Creating a powerful story that draws a large audience is no small feat. However, it is especially hard to give the audience a satisfying and entertaining ending. The ending of a superhero movie must draw in fans for a sequel and neatly tie up the story at hand.
While superhero characters have been a part of pop culture for over eight decades, turning their stories into large cinematic films is a recent development. Giving audiences the best ending possible is hard, but some superhero films knock it out of the park.
Updated on November 8, 2022, by David Giatras: While the spectacle of superhero films can be great, the ending is an important part to get right. Nowadays, there are never-ending teases for sequels and what happens next. Across the droves of superhero movies that have recently been released, several have stuck the landing while effectively wrapping up the stories of beloved heroes. This list has been updated with some more of the best superhero movie endings.
20 Violet, Dash, Bob, And Helen Mask Up Together
The Incredibles
Disney Pixar's The Incredibles is a relatable movie for kids and adults alike. Even superheroes struggle to manage their time when it comes to work, school, and spending time with their families. Each character comes to terms with their powers and understands how vital they are to the family.
In the end, Bob and Helen are a united front, Violet gains the confidence to ask out the boy she likes, and Dash can take part in school sports. When duty calls and the Underminer rises from underground, the Parr family masks up and stands together to become the Incredibles. It's a heartwarming ending.
19 Natasha And Yelena Have A Bittersweet Ending
Black Widow
MCU fans finally got to see the backstory behind the only original female Avenger, Natasha Romanoff, in Black Widow. The film is especially poignant because fans knew they were likely seeing Scarlett Johansson play the character for the last time.
Natasha reconnects with her family as they all are on a mission to take down the Red Room. Her bond with Yelena, her younger sister, is the strongest, as they whistle and echo one another. While audiences know that Black Widow bravely sacrificed herself in Avengers: Endgame, hearing Yelena whistle for her sister outside their childhood home and waiting to hear its echo made the ending bittersweet.
18 Hiro Continues Tadashi's Work And Saves The City
Big Hero 6
Hiro has gone through plenty of trauma in his young life, but when he loses his big brother Tadashi, he is not sure how to move forward. Tadashi's project, Baymax, comes into Hiro's life to help him heal from such a loss. However, neither of them knew what impact they would have on each other, their friends, and their city by the end of Big Hero 6.
Creating the superhero group Big Hero 6 helped Hiro find purpose in his life again. It helped him learn to heal and be a hero. In the end, Hiro continues Tadashi's work by day while saving the city at night with his friends and Baymax by his side.
17 Shang-Chi Rewrites The Future
Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings
Shang-Chi's life was turned upside down when his mother was killed in his family home. His father became a different person, and Shang and his sister, Xialing, escaped their father's oppression and ruthlessness.
Shang-Chi goes up against his father for the power of the Ten Rings and to ensure the safety of his mother's home. While Shang-Chi defeats his father and gains the power of the Ten Rings, he also shapes the future of the Ten Rings organization. Xialing takes command of the organization while Shang-Chi returns to America, only to be confronted by Wong about his newfound powers.
16 Batman Inspires Hope In The Citizens Of Gotham
The Batman
While Batman has always been a darker type of hero, every version of the Dark Knight has one goal in mind: to turn Gotham City into a place of peace and justice. In Matt Reeve's The Batman, audiences see Batman at his darkest and his most vengeful.
Throughout The Batman, Bruce Wayne slowly comes to the realization that sparking fear in the heart of Gotham will only worsen its problems. In the end, Batman knows that he needs to inspire hope in the people of Gotham to help them fight for the city they love and believe in.
15 T'Challa Opens Wakanda Up To The Rest Of The World
Black Panther
T'Challa was thrust into the role of King of Wakanda when his father tragically died during an attack in Vienna. T'Challa accepts every challenge thrown at him with the grace and wisdom of a king who has been on the throne for years instead of weeks.
After facing the feuds and the complications brought about by his family and Wakanda's history, T'Challa decides to take a step into the unknown and open Wakanda up to the rest of the world. He wants to use the country's advanced technology to help others with outreach centers. T'Challa understands the power and influence he has as king and as the Black Panther, so he uses it to help others.
14 Thanos' Arrival Perfectly Sets Up Infinity War
Thor: Ragnarok
Thor has gone from an arrogant god to a relatable, funny hero who has endured hard times. In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor is tested once again as he fights for Asgard and its people after the loss of his father, Odin.
With the help of the other Asgardians, including Loki, Valkyrie, and many new friends from different worlds, Thor defeats his sister Hela, but the land of Asgard is lost. Thor promises to rebuild a new Asgard, and things are finally looking up for the God of Thunder until Thanos arrives and hovers threateningly over Thor's ship. It's a cliffhanger ending that leads perfectly into Avengers: Infinity War.
13 Steve Rogers Has A Heartbreaking Realization
Captain America: The First Avenger
Steve Rogers' journey to becoming Captain America was not an easy one. From joining the US Army to being turned into a Super Soldier to battle the Nazis and the Red Skull, Steve proved that he will do whatever it takes to save others, including sacrificing himself.
Steve takes an aircraft that's filled with bombs and headed for the United States and redirects it into the Arctic, saving thousands of lives at the cost of his own. As a result, he leaves behind a devastated Peggy Carter. 70 years later, Steve Rogers is found alive beneath the ice and brought to Manhattan. When Steve wakes up, he escapes to Times Square to discover that he has been asleep for years. Steve then utters one of the most heartbreaking lines in the MCU, "I had a date."
12 Tony Stark Announces That He's Iron Man
Iron Man
The hero who started the MCU, Tony Stark is a billionaire playboy who doesn't care about anyone but himself. When he's captured and tortured in the Middle East, Tony's perspective on his life and his company changes.
Tony develops and evolves the Iron Man suit that he used to escape his captors. He becomes a man others can look up to, changes the purpose of his company so that it is helping others, and saves people from Obidiah's plans to mass-produce more weapons. However, Tony Stark is still who he is at his core and announces that he is Iron Man at a press conference, which is a fitting ending for the hero's first film.
11 Steve Reunites With Peggy
Avengers: Endgame
Wrapping up a story that had been building for over 10 years is no small feat, yet the ending of Avengers: Endgame perfectly concluded the tales of several original Avengers. Black Widow and Iron Man sacrificed themselves to save humanity, Hawkeye is reunited with his family, Thor joins the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Hulk helps mentor the remaining heroes.
However, Captain America got the happiest ending of all when he went back in time to return the Infinity Stones and never came back. Steve returned to Peggy, spending a lifetime of love and happiness with her.
10 Wolverine Dies For Laura
Logan
Logan is often ranked as one of the best superhero movies of all time, and definitely the best X-Men movie to date. While taking care of an ailing Charles Xavier, Logan is tasked with protecting a young mutant named Laura from evil forces.
The ending sees Logan sacrificing himself to save Laura and her friends. It's one of the most heartbreaking scenes in a superhero film but a fitting send-off for Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. However, Jackman will now return in the upcoming Deadpool 3, so fans are hoping that the 2023 movie doesn’t take away from Logan’s great ending.
9 The Joker Cannot Win
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight pits Batman against his greatest adversary: the Joker. Heath Ledger gave an Oscar-winning performance as the Joker, and it is held in high regard by fans as one of the best iterations of the character.
After Joker wins "the battle for Gotham’s soul," Batman is forced to take the fall for Harvey Dent/Two Face’s crimes to keep Gotham safe. With Han Zimmer's brilliant score playing, Commissioner Gordon gives a memorable monologue to end the film, explaining how Batman is whatever Gotham needs him to be, whether it’s a hero or a villain.
8 Spider-Man Is Stripped Down And Reset In The MCU
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Peter Parker struggling to deal with being outed as Spider-Man to the world. He asks Doctor Strange to create a spell to make everyone forget he’s Spider-Man, but it backfires and villains from other universes come looking for him.
At the end of No Way Home, Peter finds that the only way to get everything back to normal is to have the spell make everyone forget who he is. The MCU essentially resets Spider-Man and opens the door for more stories to be told without anyone knowing who he is.
7 The Snap Changes Everything For The MCU
Avengers: Infinity War
Avengers: Infinity War finally came in 2018 after years of anticipation. Thanos begins collecting the Infinity Stones and intends to eliminate half of all life in the universe as the Avengers do their best to stop him on different fronts.
Unfortunately for the heroes, Thanos succeeds in his mission and Infinity War famously ends with the Snap. A memorable sequence sees the heroes being dusted one by one. Fans will never forget the heartbreaking moment Spider-Man pleads with Iron Man to save him, but he is dusted shortly thereafter.
6 The Dark Knight Trilogy Gets A Proper Ending
The Dark Knight Rises
While it did not reach the heights of its predecessor, The Dark Knight Rises was a solid ending to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Batman comes out of retirement to battle Bane and other threats to Gotham City.
In the end, Batman realizes he must fly a nuclear bomb out over Gotham Bay and seemingly dies. The final minutes do a great job of wrapping up the trilogy, giving each character an ending and implying that John Blake will take up the mantle of Gotham’s protector.
5 Uncle Ben Reminds Fans That With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility
Spider-Man
Sam Raimi left his mark on the superhero genre with Spider-Man in 2002. The film tells the tale of Peter Parker, who is bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes Spider-Man. He tries to keep New York City safe from the Green Goblin, who tries to show Spider-Man the downsides of being a hero.
In the end, Mary Jane Watson tells Peter that she loves him. Although Peter wanted to hear this for years, he rebuffs her. His inner monologue references his Uncle Ben’s advice: “with great power, comes great responsibility.” The ending is a master class in what it means to be a hero and the sacrifices heroes must make.
4 Catwoman Isn't Dead
Batman Returns
The second Batman film directed by Tim Burton, Batman Returns finds Batman battling the Penguin as the villain tries to run for mayor of Gotham City for nefarious purposes. Batman also crosses paths with Catwoman and forges an uneasy alliance.
In the end, Catwoman is seemingly electrocuted and killed. However, Batman does not find her body. The final shot of Batman Returns features Catwoman looking up at the Bat-signal on Christmas Eve. This ending hyped fans for a spin-off with Michelle Pfieffer’s character, but it, unfortunately, did not come to pass after Burton left the franchise.
3 MJ Accepts Her New Normal
Spider-Man 2
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At the climax of Spider-Man 2, Mary Jane Watson discovers that Spider-Man's true identity is her friend Peter Parker. Peter explains that they can never be together, worrying that his enemies will come for her if they find out who he is. In the end, MJ runs out on her wedding to John Jameson and gets together with Peter.
As Peter is called off to trouble as Spider-Man, he jumps out the window toward danger. MJ watches, but the look on her face makes it clear that the new reality of her life is setting in. It is tough to be in a relationship with a superhero, always having to worry about the hero and themselves. Fortunately, Tobey Maguire's Peter reveals in Spider-Man: No Way Home that he and MJ found a way to make it work.
2 T'Challa Leaves Behind A Son To Carry His Legacy
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is first and foremost a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. The film ends with his sister Shuri taking up the mantle of the Black Panther as she leads Wakanda to defeat Namor and the kingdom of Talokan. But it's the post-credits scene that shows the legacy T'Challa leaves behind.
Shuri visits Nakia in Haiti, and she meets T'Challa's son Toussaint. The child remarks that while that is his name, his Wakandan name is T'Challa as well. It was an emotional and poignant tribute to King T'Challa, and to Boseman by extension, that his son will someday inherit the throne as his father did and become the Black Panther.
1 A Tease of The Joker
Batman Begins
Christopher Nolan changed the superhero genre forever when he rebooted the Batman character and made Batman Begins. The film delves into the origins of Bruce Wayne and the path he took to become Batman as he battles Scarecrow and the League of Shadows.
At the end of the film, Lieutenant Gordon shows Batman evidence of a new threat to Gotham: a Joker card. This effectively set the Joker up as the next villain, which came to fruition in The Dark Knight. Long before fans were used to world-building and end-credit teases, Nolan executed it perfectly in the film and it certainly left its mark on the genre as a whole.