11 Surprise Movie Villain Reveals Everyone Loved

One of the greatest parts of cinema - when done correctly, of course - is a good ol' twist ending or surprise reveal.

If handled in the right way, a clever or shocking reveal can elevate a movie from so-so to good, and from good to exceptional. Getting that big reveal or major twist right isn't as easy as it may first seem, mind, for a bungled revelation or turn can completely sour an otherwise enjoyable picture, with so many films over the years being tarnished by a naff reveal that plays out to a face-palming audience during a movie's final act.

Thankfully, cinema has given audiences a slew of memorable and monumental reveals, particularly when we're talking about classic villains of the silver screen. For some of these reveals, they're shockers that moviegoers are still decade about decades since a movie was first released out into the open.

Here, then, it's time to look at some of the most enjoyable, fan-pleasing villain reveals and revelations seen on the big screen. And for those panicking at the thought of it, fear not, for there's not a Mandarin-style bait-and-switch anywhere in sight.

Christopher Nolan's trio of Dark Knight pictures are revered as some of the greatest superhero movies ever. In fact, Batman Begins was one of the first such films to be viewed by the masses as a proper, serious movie, rather than being looked down upon by some chin-stroking folk as being a throwaway film purely because it involves capes 'n' tights.

In Batman Begins, Christian Bale's troubled Bruce Wayne ends up being taken under the wing of Henri Ducard and offered the chance to become a member of Ra's al Ghul's infamous League of Shadows. Realising that Ra's' organisation have evil intentions in mind for Gotham City, Master Bruce decides to burn their temple to the ground, leaving al Ghul to perish under the falling debris, with Wayne saving Ducard in the process.

Skip ahead to the final act of that 2005 reinvention of the cinematic Caped Crusader, and Ducard would step out of the shadows and reveal that he is the real Ra's al Ghul.

So often, superhero films tend to signpost such twists a mile of, but the reveal of Liam Neeson's character as the actual Ra's al Ghul was a breath of fresh air that served to appease those left flabbergasted at the thought that Ra's - one of Batman's greatest comic book opponents - had been offed so easily and with such disregard by Nolan.