4 Worst DC Movie Twists Ranked, Including a Major Dark Knight Error

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While not all DC movies feature surprising twists, the ones that do often significantly change the characters and the landscape of superhero films. Tim Burton’s Batman, for example, cleverly connects Batman and the Joker’s origins, revealing that the man who would become the Joker actually killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. Christopher Nolan also included several unexpected turns throughout The Dark Knight trilogy. However, for every well-executed twist, there are a few that feel forced or out of place.

DC movies rarely have surprising twists, and when they try, they often fall flat. These four twists are among the most disappointing in any DC Comics adaptation. The biggest problem isn’t that they’re illogical, but that they all suffer from the same flaw: they weaken the story and undo everything that happened before, ultimately making for a worse movie.

4) Miranda Tate Is Talia al Ghul in The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher and Jonathan Nolan deserve credit for handling the major twist in The Dark Knight Rises well. The film introduces Miranda Tate early on as the new head of Wayne Enterprises, and it’s a genuine surprise when it’s revealed she’s actually Ra’s al Ghul’s daughter and the one truly behind the attacks on Gotham, not Bane – she’s been carrying out her father’s plan all along. The reveal feels logical within the story.

However, the unexpected reveal of Tate’s true identity diminishes Bane’s impact and presence throughout the film. The movie initially presents Bane as the mastermind, the one giving orders and actively working to destroy Gotham and fulfill the League of Shadows’ plans. Ultimately, though, he’s just a subordinate, a pawn in a larger game, and even his backstory is given to another character as part of a twist. Despite attempts to improve Bane’s portrayal after the disappointing version in Batman & Robin, The Dark Knight Rises actually treats him even worse. The film also doesn’t develop Talia al Ghul into a character as interesting or compelling as she is in the comics.

3) Superman’s Secret Kid in Superman Returns

Because Superman Returns aims to continue the story directly from the 1978 and 1980 Superman films, it has to do a lot of explaining. One of the new plot points is that Lois Lane has a son named Jason, who may be Superman’s child from a past relationship. While the movie hints at this twist, it’s not a huge surprise, and ultimately it creates more confusion than clarity.

The decision to include Jason in Superman Returns was primarily to mirror a key moment from Richard Donner’s original Superman films – specifically, to allow Superman to share the same heartfelt speech with his son that his father once gave to him. However, this choice, and the character’s presence overall, ultimately created significant problems for the movie, leading to inconsistencies and weak character development.

It doesn’t make sense that Lois Lane would forget a relationship with Superman that resulted in their child. And if she did have a relationship, how could Superman have been gone long enough for this to happen? Plus, it feels contrived that their son only develops superpowers when the plot demands it. It’s all just illogical.

2) Ares’ Real Identity in Wonder Woman

For fans of the comics, choosing Ares as the main villain in Wonder Woman felt right – the character has a history of challenging Wonder Woman and other Greek gods. However, the movie’s portrayal of Ares and the way his identity is revealed actually weakens the story and Diana’s personal growth. It feels like these things were sacrificed just to make room for another big action sequence.

After leaving her home on Themyscira with Steve Trevor and witnessing the horrors of World War I, Diana becomes certain that the German general Erich Ludendorff is actually Ares in disguise, orchestrating the war. Believing she has a weapon capable of defeating him, she sets out to kill Ludendorff. However, even after succeeding, she realizes her mistake – Ludendorff wasn’t Ares, and the war continues unchanged.

This realization completely shatters Diana’s worldview. She discovers that simply defeating a single villain won’t resolve the larger conflict, and that human nature is far more complex than she previously thought, especially considering the potential influence of gods. Unfortunately, the film then devolves into a simple, underwhelming fight with Ares, which weakens the powerful message it could have delivered. A different approach would have made Wonder Woman truly exceptional among superhero films.

1) Almost Everything in Joker: Folie à Deux

You could argue that the entire movie Joker: Folie à Deux feels like a deliberate rejection of audience expectations. After the huge success of the first Joker, a sequel was expected, but this one seems to actively resent that success and even treat viewers with disdain. Adding to this is the surprising shift to a musical format, where the characters’ delusions manifest as elaborate, over-the-top musical numbers reminiscent of old Hollywood films.

The film’s ending suggests a disturbing twist: Arthur Fleck wasn’t actually the Joker from Batman stories, but possibly a pawn of another, true villain who later copied his style. If the earlier parts of the movie were a bold statement, this ending feels like a childish, dismissive gesture. While a sequel couldn’t possibly recapture the original’s success, it didn’t need to deliberately try to be provocative and immature.

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2025-10-25 19:43