10 Weird Movie Plot Twists That Just Don't Work
3. John Harrison Is Really Khan - Star Trek Into Darkness
The Set-Up: in the first sequel to the rebooted Star Trek, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) takes the USS Enterprise into forbidden territory to capture John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), a terrorist responsible for the deaths of many Starfleet officers.
The Twist: John Harrison reveals he is actually Khan, leader of a clan of genetically engineered super-beings who have spent centuries in suspended animation.
Why It Doesn't Work: Fan service can be such a double-edged sword, as Trekkers everywhere were outraged by Star Trek Into Darkness's use of Khan. In fairness, this was more to do with how the film was publicised throughout production, with numerous official denials that Cumberbatch was playing Khan; subsequently, the final film left fans feelings cheated by this needless subterfuge.
Beyond this, though, the 'revelation' of Khan's true identity is meaningless, as in this new, alternate timeline, the young Enterprise crew have never even heard of him before.
It all just feels like a crass attempt to capitalise on the continuing popularity of Ricardo Montalban's character from the original 1960s TV series and 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, surely the most widely loved Star Trek movie.