Top 10 Times Animated Superhero Movies Left Us Speechless
#10: Robin Crosses the Line
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“Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo” (2006) The Teen Titans have traveled to Tokyo to confront a mysterious criminal called Saico-Tek. At one point, Robin has a one-on-one spar with them, and the two are evenly matched until Robin manages to overpower him… and brutally beats his opponent. At that moment, the audience -along with most of Tokyo- can only stare in horror as the iconic Boy Wonder allowed his rage to take over and murder someone -their blood literally on his hands. Thankfully, it later turns out that Saico-Tek wasn’t a real person and Robin was only FRAMED for murder; but for a brief, horrifying moment, no one was sure what to believe anymore.
#9: Executing the Elite
“Superman vs. The Elite” (2012) People often joke about Superman being a boy scout. One extremist group, The Elite, takes this too far by heckling the Man of Steel about how he doesn’t kill, while they’re not afraid to cross the line. In the final battle…it looks like Superman’s taking their advice to heart. He seemingly finishes them off one by one until only their leader remains… or so we think. In actuality, Superman never killed anyone – he staged the whole thing to catch the Elite, depower them, and prove a point about how murder isn’t true justice. It was a very convincing act; as he almost had us fooled! Maybe instead of teasing him, we should be thankful he knows when to hold back.
#8: Mr. Incredible’s Rage
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“The Incredibles” (2004) The villainous Syndrome has captured Mr. Incredible, shot down the plane carrying his family… and it is believed that they perished in the crash. In a fit of rage, he grabs hold of Syndrome’s assistant, Mirage, and threatens that if the villain doesn’t set him free… he’ll snap her in two. Thankfully, his conscience wins out and he doesn’t kill Mirage after all. Syndrome knew he wouldn’t go through with it, but we were still taken aback at seeing Bob’s anger and grief almost drive him to murder. Thankfully, Bob’s family is alive and well, but this one sudden moment reminded us all that even the most virtuous of heroes have their boiling points.
#7: The NEW Batman
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“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (2013) The tragic story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman is an all-too-familiar tale. But thanks to the Flashpoint, history was changed in the worst possible ways. For instance, on that fateful night, Bruce is the one that gets murdered while his parents survive… but not unscathed. Martha completely snaps and becomes The Joker, while Thomas takes up the mantle of the Dark Knight himself. The most shocking part of all is that, unlike Bruce, Thomas is out for blood. He has no qualms with using firearms or snuffing out criminals, which really highlights how far he’s fallen after losing his only son. Really makes you appreciate how merciful Bruce is considering what loss could do to his parents.
#6: Tadashi’s Death
“Big Hero 6” (2014) Shocking deaths are nothing new for a Disney film, but to have one this early would throw anyone for a loop. To set the scene, a fire has broken out at Tadashi’s university, and the professor he idolizes is still inside. Despite his brother Hiro’s warning, Tadashi still rushes in to save the professor. By now, the audience is biting their lips hoping Tadashi makes it out in time… sadly, he does not. To add insult to injury, it’s later revealed that the professor faked his own death, and he callously says that Tadashi sacrificing himself was his own fault. Talk about ungrateful considering how broken up both Hiro and the fans were watching Tadashi perish.
#5: “Deliver the Punchline”
“Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (2000) In Gotham City’s distant future, The Joker’s returned from the dead. But that still raises the question… how did he die in the first place? In a haunting flashback, we see the very last time Batman fought the Clown Prince of Crime, and how he kidnapped Robin, turning him into a mini-Joker. If that wasn’t shocking enough, Joker prepares to have Robin shoot Batman… only for the boy to turn around and shoot the Clown instead. There’s a less violent ending where Joker meets a literal ‘shocking’ end, but both end the same – Robin having a heartbreaking meltdown after everything he’s endured. Sadly, not even a grisly demise is enough to keep Joker down.
#4: Superman Snaps
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“Injustice” (2021) Remember how afraid we were when Superman faked going rogue against the Elite? Unfortunately, in the “Injustice” movie, that fear becomes reality. The Joker tricks Superman into flying what he thinks is Doomsday into space thanks to some fear gas. But once the gas wears off, a collective gasp is heard when we realize who Clark really took into space – his wife, Lois, and their unborn child. Just to rub salt in the wound, Lois’ death triggers a bomb that completely obliterates Superman’s home of Metropolis. In one fell swoop, Superman’s entire world comes crashing down, and he slowly falls down a self-destructive path that turns him from a symbol of hope into a symbol of tyranny.
#3: Jason Todd
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“Batman: Under the Red Hood” (2010) There’s a new vigilante in town named Red Hood. But unlike Batman, this crime fighter isn’t pulling punches. His identity is an enigma, but it’s clear that he’s been trained well… and he may have a connection to Bruce that not even the Dark Knight himself realizes. After one blood test, Bruce’s suspicions are confirmed, and our jaws immediately hit the floor – the Red Hood is actually Batman’s long-dead protege, Jason Todd. It turns out that Jason was brought back from the dead, and took on the persona to do what Bruce never could. While those who read the comics saw this coming, anyone who watched the movie with no context got the shock of a lifetime.
#2: “He’s in the Wrong Universe”
Top 10 Times DC Animated Movies Left Us Speechless
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) After narrowly escaping being chased by multiple Spider-Men, Miles Morales desperately races back to his universe to save his father. But when he returns ‘home’, he makes a chilling discovery… this isn’t his dimension. He’s stuck in the universe where the spider that bit him originated from; a dimension without a Spider-Man to protect all of New York. But then Miles makes an even worse discovery – his counterpart in this reality has become The Prowler -raised by his uncle into a cold-hearted criminal. There were subtle hints that this wasn’t Miles’ home even before the big reveal, but even those who saw the signs couldn’t help but gasp at the payoff and how ingeniously everything became connected. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. The Leap of Faith, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) This Gorgeous Piece of Animation Cemented Miles’ Role as a Hero. The Screenslaver’s Identity, “The Incredibles 2” (2018) The Way Evelyn Reveals Herself Threw Us Off-guard. Robin Kills Nightwing, “Injustice” (2021) It Happens So Fast That Even Robin Didn’t Expect It. Metro Man Faked His Death, “Megamind” (2010) Way to Ditch Us When We Needed You, Hero! “Heads Up!”, “Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (2013) The Death That Kickstarted an Entire War.
#1: The Great DC Massacre
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“Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” (2020) In the final chapter of the DC Animated Movie Universe, both the Teen Titans and the entirety of the Justice League are preparing to take Darkseid down for good. Unfortunately, Darkseid has an ambush of his own. Only a few survivors remain, most of them either depowered or brainwashed into the dark god’s slaves. The rest were brutally murdered, eaten alive, or literally torn apart by Darkseid’s army -with some being rebuilt into his cyborg bodyguards. To see some of the most iconic superheroes broken in every gruesome way imaginable was too much for superhero fans to bear -made even worse by the graphic imagery. In the end, the heroes emerge triumphant… but it’s a bittersweet victory. What animated hero moment caught you off-guard? Let us know in the comments.
