Trailer Tuesday: the best final frames in superhero movies

Sometimes it's a monologue. Or even just one sentence. One word. Either way, the end – the final note – is powerful. It can make you slump back into your chair, a shiver down your spine. Suddenly, you see the entire movie from a completely different perspective. Or it gets you excited for a hopefully upcoming sequel. That goes double for superhero movies.

All that considered: this week, we're looking at five of my favourite final sentences in superhero movies, sorted in descending order.

Oh, and uh... Spoiler Warning!

Fifth place: «Guardians of the Galaxy»

«Superhero movies are nothing but noise and special effects.» Whenever I hear people say that, I think of movies such as «Guardians of the Galaxy». Yeah, there are bad superhero movies. There are also bad gangster epics or dramas. But that doesn't mean the whole genre is bad. On the contrary: there's more heart and emotion in «Guardians» than in many a character study.

This becomes obvious at the end. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), our hero, who gave himself the dramatic and often derided name «Star-Lord», is holding a festively wrapped parcel. A gift from his mother – her last gift, given to Quill when he was a child, seconds before she died from cancer. Quill never unwrapped the gift. Probably because that's how he kept her alive in a strange way – his own way. Or at least his memory of her.

Then he opens the package. A cassette with 1980s music. «Awesome Mix Vol. 2». And a letter. One final message from the afterlife. Its content: words of consolation for an eight-year-old. And a farewell that gives us a new angle on Quill's rather silly nickname:

«You are the light of my life, my precious son, my little Star-Lord.»

Release date in cinemas: 30. July, 2014
Earnings: 772.8 million dollars

Fourth place: «Spider-Man: Far From Home»

This. Ending. Okay, I'm technically talking about the post-credits scene. But it takes place only seconds after the actual ending and essentially belongs to the same scene. And it makes absolutely no sense to exclude these seconds and then place them in the middle of the credits. That's why I regard this post-credits scene as the actual end.

And it packs a punch. A really strong one.

First there's Mysterio's (Jake Gyllenhaal) video, which the trickster leaked to the press shortly before his death: the supposed proof that Mysterio was the hero and Spider-Man the villain. And then, perfection: J. Jonah Jameson, played – as in Sam Raimi's «Spider-Man» – by none other than J. K. Simmons. And as if it wasn't enough that Mysterio made Spider-Man public enemy number one, he also reveals Spider-Man's true identity: Peter Parker. His reaction:

«What the shi–»

And cut to credits.

Cinema release: 28 June 2019
Earnings: 1.132 billion dollars

Third place: «Spider-Man»

I love this ending. I was fourteen when I saw the film in cinemas. I could immediately identify with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man: like him, my self-esteem was limited. And girls I liked paid little attention to me.

Seeing Peter «get the girl» at the end really encouraged me. Especially because Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) doesn't choose the heroic Spider-Man in this scene, but the sensitive Peter Parker, whose secret life she knows nothing about.

This makes Peter's decision all the more impressive: now that he finally has what he wanted from the started, he selflessly doesn't get together with her. To protect Mary Jane, he can't allow himself to. Because with great power comes great responsibility. That's his gift. His curse. And with the final words of the film, he accepts his fate:

«Who am I? I’m Spider-Man.»

Cinema release: May 3, 2002
Earnings: 825 million dollars

Second place: «Iron Man»

It's the year 2008. In superhero movies, superheroes guard their true identity to protect themselves and those they love. At the end of «Iron Man», Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is supposed to make a statement explaining that the research station destroyed in the fight between him and the Ironmonger (Jeff Bridges) was the result of a failed experiment.

But Tony, instead of sticking to the script he was given, breaks with the age-old tradition and changes the whole comic film world with one sentence:

«I am Iron Man.»

Cut to credits. The audience is stunned. And «I am Iron Man» becomes a symbol for broken narrative chains, enabling screenwriters to create completely new stories. And above all: fans adapt their expectations. Comic book adaptations that don't adhere precisely to the comic template are no longer taboo, they're even desired.

Cinema release: 30 April 2008
Earnings: 585.4 million dollars

First place: «The Dark Knight»

Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is a hero. As a righteous District Attorney, he defies Gotham's criminals – without a mask or costume. But then the Joker (Heath Ledger) corrupts him by tricking Batman (Christian Bale) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and sending Dent's lover to her death in a fiery inferno. Dent, who blames himself and everyone else, goes insane. Eventually, Batman is forced to kill him.

The Joker won. At least technically. He has corrupted even the most righteous of citizens. But Batman sacrifices himself. He takes the blame for Dent's death and for whoever was killed by Harvey «Two Face» Dent. This way, Dent died a martyr's death – and society doesn't lose its faith in good.

Then, that legendary montage. Batman, running from the forces of law and order in Gotham. Above it, Gordon's voice explaining Batman's sacrifice to his son. And as the icing on the cake, Hans Zimmer's iconic score.

«He's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. [...] He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.»

Release date: 16 July 2008
Worldwide earnings: 1.004 billion dollars

Do you agree with my list? Who did I leave out? Let me know by commenting below. Then we can discuss further.