Top 10 Most Shocking Moments in DC Animated Movies

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Most Shocking Moments in DC Animated Movies. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most surprising and earth shattering scenes in the major comic book company’s animated films. Since our list contains some plot twists, consider this your spoiler warning! What moment did you find most shocking? Let us know in the comments!

#10: The Identity of Jack the Ripper

“Batman: Gotham by Gaslight” (2018)

Ever wondered what Gotham City would be like if Jack the Ripper was hunting civilians? Well you don’t have to wonder anymore! This Elseworlds story reimagines classic members of the Batman mythos for the Victorian age. While we still don’t know who Jack the Ripper was, this movie had its own answer. While Batman is looking for Selina Kyle at Commissioner Gordon’s house, he stumbles upon a shattering truth. The lawman is actually Jack the Ripper! After witnessing horrors during the Civil War, Gordon became the Ripper to enact his twisted view of justice. This major departure from the traditional Batman ally we all know and love took us all by surprise.

#9: A Hero Executes the Elite

“Superman vs. the Elite” (2012)

Don’t mess with Superman. Why? Just ask the Elite. Led by the defiant Manchester Black, this group isn’t afraid to kill. They also actively criticize Superman for not crossing that line. Eventually, the Kryptoninan agrees to fight the team in an attempt to stop them. During the battle, Superman gets pushed so far that he seemingly stops pulling his punches. Our jaws dropped as The Man of Steel mercilessly eliminated each member one-by-one. It wasn’t until the end of the battle that we got another twist: none of the Elite actually met their demise. It was all an elaborate trick! For a moment, we were really convinced that the blue boy scout had stopped playing nice.

#8: Heads Up

“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (2013)

In “The Flashpoint Paradox”, the Flash goes back in time to save his mother from dying. Unfortunately, altering that event causes the entire timeline to become more turbulent and much darker. Within the new Flashpoint timeline, the Atlantean Mera sees her husband Aquaman getting a little too comfortable with Wonder Woman. Blinded by rage, the undersea royal tried to kill Diana. But Wonder Woman quickly retaliates and removes Mera’s head. This surprising demise sparks an all-out war between the Amazons and the Atlanteans that engulfs the world. Honestly, the flashpoint world might’ve been saved if it had less superheroes, and more couple’s counselors.

#7: Batman Is a Vampire

“Justice League: Gods and Monsters” (2015)

If you’ve ever called Batman a creature of the night, you wouldn’t have been that far off. But what if this time it wasn’t an exaggeration? In a unique change to the status quo, the Batman of “Justice League: Gods and Monsters” is actually the scientist Kirk Langstrom. But the much more shocking fact about this character is that he’s a living and breathing vampire. After experimenting on himself to cure his cancer, he accidentally became dependent on blood. Seeing this Batman relieve an enemy of their blood was startling. Especially since Langstrom also has no qualms about killing. So bottom line, villains: do not get a paper cut around this guy!

#6: Thomas Wayne Is The Dark Knight

“Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox” (2013)

Wonder Woman and Aquaman going to war wasn’t the only shocking thing about Flashpoint. When Barry entered Wayne Manor to talk to Batman about their apocalyptic world, he was in for a rude awakening. In this reality, Bruce Wayne died in Crime Alley. The grim incident drove his father to pursue justice as Batman. But that was far from the only detail about the dark knight that made us gasp. Unlike his son, Thomas Wayne is more than willing to use guns and has absolutely no issue with killing villains. If you thought Bruce was brutal, then wait until you see his dad at work!

#5: Tim Drake Kills the Joker

“Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” (2000)

During this futuristic Batman film, an elderly Bruce Wayne comes face-to-face with a Joker who’s supposed to be long dead. When the new dark knight Terry tries to figure out how the resurrection was possible, he learns the disturbing truth behind the clown’s death. A flashback reveals that Harley Quinn and the Joker captured Tim Drake. After the clowns subjected the sidekick to physical and psychological torment, Robin became molded into Joker Junior. Tim is eventually ordered to shoot at a wounded Batman. However, Robin defies the clown and fires at the Joker instead. It was heartbreaking to watch the young Robin break down after permanently stopping the clown. The Joker’s unexpected end was a moment that shaped the rest of the film’s dark story.

#4: Unmasking the Red Hood

“Batman: Under the Red Hood” (2010)

Batman normally wouldn’t mind seeing a vigilante get justice in Gotham. But when the mysterious Red Hood starts killing villains, the dark knight gets involved. During each of their clashes, the violent vigilante keeps hinting that he has a personal connection to Batman.
Additionally, the Red Hood is able to get the upper hand against the Dark Knight by using the hero’s tactics against him. Batman begins to suspect that the villain is his supposedly dead protege Jason Todd. After the dark knight gets a sample of the Red Hood’s blood, that shocking truth is confirmed. This earth-shattering twist makes Batman desperate to save the once mysterious vigilante at any cost.

#3: Superman Slays His Wife

“Injustice” (2021)

While “Superman vs the Elite” entertains the idea of Superman breaking bad, “Injustice” makes that a horrifying reality. During the film, the Joker hits the Kryptonian with fear gas before revealing that Doomsday is on Earth. Superman immediately abandons the clown and flies the spiky alien into space. Unfortunately, the man of steel didn’t really take Doomsday into the atmosphere. The fear gas prevented Superman from realizing that he flew his pregnant wife Lois into space. And since her heartbeat was linked to a nuclear detonator, her death results in the destruction of Metropolis. Both twists left our jaws on the floor. And unfortunately for this animated world, those shocking turns broke the man of steel and sent him down a dark path.

#2: We’ve Seen This Reverse Flash Before

“Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay” (2018)

When Amanda Waller tells her Suicide Squad to retrieve a “get out of Hell free” card, the team is attacked by rival villains. One of the squad’s biggest rivals is Reverse Flash. Since DC fans saw the character die in “Flashpoint Paradox”, it seemed like this was a new version of the villain. But in a truly mind-bending twist, it’s revealed that “Hell to Pay’s” Reverse Flash is the same guy that got fatally wounded in “Flashpoint Paradox”. It turns out that he used his speed to temporarily halt his death in the past. Since he couldn’t stop himself from dying, Reverse Flash decided to nab the get out of hell free card. This revelation was a great way to reward longtime DC movie fans.

#1: Apokolips Ambush

“Justice League Dark: Apokolips War” (2020)

The Justice League was pretty confident that they could get the jump on the villainous Darkseid They even sent their heaviest hitters to the planet Apokolips to dispose of the villain. Unfortunately, the superheroes walked right into a trap. The movie initially doesn’t show us what happened to the Justice League members on Apokolips. But when we finally saw what went down, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Most of the heroes were seemingly torn apart by the vicious creatures named Paradooms. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Superman gets permanently depowered, Batman gets brainwashed and Zatanna gets devoured. Watching the most powerful heroes get tormented or eliminated was jarring. This shocking sequence definitely made it clear that the stakes were higher than they’d ever been.