Top 10 Movie Hero Plans RUINED by Morons
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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Hero Plans Ruined By Morons. For this list, we’ll be looking at premeditated attempts by a protagonist to achieve a specific goal that are foiled by a thoughtless other party. We're not necessarily saying these "morons" are ALWAYS dumb, but they definitely made a stupid decision here. What perfect schemes of yours would have worked, if not for meddling dunderheads? Let us know in the comments.
Amid a zombie apocalypse, survivors Stephen, Peter, and Fran managed to take refuge in a shopping mall. Although director George Romero opined that “Filming in the mall was hell”, the three characters enjoyed an oasis of safety and modern convenience–that is until a biker gang led by Tom Savini’s ‘Blades’ crashed the party! Advertising to zombies far and wide, they whooped, hollered, and killed-for-sport all the way to the mall gates—which they broke wide open! Despite the satisfaction of watching idiots YOLO their way to a gruesome end (while bleeding bright 3M Brand Stage Blood), their ludicrous and over-the-top antics really stretch credulity. Not only do they disturb the peace, but what type of clown gets a blood pressure reading surrounded by undead?
The struggle between Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants and humans escalated at an Alcatraz Island facility, where the military had weaponized a mutant “cure”. To make matters worse, Magneto recruited the Phoenix-possessed Jean Grey, who tended to murder anyone getting in her business! Although Jean could’ve probably used an exorcist, or a nap, the X-Men were determined to appeal to her good side to talk her down. Unfortunately, a derpy group of grunts decided to piss-off the mutant goddess, resulting in almost everyone getting disintegrated by Phoenix-rage instead. The abrupt attack on Jean also makes it hard to tell; were they soldiers, or NPC’s? In any case, it really makes us shake our heads!
In Aesops’s Fable, the slacker grasshopper begs the ant for food and is coldly rejected. Not so on Ant Island—where mob boss Hopper extorted food from residents. Though most ants kept their heads down, Flik had other ambitions. He and his fellow ants built an angry bird facsimile to scare off Hopper—and faced with a new pecking order, it almost worked! Sadly, no one told punchy circus Flea, P.T. about the ruse, and with a daring assault, the lil ringmaster set the bird mockup on fire, ruining the hoax. This led to Flik being publicly beaten! Ouch! We do have to admit though … if his blunder wasn’t so painful, his boldness was actually impressive!
James Sandin thought he played his cards right as he and his family settled into their wealthy gated community that night. Despite the patriotism of the New Founding Fathers and all the social hype, something about an anything-is-legal-including-murder holiday just didn’t strike him as a fun family event. No harm in sitting this one out…unless of course your teenage son, Charlie, disobeys strict lockdown orders, disables the security system, and lets in a desperate stranger! This wasn’t Charlie’s first Purge, so why he thought it would be a good idea is anyone’s guess. Let’s see. Safety? Or home invasion by Charles Manson inspired killers? Terrible choice, kid, you are soooo grounded!
After a Simian lab virus decimated humanity, a small group of survivors, led by Malcolm, aimed to work with Caesar, the Ape King, to restore a hydroelectric dam near San Francisco. Carver, a former water worker, seemed a good fit—if it weren’t for him being a paranoid bigot who blamed apes for societal collapse. After reflexively shooting an ape, he was told NOT to bring weapons! But again, he was found with a gun, pointed at Caesar’s son! Keep it in your pants, dude! It’s really a miracle humans and apes could make any progress with this guy around! There’s certainly a bit of guilty pleasure when Carver finally gets fired by both groups, then “retired”. Great resume, but wrong fit!
Abu had a dubious rap sheet involving theft from circus-goers and stealing food with street rascal, Aladdin. Abu even stole audience hearts, as part of the first animated feature film to earn half a billion dollars. Total kleptomaniac! So, when Aladdin faced the giant angry tiger mouth in the middle of the desert, and it growled instructions not to touch anything BUT the lamp—Abu would seem like the last guy to bring for the mission. Sure enough, he can’t resist touching the forbidden treasure, causing all hell to break loose! Such a bad monkey, Abu!
New York Detective John McClane had a rough visit with his estranged wife, Holly at her corporate workplace in L.A. After killing one of mastermind Hans Gruber’s henchmen, and radioing for backup, the operator barely lifted a finger. Lone responder Sgt. Powell saw nothing unusual—until John dropped a corpse on his car. SWAT totally fumbled their attack on Gruber, so the FBI took over, shutting down the power. It was just what Hans wanted, giving him access to a priceless vault. The frustrating lack of competence at every turn certainly heightened the stakes and the sense of isolation we feel for John’s situation. As McClane’s Yippee Ki-Yay bravado demonstrates, sometimes, if you want something done right, you just gotta do it yourself!
Through newfound teamwork, the Avengers and Guardians successfully subdued Thanos. Victory was at their fingertips! Unfortunately, Peter Quill realized his green queen, Gamora, had been sacrificed by the Mad Titan for the soul stone. Stark and Spiderman had almost wrestled the Infinity Gauntlet away from Thanos when Star-lord pistol-whipped the big purple meanie right out of Mantis’ trance! This led to Thanos defeating them and snapping away half of all life in the universe! Fans still debate Peter’s ultimate blame. Who do you believe? Dr. Strange? Or director Joe Russo, who said, “Had Quill not done that, the movie might have ended right there.” Regardless, it made for a compelling story arc audiences loved, and the first superhero flick to gross over two billion worldwide.
Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski wanted a new rug after a home invader peed on his, mistaking him for a wealthy magnate of the same name. The millionaire then asked The Dude to deliver ransom money, believing his trophy-wife was kidnapped. But when bowling buddy and Nam vet, Walter Sobchak tagged along, he revealed a surprising, unhinged plot at the eleventh hour - to give the kidnappers a bag of dirty undies instead! As that scheme failed, headstrong Walter improvised with face-palming bombast, in one of this cult-favorite’s defining moments. John Goodman’s convincing performance of an absurd character obliviates any rancor we have for Walter’s buffoonery. Although he momentarily ruined “The Dude’s” chill, we got bound up in stitches—and ultimately “the Dude abides!”
Maybe Venkman should have let New York government stooge Walter Peck examine their ghost storage facility, once he used ‘the magic word’. For when the EPA Inspector returned, it was with law enforcement and a personal vendetta to shut down the Ghostbusters’ operation! Spengler, Venkman, and a city worker warned of the potential danger, but he insisted. Forced to shut off containment, they plunged the city into full poltergeist infestation! Letting things get personal made Peck a rash, vindictive antagonist. William Atherton’s portrayal made us love to hate him—especially when the busybody’s actions allowed the return of the demigod Zuul and the Stay Puft “destructor”. Almost destroying the Big Apple must’ve left a bitter taste; luckily Peck had a sweet marshmallow chaser!
#10: Maintaining a Secure Shelter
“Dawn of the Dead” (1978)Amid a zombie apocalypse, survivors Stephen, Peter, and Fran managed to take refuge in a shopping mall. Although director George Romero opined that “Filming in the mall was hell”, the three characters enjoyed an oasis of safety and modern convenience–that is until a biker gang led by Tom Savini’s ‘Blades’ crashed the party! Advertising to zombies far and wide, they whooped, hollered, and killed-for-sport all the way to the mall gates—which they broke wide open! Despite the satisfaction of watching idiots YOLO their way to a gruesome end (while bleeding bright 3M Brand Stage Blood), their ludicrous and over-the-top antics really stretch credulity. Not only do they disturb the peace, but what type of clown gets a blood pressure reading surrounded by undead?
#9: Talking Down Jean
“X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006)The struggle between Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants and humans escalated at an Alcatraz Island facility, where the military had weaponized a mutant “cure”. To make matters worse, Magneto recruited the Phoenix-possessed Jean Grey, who tended to murder anyone getting in her business! Although Jean could’ve probably used an exorcist, or a nap, the X-Men were determined to appeal to her good side to talk her down. Unfortunately, a derpy group of grunts decided to piss-off the mutant goddess, resulting in almost everyone getting disintegrated by Phoenix-rage instead. The abrupt attack on Jean also makes it hard to tell; were they soldiers, or NPC’s? In any case, it really makes us shake our heads!
#8: Burning the Bird
“A Bug’s Life” (1998)In Aesops’s Fable, the slacker grasshopper begs the ant for food and is coldly rejected. Not so on Ant Island—where mob boss Hopper extorted food from residents. Though most ants kept their heads down, Flik had other ambitions. He and his fellow ants built an angry bird facsimile to scare off Hopper—and faced with a new pecking order, it almost worked! Sadly, no one told punchy circus Flea, P.T. about the ruse, and with a daring assault, the lil ringmaster set the bird mockup on fire, ruining the hoax. This led to Flik being publicly beaten! Ouch! We do have to admit though … if his blunder wasn’t so painful, his boldness was actually impressive!
#7: Sitting This One Out
“The Purge” (2013)James Sandin thought he played his cards right as he and his family settled into their wealthy gated community that night. Despite the patriotism of the New Founding Fathers and all the social hype, something about an anything-is-legal-including-murder holiday just didn’t strike him as a fun family event. No harm in sitting this one out…unless of course your teenage son, Charlie, disobeys strict lockdown orders, disables the security system, and lets in a desperate stranger! This wasn’t Charlie’s first Purge, so why he thought it would be a good idea is anyone’s guess. Let’s see. Safety? Or home invasion by Charles Manson inspired killers? Terrible choice, kid, you are soooo grounded!
#6: Restoring Power
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)After a Simian lab virus decimated humanity, a small group of survivors, led by Malcolm, aimed to work with Caesar, the Ape King, to restore a hydroelectric dam near San Francisco. Carver, a former water worker, seemed a good fit—if it weren’t for him being a paranoid bigot who blamed apes for societal collapse. After reflexively shooting an ape, he was told NOT to bring weapons! But again, he was found with a gun, pointed at Caesar’s son! Keep it in your pants, dude! It’s really a miracle humans and apes could make any progress with this guy around! There’s certainly a bit of guilty pleasure when Carver finally gets fired by both groups, then “retired”. Great resume, but wrong fit!
#5: Retrieving the Magic Lamp
“Aladdin” (1992)Abu had a dubious rap sheet involving theft from circus-goers and stealing food with street rascal, Aladdin. Abu even stole audience hearts, as part of the first animated feature film to earn half a billion dollars. Total kleptomaniac! So, when Aladdin faced the giant angry tiger mouth in the middle of the desert, and it growled instructions not to touch anything BUT the lamp—Abu would seem like the last guy to bring for the mission. Sure enough, he can’t resist touching the forbidden treasure, causing all hell to break loose! Such a bad monkey, Abu!
#4: Calling in Reinforcements
“Die Hard” (1988)New York Detective John McClane had a rough visit with his estranged wife, Holly at her corporate workplace in L.A. After killing one of mastermind Hans Gruber’s henchmen, and radioing for backup, the operator barely lifted a finger. Lone responder Sgt. Powell saw nothing unusual—until John dropped a corpse on his car. SWAT totally fumbled their attack on Gruber, so the FBI took over, shutting down the power. It was just what Hans wanted, giving him access to a priceless vault. The frustrating lack of competence at every turn certainly heightened the stakes and the sense of isolation we feel for John’s situation. As McClane’s Yippee Ki-Yay bravado demonstrates, sometimes, if you want something done right, you just gotta do it yourself!
#3: Taking the Infinity Gauntlet
“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)Through newfound teamwork, the Avengers and Guardians successfully subdued Thanos. Victory was at their fingertips! Unfortunately, Peter Quill realized his green queen, Gamora, had been sacrificed by the Mad Titan for the soul stone. Stark and Spiderman had almost wrestled the Infinity Gauntlet away from Thanos when Star-lord pistol-whipped the big purple meanie right out of Mantis’ trance! This led to Thanos defeating them and snapping away half of all life in the universe! Fans still debate Peter’s ultimate blame. Who do you believe? Dr. Strange? Or director Joe Russo, who said, “Had Quill not done that, the movie might have ended right there.” Regardless, it made for a compelling story arc audiences loved, and the first superhero flick to gross over two billion worldwide.
#2: Handing Off the Ransom
“The Big Lebowski” (1998)Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski wanted a new rug after a home invader peed on his, mistaking him for a wealthy magnate of the same name. The millionaire then asked The Dude to deliver ransom money, believing his trophy-wife was kidnapped. But when bowling buddy and Nam vet, Walter Sobchak tagged along, he revealed a surprising, unhinged plot at the eleventh hour - to give the kidnappers a bag of dirty undies instead! As that scheme failed, headstrong Walter improvised with face-palming bombast, in one of this cult-favorite’s defining moments. John Goodman’s convincing performance of an absurd character obliviates any rancor we have for Walter’s buffoonery. Although he momentarily ruined “The Dude’s” chill, we got bound up in stitches—and ultimately “the Dude abides!”
#1: Keeping Bad Spirits Locked Up
“Ghostbusters” (1984)Maybe Venkman should have let New York government stooge Walter Peck examine their ghost storage facility, once he used ‘the magic word’. For when the EPA Inspector returned, it was with law enforcement and a personal vendetta to shut down the Ghostbusters’ operation! Spengler, Venkman, and a city worker warned of the potential danger, but he insisted. Forced to shut off containment, they plunged the city into full poltergeist infestation! Letting things get personal made Peck a rash, vindictive antagonist. William Atherton’s portrayal made us love to hate him—especially when the busybody’s actions allowed the return of the demigod Zuul and the Stay Puft “destructor”. Almost destroying the Big Apple must’ve left a bitter taste; luckily Peck had a sweet marshmallow chaser!
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