A good plot twist can give your readers something to chew on, long after they’ve closed the book or turned off the TV. The trick is to add plausible clues before the twist, so that it feels natural.
A few examples of plot twists that have been done well.
1. The Protagonist is the Antagonist
The antagonist is the character who pushes the protagonist forward throughout the story, maintaining both external and internal conflict. But sometimes a twist turns the tables so that the protagonist becomes the antagonist.
This is a great way to make the reader feel manipulated and tricked. It can also be used to add an extra layer of complexity to a story.
For example, in the 2014 film EX MACHINA, Caleb is both the protagonist and the antagonist. He is a young programmer brought to Nathan’s private residence to test an AI, Ava.
In this twist, a support character who the audience has been rooting for is revealed to be working against them. This can be a shocking twist as it can upend the entire narrative and cause the hero to lose everything. It can also be a very satisfying twist if done well, such as when Ned Stark is killed off in A Game of Thrones.
2. The Object of Desire Turned Out to Be Fake
A story needs a central object of desire that drives the protagonist throughout the narrative. This can be anything from a physical object to achieving a certain state or status. Objects of desire can drive the protagonist forward through conflict and cause them to make decisions that push them closer or further away from their goals.
Oftentimes the object of desire turns out to be fake or not what it seemed. This can be a great plot twist because it shows readers that not everything is as it seems. It can also be a good way to make readers question their own beliefs and assumptions. It’s like the infamous twist in Bunuel’s film That Obscure Object of Desire where Mathieu and Conchita see a woman sewing a bloody sheet, a metaphor for their own world being a stage and their lives being an act.
3. The Villain Gets Away With Their Crime
If you want your villains to feel truly evil, they need to face real consequences for their crimes. Whether it’s getting arrested, put in prison, or killed, they need to have a genuine consequence. Otherwise, the heroes won’t be able to feel a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction for defeating them.
This can be a problem if the villain doesn’t have any real motivation to change their ways, or if their original goals aren’t particularly threatening. In those cases, you’ll need to add more depth to their character by revealing their true motives or making them suffer an even more painful punishment. For example, Walter White became a drug lord in order to provide for his family, but that wasn’t enough to make him redeemable. He was eventually destroyed by a black hole.
4. The Hero Turns Out to Be the Villain
It’s an old cliché, but sometimes the good guy turns into the villain. Maybe https://www.tellyexpress.com lose their moral compass due to tragedy or an event in their past and turn into a cruel, immoral baddie. It’s a powerful twist and one that many viewers find satisfying.
Hell hath no fury like a villain scorned, after all. Especially if the hero wronged someone or embarrassed them in the past, it’s a great bet they’ll be back for revenge down the road.
Yann Martel’s Life of Pi is an excellent example of this. The narrator spends nearly a year surviving on a raft with a Bengal tiger, only to realize the tiger is actually himself. A twist like that is sure to shock. But be careful: if executed poorly, it can become a cliche. That’s why it’s best left to an expert writer!
5. The Hero Turns Out to Be the Good Guy
A good way to keep audiences engaged is by having a villain start making good choices. This can be done through a backstory that makes the audience sympathetic for the anti-hero, or by giving them an ulterior motive that they aren’t fully aware of. For example, the character of Inspector Javert in Les Miserables has a strong sense of loyalty to his country.
This type of plot twist is also popular in movies. For example, in the movie Megamind, the villain Gru starts out as a bad guy, but then sets out to create a hero to fight him. This is a very noble motive that shows he has some redeeming qualities. This is a common trope that can be found in many different types of movies.
6. The Hero Turns Out to Be the Bad Guy
When a character loses someone they care about, it can push them over to the dark side. This is particularly common in thrillers and mysteries where characters are often rejected by people close to them which drives them to the bad guys.
Sometimes the hero’s actions actually make the world worse. It’s a twist that works in genres as varied as Pixar movies to gritty superhero flicks. In Memento, for example, a man with memory loss tracks down his murderer only to discover that it was him all along.
This twist can also happen in horror and fantasy. Perhaps the hero kills a powerful villain only to find out that they’re immortal or simply too strong to be beaten. This is a risky plot twist because it can easily frustrate fans and turn them away from your story.
7. The Hero Turns Out to Be the Villain’s Mother
In some cases, the hero’s heroic actions cause a bad situation to get worse. This happens when the hero’s actions somehow make the villain even more powerful.
For example, in the book The Prestige, Hugh Jackman plays a magician who seeks revenge against his rival Christian Bale. But over time, he becomes less like a hero and more like a villain.
Similarly, Bellamy Blake from The 100 makes an unwitting promise to protect his younger sister that leads him astray and ultimately into the clutches of his villainous mother, Evelyn. This twist is both unexpected and heartbreaking, making it a great way to keep audiences on edge. This type of plot twist usually requires a bit of foreshadowing to work, however.
8. The Hero Turns Out to Be the Villain’s Father
When the hero’s father turns out to be the villain, it makes for a great twist. This can add a lot of depth to the character, as well as create some serious drama. This is a common trope in movies like Memento and Star Wars, and it can be a very effective way to show the hero’s true nature.
For example, in the Star Wars prequels, Darth Vader serves as a warning to Anakin about what the Dark Side can do. His transformation from hero to villain is shocking and demonstrates the dangers of getting too close to power.
Similarly, in the Anime series Fight Club, the hero’s father is a terrible villain who wants to destroy the multiverse. His lust for power leads him to use his own son as a human shield, which is both terrifying and tragic.
9. The Hero Turns Out to Be the Villain’s Daughter
This is one of the more classic plot twists. It’s when someone who appears to be bad actually turns out to be good. This is a common trope, with examples like the narrator of Fight Club discovering that Tyler Durden is actually a soap salesman.
This is often done to subvert the audience’s expectations of the story. It also works to support the hero’s character arc, such as in the case of Anna and Elsa in Frozen. By revealing that Hans and the Duke of Weselton are her sisters, we avoid the typical violent climax between hero and villain while still showing that heroism is possible.*
10. The Hero Turns Out to Be the Villain’s Sister
This twist is one of the most shocking for readers, as it can reveal a character’s secret past that directly and surprisingly impacts their present storyline. It’s a great way to keep readers on their toes and add drama, tension, and emotional weight.
For example, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the hero finds out that Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew, Voldemort’s henchman who was supposed to be dead for nine years.
This twist also works well for characters who aren’t physically or mentally challenged. For example, a love interest might be revealed to be a figment of the protagonist’s imagination or the villain might be a manifestation of their multiple personality disorder. This was the case with Vic in Supernatural. His evil side overtook him, causing his world to collapse. Luckily, the Avengers were able to save him.