10 Movie Cliffhangers We'll Probably Never Get Answers For (2024)

Cinema is all about telling stories, and a definitive ending (or at least a largely firm one) is the norm. However, not every movie follows this pattern, and many don't even get the chance to. Some filmmakers like Alfred Hitchco*ck chose to have uncertain endings for their movies, with no intention of solving them for the audience. Other movies end on cliffhangers with the intent of picking it up in a sequel, but sometimes these don't materialize.

These movie cliffhangers often urge the viewer to infer their own ending from their imaginations, but sometimes they can be annoying too. When fans get invested in the story and characters, they want to know how their lives play out after the movie ends. Sadly, there are plenty of movies that did not quite complete the arc that they were supposed to, leaving fans with a cliffhanger that they'll never get an answer to.

10 Green Lantern Sets Up a Villain Without Any Follow-Up

Like many superhero movies, the post-credits scene makes an appearance in DC's Green Lantern. During the course of the movie, Sinestro, part of the Green Lantern Corps, ordered the creation of a yellow ring to fight fear with fear. However, Hal Jordan manages to defeat Parallax and fear with his knowledge, leaving the fate of the yellow ring unknown.

That is, until the final scene of the movie that set up an ill-fated sequel. Sinestro is seen slipping on the yellow ring instead of the green and donning his iconic yellow suit and teasing an evil turn. While he was always a villain canonically, the movie showed him as a hero who goes over to the dark side. However, with no sequel to Green Lantern (a critical failure), this remained an unsolved question.

Green Lantern

PG-13

superheroes

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Reckless test pilot Hal Jordan is granted an alien ring that bestows him with otherworldly powers that inducts him into an intergalactic police force, the Green Lantern Corps.

Director

Martin Campbell

Release Date

June 17, 2011

Cast

Ryan Reynolds , Blake Lively , Peter Sarsgaard , Angela Bassett

Writers

Greg Berlanti , Michael Green , Marc Guggenheim , Michael Goldenberg

Runtime

114 minutes

Main Genre

Superhero

9 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Hinted at Eustace's Adventures But to No Avail

The Chronicles of Narnia got a promising start with its first two movies, but a dip in profits made it tough for even The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to be released. This time around, only Lucy and Edmund come to Narnia, along with Eustace, Prince Caspian, and Reepicheep for a seafaring journey. When their water-borne adventures are over, Aslan makes it clear that Lucy and Edmund are too old to come back, but Eustace just might because he is younger.

All the characters, save for him, bid goodbye to their fantasy life in Narnia and return to the real world. But as the Pevensie siblings leave, it is heavily implied that Eustace will be back, as his mother's voice is heard announcing a visitor named Jill Pole. Jill was an important character in The Chronicles of Narnia books, but she was never seen, and their adventures never came to fruition as there were no more movies.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

8 Eragon's Ending Depicted an Upcoming War And a Ferocious Dragon

The Inheritance Cycle had a fanbase comparable to the Harry Potter books, which was why a movie adaptation was a given. Unfortunately, Eragon (2006) disappointed fans with an unimaginative script and acting, which left fans with a huge cliffhanger to deal with. After defeating the antagonist, Durza, Eragon passes out while trying to heal his dragon, Saphira.

When Eragon awakens, he sees Arya riding to Ellesmera to prepare for the upcoming war against Galbatorix. There is a huge buildup to the villain, who is eventually shown ripping up the map of Alagaësia, and his terrifying black dragon, Shruikan, making his first appearance. These battles and hostilities never materialized, which is why fans think that the fantasy series deserves a sequel.

Eragon

PG

Director

Stefen Fangmeier

Release Date

December 15, 2006

Cast

Ed Speleers , Sienna Guillory , Jeremy Irons , John Malkovich

Writers

Peter Buchman , Christopher Paolini

Runtime

104 minutes

7 Dawn of the Dead Shocks With a Bloody, Uncertain End

Zack Snyder and James Gunn depict a zombie apocalypse in the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead with aplomb, pulling viewers in with the frightening undead and their gory attempt to take over humanity. Survivors create a community of sorts in an abandoned mall, but the finale sees a group of them attempting to reach a boat that could carry them to an island unaffected by the zombie virus.

While the last scene showed them sailing away toward safety and hope, the post-credits scene pulled the rug from under the audience's feet. Found footage shows supplies running low on the boat, and the engine failing. When they do reach an island, a swarm of zombies rushes out from the trees, and the camera cuts. The ending was open, and it wasn't known if anyone made it, if at all.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

R

Horror

Action

A nurse, a policeman, a young married couple, a salesman and other survivors of a worldwide plague that is producing aggressive, flesh-eating zombies, take refuge in a mega Midwestern shopping mall.

Director

Zack Snyder

Release Date

March 19, 2004

Cast

Sarah Polley , Ving Rhames , Mekhi Phifer , Jake Weber , Ty Burrell , Michael Kelly , Kevin Zegers , Michael Barry

Writers

George A. Romero , James Gunn

Runtime

101 minutes

Main Genre

Horror

6 Super Mario Bros. Never Answered What Daisy's Mission Was

1993's live-action Super Mario Bros. was received differently by various fans, who expressed both dislike and worship due to how the source material was altered in a drastic manner. Either way, the movie entertained with Mario and Luigi chasing and defeating President Koopa and rescuing Daisy and her father. Daisy then opened a portal for Luigi and Mario to return to Brooklyn from the evolved prehistoric city they found themselves in.

However, the final scenes of the movie see Mario and Luigi in their New York apartment, interrupted by Daisy who bursts in weeks after their shared adventure. Daisy announces, with a gun strapped around her shoulder, that she wants to recruit the brothers for a new mission, which is where the movie ends. Fans never learned what this mission was, as there was no new movie.

5 The Divergent Series: Allegiant Was Supposed to Be Followed By Ascendant

While many book-to-movie adaptations hit critical and box office success, The Divergent Series left the end of the saga unfinished. The final installment was meant to be split into two parts, and the first, Allegiant, made it to cinemas. Sadly, the second and last part of the series never made it to production as the box office was projected to be poor.

The last scenes of Allegiant show Tris finally revealing the Bureau to the world, thus making it clear who controlled their dystopian realm. However, this was where it ended, implying a full-on battle between Tris and the Bureau in the next movie. As that film didn't happen, there is no way to know what the impact of Tris' actions was on their world.

Divergent

PG-13

Studio

Summit

4 The Birds Leaves Everything Unresolved, Deliberately

Young socialite Melanie heads to Bodega Bay in Alfred Hitchco*ck's The Birds, unaware of the horrors that await her in the small California town. The avian attacks start small until the vindictive birds are pecking out eyes, setting fires, and hurting children. Small and fast, the birds are able to get anywhere, but Melanie manages to get into Mitch's home, which is safe.

At one point, they sneak out of the house and walk calmly to their car as the birds, previously vicious, watch them with disturbing quiet. While Melanie and Mitch are able to get into the car and drive off (with their caged lovebirds), the movie ends abruptly at that point. It is unknown whether the birds continue attacking if Melanie makes it out alive and what the state of the world is.

The Birds

PG-13

Drama

Mystery

A wealthy San Francisco socialite pursues a potential boyfriend to a small Northern California town that slowly takes a turn for the bizarre when birds of all kinds suddenly begin to attack people.

Director

Alfred Hitchco*ck

Release Date

March 28, 1963

Cast

Rod Taylor , Jessica Tandy , Tippi Hedren , Veronica Cartwright , Suzanne Pleshette

Runtime

1 hour 59 minutes

Main Genre

Horror

3 The Mummy Saw Nick Start a Quest to Remove Set From Inside Him

1932 and 1999's The Mummy remain iconic movies, and like all great movies, they got a second reboot in 2017. Starring Tom Cruise as a US soldier, Nick Morton takes on the undead Ahmanet but needs to sacrifice himself to defeat her and save the world. He stabs himself with the Dagger of Set so that the God of Death can possess him and thus take down Ahmanet.

Set does so and, after defeating her, resurrects one of his allies. However, the final scenes don't resolve the glaring fact that Nick has a God inside him that has turned him into a monster. The finale shows Nick riding off toward the pyramids, with a sandstorm behind him, in search of a way to extricate himself from Set, thus setting up a dark universe that never happened.

The Mummy (2017)

PG-13

Fantasy

Adventure

An ancient Egyptian princess is awakened from her crypt beneath the desert, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia and terrors that defy human comprehension.

Director

Alex Kurtzman

Release Date

June 9, 2017

Cast

Tom Cruise , Sofia Boutella , Russell Crowe , Annabelle Wallis , Jake Johnson

Writers

David Koepp , Christopher McQuarrie , Dylan Kussman , Alex Kurtzman , Jon Spaihts , Jenny Lumet

Runtime

110 minutes

Main Genre

Action

Producer

Sarah Bradshaw, Sean Daniel, Chris Morgan, Alex Kurtzman

Production Company

Universal Pictures, Dark Universe, Perfect World Pictures, Secret Hideout, Conspiracy Factory, Hivemind, Dentsu, Fuji Television Network

2 Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes Left Fans Confused

Another remake that didn't quite live up to the original, Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, had a vastly different ending. After his escapade at Ashlar, the stranded Captain Leo manages to reach his spaceship, which carries him back through the electromagnetic storm and back to his own time. However, when he returns to Earth, everything is shockingly different.

The Lincoln Memorial has the movie's ape villain, General Thade's, face on it, and the apes have seemingly taken over the planet in the Captain's absence. Everyone, from the fire department to law enforcement, are apes, and he is surrounded by them on all sides. There is no explanation whatsoever about how this happened or if it was a takeover or evolution had advanced the apes at an earlier point.

Planet of the Apes (2001)

PG-13

Action

Adventure

In 2029, an Air Force astronaut crash-lands on a mysterious planet where evolved, talking apes dominate a race of primitive humans.

Director

Tim Burton

Release Date

July 27, 2001

Cast

Mark Wahlberg , Helena Bonham Carter , Tim Roth

Writers

Pierre Boulle , William Broyles Jr. , Lawrence Konner

Runtime

2 Hours

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Production Company

Twentieth Century Fox, The Zanuck Company, Tim Burton Productions

1 Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Promised a New Character For the Prophecy

The Percy Jackson series started as movies but only covered two novels. Released three years after the first one, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters shows the further adventures of Percy as he sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece so that he may heal Thalia's tree and the barrier that Luke poisoned. The Oracle of Delphi prophecies that Percy may one day save or destroy Olympus.

After a rollicking adventure, the Fleece heals the tree -- but also brings Thalia back to life. As the only daughter of Zeus, this means that the prophecy could also apply to her, thus making her the new villain or hero of the series. With no new movies, Thalia's entry was meaningless.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters