Top 10 Times Movie Characters Saw the Future

“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
What’s a God of Thunder to do to sneak a peek at future events? Why, just take a dip in the Norn Cave’s Water of Sight, of course. This mysterious body of water is where the mighty Thor retreats following a hallucinatory encounter with Wanda Maximoff. Looking to unlock the secrets of the nightmarish visions cast by the Scarlet Witch, the Asgardian hero, with the help of renowned astrophysicist Erik Selvig, enters a magical pool. Following an infusion of lightning, Thor is shown Asgard’s destruction, the all-powerful Infinity Stones, and the impending birth of Vision. Now those are some heavy precognitions!

“X-Men: Apocalypse” (2016)
Premonitions of the future can be quite explosive – just ask Jean Grey. When the X-Men battled the all-powerful En Sabah Nur, aptly referred to as Apocalypse, Jean joined Professor X’s telepathic fight against the villain in the Astral Plane. Implored to unleash the full strength of her abilities, Jean is overcome with a fiery vision, one that she ultimately embraces in order to defeat the villain. Of course, the devastating inferno the empathic mutant witnesses is that of the Dark Phoenix – which she goes to embody following a collision with mysterious cosmic rays.

“Next” (2007)
Cris Johnson has a secret – he can see 2 whole minutes into the future. So, what’s a guy to do other than wow audiences at magic shows, cheat at casino games and foil the odd robbery attempt? Why, grudgingly agree to help Homeland Security stop a group of baddies from detonating a nuclear bomb, naturally! Able to perceive every possible outcome, Cris uses his abilities to dodge punches, bullets and anything else that gets thrown his way. It turns out there’s more to our hero’s gifts, however. When near his literal dream girl, Liz, it’s revealed that Cris can actually see very far into the future. Yep, sometimes it takes that special someone to bring out a person’s full potential.

“Men in Black 3” (2012)
To say the character Griffin is important to the events in Barry Sonnenfeld’s “Men in Black 3,” would be a wee bit of an understatement. You see, as the last member of the Archanan race, Griffin is the only one left with the rather unique skill of foreseeing potential outcomes. Turns out he is also in possession of the Arc Net Shield– something Agents J and K desperately need in order to prevent a parasitic alien invasion on Earth. And, when the MIB duo catch up with him at Shea Stadium, Griffin treats them to visions of a World Series baseball game… one taking place 3 months in the future!

“Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
When teaching a young Jedi, it’s imperative to include lessons on the Dark Side of the Force. This is why Yoda had Jedi-in-training Luke Skywalker enter a cavern strong with the Dark Side's power. It’s here that Luke experiences a rage-filled vision of himself confronting Darth Vader and mercilessly defeating him with his lightsaber. But, when Vader’s mask breaks apart in the aftermath, it reveals Luke's horrified face! Of course, this potential future was all a warning about the seduction of the Dark Side. Luke’s wise Jedi Master also aided in unlocking his mind during a tedious training session, leading to visions of his friends in danger. When peering into the future – may the Force be with you!

“The Dead Zone” (1983)
One touch. That’s all it takes for Johnny Smith to envision select moments of the future and the past. Based on the book by Stephen King, the film follows Christopher Walken’s Johnny awakening from a 5-year-long coma following a car accident. Upon his emergence, Johnny learns that he now possesses psychic abilities that allow him to see moments in time through physical contact. Unfortunately, Johnny’s discovery comes in a truly horrifying manner. Upon touching his nurse's hand, the newly imbued clairvoyant sees her daughter helplessly trapped in an engulfing fire. Talk about being the bearer of bad news!

“Final Destination” (2000)
From a roller coaster malfunction to a bridge collapse, each edition of the “Final Destination” franchise has opened with an eerie premonition of impending tragedy. It’s the first installment that serves as the most harrowing, though. It’s here that a routine airplane boarding quickly turns sinister for student Alex Browning. Before take-off, the high-schooler envisions the plane, as well as its passengers, meeting their end mid-air. Following a bout of panic, and a subsequent scuffle, Alex and a group of his classmates are removed from the aircraft. The real horror starts when his fatal vision comes to fruition - only to get worse when “death” begins to stalk the lucky survivors… actually, better make that “unlucky!”

“Arrival” (2016)
Seeing into the future becomes both a blessing and a curse in Denis Villeneuve’s celebrated sci-fi drama, “Arrival.” Centering on Louise Banks, a linguistics expert who is tasked with interpreting the language of mysterious aliens who have arrived on Earth, the movie is chock-full of mind-bending questions - with little in the way of overt answers. By the end, however, it’s clear that the deceased daughter Louise is remembering... is actually one she hasn’t given birth to yet. This is all thanks to her learning the aliens’ language, making time nonlinear and essentially knowing everything that’s coming. These future-flashes aid in getting the information needed to avert a deadly military strike.

“Minority Report” (2002)
Picture it: the year is 2054 and Washington DC’s PreCrime police department can prevent murders before they even happen, by way of three clairvoyant Precogs. Pre-visualizing crimes and capturing suspects before any fatal deeds are committed sounds pretty great, right? Well, ironically, not for PreCrime Captain John Anderton. You see, the Precogs generate a vision showing that John, himself, is actually going to kill someone. Following an escape, some high-tech hacking, and help from the most powerful of the Precogs, we learn that everything is not exactly as it seems. And the system is concluded to be ultimately flawed, as it allows people to change their future once they become aware of it.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Yukio Sees Logan Die
“The Wolverine” (2013)

James Cole's Memories Are His Future Reality
“12 Monkeys” (1995)

Grandpa Simpson Warns of a Dire Event
“The Simpsons Movie” (2007)

Dark Helmet Uses Instant Cassettes to see the Future
“Spaceballs” (1987)

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
With Earth’s mightiest heroes on the ropes in their fight against the Mad Titan Thanos, a certain Sorcerer Supreme took it upon himself to look into all the possible outcomes of their dire fight. Using his magic and the power of the Time Stone, Doctor Strange goes forward in time to view a whopping 14,000,605 possible futures. What are mere moments for his teammates, however, are entire lifetimes for Strange, who actually lives through every scenario. Luckily for everyone involved, the one and only outcome the Doc sees where the Avengers conquer the alien warlord, is indeed the one that takes place. Now, that’s something to snap about!