Posted on Jan 11, 2022

20 Times Superhero Movies Got Very Dark Very Fast

These moments won't just be from Zack Snyder films, promise.

by Anthony Orlando

BuzzFeed Contributor

These moments have shown audiences that, despite the many fantastical and lighthearted elements of comic book movies, superheroes and their stories can be taken seriously. Thus, brace yourselves, because I'm about to dive into the list for the 20 Times Superhero Movies Got Pretty Dark.

WARNING: 🚨SPOILERS🚨 AND GRAPHIC CONTENT AHEAD!!!

At the end of this X-Men prequel, Erik confronts the mutant Sebastian Shaw, the man who killed his mother. With Professor X freezing the villain's body with his telepathy, Erik decides to exact his revenge by driving a Nazi coin through Shaw's skull. The Professor begs Erik to spare his life, but his pleas fail to get through to him. With the Professor screaming as the coin goes through Shaw's skull, it appears as though Erik is killing his friend along with his enemy, thus giving birth to the mutant villain Magneto. — 20th Century Studios / Via youtube.com

At the end of this X-Men prequel, Erik confronts the mutant Sebastian Shaw, the man who killed his mother. With Professor X freezing the villain's body with his telepathy, Erik decides to exact his revenge by driving a Nazi coin through Shaw's skull. The Professor begs Erik to spare his life, but his pleas fail to get through to him. With the Professor screaming as the coin goes through Shaw's skull, it appears as though Erik is killing his friend along with his enemy, thus giving birth to the mutant villain Magneto.

20th Century Studios / Via youtube.com

At the end of this X-Men prequel, Erik confronts the mutant Sebastian Shaw, the man who killed his mother. With Professor X freezing the villain's body with his telepathy, Erik decides to exact his revenge by driving a Nazi coin through Shaw's skull. The Professor begs Erik to spare his life, but his pleas fail to get through to him. With the Professor screaming as the coin goes through Shaw's skull, it appears as though Erik is killing his friend along with his enemy, thus giving birth to the mutant villain Magneto.

After an experiment-gone-wrong grafts his robot tentacles to his body, Otto Octavius is rushed to the hospital so the doctors can try to remove them from his body. The scene starts innocently enough, but once the A.I. inside the tentacles takes over, they start to murder all the doctors in Otto's operating room. It's a particularly horrifying scene in a relatively lighthearted film, but it effectively displays how far the good doctor has fallen as he transforms into the evil Doctor Octopus. — Sony / Via youtube.com

After an experiment-gone-wrong grafts his robot tentacles to his body, Otto Octavius is rushed to the hospital so the doctors can try to remove them from his body. The scene starts innocently enough, but once the A.I. inside the tentacles takes over, they start to murder all the doctors in Otto's operating room. It's a particularly horrifying scene in a relatively lighthearted film, but it effectively displays how far the good doctor has fallen as he transforms into the evil Doctor Octopus.

Sony / Via youtube.com

After an experiment-gone-wrong grafts his robot tentacles to his body, Otto Octavius is rushed to the hospital so the doctors can try to remove them from his body. The scene starts innocently enough, but once the A.I. inside the tentacles takes over, they start to murder all the doctors in Otto's operating room. It's a particularly horrifying scene in a relatively lighthearted film, but it effectively displays how far the good doctor has fallen as he transforms into the evil Doctor Octopus.

Batman standing atop the rubble of a burning and ruined warehouse in "The Dark Knight"

An elderly Peggy Carter lying in her bed in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

Superman standing in the flames of the burning Capitol Building in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice"

Doctor Sivana standing in his father's office with two of the Seven Deadly Sins next to him in "Shazam!"

An image of a young Ratcatcher II standing over her dead father with her present-day silhouette next to it in "The Suicide Squad"

Iron Man blasting Captain America's shield in "Captain America: Civil War"

Silas Stone staring at Victor as a Mother Box deflects a blue laser behind him in "Zack Snyder's Justice League"

Peter crying as he holds Gwen's dead body in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"

Kilmonger on his knees as he stares at the sunset in Wakanda in "Black Panther"

Thor lying over Loki's dead body in the ruined "Statesman" in "Avengers: Infinity War"

Peter, without his mask, standing in the rain in "Spider-Man: No Way Home"

Superman on his knees after just killing Zod in "Man of Steel"

As the Justice League tries to resurrect Superman with the Mother Box, Cyborg suddenly has a vision of a future in which Darkseid succeeds in obtaining the Anti-Life Equation. We catch glimpses of Wonder Woman's funeral pyre, her fellow Amazons enslaved by Darkseid, and the evil god murdering multiple Atlanteans, including Aquaman. We also see Superman holding Lois Lane's charred corpse, allowing Darkseid to take control of the Man of Steel and rule over a post-apocalyptic Earth. And to think, Cyborg tried to warn Flash against it, and that the latter mishearing him is what sealed this fate for the entire multiverse. — Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

As the Justice League tries to resurrect Superman with the Mother Box, Cyborg suddenly has a vision of a future in which Darkseid succeeds in obtaining the Anti-Life Equation. We catch glimpses of Wonder Woman's funeral pyre, her fellow Amazons enslaved by Darkseid, and the evil god murdering multiple Atlanteans, including Aquaman. We also see Superman holding Lois Lane's charred corpse, allowing Darkseid to take control of the Man of Steel and rule over a post-apocalyptic Earth. And to think, Cyborg tried to warn Flash against it, and that the latter mishearing him is what sealed this fate for the entire multiverse.

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

As the Justice League tries to resurrect Superman with the Mother Box, Cyborg suddenly has a vision of a future in which Darkseid succeeds in obtaining the Anti-Life Equation. We catch glimpses of Wonder Woman's funeral pyre, her fellow Amazons enslaved by Darkseid, and the evil god murdering multiple Atlanteans, including Aquaman. We also see Superman holding Lois Lane's charred corpse, allowing Darkseid to take control of the Man of Steel and rule over a post-apocalyptic Earth. And to think, Cyborg tried to warn Flash against it, and that the latter mishearing him is what sealed this fate for the entire multiverse.

Thanos with his eyes closed after killing Gamora on Vormir in "Avengers: Infinity War"

A close-up Vision as his forehead is hit with Wanda's magic in "Avengers: Infinity War"

After Ozymandias succeeds in staving off nuclear war with his own global attack, Rorschach decides he must expose his plan to the world. The other Watchmen refuse to reveal the truth out of fear that it will only resume humanity's war with itself, driving Dr. Manhattan to stop Rorschach by any means necessary. Unwilling to compromise, Rorschach tearfully goads Manhattan into killing him, and Nite Owl's screams over his friend's death will no doubt linger in your mind long after the credits roll. — Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

After Ozymandias succeeds in staving off nuclear war with his own global attack, Rorschach decides he must expose his plan to the world. The other Watchmen refuse to reveal the truth out of fear that it will only resume humanity's war with itself, driving Dr. Manhattan to stop Rorschach by any means necessary. Unwilling to compromise, Rorschach tearfully goads Manhattan into killing him, and Nite Owl's screams over his friend's death will no doubt linger in your mind long after the credits roll.

Warner Bros. / Via youtube.com

After Ozymandias succeeds in staving off nuclear war with his own global attack, Rorschach decides he must expose his plan to the world. The other Watchmen refuse to reveal the truth out of fear that it will only resume humanity's war with itself, driving Dr. Manhattan to stop Rorschach by any means necessary. Unwilling to compromise, Rorschach tearfully goads Manhattan into killing him, and Nite Owl's screams over his friend's death will no doubt linger in your mind long after the credits roll.

We've all seen Uncle Ben die more times than we'd prefer. However, none of his deaths are quite like the one he experiences in Sam Raimi's iconic Spider-Man film. You all know the story: After letting an armed robber go free, Peter Parker is shocked to learn that this same man ends up killing his Uncle Ben, driving him to fight crime as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire and Cliff Robertson's performances as Peter and Ben really tug at the heartstrings, and the tragedy behind the latter's death is successfully captured in Spidey's first big blockbuster. — Sony / Via youtube.com

We've all seen Uncle Ben die more times than we'd prefer. However, none of his deaths are quite like the one he experiences in Sam Raimi's iconic Spider-Man film. You all know the story: After letting an armed robber go free, Peter Parker is shocked to learn that this same man ends up killing his Uncle Ben, driving him to fight crime as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire and Cliff Robertson's performances as Peter and Ben really tug at the heartstrings, and the tragedy behind the latter's death is successfully captured in Spidey's first big blockbuster.

Sony / Via youtube.com

We've all seen Uncle Ben die more times than we'd prefer. However, none of his deaths are quite like the one he experiences in Sam Raimi's iconic Spider-Man film. You all know the story: After letting an armed robber go free, Peter Parker is shocked to learn that this same man ends up killing his Uncle Ben, driving him to fight crime as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire and Cliff Robertson's performances as Peter and Ben really tug at the heartstrings, and the tragedy behind the latter's death is successfully captured in Spidey's first big blockbuster.

Thanos smiling as he stares at the sun in "Avengers: Infinity War"

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