Top 20 Best Superhero Movie Plot Twists
#20: Uncle Ben’s Real Killer
“Spider-Man 3” (2007) Every superhero has an event or a spark that pushes them towards heroism. For Peter Parker, it was the murder of his uncle Ben. Although the gruesome event shaped his life, he took comfort that he saw the killer face justice shortly after the crime. Peter moved on and focused on fighting supervillains like sand-powered Flint Marko. After Spider-Man faced the earthy villain, the hero learned a shocking truth. Flint Marko actually shot Ben. This revelation sent Peter flying into a rage that his uncle’s killer still roamed free. By tying Sandman into Spiderman’s origins, viewers got more invested in their fights. This turn also brilliantly forced us and Peter to look at his journey in a whole new light.
#19: Two of a Kind
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“Hancock” (2008) Hancock was a super being with a major image problem. But after saving a public relations expert named Ray Embry, the powered man starts to improve his reputation. Everything goes well for Hancock until he has dinner with his advisor. After revealing that he doesn’t remember much of his past, he and Mary Embry spend a moment alone. Hancock instantly finds himself drawn to her. But right when things get romantic, Mary uses superstrength to throw him through the house and onto several cars. Her strong move completely flipped the narrative on its head. In hindsight, there were hints of this twist peppered in the story up to this point. However, we were completely thrown for a loop the first time around!
#18: Super Parentage
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“Superman Returns” (2005) When Clark Kent/Superman returns after a long absence, he finds that Lois Lane had a child named Jason and moved on with another man. The Kryptonian doesn’t assume the kid is his because the boy has asthma and a host of other ailments. However, even Lex Luthor has his doubts as to Jason’s parentage. The villain even tested the boy with Kryptonite. Since Jason wasn’t affected, the matter seemed settled…until Jason threw a piano at one of Luthor’s goons! This is a great twist because the film plays with our expectations. We expect Jason to be Superman’s son. Just when we’re sure that he can’t be, we get confirmation that he is!
#17: The Joker Made Batman
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“Batman” (1989) Batman’s origin is perhaps the most famous in the entire superhero genre. During a night out, his parents are randomly gunned down in a dark alley. The ‘89 “Batman” film decided to shake the traditional story up with a major twist. When the Joker intimidates Bruce Wayne’s love interest, Vicki Vale, the villain says a certain phrase. Batman quickly recalls that his parent’s killer said the same exact thing. That means that in this version of the story, Joker indirectly created the Dark Knight. As an added twist of irony, Batman’s actions led to the clown’s creation. It’s a great subversion of the usual origin that also makes his battle with Joker feel that much more personal.
#16: The Ancient One’s Dark Secret
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“Doctor Strange” (2016) Throughout the first Dr. Strange, the villain Kaecilius is criticized for using the Dark Dimension as a source of power. But he’s not the only one who takes shortcuts. Dr. Strange is as shocked as we are to learn that his master, the Ancient One, constantly relies on the Dark Dimension. It’s easy to dismiss this revelation as a lie until she reveals her power source during a battle. Not only did this turn make us see the Ancient One in a new light, but it also greatly impacted others. The revelation that his master used dark dimension magic nearly breaks Karl Mordo. He eventually becomes a full on villain after being pushed just a bit further by Strange.
#15: Ares’ True Identity
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“Wonder Woman” (2017) Set during the First World War, “Wonder Woman” sees Diana of Themyscira throw herself into the conflict in an attempt to stop Ares, the god of war, with a magic, god-killing sword. Along the way, she and pilot Steve Trevor are aided by the peace-seeking Sir Patrick Morgan in getting into the Western Front to find the man they believe to be the god stirring up humanity’s lust for battle. However, they discover Ares is Sir Patrick himself, when he turns up to confront Diana. Although the revelation that Diana is in fact a god – and therefore the God Killer – is also a surprise, this one takes the cake.
#14: The Skrulls’ True Intentions
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“Captain Marvel” (2019) When we’re first introduced to the Skrulls, it’s easy to see them as the villains. They’re shapeshifters who attack mercilessly and even capture the main heroine. As an added layer, they’ve traditionally been villains in the comics. But when Skrull leader Talos actually talks to Carol, he reveals they aren’t cold blooded threats. The complicated truth is that the shape shifting race resorted to violent means so they could find their missing brethren. As an added kick to the gut, Carol’s boss Yon Rogg is revealed as an actual supervillain. [xref] These developments brilliantly played on the expectations of casual and hardcore fans. It just goes to show that we shouldn’t judge a Skrull by their face…or faces.
#13: The Vampire Who Bit Blade’s Mother
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“Blade” (1998) Blade is a half-vampire whose mother Vanessa went into labor after she was bitten. After she died, he made it his mission to eliminate as many of the bloody creatures as he could. Blade’s personal quest puts him into conflict with the vampire Deacon Frost. After the hero is captured by the villain, it’s revealed that Vanessa is still alive. It also turns out that she was bitten by Deacon Frost. And to take things a step further, she was working with the villain to get Blade’s blood. This three-for-one twist makes for a fantastic and emotional rollercoaster ride that recontextualizes everything we learned about Blade’s life up to that point. It also made it clear that the hunter needed to slay Deacon Frost ASAP.
#12: Goodnight Charles
“Logan” (2017) While the titular Logan is on the run with Charles Xavier and his young clone Laura, they stop to help a family. Against Wolverine’s wishes, the mutant trio decides to stay with the normal humans for the night. They have a nice evening that leads to Charles having an honest and emotional conversation with Logan in a dark room. But after Wolverine got close to the telepath, we suddenly realized that we’d been tricked. Charles had actually been talking to Logan’s clone. And this artificial being didn’t hesitate to fatally wound the telepath. This tragic and sudden twist got us choked up because Charles was slain by someone bearing the face of his closest ally.
#11: Mysterio’s Plan
“Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) During Peter Parker’s stressful trip abroad, he gets a powerful Stark weapons system named E.D.I.T.H., has to face elemental villains and tries to start a relationship with Mary Jane. Thankfully, an experienced hero named Quentin Beck, a.k.a. Mysterio helps him out. They become so close that Peter transfers control of E.D.I.T.H. to his new friend. Unfortunately, Mysterio isn’t as altruistic as he first appeared. Beck actually worked with other disgruntled Stark employees to create both a fake backstory and the elementals themselves. His ultimate goal was to gain control of E.D.I.T.H. Although we had a feeling Mysterio was bad, we didn’t know his master plan would be this intricate.
#10: Red Skull Returns
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“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) Thanos and Gamora’s search for the Soul Stone brings them to the desolate world of Vormir. While there, they meet the guardian of the cosmic item. Our jaws dropped when we realized the Soul Stone’s guide was Johann Schmidt, AKA the Red Skull. We all assumed he died when he touched the tesseract back in the first “Captain America” movie. However, “Infinity War” made it clear that the space stone actually sent him to Vormir so he could serve the Soul Stone. This twist was a brilliant way to bring back a villain we thought had been forgotten back to the MCU. His reappearance rewarded longtime fans for their patience.
#9: King T’Chaka Killed Erik Killmonger’s Father
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“Black Panther” (2018) Erik “Killmonger” Stevens is the antagonist of “Black Panther,” and he’s slowly revealed throughout the film to be a master criminal with a connection to Wakanda; the secret African country ruled by the titular hero. However, it comes as a surprise when the previous king, T’Chaka, is revealed to have killed his brother and Erik’s father, N’Jobu, while protecting one of his men. This leaves the young Killmonger orphaned and resentful, yet still desiring the home he never knew. T’Chaka being in the wrong and Killmonger more in the right definitely threw us for a loop.
#8: Henri Ducard Is Ra’s Al Ghul
“Batman Begins” (2005) After leaving Gotham, Bruce Wayne is trained by Ra’s Al Ghul’s League of Shadows. Though he and his teacher, Henri Ducard, have a philosophical disagreement leading to the destruction of their school, Bruce still saves Ducard’s life. Later, after establishing himself as Batman, Bruce is surprised when a party guest offers to introduce him to Ra’s Al Ghul, whom he believed to be dead. However, it’s Ducard himself who’s revealed to be the real Ra’s Al Ghul. While we considered choosing the revelation of Ra’s’ daughter Talia’s identity, this is arguably several twists in one.
#7: The Vulture Is Liz Allen’s Father
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“Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017) Through his efforts to become a successful superhero, Spider-Man crosses Adrian Toomes, a.k.a. the Vulture; a criminal determined to steal powerful technology to sell to the highest bidder. All the while, Peter Parker tries balancing his life as a superhero with school, including asking his crush Liz Allen to homecoming. Peter’s two lives collide unexpectedly when he goes to pick Liz up for the dance… only to find the Vulture answering the door. Toomes’ true identity comes out of left field – despite being foreshadowed with his mention of a daughter earlier in the film – and leads to some great scenes between hero and villain.
#6: Ozymandias’ Masterplan, & It’s Already Too Late
“Watchmen” (2009) An apparent plot to kill off former vigilantes puts masked superhero Rorschach on the trail of a vast conspiracy during the height of an alternate Cold War. He and former ally Nite Owl's investigation reveals their friend Adrien Veidt (a.k.a. Ozymandias) to have orchestrated a plan to use the nuclear superhuman Dr. Manhattan as a scapegoat for the destruction of several major cities around the world. This would thereby unite the USSR and the USA against a common enemy, and theoretically create world peace. Ozymandias also reveals during his confrontation with them that he’s already put his plan into motion – avoiding a typical villain blunder.
#5: Ego Killed Star-Lord’s Mother
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“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017) Peter Quill – a.k.a. Star-Lord and leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy – is finally reunited with his mysterious father in this film. While at first weirded out about him literally being a planet, Ego proves to be most everything Peter was looking for in a dad. However, Ego’s plans for galactic expansion and domination put a damper on things – though by this time, he’s already brainwashed Peter. Star-Lord snaps out of it, though, when Ego reveals that he intentionally gave Peter’s mother a tumor to prevent himself from halting his plan out of love for her. As her death was a defining moment for him, Quill is understandably pissed.
#4: Elijah Price Is a Villain
“Unbreakable” (2000) David Dunn is a man who discovers he has extreme durability and strength after a train accident leaves him as the only survivor. Under the guidance of comic book art dealer Elijah Price, David explores his abilities. These also include knowing someone’s crimes through touch, which he uses to find and defeat criminals. When he finally shakes hands with Price, though, David discovers Price orchestrated his train accident – as well as many other disasters – all with the goal of finding a superhuman like those in comic books. This twist casts the film and Elijah’s relationship with David in a new light, making him a villain worthy of a comic book nickname.
#3: Bucky Killed Tony’s Parents
“Captain America: Civil War” (2016) The Winter Soldier, better known as Bucky Barnes, is the best friend of Captain America who was brainwashed and trained to be an assassin by Hydra. Although the revelation of his true identity is a shocking one, a far more troubling twist occurs in the third “Captain America” film. During the final confrontation with the villain, Zemo, he reveals to Tony Stark that Bucky was the man who killed Stark’s parents. The twist is a fantastic one, as we still don’t see it coming despite being set up earlier in the film, and places Cap and Iron Man against each other for a heartbreaking confrontation.
#2: The Joker Switched Things Up
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“The Dark Knight” (2008) Before the Joker is captured, he orchestrates the capture of district attorney Harvey Dent. Batman interrogates the clown in hopes of uncovering the location of the lawman. But everything is flipped on its head when the Joker reveals he’s captured Rachel Dawes. Since she’s Dent’s current girlfriend and Batman’s old love interest, Bruce is doubly driven to save her. The dark knight races to get her when he learns her location as Dent comforts her over the radio. But when Batman arrives on the scene, he realizes the Joker gave him Harvey’s location instead. As a further gut punch, Rachel dies because the police arrived too late. This cruel and multilayered twist could only come from the Joker’s twisted mind.
#1: S.H.I.E.L.D. Is Hydra
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“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) The second “Captain America” film is full of twists and turns straight out of a spy thriller, but arguably its best occurs when the conspiracy Cap has been chasing down is discovered to have been orchestrated by none other than remnants of his old WWII enemies: Hydra. The Nazi splinter group has been growing inside of S.H.I.E.L.D. like a cancer for decades, biding their time to seize control. While our previous entry had plenty of buildup and surprise, this twist is great for its sheer shock factor, and has ripple effects throughout the MCU.