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Superhero movies are beloved by fans for their epic stories, intense fight scenes, and iconic characters. Some are origin stories of classic comic book characters, while others focus on groups of heroes learning to work together. Across the board, fans can expect to see plenty of action and excitement in superhero film adaptations.


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Yet, not all superhero films do their source material justice. Some start off strong, with interesting premises and unique ideas, only to fall apart by the finale. Others are terrible from the get-go and struggle to end in a meaningful way. Either way, some superhero films are notorious for their terrible endings.

10/10 The Ending To The X-Men Trilogy Was Disjointed & Hollow

X-Men: The Last Stand

An image from X-Men: The Last Stand.

The final installment in the original X-Men film trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand, had high expectations when it first came out. In it, the X-Men and the Brotherhood fight over whether the new cure for the mutant gene is worth protecting or destroying.

Despite the film’s impressive visual effects, its ending was hollow. Jean Grey, the Phoenix, was thought to have died in the previous film, but she was instead protected by her destructive alternate personality. Her presence in the film is practically unrelated to the battle between the X-Men and the Brotherhood, and while the finale is meant to be sad, her death instead feels disconnected from the main plot.

9/10 An Abrupt End-Credits Scene Changed The Tone Of Far From Home

Spider-Man: Far From Home

Spider-Man vs. Mysterio in Spider-Man Far From Home.

The second Spider-Man film in the MCU, Spider-Man: Far From Home, was well-received, but it ended on a strange and divisive note. It directly followed the events of Avengers: Endgame and had high expectations, but despite a strong premise, the film’s conclusion and final battle were strangely paced.

The betrayal of Quentin Beck — also known as Mysterio — is revealed fairly early in the film. Spider-Man’s attempt to foil his plans while protecting his own identity is presumed to be successful, and the credits roll before the film’s true ending occurs. During the credits, it’s revealed that Mysterio exposed Spider-Man’s true identity, abruptly changing the course of the film and ending it on an unexpected, potentially undeserved note.

8/10 Convenient Plot Devices Gave The Ant-Man Sequel A Disappointing Ending

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Ant-Man and The Wasp with flying ants around them in Ant-Man and The Wasp.

Despite a fairly important end-credits scene, Ant-Man and the Wasp was a rather unremarkable film when compared to the Marvel films released around it. It was praised for its humor and acting, but its plot was surprisingly low-stakes — despite occurring between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame — and its finale was anticlimactic.

The ending of Ant-Man and the Wasp wraps things up a bit too conveniently. After a stressful attempt to retrieve Pym’s long-lost wife, Janet, from the quantum realm, the consequences of her disappearance are practically unaddressed, and she’s conveniently able to fix Ava’s condition without much trouble.

7/10 Wonder Woman 1984 Ends With No Consequences

Wonder Woman 1984

Diana in Wonder Woman 1984.

Wonder Woman 1984, the second film in DC’s Wonder Woman film series, received a mixed reception upon its release. Some praised it for its music score and tone, while others criticized it for its bizarre plot and strange pacing.

RELATED: 10 Times The DCEU Broke Our Hearts

The ending to Wonder Woman 1984 was fairly unsatisfying and anticlimactic. After balancing the weight of wishing on the Dreamstone and facing its consequences, the final conflict is resolved by exposing the truth and having the characters relinquish their wishes. It trivializes the film and removes any lingering consequences, making it almost irrelevant to the series as a whole.

6/10 Suicide Squad Failed To Motivate Its Characters

Suicide Squad

DCEU's Suicide Squad 2016 promotional movie banner.

Despite plenty of hype, Suicide Squad was heavily criticized for its plot and direction. It had an interesting premise and started off strong, but its finale was rushed and lacked depth. Many of the characters act without reason, and the antagonists of the film feel disconnected from the overall plot.

The plot of Suicide Squad revolves around several incarcerated villains who, thanks to a new program, are allowed to reduce their sentence by joining a superhuman response team. Yet, the plot quickly falls apart, muddling whether the antagonist is the Enchantress and Incubus, the Joker, or officer Waller. Despite having no motivation to do so, the characters complete their mission and end the movie on an abrupt note.

5/10 Captain Marvel’s Powers Removed The Tension From The Film

Captain Marvel

Marvel's Captain Marvel promotional movie banner.

The reception for Captain Marvel was heavily divided among audiences following its release. Some praised the film for its performances and tone, while others criticized its plot and script. Despite its best intentions, the film’s theme was muddled, and a poor plot lessened its emotional impact.

After discovering that her memories had been lost, Carol Danvers — who eventually becomes Captain Marvel — manages to remove the implant in her brain that had suppressed her powers. However, this reveal is somewhat of a deus ex machina and removes all the tension and stakes from the film’s final confrontation. It feels undeserved and takes away from her character’s emotional growth throughout the film.

4/10 Justice League Was Too Ambitious & Rushed Its Plot

Justice League

An image from Zack Snyder's Justice League.

The original release of Justice League was poorly received by audiences, though its extended re-release — titled Zack Snyder’s Justice League — was more widely appreciated. The film’s somewhat overwhelming plot struggles to balance its large cast of characters and pace itself properly.

RELATED: 10 Most Controversial Justice League Stories

Justice League was overly ambitious, and its ending was abrupt and poorly developed. The final battle between the League and Steppenwolf feels rushed and out of place, especially after following the confrontation with Superman. The character’s actions, especially Superman’s, have little to no depth or motivation and feel entirely out of place amid the convoluted plot.

3/10 The Memory-Loss Trope Ruined Wolverine’s Origin Story

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Wolverine and Sabretooth fighting in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the first prequel in the original X-Men trilogy, was one of Marvel’s weaker films. It was criticized for a poor script and overuse of tropes and struggled to connect Wolverine’s backstory to the events of X-Men and X2.

During X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Stryker’s influence on Wolverine and his past is finally revealed. After bonding adamantium to his skeleton and experimenting on his healing ability, Logan escapes Stryker only to confront him again in the film’s finale. Logan is defeated, however, when Stryker shoots him in the head and wipes his memory. Logan’s memory loss is a core part of the X-Men trilogy, but the actual source of it feels anticlimactic the way it’s addressed in the film.

2/10 A Cheap Plot Twist Undid Thor & Loki’s Character Development

Thor: The Dark World

An image from Thor the Dark World.

The second film in the Thor franchise, Thor: The Dark World, was heavily criticized for its shallow plot and generic villain. Despite solid performances by Hemsworth and Hiddleston, the film’s antagonist is treated like a plot device, with no motivation and no depth. Even the film’s tragic ending is ruined by a cheap plot twist in order to keep Loki relevant to the franchise.

In the third act of Thor: The Dark World, Loki sacrifices himself during a battle with Malekith. He appears to die in Thor’s arms, motivating Thor to avenge him and repair the brothers’ damaged relationship, but the film’s finale reveals that Loki is alive and well, posing as Odin on the throne of Asgard.

1/10 The Infamous Martha Reveal Added To Batman V Superman’s Ridiculous Finale

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

DCEU's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice promotional movie banner.

Potentially the most ridiculous and criticized ending to a superhero film comes from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Despite a successful opening weekend, the film declined quickly and was criticized by critics and audiences. An overly-complicated plot, corny dialogue, and several convenient coincidences culminated in a laughable finale that the DCEU struggled to defend.

The core conflict in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice comes from a lack of communication between Batman and Superman. Despite having similar goals, each sees the other as a threat and attempts to kill the other. However, the only reason their issues are resolved is that Superman’s mother and Batman’s mother just happen to have the same name: Martha.

NEXT: 10 Dumbest Marvel Superhero Deaths

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