7. Batman’s Selfish Choice – The Dark Knight (2008)
This one’s a little messy, so bear with us. In The Dark Knight, the Joker has a plan to show Gotham that Batman is not the hero they believe him to be. He kidnaps Batman’s lifelong friend and love interest, Rachel, as well as her boyfriend and shining beacon of justice Harvey Dent. He tells Batman that both have just minutes to live, but that he’ll only be able to save one.
Batman chooses to save Rachel, and, sending the cops to pick up Dent, rushes to her location. Except the Joker switched the addresses, meaning that Batman arrives just in time to save an already-burning Dent while the cops are too late to save Rachel. Batman’s initial selfish decision may have accidentally been the selfless one, but it still changes everything.
Dent’s facial scarring leads to the creation of his Two-Face persona, which in turn eventually sees the criminals he prosecuted set free. It also leads to Batman’s retirement when he takes the blame for the murders Two-Face committed, setting up The Dark Knight Rises in the process. Basically, by choosing Rachel, Batman creates a villain and unknowingly shapes Gotham’s entire future.