12 Most Brutal Acts Of Revenge In Movies
7. Heads, Not Tails - X-Men: First Class
Erik Lehnsherr's (Michael Fassbender) tragic upbringing as a persecuted child at the mercy of Nazi rule provides immense justification for the vengeance he would exact during 2011's X-Men: First Class. A theme of the movie is Charles Xavier's (James McAvoy) insistence that Lehnsherr's revenge crusade is futile, and Erik's unwillingness to listen.
Early in the film, Nazi officer Sebastian Shaw catches sight of Lehnsherr's metal manipulation capabilities. Shaw summons Lehnsherr to his office and tasks him with moving a coin. Upon failing to do so, Shaw dispatches of Erik's mother, an act that would spark a tale of revenge spanning several decades.
Now an adult, Erik Lehnsherr hunts Nazis, and it's not long before he is reacquainted with Shaw. Armed with the coin from his childhood, Erik takes revenge.
The iconic X-Men theme swirls in the distance, gathering intensity as the coin inches closer to Shaw's head. Lehnsherr, now fully embracing the Magneto comic fans hate to love, calmly counts down from three (mimicking Shaw's chilling words before killing Lehnsherr's mother) before lodging the coin into Shaw's forehead.
The coin exits the back of his skull painted in blood. Erik's revenge is exacted, and his transformation into Magneto has begun.