Comic book adaptations, whether in the MCU, DCU, or beyond, are often only as good as their main villain, and a good villain can be improved by a stunning twist. Not every comic book movie or show is going to star a villain as compelling as Thanos, after all, but a well-executed surprise courtesy of that villain can suitably elevate them further – further still if the twist subverts the expectations of comic book aficionados.
On the other hand, some of the biggest supervillain twists in comic book adaptations can nonetheless feel somewhat shallow. Subverting expectations isn’t always a surefire win and can instead stoke controversy among source material purists or more casual audiences who feel the twist is more of a rug-pull. Nevertheless, these are ten of the biggest supervillain twists that landed with varying degrees of success.
10
Ego Reveals He Killed Star-Lord’s Mother
Peter Quill Reacts Accordingly
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was a consequential installment for developing its тιтular team, revealing that Peter Quill – hitherto believed to be no more than a skillful yet non-superpowered rogue – was half-Celestial. His heritage was revealed by Kurt Russel’s Ego, his father, helping to explain how Quill could withstand the force of the same Power Stone that eviscerated other mortals like Carina upon contact. Initially, Ego presented himself as a benevolent, “small-g” god, enthused by his meeting with his long-lost son and eager to awaken his full potential so that they could change the universe together.
Ego then nonchalantly revealed that he had inflicted Peter Quill’s mother, Meredith, with the cancer that took her from Peter so early. It was easy to empathize with Quill’s visceral reaction as he proceeded to shoot his father repeatedly, helped in no small part by the dolly zoom that perfectly conveyed the emotional gut punch of the moment. While Quill was already one of the MCU’s most relatable characters, this truly evil MCU villain helped to establish Quill as one of the most empathetic characters, intensified by him yielding the Celestial powers he could have accepted from Ego.
9
It Was Agatha All Along
Agatha’s Twist Was Delivered In One Of The MCU’s Most Memorable Scenes
After Disney mandated MCU content on its new streaming platform, Disney+, Marvel Studios hit the ground running with its first offering, WandaVision, in 2021. Focusing on one of the MCU’s most tragic characters, Wanda Maximoff, as she dealt with the insurmountable traumas of her past by fabricating a happy life through the lens of a TV show, mysterious forces began interfering with her efforts. The arrival of a “re-cast” Pietro and the death of the family dog, Sparky, for instance, were events that Wanda did not cause, suggesting that a clandestine figure was meddling with her hex.
In one of the best sequences of the entire series (and, dare I say, the entire MCU), a musical moment revealed that “It was Agatha all along.” Until Agatha’s designs were unveiled, she resisted Wanda’s powers through her own magic abilities, inserting herself into Wanda’s hex to bait the Scarlet Witch and ultimately absorb her incredible power. WandaVision was unique insofar as there was no traditional foil to the main character beyond the ineffectual SWORD operation outside the hex, but revealing that Wanda’s woes were due to another powerful witch’s interference was a powerful and wildly entertaining moment.
8
Ozymandias Reveals His Plan
Being Behind A Murder Was Just The Start
2009’s Watchmen is a cinematic adaptation of the comic book limited series of the same name, depicting a gritty world of superheroes and vigilantes. It is ostensibly a murder-mystery movie, with Jackie Earle Haley’s Rorschach spearheading the investigation behind the death of one unscrupulous vigilante, the Comedian. Given the genre, a twist was to be expected – but what we got was far greater than expected. It is revealed that the superhero-turned-businessman, Ozymandias, was responsible for the Comedian’s death, which he caused to prevent the vigilante from exposing his plan.
This is where Watchmen‘s biggest twist is revealed: Ozymandias intended to orchestrate world peace by killing millions, pinning the blame on the godlike superhero Dr. Manhattan, and subsequently uniting all nations against a common threat. The impact of this twist is increased by the fact that Ozymandias succeeds, putting his plan in motion long before the “good guys” are able to catch him. It is a bleak but unique conclusion and leaves audiences with a significant moral conundrum to mull over when the credits roll.
7
Ares Reveals Himself
It Wasn’t Who Wonder Woman Expected
Wonder Woman is one of the best-rated movies in the DCEU, thanks to its charismatic lead and stellar action sequences. Audiences readily go along with the тιтular hero as she strives to bring about peace during the Great War by killing Ares, the God of War. After some investigation, Diana Prince deduces that Ares is orchestrating the war in the guise of Germany’s General Erich Ludendorff, who intends to unleash a ᴅᴇᴀᴅly gas on opponents.
After killing Ludendorff, however, Prince is shocked to learn that the war continues, only for the true Ares to reveal himself as the ostensibly peace-making politician, Sir Patrick Morgan, who has been using his position as an official in the British War Cabinet to maximize chaos and prolong the war, while influencing the creation of the toxic gas in the form of a vision. It was a classic subversion of expectations given Morgan’s comparatively diminutive nature, with Ares ᴀsserting that a few whispers are all it takes to cause humanity to fight, challenging Wonder Woman’s previously more black-and-white worldview.
6
The True Mandarin Is Revealed
The Twist Didn’t Land Too Well With Fans
In the lead-up to its release, Iron Man 3 was an especially exciting prospect for fans of the comic book character as it finally pitted Tony Stark against his traditional arch-nemesis, the Mandarin. Played by Ben Kingsley, the Mandarin was portrayed as the leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization, the same one responsible for Stark’s capture and imprisonment in 2008’s Iron Man. Ben Kingsley’s excellent characterization helped to make the Mandarin Iron Man’s most sinister villain thus far, which was cemented by the nearly successful attempt on Tony Stark’s life and the destruction of his home.
After tracking the Mandarin down, however, Tony Stark discovers that Ben Kingsley’s character, Trevor Slattery, was an actor working at the behest of the “true” Mandarin, Aldrich Killian. This was, unfortunately, a big twist that irked many Iron Man fans. While it certainly subverted expectations, many felt cheated by the rug-pull, supplanting Iron Man’s most iconic villain with a comparatively less compelling businessman. Tony Stark would die before the true Mandarin was revealed in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Xu Wenwu.
5
What Happened To Bucky Barnes
It Was A Heartrending Moment In Captain America: The Winter Soldier
2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger introduced the heartwarming friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. After becoming Captain America, the two fight alongside one another in World War 2 as part of the Howling Commandos, continuing to lend unconditional support to one another as best friends. This would end tragically, however, as Bucky is thrown from a speeding train during a mission to apprehend Arnim Zola, presumably dying in the process.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier then delivered a gut punch of a twist as the тιтular villain was revealed to be none other than Bucky, now operating as a brainwashed super-ᴀssᴀssin for Hydra. Even comic book aficionados would have felt the emotional heft that the reveal packed, with Chris Evans expertly conveying Steve’s despair as he attempts to win Bucky back around and ultimately refuses to seriously harm or kill him to the point of nearly losing his own life. Captain America: The Winter Soldier remains one of the best-rated MCU installments, and this twist certainly helped.
4
Bane Is Just A Pawn
His Threat Levels Are Diminished By The Big Reveal
Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight was always going to be a tough act to follow for many reasons, but it’s safe to say that Tom Hardy’s Bane was a solid successor. Introduced as a physically formidable villain, Bane would also prove to be an intellectual powerhouse whose scheme to take over Gotham and bring about anarchy was successful, as was his one-on-one fight with Batman beneath Wayne Enterprises. Bane succeeded where other villains failed, ostensibly proving himself to be Batman’s most dangerous nemesis yet.
That was until it was revealed that Bane was simply working at the behest of Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Baman’s first nemesis, Ra’s Al Ghul. While Bane might have genuinely shared Talia’s motivations to destroy Gotham, the twist helped to diminish Bane’s characterization as a lone-wolf criminal mastermind until that point. Bane would be killed by Catwoman soon after the reveal in a relatively inglorious manner, positioning Talia Al Ghul as the true villain of the movie.
3
The Vulture Is Liz’s Dad
The Reveal Led To A Painfully Tense Exchange
Spider-Man: Homecoming was a spectacular return to form for the iconic wall-crawler, spotlighting the youngest actor to portray Spider-Man as he navigates his high school years and his crush on Liz. His main rival, meanwhile, was Adrian Toomes’ Vulture, another sympathetic MCU villain who engages in criminal enterprise out of desperation and a desire to provide for his family after being put out of business. Spider-Man encounters Vulture a handful of times in his attempts to halt his criminality, seeing Toomes’s face in the process.
After asking Liz to a high school dance, Peter Parker is then shocked to discover that Adrian Toomes is her father. The twist felt truly out of the blue, stunning both Peter and audiences as a subsequent masterclass in conveying tension transpires in their drive to the dance. Toomes is able to discern Peter’s superhero idenтιтy during the tense exchange, which brings more personal stakes to their rivalry. Spider-Man then proves himself to be a hero first and foremost as he disregards Toomes’ grave threats to stay out of his way, ultimately besting the villain.
2
Homelander Fathers A Son
The Twist Is Both Painful And Dark
The Boys adapts the comic book of the same name and depicts a dystopian world in which superheroes are immensely corrupt. As a paragon of the “What if superheroes were evil?” trope, Homelander stands as the most terrifying answer as a Superman pastiche and an untouchable and deeply disturbed villain. His arch-nemesis is Billy Butcher, leader of the тιтular team and the man who harbors the most resentment towards Homelander due to his belief that Homelander ᴀssaulted and killed his wife, Becca.
In an exceptionally dark twist, however, it is revealed that Homelander instead conceived a son with Becca, which Homelander’s corporate overseers, Vought, hid from everyone. The twist brought several new layers to the dynamic shared between Homelander and Butcher, with Homelander’s son, Ryan, now a painful reminder of Homelander’s desecration of Billy’s personal life but someone Becca genuinely loves. Short of humanizing Homelander, however, it feels like another win for the archvillain, as he now believes he has a son he can mold in his own image.
1
Hydra Infiltrated SHIELD
Hydra Was Pulling The Strings For Years
Captain America: The Winter Soldier takes place decades after Captain America: The First Avenger in a climate where Cap is now working alongside SHIELD following 2012’s The Avengers. The exceptionally grounded spy thriller delivers some of the best action sequences and writing in the MCU, as secrets slowly start to unravel around the Winter Soldier’s true idenтιтy. Tension builds between Cap and SHIELD – particularly surrounding Project Insight – until it is revealed that SHIELD has been compromised.
Decades after defeating Red Skull, Cap and Natasha Romanoff learn through the digitized consciousness of Arnim Zola that Hydra has been pulling the strings behind the scenes. The twist throws into question SHIELD’s decades-spanning activities, with Zola revealing that Hydra’s machinations were behind high-profile ᴀssᴀssinations and destabilization throughout history. It flipped so much of what was established in the MCU and the Avengers on their head and vindicated Steve Rogers’ intuitions about the organization.
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