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Some superhero moments hit different once you know the full story. Join us as we count down the most unsettling scenes in superhero films that have aged poorly due to behind-the-scenes controversies, offensive choices, and disturbing revelations. Which moment made you the most uncomfortable? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00I don't have time to meet. I need someone now. I feel like it's her.
00:03No, it's not.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at scenes in superhero films that have aged poorly
00:10due to behind-the-scenes drama, public controversies, or offensive creative choices.
00:14Some of these moments stand out because they were completely unexpected, so this is your
00:19spoiler warning.
00:20So do I have to take the rest of my clothes off or can I move them on?
00:25The Ancient One, Doctor Strange
00:28What did you just do to me?
00:30I pushed your astral form out of your physical form.
00:32What's in that tea? Psilocybin? LSD?
00:35It's just tea. With a little honey.
00:38In this film about Marvel's premier sorcerer, Tilda Swinton plays the Ancient One, Stephen
00:43Strange's mentor. In the comics, the Ancient One is portrayed as an elderly Tibetan man
00:48who makes Stephen his apprentice. As such, Swinton's casting only became more controversial as time
00:53went by.
00:54I became a doctor to save lives, not take them.
00:56You became a doctor to save one life above all others. Your own.
01:02Still seeing through me, are you?
01:04I see what I've always seen. Your overinflated ego. You want to go back to the delusion that
01:10you can control anything, even death, which no one can control.
01:15It makes sense that the filmmakers would want to avoid any stereotypes. On the other hand,
01:19by turning the character into a Celtic woman, Marvel caught backlash for whitewashing. Some
01:24critics felt that by avoiding stereotypes, they were also erasing Asian representation.
01:29Kevin Feige would later regret the decision, saying that they could have cast an Asian actor
01:33who fit the role without contributing to racist cliches.
01:36I've hated drawing power from the dark dimension. But as you well know, sometimes one must break
01:42the rules in order to serve the greater good.
01:45Batman and Batgirl's One Night Stand, Batman The Killing Joke
01:48One of this film's many controversies was its portrayal of this relationship.
02:00The movie features an intimate moment between Batman and Batgirl that somehow gets even more
02:05disturbing when you look at their previous depictions. In the animated series and Mystery
02:09of Batwoman, it's clear that the protege has a crush on her mentor.
02:23It's then revealed in Batman Beyond that the two would later be a couple for a brief time.
02:36Keep in mind that Bruce was an adult when he met her. So the idea of Batman being with the
02:41woman he's
02:42known since she was a teenager, who also dated Robin, is downright atrocious.
02:47Some writers seem obsessed with this ship, but we sure hope we've seen the last of it.
02:51Are we back in business?
02:56Oh, come on.
02:57We'll talk later.
02:59It was just sex, for God's sake. It doesn't have to mean anything. It's not like we have to care.
03:04I don't care. You don't care. We just go back like it was. That's all.
03:07Darwin's Death, X-Men First Class
03:09What do you do when you introduce a character whose power is to survive anything?
03:14Why, you write him out of the plot, of course.
03:16When the mutant Darwin is recruited to the CIA, he's killed off by the villain Sebastian Shaw.
03:20So I guess I'm coming with you.
03:22I like that.
03:31Alex, get out!
03:32Do it!
03:38Protecting your fellow mutants?
03:40Like many fans, we're still wondering how this happened, despite his power to, well, not die.
03:47Adapt to this.
04:05It also became noticeable that the only heroic mutant who's killed off in the entire film happens to be the
04:11only black team member.
04:12It wasn't a good look, given how little spotlight black heroes got in the X-Men franchise.
04:17At least actor Eddie Gathegi got to shine in 2025's Superman.
04:22What's it called again?
04:23The Justice Gang.
04:24No.
04:25We're not called that.
04:26Yeah, your name is Mr. Terrific. You don't get a vote with a name like that.
04:29I also voted against it.
04:31Yes.
04:32Sue Storm loses her clothes.
04:33Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer.
04:37Look at me.
04:41I can't.
04:42What do you mean you can't? Look at me!
04:44Sue, look at your hands.
04:46Even if you look back fondly on these films, you have to admit that these gags don't hold up.
04:51In the first Fantastic Four, a set piece involves Sue Storm undressing herself in front of a crowd of people.
04:57Any more great ideas? Why don't you strip down and have a hundred people stare at you?
05:00Sue.
05:02What?
05:07I'm going to need therapy.
05:08A similar scene happens in the sequel where Sue swaps powers with the human torch and ends up naked on
05:13the ground.
05:14These moments feel less like comedic bits and more like excuses to have the camera leer at Jessica Alba.
05:19The actress has said that shooting these scenes was awful and humiliating.
05:23On top of that, she almost quit acting when director Tim Story allegedly told her to look pretty when she
05:29cried.
05:29Alba and the character she portrayed deserve better treatment from the filmmakers.
05:33Sue, how did this happen?
05:35I touched Johnny and then this!
05:38But where is Johnny?
05:39Here.
05:41Try it again!
05:49Hey, get out of there!
05:51Sue, your clothes.
05:54Do you know what he said when the first V2 hit London?
06:00The rocket performed perfectly.
06:05It just landed on the wrong planet.
06:08Rebecca Hall's character debuted as a brilliant scientist who used to be close with Tony Stark.
06:12The character was then shot to death before Act 3 even began.
06:16If that moment felt rushed, there's a reason for that.
06:19We're not doing this, okay?
06:20What happens to you?
06:21What happens if you go too hot?
06:35The good news is, a high-level position has just been vacated.
06:40Writer-director Shane Black later revealed that Maya Hansen was meant to be a major villain.
06:45However, the corporate higher-ups wouldn't allow it.
06:47Their concern?
06:48Toy sales.
06:49Apparently, a female antagonist wouldn't move merchandise.
06:53While never officially confirmed, many blamed this decision on former CEO Ike Pumartar based on his track record.
06:59He's reportedly pushed back on Black Widow merch, tried to stall Captain Marvel,
07:03and leaked emails suggest that he had a strong bias against female-led superhero films.
07:08I'm trying to fix this thing.
07:10I didn't know you and the Master were going to blow the place up.
07:12Oh, I see.
07:13So you were trying to save Stark when he threatened us.
07:16I've told you, Killian, we can use him.
07:18Kitty Pryde, X-Men The Last Stand.
07:21Kitty.
07:24Bobby?
07:29You okay?
07:30Yeah.
07:31The third film of the X-Men trilogy was seen as a poor finale, but what happened behind the scenes
07:37was even worse.
07:38Stay close, all right?
07:39Okay.
07:43Director Brett Ratner was accused of mistreating and outing Elliot Page, who played Kitty Pryde.
07:48Co-star Anna Paquin confirmed the story, and many women have come forward with their own stories regarding his misconduct.
07:54Rewatching those Kitty Pryde scenes in The Last Stand feels especially uncomfortable now.
07:59For a movie featuring LGBTQIA-plus themes and a cure for a marginalized group,
08:04it's a shame that someone like Brett Ratner was the one behind the camera.
08:08Our war will rage.
08:10Your cities will not be safe.
08:12Your streets will not be safe.
08:14You will not be safe.
08:16Bathtub Drowning, Constantine.
08:18If this scene felt a little too real to you, that's because it kind of was.
08:30So, why water?
08:32It's a universal conduit.
08:34Lubricates a transition from one plane to another.
08:37In DC's occult thriller, Constantine forces Angela Dotson to awaken her powers to a near-death experience.
08:43To make that possible, Keanu Reeves actually had to hold Rachel Wise underwater for several minutes.
09:10The actress doesn't seem to have any hard feelings over the ordeal.
09:14However, she did admit that there was genuine fear for her life as she was filming.
09:18She and Keanu Reeves had safety signals and mutual trust.
09:21But knowing that doesn't make the scene easier to watch.
09:38Natasha Romanoff meets Tony Stark, Iron Man 2.
09:44I promise you this is the only time I will ask you to sign over your company.
09:52We've grown to love the assassin-turned-superhero.
09:55But when we first met her, the spotlight was on her body more than her character.
09:59What's her name, lady?
10:00Rushman, Natalie Rushman.
10:02Front and center.
10:02Coming to the church.
10:03No, you're seriously not gonna ask her.
10:05If it pleases the court, which it does.
10:07It's no problem.
10:08The scene has Tony Stark ogling her, zooming in on her modeling photos, and capping off the scene by saying,
10:14I want one.
10:14We laugh it off as Stark being Stark at the time.
10:18I want one.
10:19No.
10:19In hindsight, it's a rough introduction.
10:22Given her traumatic past in the Black Widow movie, her initial debut feels inappropriate now.
10:27Scarlett Johansson has also called out her portrayal as a bad case of hypersexualization and has voiced discomfort over being
10:33pigeonholed into similar roles.
10:34Knowing how young she was and how Natasha was later course-corrected, the whole scene feels less cheeky than intended.
10:40I'm surprised you can keep your mouth shut.
10:42Boy, you're good.
10:42You are mind-blowingly deprecitous.
10:45How do you do it?
10:45You just tear things up?
10:46You're a triple imposter.
10:47I've never seen anything like you.
10:48Is there anything real about you?
10:50Do you even speak Latin?
10:51Philecchus sunt rerum specchius.
10:53Which means?
10:53Wait, what?
10:55What'd you just say?
10:55It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected.
10:58Joker and Harley's backstory, Suicide Squad.
11:01Many DC fans were disappointed by how this iconic couple was handled.
11:05Apart from shaky writing, their dynamic simply hasn't aged well and the reasons are obvious today.
11:11Oh, there she is.
11:14The fire in my loins.
11:17The itch in my crotch.
11:20The long, the only, the infamous Harley Quinn.
11:26Harley's relationship with the Joker is meant to be damaging.
11:29And yes, that's comic accurate.
11:31But it becomes unsettling when you remember Jared Leto's infamous method acting.
11:35I'm the daddy.
11:38Pardon?
11:39Oh, yeah.
11:40The gifts he claimed to have sent his co-stars reportedly cross several lines.
11:44Add later allegations of boundary-pushing behavior and the Joker-Harley scenes start to feel more disturbing.
11:50Would you live for me?
11:54Hmm?
11:55Yes.
11:57Careful.
11:59Do not say this oath thoughtlessly.
12:04To add insult to injury, Margot Robbie described their chemical bath scene as the most unpleasant thing she's ever done.
12:11We'd probably say the same if we also had to choke on paint that slowly glazed over our eyes.
12:45Flash falls on Wonder Woman.
12:53It's a pretty tasteless joke that's even worse when you know what was happening off-camera.
12:59What are we under right now?
13:02The gag was added during Josh Whedon's reshoots, which tried to lighten the tone of the film.
13:07Moments like this may have been why Gal Gadot pushed back on the choices made to her character.
13:12Since then, her co-star Ray Fisher has accused Whedon of unprofessional behavior.
13:17Stars from Buffy the Vampire Slayer have also reported abusive conduct on set.
13:22With that context, the throwaway gags reads like a symptom of issues that have been going on for years.
13:27It also goes without saying that Ezra Miller being here just feels gross.
13:40If you had the power to, how would you change these scenes?
13:44Let us know in the comments down below.
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