Satisfaction Guaranteed: The 10 Best Comeuppances In Cinema

There is a very simple reason for the high level of enjoyment that comes from watching a great cinematic comeuppance – it affords us the kind of satisfaction we rarely find in life. Who hasn’t found themselves up against the sort of arch-nemesis that belongs on the silver screen? In every audience-member’s own narrative, there is an embodiment of cold, calculating evil – plotting the demise of the more sympathetic and heroic characters in that personal story.

Sarah Myles Jul 24, 2015 8:22 am2015-07-28T14:35:51-05:00

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi (1983)

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There are several iconic comeuppances in the Star Wars franchise, but perhaps none is more central to the narrative arc than the death of Emperor Palpatine. By the time Return Of The Jedi has progressed such that it has spilled its range of family secrets and personal politics, we find ourselves stumbling into a confrontation between Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and the Emperor.

Here, Vader is torn between loyalty to his own father-figure – the evil Emperor – and pangs of emotion, as his defiant son, Luke, is slowly and painfully tortured at Palpatine’s hands. His actions are ultimately dictated by his sense of betrayal at what appears to be the Emperor’s revelation that he wishes to have the son replace the father at the Emperor’s side. This realization prompts Vader to attack Palpatine and hurl him from their high platform to his certain and spectacular death.

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