'files', src)
@@ -61,4 +68,5 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             )
         )
 
-        return self._execute_module('patch', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars)
+        result.update(self._execute_module('patch', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars))
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/pause.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/pause.py
index 0620a805a7..c261b37758 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/pause.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/pause.py
@@ -27,25 +27,32 @@ from os import isatty
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class AnsibleTimeoutExceeded(Exception):
     pass
 
+
 def timeout_handler(signum, frame):
     raise AnsibleTimeoutExceeded
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     ''' pauses execution for a length or time, or until input is received '''
 
     PAUSE_TYPES = ['seconds', 'minutes', 'prompt', '']
     BYPASS_HOST_LOOP = True
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' run the pause action module '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         duration_unit = 'minutes'
         prompt = None
         seconds = None
-        result = dict(
+        result.update(dict(
             changed = False,
             rc      = 0,
             stderr  = '',
@@ -53,37 +60,37 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             start   = None,
             stop    = None,
             delta   = None,
-        )
+        ))
 
         # Is 'args' empty, then this is the default prompted pause
         if self._task.args is None or len(self._task.args.keys()) == 0:
-            pause_type = 'prompt'
             prompt = "[%s]\nPress enter to continue:" % self._task.get_name().strip()
 
         # Are 'minutes' or 'seconds' keys that exist in 'args'?
         elif 'minutes' in self._task.args or 'seconds' in self._task.args:
             try:
                 if 'minutes' in self._task.args:
-                    pause_type = 'minutes'
                     # The time() command operates in seconds so we need to
                     # recalculate for minutes=X values.
                     seconds = int(self._task.args['minutes']) * 60
                 else:
-                    pause_type = 'seconds'
                     seconds = int(self._task.args['seconds'])
                     duration_unit = 'seconds'
 
             except ValueError as e:
-                return dict(failed=True, msg="non-integer value given for prompt duration:\n%s" % str(e))
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['msg'] = "non-integer value given for prompt duration:\n%s" % str(e)
+                return result
 
         # Is 'prompt' a key in 'args'?
         elif 'prompt' in self._task.args:
-            pause_type = 'prompt'
             prompt = "[%s]\n%s:" % (self._task.get_name().strip(), self._task.args['prompt'])
 
         else:
             # I have no idea what you're trying to do. But it's so wrong.
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="invalid pause type given. must be one of: %s" % ", ".join(self.PAUSE_TYPES))
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "invalid pause type given. must be one of: %s" % ", ".join(self.PAUSE_TYPES)
+            return result
 
         ########################################################################
         # Begin the hard work!
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/raw.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/raw.py
index 8fd32c5342..d6fa2f3559 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/raw.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/raw.py
@@ -21,17 +21,23 @@ from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
 import re
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         if self._play_context.check_mode:
             # in --check mode, always skip this module execution
-            return dict(skipped=True)
+            result['skipped'] = True
+            return result
 
         executable = self._task.args.get('executable')
-        result = self._low_level_execute_command(self._task.args.get('_raw_params'), executable=executable)
+        result.update(self._low_level_execute_command(self._task.args.get('_raw_params'), executable=executable))
 
         # for some modules (script, raw), the sudo success key
         # may leak into the stdout due to the way the sudo/su
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/script.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/script.py
index 31e0a1736c..5b0f324dfc 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/script.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/script.py
@@ -22,14 +22,21 @@ import os
 from ansible import constants as C
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
     TRANSFERS_FILES = True
 
     def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' handler for file transfer operations '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         if self._play_context.check_mode:
-            return dict(skipped=True, msg='check mode not supported for this module')
+            result['skipped'] = True
+            result['msg'] = 'check mode not supported for this module'
+            return result
 
         if not tmp:
             tmp = self._make_tmp_path()
@@ -39,8 +46,8 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             # do not run the command if the line contains creates=filename
             # and the filename already exists. This allows idempotence
             # of command executions.
-            result = self._execute_module(module_name='stat', module_args=dict(path=creates), task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp, persist_files=True)
-            stat = result.get('stat', None)
+            res = self._execute_module(module_name='stat', module_args=dict(path=creates), task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp, persist_files=True)
+            stat = res.get('stat', None)
             if stat and stat.get('exists', False):
                 return dict(skipped=True, msg=("skipped, since %s exists" % creates))
 
@@ -49,8 +56,8 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             # do not run the command if the line contains removes=filename
             # and the filename does not exist. This allows idempotence
             # of command executions.
-            result = self._execute_module(module_name='stat', module_args=dict(path=removes), task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp, persist_files=True)
-            stat = result.get('stat', None)
+            res = self._execute_module(module_name='stat', module_args=dict(path=removes), task_vars=task_vars, tmp=tmp, persist_files=True)
+            stat = res.get('stat', None)
             if stat and not stat.get('exists', False):
                 return dict(skipped=True, msg=("skipped, since %s does not exist" % removes))
 
@@ -84,7 +91,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         env_string = self._compute_environment_string()
         script_cmd = ' '.join([env_string, tmp_src, args])
 
-        result = self._low_level_execute_command(cmd=script_cmd, sudoable=True)
+        result.update(self._low_level_execute_command(cmd=script_cmd, sudoable=True))
 
         # clean up after
         if tmp and "tmp" in tmp and not C.DEFAULT_KEEP_REMOTE_FILES:
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/service.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/service.py
index 8cceb85e94..9871cb5fc7 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/service.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/service.py
@@ -25,11 +25,13 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' handler for package operations '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
-        name  = self._task.args.get('name', None)
-        state = self._task.args.get('state', None)
         module = self._task.args.get('use', 'auto')
 
         if module == 'auto':
@@ -41,7 +43,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         if module == 'auto':
             facts = self._execute_module(module_name='setup', module_args=dict(filter='ansible_service_mgr'), task_vars=task_vars)
             self._display.debug("Facts %s" % facts)
-            if not 'failed' in facts:
+            if 'failed' not in facts:
                 module = getattr(facts['ansible_facts'], 'ansible_service_mgr', 'auto')
 
         if not module or module == 'auto' or module not in self._shared_loader_obj.module_loader:
@@ -54,8 +56,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 del new_module_args['use']
 
             self._display.vvvv("Running %s" % module)
-            return self._execute_module(module_name=module, module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars)
-
+            result.update(self._execute_module(module_name=module, module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars))
         else:
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = 'Could not detect which service manager to use. Try gathering facts or setting the "use" option.'
 
-            return {'failed': True, 'msg': 'Could not detect which service manager to use. Try gathering facts or setting the "use" option.'}
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/set_fact.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/set_fact.py
index 84c7d76532..f6e4a7e67e 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/set_fact.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/set_fact.py
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 from ansible.compat.six import iteritems
 
-from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
 from ansible.utils.vars import isidentifier
@@ -30,16 +29,26 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = False
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
+
         facts = dict()
         if self._task.args:
             for (k, v) in iteritems(self._task.args):
                 k = self._templar.template(k)
 
                 if not isidentifier(k):
-                    return dict(failed=True, msg="The variable name '%s' is not valid. Variables must start with a letter or underscore character, and contain only letters, numbers and underscores." % k)
+                    result['failed'] = True
+                    result['msg'] = "The variable name '%s' is not valid. Variables must start with a letter or underscore character, and contain only letters, numbers and underscores." % k
+                    return result
 
                 if isinstance(v, basestring) and v.lower() in ('true', 'false', 'yes', 'no'):
                     v = boolean(v)
                 facts[k] = v
-        return dict(changed=False, ansible_facts=facts)
+
+        result['changed'] = False
+        result['ansible_facts'] = facts
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/synchronize.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/synchronize.py
index cbc4d2ce47..b0cdcb1b11 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/synchronize.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/synchronize.py
@@ -101,8 +101,12 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             if key.startswith("ansible_") and key.endswith("_interpreter"):
                 task_vars[key] = localhost[key]
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' generates params and passes them on to the rsync module '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         original_transport = task_vars.get('ansible_connection') or self._play_context.connection
         remote_transport = False
@@ -124,7 +128,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         # ansible's delegate_to mechanism to determine which host rsync is
         # running on so localhost could be a non-controller machine if
         # delegate_to is used)
-        src_host  = '127.0.0.1'
+        src_host = '127.0.0.1'
         inventory_hostname = task_vars.get('inventory_hostname')
         dest_host_inventory_vars = task_vars['hostvars'].get(inventory_hostname)
         dest_host = dest_host_inventory_vars.get('ansible_ssh_host', inventory_hostname)
@@ -236,7 +240,7 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             self._task.args['ssh_args'] = C.ANSIBLE_SSH_ARGS
 
         # run the module and store the result
-        result = self._execute_module('synchronize', task_vars=task_vars)
+        result.update(self._execute_module('synchronize', task_vars=task_vars))
 
         if 'SyntaxError' in result['msg']:
             # Emit a warning about using python3 because synchronize is
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
index 583f45ef22..f3d7bc3c4b 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/template.py
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
 __metaclass__ = type
 
-import base64
 import datetime
 import os
 import pwd
@@ -29,6 +28,7 @@ from ansible.utils.hashing import checksum_s
 from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
 from ansible.utils.unicode import to_bytes, to_unicode
 
+
 class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = True
@@ -52,8 +52,12 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
         return remote_checksum
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' handler for template operations '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         source = self._task.args.get('src', None)
         dest   = self._task.args.get('dest', None)
@@ -61,7 +65,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         force  = boolean(self._task.args.get('force', False))
 
         if (source is None and faf is not None) or dest is None:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="src and dest are required")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "src and dest are required"
+            return result
 
         if tmp is None:
             tmp = self._make_tmp_path()
@@ -69,7 +75,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         if faf:
             source = self._get_first_available_file(faf, task_vars.get('_original_file', None, 'templates'))
             if source is None:
-                return dict(failed=True, msg="could not find src in first_available_file list")
+                result['failed'] = True
+                result['msg'] = "could not find src in first_available_file list"
+                return result
         else:
             if self._task._role is not None:
                 source = self._loader.path_dwim_relative(self._task._role._role_path, 'templates', source)
@@ -128,20 +136,21 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             resultant = self._templar.template(template_data, preserve_trailing_newlines=True, escape_backslashes=False, convert_data=False)
             self._templar.set_available_variables(old_vars)
         except Exception as e:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg=type(e).__name__ + ": " + str(e))
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = type(e).__name__ + ": " + str(e)
+            return result
 
         local_checksum = checksum_s(resultant)
         remote_checksum = self.get_checksum(dest, task_vars, not directory_prepended, source=source)
         if isinstance(remote_checksum, dict):
             # Error from remote_checksum is a dict.  Valid return is a str
-            return remote_checksum
+            result.update(remote_checksum)
+            return result
 
         diff = {}
         new_module_args = self._task.args.copy()
 
         if local_checksum != remote_checksum:
-            dest_contents = ''
-
             # if showing diffs, we need to get the remote value
             if self._play_context.diff:
                 diff = self._get_diff_data(dest, resultant, task_vars, source_file=False)
@@ -162,12 +171,12 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                        follow=True,
                     ),
                 )
-                result = self._execute_module(module_name='copy', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars)
+                result.update(self._execute_module(module_name='copy', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars))
             else:
                 if remote_checksum == '1' or force:
-                    result = dict(changed=True)
+                    result['changed'] = True
                 else:
-                    result = dict(changed=False)
+                    result['changed'] = False
 
             if result.get('changed', False) and self._play_context.diff:
                 result['diff'] = diff
@@ -189,5 +198,5 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
                 ),
             )
 
-            return self._execute_module(module_name='file', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars)
-
+            result.update(self._execute_module(module_name='file', module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars))
+            return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/unarchive.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/unarchive.py
index 06c7c102dd..40b72837c7 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/unarchive.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/unarchive.py
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
 __metaclass__ = type
 
 import os
-import pipes
 
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.utils.boolean import boolean
@@ -29,8 +28,12 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
     TRANSFERS_FILES = True
 
-    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=dict()):
+    def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
         ''' handler for unarchive operations '''
+        if task_vars is None:
+            task_vars = dict()
+
+        result = super(ActionModule, self).run(tmp, task_vars)
 
         source  = self._task.args.get('src', None)
         dest    = self._task.args.get('dest', None)
@@ -38,7 +41,9 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
         creates = self._task.args.get('creates', None)
 
         if source is None or dest is None:
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="src (or content) and dest are required")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "src (or content) and dest are required"
+            return result
 
         if not tmp:
             tmp = self._make_tmp_path()
@@ -47,11 +52,12 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             # do not run the command if the line contains creates=filename
             # and the filename already exists. This allows idempotence
             # of command executions.
-            module_args_tmp = "path=%s" % creates
             result = self._execute_module(module_name='stat', module_args=dict(path=creates), task_vars=task_vars)
             stat = result.get('stat', None)
             if stat and stat.get('exists', False):
-                return dict(skipped=True, msg=("skipped, since %s exists" % creates))
+                result['skipped'] = True
+                result['msg'] = "skipped, since %s exists" % creates
+                return result
 
         dest = self._remote_expand_user(dest) # CCTODO: Fix path for Windows hosts.
         source = os.path.expanduser(source)
@@ -68,9 +74,13 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
 
         remote_checksum = self._remote_checksum(dest, all_vars=task_vars)
         if remote_checksum != '3':
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="dest '%s' must be an existing dir" % dest)
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "dest '%s' must be an existing dir" % dest
+            return result
         elif remote_checksum == '4':
-            return dict(failed=True, msg="python isn't present on the system.  Unable to compute checksum")
+            result['failed'] = True
+            result['msg'] = "python isn't present on the system.  Unable to compute checksum"
+            return result
 
         if copy:
             # transfer the file to a remote tmp location
@@ -103,5 +113,5 @@ class ActionModule(ActionBase):
             )
 
         # execute the unarchive module now, with the updated args
-        return self._execute_module(module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars)
-
+        result.update(self._execute_module(module_args=new_module_args, task_vars=task_vars))
+        return result
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_copy.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_copy.py
index 54d94e12e6..caaa992775 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_copy.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_copy.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.plugins.action.copy import ActionModule as CopyActionModule
 
+
 # Even though CopyActionModule inherits from ActionBase, we still need to
 # directly inherit from ActionBase to appease the plugin loader.
 class ActionModule(CopyActionModule, ActionBase):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_template.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_template.py
index 03091d494f..17c83858f1 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_template.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/action/win_template.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 from ansible.plugins.action.template import ActionModule as TemplateActionModule
 
+
 # Even though TemplateActionModule inherits from ActionBase, we still need to
 # directly inherit from ActionBase to appease the plugin loader.
 class ActionModule(TemplateActionModule, ActionBase):
diff --git a/lib/ansible/plugins/callback/minimal.py b/lib/ansible/plugins/callback/minimal.py
index 74ca7e705e..fcdc175053 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/plugins/callback/minimal.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/plugins/callback/minimal.py
@@ -61,20 +61,26 @@ class CallbackModule(CallbackBase):
         if result._task.action in C.MODULE_NO_JSON:
             self._display.display(self._command_generic_msg(result._host.get_name(), result._result,"FAILED"), color='red')
         else:
-            self._display.display("%s | FAILED! => %s" % (result._host.get_name(), self._dump_results(result._result, indent=4)), color='red')
+            abridged_result = result.copy(result._result)
+            abridged_result.pop('invocation', None)
+            self._display.display("%s | FAILED! => %s" % (result._host.get_name(), self._dump_results(abridged_result, indent=4)), color='red')
 
     def v2_runner_on_ok(self, result):
         if result._task.action in C.MODULE_NO_JSON:
             self._display.display(self._command_generic_msg(result._host.get_name(), result._result,"SUCCESS"), color='green')
         else:
-            self._display.display("%s | SUCCESS => %s" % (result._host.get_name(), self._dump_results(result._result, indent=4)), color='green')
+            abridged_result = result.copy(result._result)
+            abridged_result.pop('invocation', None)
+            self._display.display("%s | SUCCESS => %s" % (result._host.get_name(), self._dump_results(abridged_result, indent=4)), color='green')
             self._handle_warnings(result._result)
 
     def v2_runner_on_skipped(self, result):
         self._display.display("%s | SKIPPED" % (result._host.get_name()), color='cyan')
 
     def v2_runner_on_unreachable(self, result):
-        self._display.display("%s | UNREACHABLE! => %s" % (result._host.get_name(), self._dump_results(result._result, indent=4)), color='yellow')
+        abridged_result = result.copy(result._result)
+        abridged_result.pop('invocation', None)
+        self._display.display("%s | UNREACHABLE! => %s" % (result._host.get_name(), self._dump_results(abridged_result, indent=4)), color='yellow')
 
     def v2_on_file_diff(self, result):
         if 'diff' in result._result and result._result['diff']:
diff --git a/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml
index 2297442b73..ed4a91d560 100644
--- a/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/roles/test_good_parsing/tasks/main.yml
@@ -155,11 +155,9 @@
     that:
       - complex_param == "this is a param in a complex arg with double quotes"
 
-#- name: test variable module name
-#  action: "{{ variable_module_name }} msg='this should be debugged'"
-#  register: result
-#
-#- debug: var=result
+- name: test variable module name
+  action: "{{ variable_module_name }} msg='this should be debugged'"
+  register: result
 
 - name: assert the task with variable module name ran
   assert:
diff --git a/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py b/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py
index acf297a8a8..0e47b6a538 100644
--- a/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py
+++ b/test/units/plugins/action/test_action.py
@@ -29,9 +29,15 @@ from ansible.plugins.action import ActionBase
 
 class TestActionBase(unittest.TestCase):
 
+    class DerivedActionBase(ActionBase):
+        def run(self, tmp=None, task_vars=None):
+            # We're not testing the plugin run() method, just the helper
+            # methods ActionBase defines
+            return dict()
+
     def test_sudo_only_if_user_differs(self):
         play_context = PlayContext()
-        action_base = ActionBase(None, None, play_context, None, None, None)
+        action_base = self.DerivedActionBase(None, None, play_context, None, None, None)
         action_base._connection = Mock(exec_command=Mock(return_value=(0, '', '')))
 
         play_context.become = True