Let's face it: superhero movies have become pretty formulaic over recent years. By now, it's pretty common for a comic book movie to throw in a few twists to try and subvert the audience's expectations. However, not every twist in a film works. In some cases, the twist ends up ruining the rest of the movie.
That isn't to say that the films themselves are necessarily bad, but their plot twists definitely are. They did nothing for the story and left a sour taste in the audience's mouths. Whether it be an unnecessary big reveal that contradicts the entire movie or a misguided revelation that goes nowhere, these superhero movie twists were just plain weird.
10 Nick Fury Lives
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is arguably one of the best standalone films in the entire MCU, but even it isn’t perfect. While the film managed to handle the "Winter Soldier is Bucky" twist well, the twist where Nick Fury lives absolutely fell flat. Early in the movie while in Captain America's apartment, Nick Fury is shot and killed by enemy agents.
The moment came as a big shock and had a profound impact on Steve, as well as the audience. The only thing is, he lived. It completely erased any sort of stakes the movie might have had and made the character’s actions feel inconsequential. To quote Pet Sematary, "Sometimes, dead is better."
9 Enchantress Is The Real Villain
Suicide Squad
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Suicide Squad certainly has more issues than just one plot twist, but that doesn't make said plot twist any less weird. The marketing for this movie led viewers to believe that the Joker was to be the main antagonist of the film, but about halfway through the movie, it's revealed that Enchantress is actually the real villain of the film.
It was a bait-and-switch meant to shock the audience, which it did do, just not in the way that the filmmakers wanted. Director David Ayer has admitted that this was a mistake and that they should've kept the Joker as the main antagonist, but to be fair, it's not like Leto's Joker would've been that much better.
8 Sir Patrick Is Ares
Wonder Woman
There's no denying that Wonder Woman was one of the best superhero films of the past decade, but in that same breath, there's also no denying that its third act was pretty sloppy. What started off as a fresh comic book movie quickly turned into a giant, generic, CGI mess. The icing on the cake was the very lackluster reveal that Sir Patrick, the British officer, was in fact the villain Ares.
Perhaps if Sir Patrick's character were better fleshed out, this reveal would've had more of an impact, but he had such little development prior that ultimately the audience couldn't care less. Ultimately, Ares was just another disappointing villain in a great superhero film.
7 Sandman Killed Uncle Ben
Spider-Man 3
Like Suicide Squad, there are certainly more issues in Spider-Man 3 than just this one plot twist, but then again, this plot twist was especially terrible. After they have a fight, Sandman reveals to Peter that he was the one who killed his Uncle Ben. It was meant to give Sandman a tragic backstory, but it completely erased a major part of Peter's character.
The whole point of Spider-Man was that Peter felt guilty for letting Uncle Ben's killer get away, so he dedicates his life to fighting crime. Making Sandman the true gunman not only erases this important character trait but also lessens the impact of the first two films.
6 Going From Comedy To Romance
Hancock
Hancock starts out as a hilarious black comedy starring Will Smith as a reckless superhero with a drinking problem that causes millions of dollars worth of collateral damage. He's forced to employ a PR agent, and that's when the movie completely shifts gears.
Then, out of nowhere, it's revealed that the PR agent’s wife is actually Hancock's ex-wife, and she too has special powers. The film then randomly shifts from being a comedy to being a tragic romance movie. It's so poorly executed that it honestly feels like the ending came from a different script, and the studio just merged the two movies. It comes across as so jarring it ruins what started out as a great film.
5 Miranda Tate Is Talia Al Ghul
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is often considered the worst entry in The Dark Knight trilogy and for good reason. The movie is riddled with plot holes and features too many poorly executed twists. Like when it's revealed that Officer Blake is Robin, or how Batman miraculously survives the nuclear blast. But the one that takes the cake is the "Miranda Tate is actually Talia Al Ghul" twist.
Never mind the fact that it did nothing for the story, the strangest part of this twist is that it demoted Bane from the main antagonist to just a henchman. It reduced Talia to a gimmick which is a major disservice to an incredible comic book character.
4 Deadpool's Mouth Being Sewn Shut
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
One of the strangest decisions ever made in a superhero film came in X-Men Origins: Wolverine when the filmmakers thought it'd be a good idea to sew Deadpool's mouth shut. It's not a twist that has any real effect on the overall story, which, if being honest, wasn't that great to begin with, but it completely went against everything that makes Deadpool, Deadpool.
Deadpool's known as the "merc with a mouth." Why on Earth would they get rid of his best feature? It looks even worse now because audiences have seen how successful this character can be when done right. But back in 2009 when the movie debuted, comic book fans everywhere were left angered and scratching their heads.
3 The Secret Anti-Superhero Organization
Glass
Director M. Night Shyamalan is known for his big twist endings, which can be very hit or miss. For example, the twist in Glass was a major misfire that made no sense, but the twist in its predecessors, Split and Unbreakable, worked really well. Glass centers around three super-powered people who are being treated at a mental hospital.
In the end, all three are killed, and it's revealed that the psychiatrist who was treating them was actually part of a secret society that has spent hundreds of years destroying all evidence that metahumans exist. Not only did it come out of left field and make no sense, but it was also a very anti-climatic way to end the movie.
2 MARTHA!
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice
Batman V Superman is yet another superhero film that certainly has more than one controversial twist, but the infamous "Martha" scene is easily the worst. In their titular duel, Batman gains the upper hand on Superman and is about to kill him until Superman mutters "Save Martha," which also happens to be Batman's mom's name.
To everyone's surprise, Batman suddenly has a change of heart, and the fight just sort of abruptly ends. While their conflict had to come to an end somehow, the filmmakers should have gone with something more authentic. The scene was supposed to be emotional, but instead, it felt incredibly forced. The scene and movie overall was just another disappointment from the DCEU.
1 The Mandarin Is Just An Actor
Iron Man 3
Perhaps the most notorious twist in superhero movie history comes at the end of Iron Man 3 when it's revealed the Mandarin wasn't actually the Mandarin but was instead just an actor. The filmmakers were trying to subvert the audience's expectations, but the reveal made absolutely no sense and if anything it just angered the fans.
The Mandarin is one of Marvel's most well-known and beloved villains; why on Earth would they reduce his character to a fake-out? The MCU is already known for having weak villains so the Mandarin twist really felt like a slap in the face. It was a waste of the character and yet another great actor the MCU wasted.