9 “Shocking” Movie Twists Fans Figured Out Before Seeing The Movie
7. John Harrison Is Khan - Star Trek Into Darkness
Probably the most obvious example of this trope, J.J. Abrams and Paramounts attempt to keep the identity of Benedict Cumberbatchs villain secret seems like a lot of work for such little payoff. The fanbase guessed from the casting announcement onwards he was playing Khan, and the more they denied it the more fans were convinced. The fact the big reveal is so awkwardly executed in the movie where it feels like hes speaking directly to the audience instead of the other characters only underlined the issue with this non-twist. The audience was a full year ahead of it, so the "twist" had the same much impact on them as it did on the Enterprise crew; none. If there had been a solid reason storywise to keep the characters identity a secret maybe it would have helped, but this was one time the Mystery Box refused to close for poor J.J.
