Some plot twists are so famous that everyone knows the spoiler, such as Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker’s father and Mufasa’s death in The Lion King.
Most movie fans and general audiences respect the idea of spoilers. These significant plot twists or revelations completely define a film and are best experienced without any forewarning. Audiences consider spoiling films to be bad form.
However, there are certain films that this approach doesn't apply to. Some revelations are so well-known that they've spread to general pop culture consciousness. Others have received countless tributes, parodies, or references in other media. Everyone – even audiences who haven't seen the movie – knows certain plot twists, like Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's father and Mufasa's death in The Lion King.
RELATED: 10 Movie Trailers That Spoiled Major Plot Twists
The T-800 Terminator is one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's most iconic roles. The T-800 is The Terminator's villain, an unstoppable killing machine sent after Sarah Connor. In Terminator 2: Judgment Day, it's one of two future warriors sent back to fight over John Connor.
When the T-800 and his counterpart meet, however, the T-800 warns John to duck before opening fire. Terminator 2: Judgment Day flips the script by turning the T-800 into John's protector and one of the main heroes. This heroic turn is so shocking in such a popular film that even non-fans know of it. In particular, the T-800's heroic sacrifice has been parodied across pop culture.
Marvel Cinematic Universe films tend to end in victory for the heroes. Avengers: Infinity War pits the cast against their greatest threat yet as Thanos sets out to acquire the Infinity Stones. Despite the odds stacked against him and a near-death experience, Thanos succeeds. He assembles the complete Infinity Gauntlet and snaps his fingers, wiping out half of all life in the universe.
RELATED: The Best 20 Post-Credits Scenes In The MCU's Infinity Saga, Ranked
Due to the MCU's pop culture ubiquity, this ending became an instant internet sensation. Reactions, jokes, and open discussion about it were rampant. Notably, marketing materials for Avengers: Endgame don't hide this fact, emphasizing the crushing loss and the devastation inflicted on the universe.
Citizen Kane's plot focuses on the life and fortunes of Charles Foster Kane. However, the impetus for the investigation is to find out the meaning of Kane's last words. Before dying, Kane says "Rosebud." The plot traces Kane's life in an attempt to find out what those words mean. The characters never find out, but the audience does.
Citizen Kane's final shot reveals 'Rosebud' is the name of Kane's sled, which he played on during happy times in his childhood. Due to Citizen Kane's pioneering role in modern cinema and constant mentions in film discussions, this twist has become unavoidable.
Fight Club depicts the friendship between its unnamed narrator and the enigmatic Tyler Durden. The two men start a nationwide subculture of fight clubs, which eventually leads to the terrorist Project Mayhem. The latter half of the film shows the narrator turning against Tyler Durden, only to learn the truth. Fight Club's Narrator is Durden, as he slips into a different character during his bouts of insomnia.
Fight Club's third act follows the Narrator attempting to undo his own mistakes before Durden's plan destroys the US credit industry. It comes down to a confrontation between himself and Durden where he shoots himself in the cheek to dispel Tyler. The idea of the two characters being one – and questions of the twist's logic – have become well-known in pop culture.
The Empire Strikes Back contains a single line of dialogue that changes Star Wars history forever. Darth Vader achieves the upper hand in his duel with Luke Skywalker. He tells Luke to surrender and offers to tell him the truth about his father. When Luke accuses Vader of killing his father, Vader responds with the truth: he is Luke's father.
RELATED: 10 Most Important Star Wars Heroes
Star Wars is the single most iconic media franchise in the world, and Darth Vader is one of cinema's most beloved villains. Vader being Luke's father is possibly the most widely-known plot twist ever. It's openly referenced across all of pop culture, across the internet, and anywhere else spoilers are usually avoided.
Scarface's graphic violence, ambitious storytelling, and well-crafted action have gone down in history. As a result, the final setpiece containing these in abundance has become well-known to even casual cinemagoers. However, this setpiece ends with the main character's death.
Scarface's third act sees Tony Montana's luck run out as the forces arrayed against him pile up. He goes out guns blazing, outnumbered dozens to one. Several parts of Scarface's climactic action sequence, such as Montana's grenade launcher attack and his corpse falling into his swimming pool, have become go-to references in internet discussion and general pop culture.
The Sixth Sense builds up to a plot twist. The growing relationship between child psychologist Malcolm Crowe and young medium Cole Sear helps them both move through their personal problems before revealing the stunning truth: that Malcolm has been dead and a ghost since the film's first scene.
Critics and fans alike consider The Sixth Sense to have one of the best twists in all cinema. Consequently, people mention the spoiler in almost any discussion about film twists. It will also come up in any conversation about director M. Night Shyamalan's filmmaking. The Sixth Sense is so ubiquitous in pop culture discussion that its central twist is no longer a surprise.
Mufasa's death in The Lion King is one of the saddest deaths in Disney's animated canon. The combination of Simba's grief, the shocking nature of Scar's betrayal, and the composition of the scene has made it one of the most famous character deaths in all cinema.
RELATED: 10 Greatest Animated Disney Films, Ranked According To IMDb
However, this means that most moviegoers know of Mufasa's death, even if they haven't seen The Lion King. Disney films are such an integral part of pop culture, especially for children, that many people assume everyone has seen The Lion King. On top of that, the film is inspired by Hamlet, in which the protagonist's father also dies at the hands of his uncle.
The Wizard of Oz ends with a plot twist that undermines most of the film. Dorothy doesn't have to set out on any complex quest to return home to Kansas. After she's brought down the Wicked Witch of the West, Dorothy learns that she just has to click her ruby slippers together and say, "There's no place like home."
The Wizard of Oz is one of the most famous films of all time due to its age, quality, and early adoption of technicolor technology. As a result, most filmgoers and cinema fans know how it ends. It's another twist that has had countless parodies and references in wider entertainment, as well as discussions over the ending's logic.
It's a Wonderful Life is a Christmas classic about the importance one person can have on others. It follows a put-upon man called George Bailey who finds himself questioning life after a long run of bad luck. To remind George of his importance and the good he's done, an angel called Clarence Odbody shows him a world where he never existed.
George only sees this world in It's a Wonderful Life's third act. However, it's far and away the best-known part of the film, to the point that some people think it's the entire premise. Many pieces of work have paid homage ever since by putting their characters in similar situations. Both this and It's a Wonderful Life's reputation as the best Christmas film ever has made sure audiences know about this third-act revelation.
Isaac Williams is a movie-goer, TV watcher, journalist, blogger, gamer, comic book-fan, and roleplayer. He’s been a bartender and a waiter, and now he writes lists for CBR. He focuses on TV shows and movies. In his free time, Isaac can be found gaming, reading, playing D&D, walking Birmingham’s lengthy canals, and catching up on movies.

source