Holy shocking moments, Batman! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 30 most surprising and stunning moments in DC Animated Movies. Beware of massive spoilers ahead!
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00:00I am still your most competent acolyte, Lord Darkseid.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 30 Most Surprising
00:11and Stunning Moments in DC Animated Movies.
00:14Beware of massive spoilers ahead.
00:17I didn't do any of it.
00:22You did.
00:25Number 30.
00:26The true villain is revealed, Justice League Dark.
00:28Although the sickly Ritchie Simpson held a grudge against Constantine, the ill man was
00:33willing to help his old ally track down a new big bad.
00:37Unfortunately, the sorcerer wasn't able to solve the mystery.
00:40The situation got worse when Ritchie was brought to the brink of death by the sinister Faust.
00:45Ritchie, who was it?
00:47Who did this to you?
00:50Faust.
00:51Felix Faust.
00:53However, things weren't what they seemed.
00:55After the heroes brought the injured Ritchie back to their base, he sent them on a wild
01:00goose chase.
01:01He then stole an artifact from the house that instantly enhanced his power.
01:05When the heroes returned, the enhanced Ritchie revealed that he was behind all the bad supernatural
01:09events that had recently occurred.
01:11This stunning betrayal showed us why Constantine had so much trouble trusting anyone.
01:17So we had to frame Faust and get you to bring me here.
01:21Now I'm immortal and supercharged!
01:25Number 29.
01:27Bruce Breaks Bad – Batman Return of the Caped Crusaders
01:30During this family-friendly Dark Knight story, the hero avoided committing excessive violence
01:35and strictly obeyed every law.
01:38Not so fast, old chum.
01:39But we're in a hurry, Batman!
01:41Jaywalking is extremely hazardous, especially at night.
01:45Catwoman wanted to change that by scratching Batman with a chemical that made people evil.
01:50But despite her best efforts, the Dark Knight didn't turn sinister on the spot.
01:54While Batman seemed a bit stricter after the incident, he still fought for justice.
01:59We thought he was just in a bad mood until he used a device to clone himself.
02:03As it turned out, Bruce had indeed been turned evil.
02:06He was just waiting for the right time to launch his sinister plan.
02:09Including a dark turn like this in such a light movie definitely took us by surprise.
02:14From now on, Batman will be running this town.
02:18And eventually, the world.
02:20Oh yeah!
02:24Number 28.
02:26President Luthor's Deadly Plan – Superman-Batman Public Enemy
02:30After the genius supervillain became Commander-in-Chief, news broke that a kryptonite meteor was headed
02:35towards Earth.
02:36The new numbers also indicate our original estimate of time of impact was right.
02:41Seven days.
02:43Correction, there's not going to be any impact.
02:47Lex initially promised to destroy it with nuclear missiles.
02:50After the weapons failed to make a dent, Amanda goes to the President to hear his backup plan.
02:55To her surprise, Lex was completely okay with the nukes failing.
02:59The villain had decided that it would be best to let most of the population get killed off
03:03so he could lead the remainder of humanity.
03:05The world that will spring from the ashes will be a better one.
03:08Rational, orderly.
03:10And you know how I know that?
03:12Because I'm going to build that world.
03:15While we've seen Lex commit to destructive schemes before, his willingness to let billions
03:20die still caught us off guard.
03:22The fact that even the morally dubious Amanda Waller wasn't willing to back him up was
03:27a sign that the President had gone too far.
03:30Number 27.
03:31A Multiverse of Titans – Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans
03:35We knew that two versions of DC's most famous teen team would meet up during this zany crossover
03:40movie.
03:41But we had no clue that the animators were bringing in even more versions of the Titans.
03:46During a sequence where the heroes travel between worlds to escape an angry Santa Claus,
03:51they accidentally stumble into the serious DC animated movie universe.
04:03This hilarious detour was only the beginning.
04:06The two titan teams went on to meet countless versions of themselves.
04:09While some variants were inventive for the movie, others originated from older TV shows
04:14or the comic.
04:15The surprising inclusion of all these teams turned this silly movie into a serious homage
04:20to teen titan history.
04:32Number 26.
04:33The Death of Cybercore Humans – Reign of Superman
04:37Everyone on Earth thought that the Justice League had been killed by aliens.
04:40In the wake of this event, Cyborg Superman asked human volunteers to join his new Cybercore
04:44hero team.
04:55The metahuman used alien science to give regular people extraordinary powers.
05:00Although the altered humans became strong enough to help humanity, they also got brainwashed
05:04by the technology.
05:05When the real Superman made a glorious return, we expected he'd be able to free the humans
05:10from their servants.
05:11But there was only one way for them to leave the Cybercore.
05:15After Cyborg Superman was defeated, every brainwashed human volunteer dropped to the
05:20ground.
05:21Our jaws dropped when we realized that the people who tried to be heroes had died as
05:25villains.
05:27Number 25.
05:36You Choose to Kill Batman – Batman Death in the Family
05:39In this interactive film, the viewer can make choices to change the ending of the movie.
05:44While the movie can conclude in a few surprising ways, one shocking ending stood out among
05:49the rest.
05:50Viewers can only see this ending if they choose to have Batman sacrifice his life to save
05:54Jason from an explosion.
06:03After Bruce is presumed dead, his protege deals out brutal justice to the criminals
06:08of Gotham.
06:09On one fateful night, it's revealed that Talia forcefully brought Bruce's body back
06:14to life without restoring his sanity.
06:16This twist gets more shocking if the viewer chooses to kill Bruce.
06:20As Batman takes his last breath, he reveals that he has a bomb.
06:25It kills him, Talia, and Jason in one fell swoop.
06:44Number 24.
06:45A Parasite Took Control of the Oval – Batman and Superman Battle of the Supersun
06:49The alien organism known as Starro can release small clones of itself that can take over
06:55other beings' minds.
06:56When the villain was brought into the Battle of the Supersun's movie, its parasites also
07:00gained the ability to hide inside of their victims.
07:03This sneaky ability made it impossible for us to trust anyone.
07:18Although we had a feeling Lois Lane had been taken over, we never anticipated Starro to
07:22get to a certain supervillain.
07:25After the reporter is freed from the parasite's control, she went to the White House to warn
07:29President Lex about the threat.
07:31The supervillain surprisingly agreed to help out, before revealing that he had already
07:35been taken over.
07:37Seeing Starro in the Oval Office was a jarring and chilling sight.
07:52Number 23.
07:54Iris Dies in Flash Time – Justice League Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 1
07:59The massive crossover story focused on heroes trying to stop an antimatter wave from wiping
08:03out every universe.
08:05Throughout the epic tale, we kept flashing the scenes of an elderly Barry and Iris living
08:10happily as a married couple.
08:20Although we thought these were visions of the future, the truth was much more complicated.
08:24It turned out that Barry used his super speed to take Iris into his flash time state.
08:29While it prevented them from dying, it also sped up their aging process, so they quickly
08:34grew into an elderly couple.
08:35This huge revelation led to the heart-wrenching moment where Iris had a heart attack and died.
08:41Unfortunately, using flash time only postponed the moment where Barry lost his love.
08:56Number 22.
08:57A Court of Reveals – Batman Vs. Robin
08:59A villain named Talon spent most of this movie trying to make Damian Wayne into his
09:03apprentice.
09:04After the young Robin agreed to be the Big Bad's disciple, he was taken to the Court
09:08of Owl.
09:09The council of villains made the boy remove his mask to prove his loyalty.
09:13When Robin revealed that he was Damian, the Grandmaster of the court realized his father
09:17was Bruce Wayne.
09:25The public unmasking was swiftly followed by another twist.
09:29When Talon was told to assassinate Robin to weaken Batman, the villain decided to slay
09:33everyone on the court instead.
09:35While we were glad Bruce's secret was safe again, we became extremely wary of what Talon
09:41was capable of.
09:52Number 21.
09:53Constantine Turned His Heaven Into Hell – Constantine The House of Mysteries
09:57After Darkseid's forces left Earth on the brink of destruction, the petty dabbler in
10:01the dark arts encouraged Flash to reset the timeline.
10:17While Constantine's allies remained on Earth, he was sent into a grim and mystical house
10:22somewhere in space.
10:23He spent an untold amount of years being killed by his loved ones and was unable to die.
10:37After Constantine escaped, he lashed out at the being that put him in that blood-soaked
10:41house.
10:42The powerful specter then revealed that the mystical place was supposed to be a haven
10:46of happiness.
10:48It was Constantine's negative emotions that turned it into a hellish nightmare.
10:52Not only was this a great twist, but a sad realization that the sorcerer didn't believe
10:57he deserved a happy ending.
11:07Number 20.
11:08Batman Prepared To Take Down His Super Friends – Justice League Doom
11:11Shortly after the Justice League completed another successful mission, the majority of
11:15its members were caught up in deadly scenarios.
11:18Each of those heroes found themselves in situations that specifically used their strengths or
11:22weaknesses against them.
11:24After Batman escaped certain death, he revealed that he caused the issue.
11:33It turned out that the Dark Knight documented ways to stop any Justice League member who
11:37broke bad.
11:38Although his plans weren't deadly, the Legion of Doom took Batman's ideas and made them
11:42fatal.
11:43While the reveal split the League in half, fans loved this twist.
11:47The Dark Knight's tendency to be prepared for everything is usually a strip.
11:51But in this movie, his readiness nearly cost him his friends.
12:02Number 19.
12:04Darkseid's Surprising Death – Justice League Gods and Monsters
12:18In most DC stories, Darkseid is the final boss that appears near the end of a big tale.
12:24But he was just a shocking footnote in Gods and Monsters.
12:28During a flashback sequence, we learn that Darkseid was celebrating a marriage-slash-political
12:32alliance with New Genesis.
12:34Without warning, his new friends turned around and assassinated the big bad and his people.
12:39This gigantic reversal was essentially the Red Wedding for DC fans.
12:43Since Darkseid is usually a brilliant tactician that orchestrates tons of death, we weren't
12:48prepared for him to be caught unaware.
12:51His death further cemented that anything could happen in this alternate universe movie.
13:04Number 18.
13:05The Riddler Was Behind Everything – Batman Hush
13:09The Dark Knight's normal routine of apprehending C-list criminals like the Riddler was turned
13:13upside down after a bandaged enemy named Hush came to town to make the hero's life hell.
13:18During the villain's reign of terror, he orchestrates the murder of Bruce's childhood
13:30friend Tommy.
13:31Months after this bleak crime, Hush finally reveals that he was the Riddler in disguise
13:35the whole time.
13:43This story turn worked so well because it surprised new and hardcore fans alike.
13:47In the comics, Hush is traditionally revealed to be a Tommy Elliot who faked his death,
13:53and Riddler is seen as a throwaway villain within the film.
13:56No matter how much or little you knew about the storyline, the Hush reveal was guaranteed
14:00to shock you.
14:02Number 17.
14:03Robin Goes Too Far – Teen Titans Trouble In Tokyo
14:06Like his mentor Batman, the teenage Robin didn't believe in slaying enemies, but the
14:11young hero seemed to break that one rule in a shocking scene.
14:15After Psychotek attacks his hometown, Robin confronts the villain in Tokyo.
14:19The two get into an intense battle where neither fighter gives an inch.
14:23In the end, Robin gets the edge and lands harsh final blows.
14:27When he stood victorious, he was covered in pink paint and Psychotek wasn't moving.
14:39We were stunned to see one of the brightest heroes we knew at the center of a dark murder.
14:44Although it's later revealed that Robin didn't actually kill anyone, the scene where
14:47he appeared guilty still haunts us.
15:02Number 16.
15:03Batman's Final Choice – Superman Red Son
15:16It was shocking to see a Kryptonian raised in Russia assassinate Stalin without warning.
15:21However, the more shocking moment came when this alternate Superman butted heads with
15:26a twisted Batman.
15:27This sinister Caped Crusader tried to trap the Kryptonian in a Red Son trap by using
15:32Wonder Woman as bait.
15:33When the heroine springs Superman, the alien speaks about his plans to permanently control
15:38Batman's mind.
15:49But the Dark Knight refuses to go quietly and detonates an explosive that has fatal
15:54results.
15:55Superman was as stunned as we were to see Batman make his dark choice.
15:59And after hearing what the Kryptonian intended to do to Batman, Diana couldn't look at
16:04the alien the same way either.
16:12Number 15.
16:13Dark Side's Not Done – Superman Batman Apocalypse
16:17When Supergirl was abducted by Apocalypse Warriors, a small team went to rescue her
16:21from the planet.
16:22They narrowly managed to survive the hostile alien homeworld and its brutal leader Dark
16:27Side thanks to a clever scheme from Batman.
16:30The Big Bad also promises not to go after Supergirl again.
16:38As the heroes walked away victorious, it felt like the end of the film.
16:42However, fans started to notice there was still a small chunk of time left in the movie.
16:47Their suspicions were confirmed when Dark Side burst through the door of Superman's
16:50family home.
16:51The battle that ensued felt like an extra reward for fans who wanted to see the villain
16:55fight Kryptonians.
16:56Honestly, we're glad Dark Side broke his promise for this twist.
17:09Number 14.
17:10Robin Kills Nightwing – Injustice Former allies became enemies after a brutal
17:15version of Superman forced heroes to choose sides.
17:18While Damian Wayne sided with the Kryptonian, Nightwing stood with Batman against the alien's
17:23darkening regime.
17:24When the two teams met in Arkham Asylum, a fight broke out over what should happen
17:28to its prisoners.
17:29The chaotic battle took a jaw-dropping turn when Damian fatally wounded Nightwing.
17:45Seeing Dick Grayson lie motionless on the ground made for a bleak scene we weren't
17:49remotely prepared for.
17:51While Nightwing always risked his life when he put on the costume, we never anticipated
17:56that his death would come at the hands of a Robin.
18:03Number 13.
18:04Batman Tricks A Villain Into Sacrificing Their Life – Justice League Crisis On Two Earths
18:09The only way the Dark Knight could stop Owlman from destroying reality was if a speedster
18:13vibrated fast enough to open a doorway.
18:16Although Flash volunteers to try, Batman shoots him down.
18:23Fortunately, the speedy villain Johnny Quick was nearby and willing to lend a hand.
18:34The fast man puts his body on the line until Batman completes the mission.
18:38Upon the Dark Knight's return, Johnny Quick has aged decades.
18:42But the real twist comes when it's revealed that Batman knew that the speedster was sacrificed
18:46in years of his life.
18:56Although the Dark Knight didn't directly kill Johnny Quick, hiding the truth still
18:59had fatal consequences.
19:01This stunning scene showed that even Batman would cross dark lines in the face of universal
19:06destruction.
19:07Number 12.
19:08Civilians Commit Heinous Crimes – Justice League Dark At the beginning of this grim
19:12tale, average people go to violent extremes to slay the demons around them.
19:26These civilians use everything from cars to shotguns to stop the supernatural threats
19:30they see.
19:31But as it turns out, none of the demons are real.
19:34It's revealed that civilians were seeing humans as demonic due to a then-unseen villain.
19:42This shocking sequence hit hard because of its grisly tone and amount of violent content.
19:51A story beat built around a new mother particularly stood out because of the disturbing way it
19:56comes to an end.
19:58As a whole, the faux-demonic sequence made for one of the most unsettling things ever
20:02seen in a DC animated film.
20:10Number 11.
20:11Joker's End – Batman The Dark Knight Returns Part 2
20:14Once the Caped Crusader comes out of retirement, the Joker decides to continue his deadly crime
20:19spree right where he left off.
20:20He takes out dozens of innocents in a variety of ways before Batman finally confronts him.
20:25The two ironically end their fight in a tunnel of love.
20:28While inside the ride, Batman snaps and gives the Joker a life-threatening neck injury.
20:38When the Dark Knight refuses to go any further, the clown takes his own life to frame the
20:51hero for murder.
20:52This stunning and bleak scene marked a point of no return for Batman in the eyes of many.
20:57In the wake of Joker's death, some people couldn't see the Dark Knight as a hero anymore.
21:09Number 10.
21:10The Identity of Jack the Ripper – Batman Gotham by Gaslight
21:25Ever wonder what Gotham City would be like if Jack the Ripper was hunting civilians?
21:28Well, you don't have to wonder anymore.
21:31This Elseworlds story reimagines classic members of the Batman mythos for the Victorian Age.
21:37While we still don't know who Jack the Ripper was, this movie had its own answer.
21:42While Batman is looking for Selina Kyle at Commissioner Gordon's house, he stumbles
21:45upon a shattering truth.
21:47The lawman is actually Jack the Ripper.
22:01After witnessing horrors during the Civil War, Gordon became the Ripper to enact his
22:05twisted view of justice.
22:07This major departure from the traditional Batman ally we all know and love took us all
22:12by surprise.
22:23Number 9.
22:24Superman vs. The Elite
22:38Don't mess with Superman.
22:40Why?
22:41Just ask the Elite.
22:42Led by the defiant Manchester Black, this group isn't afraid to kill.
22:46They also actively criticize Superman for not crossing that line.
22:50Eventually, the Kryptonian agrees to fight the team in an attempt to stop them.
22:54During the battle, Superman gets pushed so far that he seemingly stops pulling his punches.
23:10Our jaws dropped as the Man of Steel mercilessly eliminated each member one by one.
23:17It wasn't until the end of the battle that we got another twist.
23:20None of the Elite actually met their demise.
23:22It was all an elaborate trick.
23:25For a moment, we were really convinced that the Blue Boy Scout had stopped playing nice.
23:40Number 8.
23:41Heads Up!
23:42Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox
23:44In The Flashpoint Paradox, The Flash goes back in time to save his mother from dying.
23:48Unfortunately, altering that event causes the entire timeline to become more turbulent
24:05and much darker.
24:07Within the new Flashpoint timeline, the Atlantean Mira sees her husband Aquaman getting a little
24:12too comfortable with Wonder Woman.
24:23Blinded by rage, the undersea royal tries to kill Diana.
24:27But Wonder Woman quickly retaliates and removes Mira's head.
24:30This surprising demise sparks an all-out war between the Amazons and Atlanteans that engulfs
24:36the world.
24:48The same conflict also leads to the shocking moment where Wonder Woman ensures the young
24:53Billy Batson never says Shazam again.
24:57Number 7.
24:58Batman is a Vampire – Justice League Gods and Monsters
25:10If you've ever called Batman a creature of the night, you wouldn't have been that
25:14far off.
25:15But what if this time it wasn't an exaggeration?
25:18In a unique change of the status quo, the Batman of Justice League Gods and Monsters
25:22is actually the scientist Kirk Langstrom.
25:25The much more shocking fact about this character is that he's a living and breathing vampire.
25:38After experimenting on himself to cure his cancer, he accidentally became dependent on
25:42blood.
25:43Seeing this Batman relieve an enemy of their blood was startling, especially since Langstrom
25:47also has no qualms about killing.
25:50So bottom line villains, do not get a paper cut around this guy.
26:00Number 6.
26:01Thomas Wayne is the Dark Knight – Justice League The Flashpoint Paradox
26:16Wonder Woman and Aquaman going to war wasn't the only shocking thing about Flashpoint.
26:21When Barry entered Wayne Manor to talk to Batman about their apocalyptic world, he was
26:25in for a rude awakening.
26:27In this reality, Bruce Wayne died in crime alley.
26:31The grim incident drove his father to pursue justice as Batman.
26:47But that was far from the only detail about the Dark Knight that made us gasp.
26:51Unlike his son, Thomas Wayne is more than willing to use guns and has absolutely no
26:56issue with killing villains.
26:58If you thought Bruce was brutal, then wait until you see his dad at work.
27:08We also couldn't mention Batman's parents without highlighting the twist that Martha
27:12Wayne became the Joker in this dark world.
27:16Number 5.
27:17Tim Drake kills the Joker – Batman Beyond Return of the Joker
27:20During this futuristic Batman film, an elderly Bruce Wayne comes face to face with a Joker
27:25who's supposed to be long dead.
27:39When the new Dark Knight Terry tries to figure out how the resurrection was possible, he
27:43learns the disturbing truth behind the clown's death.
27:46A flashback reveals that Harley Quinn and the Joker captured Tim Drake.
27:50After the clown subjected the sidekick to physical and psychological torment, Robin
27:54became molded into Joker Jr.
28:06Tim is eventually ordered to shoot at a wounded Batman.
28:10However, Robin defies the clown and fires at the Joker instead.
28:19It was heartbreaking to watch the young Robin break down after permanently stopping the
28:23clown.
28:24Joker's unexpected end was a moment that shaped the rest of the film's dark story.
28:28Number 4.
28:29Unmasking the Red Hood – Batman Under the Red Hood
28:44Batman normally wouldn't mind seeing a vigilante get justice in Gotham.
28:48But when the mysterious Red Hood starts killing villains, the Dark Knight gets involved.
28:53During each of their clashes, the violent vigilante keeps hinting that he has a personal
28:58connection to Batman.
28:59Additionally, the Red Hood is able to get the upper hand against the Dark Knight by
29:03using the hero's tactics against him.
29:16Batman begins to suspect that the villain is his supposedly dead protege, Jason Todd.
29:20After the Dark Knight gets a sample of the Red Hood's blood, that shocking truth is
29:25confirmed.
29:26This earth-shattering twist makes Batman desperate to save the once mysterious vigilante at any
29:31cost.
29:44Number 3.
29:45Superman Slays His Wife – Injustice While Superman Vs. the Elite entertains the
29:50idea of Superman breaking bad, Injustice makes that a horrifying reality.
29:55During the film, the Joker hits the Kryptonian with fear gas before revealing that Doomsday
30:00is on Earth.
30:09Superman immediately abandons the clown and flies the spiky alien into space.
30:14Unfortunately, the Man of Steel didn't really take Doomsday into the atmosphere.
30:18The fear gas prevented Superman from realizing that he flew his pregnant wife Lois into space.
30:38And since her heartbeat was linked to a nuclear detonator, her death results in the destruction
30:42of Metropolis.
30:44Both twists left our jaws on the floor.
30:47And unfortunately for this animated world, those shocking turns broke the Man of Steel
30:51and sent them down a dark path.
31:04Number 2.
31:05We've Seen This Reverse Flash Before – Suicide Squad – Hell to Pay
31:09When Amanda Waller tells her Suicide Squad to retrieve a Get Out of Hell Free card, the
31:13team is attacked by rival villains.
31:16One of the squad's biggest rivals is Reverse Flash.
31:26Since DC fans saw the character die in Flashpoint Paradox, it seemed like this was a new version
31:31of the villain.
31:32But in a truly mind-bending twist, it's revealed that Hell to Pay's Reverse Flash
31:37is the same guy that got fatally wounded in Flashpoint Paradox.
31:40It turns out that he used his speed to temporarily halt his death in the past.
31:48Since he couldn't stop himself from dying, Reverse Flash decided to nab the Get Out of
31:52Hell Free card.
31:54This revelation was a great way to reward longtime DC movie fans.
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32:25Number 1.
32:26Apocalypse Ambush – Justice League Dark – Apocalypse War
32:29The Justice League was pretty confident that they could get the jump on the villainous
32:32dark side.
32:34They even sent their heaviest hitters to the planet Apocalypse to dispose of the villain.
32:47Unfortunately, the superheroes walked right into a trap.
32:50The movie initially doesn't show us what happened to the Justice League members on
32:54Apocalypse.
32:55But when we finally saw what went down, we couldn't believe our eyes.
33:04Most of the heroes were seemingly torn apart by the vicious creatures named Paraduims.
33:12As if that wasn't bad enough, Superman gets permanently depowered, Batman gets brainwashed,
33:18and Zatanna gets devoured.
33:20Watching the most powerful heroes get tormented or eliminated was jarring.
33:24This shocking sequence definitely made it clear that the stakes were higher than they'd
33:28ever been.
33:33What DC movie moment left you speechless?
33:40Let us know in the comments down below.