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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton WRITTEN BY: Ricky Manson
Surprising, iconic, unbelievable....are all words we would NOT use to describe these movie reveals. For this list, we'll be looking at predictable "surprise" scenes or revelations in movies from 2000 onwards. Our countdown includes Mysterio Is Actually a Villain, Nick Fury Isn't Dead, Benedict Cumberbatch Is Khan, and more!
Script Written by Ricky Manson

Top 10 Movie Reveals EVERYONE Saw Coming

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Top 10 Movie Reveals No One Saw Coming

Nice try! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Movie Reveals EVERYONE Saw Coming. For this list, we’ll be looking at predictable "surprise" scenes or revelations in movies from 2000 onwards. Guess we don’t actually need to say spoiler alert!

#10: Mysterio Is Actually a Villain

“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) Quentin Beck has always been a bad guy, and when Jake Gyllenhaal’s take on the character was heavily promoted by Marvel as the webhead’s new ally, people cottoned on unsurprisingly quickly. After all, Mysterio isn’t renowned among superhero fans as the Master of Illusions for nothing: things are definitely not all they seem, and no matter how many times we see the two leads buddying up or bonding over loved ones, any Spidey-Fan worth their weight knows a heel turn is as inevitable as Gwen Stacy’s death. To his credit, Gyllenhaal does a stellar job playing a supportive mentor to Spidey, so the reveal of his sociopathic true self was all the more dramatic for poor Peter.

#9: The Old Woman Is Allie

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Top 20 Movie Reveals No One Saw Coming

“The Notebook” (2004) Every good romance needs a bittersweet ending, but when you use the framing device of an elderly pair in a nursing home sharing a love story from years gone by, you can’t expect the viewers to dismiss its relevance to the bigger picture. Especially when the name of the old woman is deliberately kept a mystery from the outset. Sure enough, “Duke” is indeed revealed to be the elderly Noah retelling a dementia-stricken Allie the story of how they fell in love, again and again. Their dying together makes for a heartbreaking ending regardless, as is often the case with the use of the “It-was-the-narrator-all-along” trope in popular movies like “Edward Scissorhands” and numerous others.

#8: Jim Carrey Wrote the Book

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“The Number 23” (2007) When Jim Carrey’s Walter Sparrow first reads the eponymous book, the narrator “Fingerling” implores him to imagine himself as the hero of the story. Soon, Walter’s own life and delusions begin to run adjacent to the character in the book, including an obsession with the 23, thoughts of murdering his significant other, and the paranoia of being watched. We are given little to no information about the author of the book, credited under the obvious pseudonym “Topsy Kretts”, and the film does most of the work for the viewer by using Walter in the Fingerling scenes, along with Walter’s wife and doctor as the supporting characters. When the reveal finally comes, it feels like we’ve already beaten him to the finish line.

#7: Jim Gordon Doesn’t Die

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“The Dark Knight” (2008) He’s one of the Caped Crusader’s greatest allies and most accurate moral compasses; some would even call him his best friend. But halfway into Christopher Nolan’s second Batman installment, Jim Gordon seemingly perishes at the hands of the Joker. He hadn’t even made it to his famous rank of commissioner yet! His “demise” feels more like a speed-bump in the story rather than a turning point, and doesn't seem tragic enough, so when this is revealed to be a ruse, as an alive-and-well Gordon steps back into the game, it doesn't have the impact Nolan may have hoped for. Though perhaps Gordon’s resurrection serves more to lull the audience before hitting them with the shocking and very real death of Rachel Dawes.

#6: Dr. Gordon Turns Out to Be Jigsaw’s Accomplice

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“Saw: The Final Chapter” (2010) Speaking of undead Gordons, Dr. Lawrence Gordon is one of the two first victims we see in the “Saw” franchise, making his debut chained up in the bathroom with Adam. At the climax of the first movie, the good doctor is last seen escaping Jigsaw's first trap by sawing his own foot off and fleeing the bathroom to find help, never to be seen or heard from again for the next five installments. This piqued fan interest, and the popular theory for a long time was that he had survived and used his years of medical expertise to aid Jigsaw in his future traps; and coupled with his sinister introduction in “Saw 3D”, this is indeed revealed to be the case by the film's conclusion.

#5: The Relationship With Sophie Was In Arthur's Imagination

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“Joker” (2019) It’s one of the brightest aspects in the life of the man who would become one of the most iconic villains ever… so of course it wouldn’t last. Throughout the movie Arthur’s well-meaning neighbour is extremely casual about his erratic behaviour, including stalking her and later coming into her apartment covered in clown makeup and blood for a booty call. Coupled with Arthur's established loose grip on sanity, and the lack of her daughter's presence in their later encounters, it practically spells it out for us. It couldn’t have gone any other way: Arthur’s entire arc is defined by his suffering and belittlement, and the presence of a positive female influence in his life would have buffered or undermined his inevitable downfall.

#4: Nick Fury Isn’t Dead

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“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) Samuel L Jackson has been killed by raptors, sharks and sith lords, but death by comic book assassins was the one we doubted. Though the Marvel star seemingly perishes not even halfway into Cap’s second solo outing, the trailers gave away a shot of a beaten-up and injured Fury recovering from an attack. This should really have been left on the cutting room floor, especially considering the movie’s core focus is Cap and Black Widow’s attempts to take down a corrupted S.H.I.E.L.D., with their valued leader unable to help them. Fury is infamously deceptive, and there is even a small clue when big bad Alexander Pierce implies in passing to Rogers that even Fury cannot be trusted.

#3: Benedict Cumberbatch Is Khan

“Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) The genius Khan Noonien Singh is one of the most beloved baddies of the Star Trek lore, infamous for the vengeance he inflicts upon the Enterprise crew. So when it came time for a sequel to J.J Abrams’ popular “Star Trek” reboot, many assumed a remake of the original and universally-acclaimed “The Wrath Of Khan”, was the natural way to go. Though this ended up being the case, Abrams tried to hide the true identity of Cumberbatch's mysterious villain, “John Harrison”, to prevent alienating casual, non-trekkie audiences. Regardless, the rumour refused to go away no matter how hard he pushed against it. So when the reveal finally comes, it simply feels obvious and underwhelming.

#2: Marcus Is Actually a Cyborg

“Terminator: Salvation” (2009) Sam Worthington’s Marcus Wright was a Terminator all along: It could have made for a surprising and inventive mid-movie reveal . . . however the twist is spoiled right off the bat when scenes of metal Marcus were shown in the film’s first trailer. Granted, this is one twist that could have been pieced together by an observant few; considering the movie starts in the present day, with death row inmate Marcus signing his body to none other than Cyberdyne Systems. But thanks to the trailer, the foreshadowing becomes simple exposition instead. It’s an indisputable flub on the part of the marketing team, and one they clearly didn’t learn from by the time the next installment rolled around and they did it all over again... Well they can’t all be The Usual Suspects and Seven… And, I mean, just because something was obvious doesn’t mean it was a bad movie. I actually enjoyed our #1, as I recall. Although I don’t think I’ve seen it since it came out… But anyway, let’s look at some HM/DMs and then we’ll take a look at the movie reveal literally everyone saw coming Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Johnny Depp Is a Murderer “Secret Window” (2004) The Final Battle Didn’t Actually Happen “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” (2012) The Wrong Android Survives “Alien: Covenant” (2017) Superman Is the Baby Daddy “Superman Returns” (2006) Robert De Niro Is the Imaginary Friend “Hide and Seek” (2005)

#1: It Wasn’t the Pizza Guy

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“Phone Booth” (2003) After Stu's nightmare phone call with a rooftop sniper is over, authorities find the body of a pizza delivery man he scorned earlier, and falsely identify him as the culprit. But anyone who was paying attention at the start will know this pizza patsy's New York accent doesn't even closely resemble Kiefer Sutherland's velvety smooth voice we've been listening to throughout this masterpiece of tension. Even disregarding the voice, this derided delivery dude seems more concerned with doing his job than encouraging Stu down a path of righteousness. The movie doesn’t waste time lingering on this red herring however, and these suspicions are confirmed when the real sniper shows up to say goodbye to a morphine-pumped Stu, warning him not to falter from his newfound honesty.

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