Top 10 Times Movie Villains Celebrated too Early

“Con Air” (1997) If there is any group of people who should not be cheering midway through a mission since they’ve been caught by the law before, it’s convicts. After ambushing a National Guard convoy at an airfield, the inmates decide to celebrate their victory by dancing to a song by a band that happened to pass away in a plane crash. What the prisoners didn’t prepare for was Cameron Poe, who is secretly working with U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin to take the plane down. Because of damage done by attack helicopters, the plane makes an emergency landing on the Las Vegas Strip, and Poe and Larkin work together to stop the criminals from successfully escaping. God bless, Nicolas Cage.

#9: Daniel Makes a Heroic Comeback

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“The Karate Kid” (1984) Under the instruction of Sensei John Kreese of Cobra Kai, Bobby Brown illegally strikes and injures Daniel LaRusso’s knee in the semi-finals of the All-Valley Karate Championships. Kreese smirks in the background as he believes his prized student, Johnny Lawrence, will be named champion. When the cocky sensei accompanies Johnny to accept the championship trophy, they are stunned when Daniel-son miraculously makes his way back to the mat to fight for the title. After Daniel gets the upper hand, Johnny reluctantly sweeps Daniel’s leg, causing his competitor to go down in serious pain. As Kreese yells for Johnny to finish him, Daniel executes a successful crane kick to defeat Johnny, Cobra Kai, and the bad guys.

“Scream” (1996) When Billy Loomis and Stu Macher come forward as the serial killers known as Ghostface, a helpless Sidney Prescott is left to watch in horror as the duo revel in their madness. Billy and Stu confidently reveal their plan to kill Sidney and her father. The overconfident duo begins to inflict themselves with stab wounds, celebrating what they think is a crime they will get away with. However, if there’s anything the “Scream” franchise has taught us, it’s to never underestimate Sidney, who escapes their wrath and defeats both Stu and Billy. Don’t mess with Sidney Prescott.

#7: Thank You, Chuck Norris

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“Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” (2004) One of the greatest upsets in cinematic history almost never happened because of a potential forfeit. Even though Peter LaFleur joins Team Average Joe’s right before the championship dodgeball match, the trophy is awarded to White Goodman and the Purple Cobras. White’s celebration is cut short thanks to a loophole, which states the match could continue with a two-thirds vote by the committee. With the vote at 1-1, Chuck Norris emphatically casts a vote to play, much to the crowd’s delight and White’s dismay. This wouldn’t be the last time White experiences the agony of defeat as he loses a sudden death match versus Peter right after his costly mistake of stepping over the line prevents Purple Cobras from winning in regulation.

“GoldenEye” (1995) When facing James Bond, maybe the villains should wait until they complete the mission to declare victory. While Boris Grishenko attempts to regain control of the satellite in order to attack London, Alec Trevelyan tries to stop James Bond from sabotaging the mission. Trevelyan gains the upper hand and has Bond at gunpoint, but decides to gloat and say, "You know James? I was always better," before shooting. Trevelyan misses as Bond uses a trap door to escape. Bond eventually defeats Trevelyan and destroys the base. Boris, who narrowly survives the explosions, yells, “I am invincible.” The excitement is short-lived as liquid nitrogen ruptures in the lair, killing Boris instantly. Losers like Boris never win.

“The Lion King” (1994) If Scar kept his mouth shut and let Simba fall off the rock, he would still be the King. However, the egotistical lion could not refrain from provoking Simba, revealing it was he who killed Mufasa. Deadset on revenge, Simba charges up the rock and gains the upper hand on his uncle. After fighting off a pack of hyenas with help from friends like Timon, Pumbaa, Zazu, and Rafiki, Simba corners Scar and forces his uncle to leave the Pride Lands forever. Once again, narcissism takes over, and Scar attacks Simba again. However, Simba is ready this time and throws Scar off the rock, where he is attacked by hyenas. Long live the new king.

#4: The Faculty Forgets About Marty

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“The Cabin in the Woods” (2011) After Dana Polk is presumed to be the only survivor of the attacks at the cabin, the group who planned the ambush, led by faculty technicians Gary Sitterson and Steve Hadley, celebrate a successful ritual with beer and tequila. However, they made one fatal mistake: they didn’t confirm the removal of one of the members at the cabin, Marty Mikalski. After Marty saves Dana from trouble, the two survivors make their way into the lab, where they find all of the monsters that eliminated their friends. With revenge on their minds, Marty and Dana release all of the monsters in the facility, and they eliminate the entire faculty. Let’s just say it didn’t end peacefully for Sitterson and Hadley.

“Die Hard” (1988) After thwarting his operation throughout the entire film, Hans Gruber finally has John McClane on the ropes after kidnapping his estranged wife, Holly. Set to walk away with over $600 million in bearer bonds, Hans relishes one last opportunity to attack McClane. Feeling as if he has won the battle, Hans laughs and points his weapon at McClane, quoting the same line said earlier by the New York City detective, “Yippee Ki-Yay.” Before Hans pulls the trigger, McClane laughs uncontrollably, distracting Hans long enough to hesitate. McClane takes advantage of this mistake by pulling the gun secretly taped on his back and firing at Hans and his accomplice. McClane saves his wife while Hans takes a tumble off the building.

#2: “I Am Iron Man”

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“Avengers: Endgame” (2019) After wiping out half of the population in “Avengers: Infinity War,” Thanos receives a second opportunity to snap his fingers and ruin the world in “Avengers: Endgame.” After Thanos overpowers Iron Man, the Mad Titan regains the Infinity gauntlet and confidently claims that he is “inevitable.” Thanos snaps his fingers, which means goodbye to millions of people. However, Tony Stark successfully removes the Infinity stones from the gauntlet before the snap occurs, leaving Thanos with a look of complete shock. This time, humanity gets the last laugh as Iron Man snaps his fingers with the stones on his gauntlet, which leads to the dissolution of Thanos and his army. We love you 3000, Iron Man. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Simon Phoenix Freezes “Demolition Man” (1993) Jafar Is Outsmarted “Aladdin” (1992) Face-Melting Power “Raiders of the Lost Ark” (1981) The Putt That Fell In “Caddyshack” (1980)

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” (2011) After casting the curse upon Harry Potter, Voldemort believes that he finally defeated his archrival. With an evil and an overconfident smirk on his face, Voldemort leads a procession with Harry’s corpse at the front of the parade. The Dark Lord demands that the students join him or vanquish. Before he attacks the students, Harry’s spirit magically rejoins his body and leads his fellow wizards in the fight for humanity. After a lengthy battle, Harry deflects the curse off his body and onto Voldemort, destroying the most dangerous wizard of all time, and winning the battle of good versus evil.