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But to be considered, it had to actually be a twist. So, stuff like Doctor Octopus sacrificing himself at the end of Spider-Man 2, while a big detour from robbing banks, is more the conclusion of a character arc than a twist. It comes down to there being a reveal, like if a friendly presence ends up being, well, not so friendly. We have to have been led to believe one thing before the narrative flips the script on us. In other words, surprising cameos don’t count as twists. Naturally, spoilers follow.
10) Doctor Strange Has a Third Eye Now in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness certainly surprised some people by having John Krasinski play Reed Richards, but that wasn’t quite a twist. The film’s final moment, however, is.
We see Doctor Strange go up against the Darkhold-manipulated Sinister Strange, who has been “graced” with a third eye on his forehead. We then see Doctor Strange walk away from the fight with his life. But then the film’s final scene shows that, after his time with the Darkhold and dream walking via a corpse, the Doctor Strange we’ve grown to know and love gets a third eye all his own. It’s definitely a surprise, but it’s also hurt by some shoddy CGI.
9) Yashida Is the Silver Samurai in The Wolverine
We meet Ichirล Yashida fairly early on in The Wolverine. Specifically, in 1945, when Logan saves him from the Nagasaki bombing. Later in the movie we see Yashida, dying and apparently wishing to bid Logan farewell. He offers to take Logan’s immortality away from him, thinking it would be a gift (a sentiment Logan doesn’t entirely disagree with). We are also introduced to the Silver Samurai, which at first appears to just be a big robot with a sword. But the Silver Samurai and Yashida are one and the same. Yashida wants Logan’s immortality so badly he’s gone full villain. What a way to repay someone for saving your life in your youth.
8) Scud’s a Bad Guy in Blade II
It may not be Guillermo del Toro’s best movie, but that’s only because the competition is so lauded. But, as it stands, most would agree Blade II is an improvement over its already solid predecessor.
And, like its predecessor (more on that in a bit), Blade II comes equipped with a surprise villain reveal. In this case, Norman Reedus’ Scud, who we really do spend most of the film’s runtime believing is a decent assistant to Blade and Abraham Whistler.
7) Not Such a Great Mentor in Iron Man
Throughout the first half or so of Iron Man, we’re led to believe that Raza, the leader of the Ten Rings, is the film’s main villain. But it’s not so, he’s just playing second fiddle to the true big bad.
The true big bad, of course, is Obadiah Stane, Tony Stark’s mentor, friend, and number two at Stark Industries. It’s a twist that works to this day, not so much because it’s particularly surprising, but rather because its the kindly Jeff Bridges playing Stane, a man who is betraying the son of his deceased friend just for, you guessed it, money and power.
6) Ikaris Is the Villain in Eternals
While it’s not considered one of the MCU’s stronger films, Eternals does have one of its more effective twists. Specifically, the fact that Ikaris, the leader of the Eternals, is the villain the rest of them need to face. That said, the fact they’re all genetically engineered by Celestials is a good twist (for non-comic readers), as well.
One can almost understand Ikaris’ goal, which was basically to do what they were designed to do. But to do so, the people of Earth would need to die, and not only is he fairly cool with that, but he also killed the previous “Prime Eternal,” Ajak, to carry that plan out to fruition.
