Superhero movies have a tendency to devolve by the end of the movie. It’s part of why Wonder Woman and Justice League have been vilified.
After the shocking ending of Ms. Marvel revealed Kamala Khan’s identity as the MCU’s first mutant, fans found the show even more incredible once that first watch had come to an end. After all, no one could have predicted a gigantic leap like that — let alone when the franchise’s first mutant films haven’t even been announced.
But not every superhero movie was able to stick the landing with their endings. Between Justice League to Spider-Man: No Way Home, some films suffer immensely after the second act, as the movies become considerably more dull or completely skew their message. Hence, some fans took to Reddit to share the endings they found so bad that they ruined the film entirely.
Despite doing a solid job at building up the final confrontation with Steppenwolf, Justice League really suffered when it came time to face him. Reddit user Just_an_Empath says, “At one point it really just looked like a 2D fighting game. Not only that but the heroes who were previously powerless against Steppenwolf, suddenly were stronger than him too.”
Though the heroes emphasized their need for Superman, it seemed he was the only thing the team really needed. Instead of relying on teamwork and synergy between their powers, they beat Steppenwolf down without a sweat. Had it taken more than one film, they might have given the team a chance to learn to work together. Instead, it was just a let-down.
The entire concept of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was based on Superman finally facing off against the Dark Knight so that viewers could see once and for all who was stronger. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work out that way. Redditor notreallysrs commented, “Batman V Superman was pretty weak. Hyped up a big fight throughout the movie which was fizzled out.”
The movie had an amazing concept executed terribly, as the two heroes only came together because of a contrived line about how their mothers share the same name. It might have worked in theory, but Superman had no reason to call his mother “Martha,” making the entire resolution feel cheap and a waste of an opportunity.
The ending of Spider-Man: No Way Home sees Peter utterly alone, having convinced the world to forget that Spider-Man was Peter Parker. It was a tragic end that left many viewers wondering where he could go from there.
Reddit user APizzaLover argues, “In No Way Home, Peter has absolutely no one to go to. There is no good payoff with this film and the ending was just underwhelming.” Yet, while it’s a depressing end, it makes him one of the best tragic characters in the MCU, and that tragedy adds to the themes and messages of the franchise. With access to great power, Peter had the responsibility to sacrifice to ensure the survival of the universe, and it makes his next steps all the more interesting.
The Red Room was an organization that truly tormented each of the Widows it produced, yet some fans think the ending of Black Widow didn’t do justice to that concept. “Instead of really exploring the trauma and guilt she feels,” says Reddit user ElsaKit, “they just punch each other for a while and that’s how the conundrum gets solved…?”
Considering that Taskmaster immediately acquiesce as soon as the vial was released, the final fight was somewhat anticlimactic. While it showed the lengths Natasha would go to in order to save her fellow Widows, it left the ending far too broad and open to satisfy many fans.
A grounded MCU film that seemed to focus on street-level conflicts at the beginning, Shang-Chi stretched its subject matter a little thin when it took a trip into a magical realm with dragons and dark evil monsters. “The movie really collapses when they go to CGI magic land,” Greghundred shared on Reddit.
Instead of the familial conflict the film promised, a film marketed as part of the martial arts genre went a bit too much into fantasy elements for the first movie in the franchise. A more grounded film could have helped establish Shang-Chi’s character better, while slowly introducing him into the mystical reality of his history.
The ending of Avengers: Infinity War shocked audiences everywhere as fans watched their favorite heroes dissolve into mist. But some fans disagree with the conclusion entirely. “I think Marvel’s decision to end Infinity War right after the snap and the choice of characters that were snapped was awful,” says Reddit user americanslang59.
Considering that superheroes like Spider-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the Black Panther were never going to disappear forever, it’s a fair critique. After all, the second those characters blinked away, fans knew they would return somehow. Had they been the surviving team, it might have been more believable and suspenseful.
Despite its premise as an action film intending to satirize superheroes and take apart some of the darker unexplored themes from the genre, some fans think Kick-Ass was lacking towards the end. Reddit user emperor000 commented, “It was kind of like the movie was about what being a superhero would really be like in reality and then ended just like any other superhero movie.”
Considering that it never really fully explores the reality of having an 11-year-old superhero killing people in the field in the end, it’s an understandable critique. Still, it’s usually presented as a fun film with one of the best sidekicks in a comic book movie, so it’s somewhat forgivable.
Though many fans praise the ending of Captain America: The Winter Soldier as having a truly emotional conclusion, some people find the helicarrier fight excessive. “The Winter Soldier takes what was otherwise a (relatively) small scale superhero/spy thriller and turns into a massive CGI boom fest,” says Redditor TheConqueror74.
It’s a familiar critique for MCU films, as most involve major fights in the final phase of the movie. But, considering the fact that the fight allowed Captain America to bring Bucky back from the brink, it was a necessary conclusion. Besides, the plan to destroy threats before they could become threats tied into Bucky and Captain America’s themes in the movie: Bucky, who sees himself as a threat, and Steve Rogers, who sees the good in everyone.
While it’s certainly a surprise to see fans claiming that the ending of Logan ruined the movie, the critique does make some sense. Though Logan’s death was touching, “The evil Wolverine clone was pretty schlocky, not gonna lie,” says Reddit user narutomanreigns.
It is certainly the best X-Men movie ever made, but Logan arbitrarily included a fight with an evil clone of Wolverine. Considering the fact that the movie centered around his growing relationship with his other clone, Laura, it was a questionable decision. Still, the clone showed who he could have been had he been raised like Laura, and just how strong she was to overcome that.
The World War I thriller Wonder Woman showcased a world-stopping fight that saw Wonder Woman learning that there was no good side in the war, and both sides could be equally good and evil. But, after discovering Ares’ involvement, Wonder Woman fought him, denied him, and broke his mind control over humanity.
Reddit user sadenthusiast stated, “The message of the first 90% of the movie… was completely undermined when it turned out that Ares actually was manipulating both sides, and the way to end WW1 was to punch him to death with the power of love.” It was a poor decision that left fans scratching their heads. Its message becomes pointless when all Wonder Woman had to do was fight Ares to stop the war.
Lukas is a recent graduate of the Macaulay Honors College in New York City. A former Editorial Assistant now serving as a Senior List Writer, Lukas made the jump to Screen Rant in the hopes of getting the chance to be a professional writer. Having started graduate school this past August, Lukas intends to become a high school guidance counselor, all while writing articles about somewhat obscure comics like Alpha Flight and Last Flight Out, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and any movies, games, or books he happens to come across. Lukas writes most of his articles with a cat on his shoulder.
10 Superhero Movie Endings So Bad They Ruined The Film … – Screen Rant
