Not every movie reveal creates the dramatic response that filmmakers are hoping to achieve. Sometimes, the moment completely misses its mark. One curious Redditor wondered about this exact problem. They asked, “Which face reveals stripped characters of their mystery and aura?”
Featured VideoRedditor u/Gaelfling posed the question in r/popculturechat and shared their personal responses to the question, ranging from The Beast from Beauty and the Beast to Predator from the movie of the same name.
Other Redditors quickly joined in with their cinematic frustrations. Some complained that supposedly “ugly” characters were actually far too attractive once revealed. Others argued that terrifying villains became far less scary when their masks or shadows disappeared. The thread became a catalog of disappointing face reveals across movie history.
Check out 18 of the most disappointing face reveals according to Redditors below
Advertisement1. Jigsaw in The Punisher
“Jigsaw in MCU’s The Punisher. THIS is the best they could come up with? This is the disfigured face that drove him completely insane and bloodthirsty for revenge against Frank Castle?” —u/Amaruq93
2. Zoom from The Flash
“I wouldn’t say he lost all of his aura, but he definitely lost some of it. Zoom from The Flash. During the first 14 episodes or so, he was faceless, and just unleashed pure fear into his victims, along with intimidation.” —u/Prankstaboy6
Advertisement3. The Beast in Beauty and the Beast
“I think everyone felt utter disappointment when the Beast turned back into his human form. He was just…not it.” —u/Gaelfling
4. The original Beast
“Funnily enough, Disney’s was not the first Beast to cause this reaction. When she was watching Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête (1946), Greta Garbo famously shouted ‘Give me back my beast!’ when he transformed back into the prince.” —u/Send_Me_Dik-diks
Advertisement5. Sontarans in Doctor Who
“When a Sontaran takes off the helmet and reveals their weird crowning turd head.” —u/[deleted]
7. Long Legs
“Long Legs. Ironically, I can’t find a gif of his face.” —u/Justananxiousmama
Advertisement8. The demon in Insidious
“I found Insidious to be pretty scary up until they finally show the demon. I couldn’t take it seriously after that. All that tension and buildup, and that’s what the monster looks like??” —u/alohamora_
9. Kylo Ren in Star Wars
“I remember people laughing when Kylo Ren unmasks in The Force Awakens. Revealing that he’s pretty normal-looking? Not even a scar yet. It actually makes a lot of sense, given his posturing. I think a certain section of the audience was also like ‘Is that the guy from Girls?’.” —u/barkbarkkrabkrab
Advertisement10. Darth Vader
“Vader, back before we had the prequels. I mean, lore-wise, yes, absolutely, it made sense. And that was the whole point – he’s just an old man under there. But man, Vader to a pale, old guy… what an aura drop.” —u/GingerVampire22
11. A recasting in Fantastic Beasts
“Technically, when Colin Farrell turned into Johnny Depp in Fantastic Beasts. I remember the audience groaning in disappointment.” —u/fallenarist0crat
Advertisement12. Dream
“Remember that influencer who hyped up his face reveal? He was okay-looking, but they hyped it up too much, and basically everyone was disappointed. Lol” —u/nizey_p
13. Pennywise
“In the 1990 miniseries IT, Pennywise was 1000% creepier as a menacing clown than that ridiculous spider-alien that was its true form.” —u/arthurrules
Advertisement14. Three-Eyed Raven
“In the ASOIAF books, when Bran meets the Three-Eyed Raven, he’s this ancient man basically fused to the tree with a branch smashing through his skull and growing out of his eye, and it’s gnarly as hell. So I was like, ‘I can’t wait to see this on screen!’. Then the scene arrives, with this massive build-up, and he’s just some guy sitting there chilling in a shrub.” —u/threeredtrees
15. The Masked Magician
“Valentino, The Masked Magician. Had no idea who he was and looked like a bit of a dweeb.” —u/axelfandango1989
Advertisement16. Van in Yellowjackets
“Van’s scars on Yellowjackets after her face was pried open by wolves and she was sewn with a dirty needle by a fellow 16-year-old. She should have looked disfigured. That shit made me lose respect for the show.” —u/No-Bandicoot7886
17. The Phantom in Phantom of the Opera
“Reminds me of the Phantom of the Opera movie. :/ That is what has isolated you from society? A mild sunburn?” —u/Gaelfling
Advertisement“This was going to be my answer. As a massive Phantom fan, I love seeing the way each adaptation interprets his appearance. This was hilarious.” —u/littledollylo
18. Hotel Transylvania’s Invisible Man
“The Invisible Man from Hotel Transylvania. We got robbed.” —u/They_said_TryAnother
Advertisement
'You Just Can't Do All the Projects You Want' — Rockstar Co-Founder Dan Houser Says Bully 2 Didn't Happen Due to 'Bandwidth Issues'