9 Movie Prequels That Revealed Genuine Surprises
7. Magneto Accidentally Crippled Charles - X-Men: First Class
The continuity of the X-Men series is like a box of Christmas lights; hopelessly tangled and not worth the effort it takes to sort out. First Class was supposed to be something a fresh start for the series, after The Last Stand and X-Men Origins made a mess of things.
This prequel told the story of how Professor X met Magneto; there’s some crap about teaching a gang of lame new mutants too. The friendship between the two - their conflicting ideologies - fuel the story, and there’s something inevitable about their eventual split.
The real heartbreak is how it happens. After avenging his parents by murdering the evil Sebastian Shaw, Magneto fully embraces his dark side. Moira MacTaggert tries to shoot him to prevent this, and he deflects one of her bullets right into Charles' spine. Their relationship was already tragic, but realising it was Magneto who accidently crippled his best friend makes it positively Shakespearian.
They still seem to be mates, though, even when Magneto attempts the occasional genocide.