Not all movie characters are geniuses. That much really should be a given, as the magical world of cinema is intended as a reflection of the world we inhabit, and humans have the capacity for great stupidity. In this, movies succeed in replicating that element of humanity, because even the most far-fetched movie often features at least one stupid decision.
Some movie characters, however, take this idea to a whole new level. Every so often, a movie character will opt not to use anything resembling common sense, and will instead choose to do something so epically stupid that it stands out as nothing more than glaring idiocy. Sometimes, these bad decisions are somewhat understandable: maybe they were made in a particularly tense or emotional moment, or maybe the character’s judgement was otherwise impaired. Even so, that doesn’t completely excuse the utter stupidity displayed.
Whether these characters were justified or not, whether there was some conceivable reason for their choice simply doesn’t matter. Each and every decision compiled on this list was made in the face of obvious logic, and these characters all seem singularly unintelligent for having made them. Here are 8 of the dumbest decisions ever made in movies.
8. Death By Tornado – Man Of Steel
2013’s Man of Steel not only started the DCEU, but it also brought the world yet another Superman origin story, just in case there was anyone unfamiliar. With Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, the film explores how he came to reveal himself to the world in order to face the grave threat of General Zod. One of the major players in the film (especially with regards to shaping Clark into the hero he becomes) is Jonathan Kent, this time played by Kevin Costner.
Partly in order to draw a parallel between Kal-El’s birth father and Clark’s adoptive one, Jonathan Kent doesn’t survive Man of Steel. Jonathan’s death is often used as a plot device in Superman stories, but the exact moment of his passing sees him make a sacrifice that comes off as a pretty stupid decision, all things considered. Driving along as a family, the Kents encounter a tornado, abandon their vehicle and head for the shelter of a nearby overpass. Realizing that they’ve left the dog behind somehow, Jonathan rushes back to rescue the pet, becomes stuck and wordlessly gestures for Clark not to save him and reveal himself to the few dozen witnesses.
This is particularly stupid because there are multiple other solutions to the issue. Clark could have run (at normal speed) to rescue the dog, then emerged unscathed without any obvious display of his powers. Similarly, Clark could have moved faster than the eye could see to safely rescue Jonathan and deposit him somewhere safe, and any potential witnesses would likely be so distracted by their fear that they wouldn’t think too hard about Jonathan’s miraculous survival. Ultimately, choosing to die was a pretty dumb decision on Jonathan’s part, and choosing to honor his choice was an equally dumb thing for Clark to do.