Plot twists in superhero movies are hard to pull off because audiences are familiar with all the characters on screen and what they’ve done in decades of comic books. Everyone knows the hero will save the day, and the villain’s plans will be thwarted, with rare exceptions, such as Thanos’ infamous snap in .

While the action may still be thrilling, the formula for a comic book movie leads to obvious plot twists in the stories. that audiences saw coming before the heroes figured it out for themselves. Some of these were still enjoyable, but none had the unexpected or shocking quality that characterizes cinema's greatest twists.

It’s hard to determine who to trust in the espionage-filled . This sad reality especially proves to be the case when S.H.I.E.L.D. director and spy extraordinaire Nick Fury () is unexpectedly attacked by a small army and sustains fatal wounds as a result. Mourning doesn’t last for too long because Captain America () later learns Fury is alive and well, and his death was faked to throw his enemies off his trail.

Fury had been such an instrumental character in the formation of that it seemed more puzzling than shocking that he would be killed in such an abrupt way. Fury’s reputation is that of a person prepared for every contingency, so it seemed out of character that the most paranoid man in the MCU would be caught off guard. However,, making it the more likely outcome to pass.

is a thrilling adventure with impressive animation, but the villain of the film is fairly easy to predict. Hiro () is a robotics prodigy who, during the process of applying to an advanced technology program, witnesses a fire that kills his older brother and the Professor of the university, Robert Callaghan (). That's what makes it even more shocking for Hiro when Callaghan is revealed to be the man responsible for the fire and the death of his brother.

by the time Big Hero 6 came out, and while Hiro’s brother appeared to be truly gone, the professor’s death was slightly more dubious. The positioning of tech guru Alistair Krei () as the villain felt like the obvious misdirect that it was, leaving very few candidates to be the person behind the fire. There weren’t any real suspects outside of Hiro’s friends and Aunt Cass (), and none had the motive or means to put on the villain’s mask.

After a five-year absence from the Earth, Superman () flies back to Metropolis in the 2006 The city is mostly as Superman remembers it, but to his surprise, Lois Lane () has settled down with another man and is the mother to what appears to be a five-year-old son named Jason (). Lois’ long-term boyfriend is said to be Jason’s father, but when the boy throws a piano to protect his mother, it’s clear he’s working with a little bit of super DNA.

Superman Returns attempts a misdirect in making Jason asthmatic and not flying around the room, but there are enough subtle hints in the script that if the thought were on a viewer’s mind they would feel right to trust their instincts. Based on the math of when the Man of Steel left and how old Jason was, . However, that would have made a fantastic episode.

Normally, when a sequel comes out 14 years after the original, the spark will be missing from the second story. That’s far from the case with , but the same can’t be said for the villain. The superhero family receive a second chance at being heroes when wealthy siblings, Winston and Evelyn Deavor ( and ) use the resources to hire Helen Parr, or Elastigirl () to excite the public about superheroes. Although Winston’s motives are pure, Evelyn turns out to be working on a plan to ruin costumed vigilantes once and for all.

Evelyn at first appears to be the more sensible of the siblings, but over time, . benefits from a few carefully placed hints, but Evelyn’s conversations with Helen become more pointedly direct about her negative feelings. By the time Evelyn reveals her plan, even the kids in the theater have probably figured it out.

Each Spider-Man film in his MCU trilogy gives him a chance to team up with a superhero, even if the one in was a fake one. Peter () can't help but be impressed by the cool and noble attitude of alternate dimension hero Mysterio (), but the fake caped crusader is an empty suit. The villains he’s been facing off against are just elaborate illusions he and his team are controlling.

to trick his foe, so any plot twist around his true intentions only works for the casual moviegoer. However, what was predictable was the way Mysterio decided to con Nick Fury and Spider-Man into thinking he was a hero. If only anyone in the briefing room had watched Pixar’s , they would have recognized that the fake superhero was copying Syndrome's () plan step by step.

During their time in London during World War I, Diana Prince () and Captain Steve Trevor () learn of plans for a deadly gas that can eat through masks being used on the German front lines. Aided by the secret funding from their new ally, Sir Patrick Morgan (), Diana and Steve hire a team to stop the production of the gas. However, , with designs to see fighting continue.

’s reveal of Ares as Sir Patrick wasn’t exactly forecasted, but only to be shuffled away as if the audience was intended to forget about him. His support is suspiciously accommodating, and there’s that nagging feeling that Sir Patrick’s involvement with the story isn’t over. Wonder Woman starts strongly, but unfortunately the climax feels rushed, and the lackluster plot twist didn’t help.

For ’s second outing in Gotham City, famous characters like Penguin () and Catwoman () cause havoc in , but it’s new character Max Shreck (n) who might be the most evil. He’s quickly introduced as a corporate shark in the waters of Gotham’s financial interests, but it doesn’t take long for him to reveal himself as a murderer when he pushes secretary Selina Kyle out a window to her death.

Walken is fantastic in the role, but the only thing shocking about Shreck killing his secretary is that he didn’t do it during his first minutes on screen. ; clearly, it took him great self-restraint not to do so in front of a boardroom full of people. Shreck’s murder of Selina is supposed to convey how evil he actually is, but the cold stare of Walken let audiences know within seconds that he was a predator in a tailored suit.

After barely surviving a run-in with the Sovereign, the Guardians meet the being who claims to be Peter’s () long-lost biological father, Ego (). The reunion is fantastic for Peter but could spell trouble for a team that is beginning to feel the strain of infighting. Ego’s presence inis a little too good to be true, so when his plan of murdering every living creature in the universe is revealed, it’s not the most unexpected development.

Gamora is the most sensible character in the Guardians, so even if Ego didn’t appear suspicious, her cautious skepticism of his motives gave the audience enough reason to feel the same. Mantis’ () uneasy behavior towards the visitors forecasted that something bad was imminent, giving another foreshadowing to be prepared for Ego’s villainous turn. Granted, , but everyone was prepared for the worst long before it happened.

Once lifelong friend Milo () learns about Morbius’ () transformation, he quickly wants in on the vampire action before Morbius shuts down the idea immediately. Not long after, Morbius is arrested for the suspected murder of a nurse and held without bail. When Milo visits Morbius in his prison cell, the old friend offers friendly advice along with a blood bag before the guards tell him time is up. When Morbius sees that Milo has left his cane, he quickly realizes he’s not the only vampire in the city.

Revealing Milo is a vampire is the next logical step in the story because, otherwise, Morbius would need to introduce a fully formed villain with half the movie already over. So it’s not that Milo turned, but that the movie attempted to trick the audience into thinking there was any other possible alternative. With a runtime that was already overstaying its welcome, . At least the ever-reliable Matt Smith is having fun.

Throughout the audience sees President Thaddeus Ross () swallow an unnamed pill with increasingly unsteady hands. Eventually, it’s revealed that Ross used The Leader () to remedy his health and political career, but the captive villain didn’t help without adding a catch. The pills slowly poisoned Ross with gamma radiation, turning him into the Red Hulk when the nation’s eyes were all on him.

This one’s hard because the of screaming what the plot twist was that it’s hard to imagine what the viewing experience would have been like without the information. if President Ross gets angry enough, especially when he almost loses control of the ship outside of Celestial Island. As it is, the plot twist became an attraction and not the surprise it was designed to be.

NEXT: The 10 Most Important Characters in Superhero Cinema, Ranked