Top 5 Times in Pop Culture Where the Heroes End the Villain/s

For Better or Worse…

Credit: DC; Warner Bros

5: Superman Ends The Joker — Injustice (2013)

After the crazed crime clown deceives Superman into destroying his post-seeded/fertilized spouse, Lois Lane, along with their infant son, via Scarecrow’s delusion-inducing gaseous toxins, while indirectly nuking Metropolis in the vastly horrid process, the Man of Steel confronts the villain and despite Batman’s interjection and protests, he rips out The Joker’s heart out, literally. It only costs Superman his sanity and moral code of conduct upon the earth, converting him into a super-powered tyrant upon mankind. It is what happens in the animated film adaptation of the game/s where Superman’s wife is seeded at the time of the prior urgency, differing from the original source material. Even Batman could not prevent Superman from going ultimately off the deep.

4: Superman Breaks General Zod’s Neck — Man of Steel (2013)

Credit: Warner Bros; DC

Another time Superman has gone beast/rage mode but this is with very good reason. When General Zod threatens to destroy all life on Earth after his plot to destroy Earth and convert it to a new Krypton through terraforming via the world engine is first foiled by Superman, the two engage in an epic fight to the death, ending with Zod using his heat vision to endanger a presently innocent family. At this point, Superman is forced to urgently break his neck. Superman lets out a loudly remorseful roar. What he did to Zod has been for the greater good (outta self-defense toward the endangered family).

3: Batman Subdues Harvey Dent aka Two Face — The Dark Knight (2008)

By trolling Batman and Comm. Jim Gordon into sacrificing Dent vainly over Rachel Dawes through the last-min swap of addresses of where they are held captive, The Joker dupes Batman into ending Rachel and creating Two-Face from the then-ex-DA whose face is partially mutilated. Eventually, after defeating The Joker, Batman accidentally offs Two-Face yet decides to take the deliberate fall for his death and his priorly appalling crimes, forcing the caped crusader to go into 8-year self-imposed exile.

2: Simba Ends Scar — The Lion King (1994; 2019)

Simba takes on Scar in a brief but epic battle to the death, ending with Simba indirectly ending his villainous uncle’s life by allowing Scar’s hyena allies to turn on and devour their leader (when Scar earlier attempts to throw em under the bus to no avail). In a moral way, Mufasa’s demise years prior has been ultimately avenged and the Pridelands are restored, thriving again amid Scar’s final defeat.

1: Ariel Impales Ursula — The Little Mermaid (2023)

Unlike in the animated titular movie (1989), Ariel drives a then-risen deserted ship and its sharpened bow into her evil aunt Ursula threatening to destroy Erik while overtaking the seas with a facist iron fist. The giant sea deity drowns beneath the waves and her newly claimed trident is returned to the reborn King Triton. It is one of the certain story elements from the Broadway version featured in the iconic LA remake.