Many iconic characters in cinema have had equally iconic entrances. Movie fans are sharing their favorite introductions, with Indy in Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark taking the number one spot for many.
"The character isn't revealed immediately, you just see a faceless man making his way through the jungle, clearly looking for something. He follows clues to a cave, hears a gun cocking behind him, and a whip flashes out of nowhere to disarm the man. Only then is Indy's face revealed. We were meant to focus on his actions at first, not what he looks like," one user wrote.
They continued: "Then he makes his way through a series of traps that have killed everyone who has come before, which further elevates the character. Only when he gets the idol is it shown that he's made a mistake, and he barely makes it out of the cave alive and loses the idol in the bargain.
It sets up the character as smart, tough, capable, adaptable, but not flawless or incapable of being beaten. He can make mistakes and only quick improvisation can save him where his preparation comes up short."
Also featured prominently was Heather Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. The film begins with a bank robbery (at the hands of a clown gang) that descends into absolute chaos, with each robber killing the other, until the Joker coolly reveals himself as the mastermind and makes off with the money.
"Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs," someone else suggested. "The build-up to his reveal and the way he's already intently looking at Clarice (seemingly through a wall) before she's actually in his line of sight. Never gets old."
Another user agreed with the above, adding: "[Anthony Hopkins] is also only in the movie for 16 minutes of it’s 1 hr 58 minute runtime but you can still feel him in every scene. One of my absolute favorite best actor winning performances. Dude nailed it."
"Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," came another suggestion.
Someone echoed this comment, including a quote about Wonka's entrance from Wilder himself: "His entire introduction, and also his costume, was all Gene Wilder's idea. It was his one condition for taking the role. He said:
'When I make my first entrance, I'd like to come out of the door carrying a cane and then walk toward the crowd with a limp. After the crowd sees Willy Wonka is a cripple, they all whisper to themselves and then become deathly quiet. As I walk toward them, my cane sinks into one of the cobblestones I'm walking on and stands straight up, by itself; but I keep on walking, until I realize that I no longer have my cane. I start to fall forward, and just before I hit the ground, I do a beautiful forward somersault and bounce back up, to great applause.'"
"Wesley Snipes in Blade," one fan wrote. "A cool pose in a cool costume, but most of all an entire mob of blood-frenzied vampires back away from him in primal fear, with one even uttering 'Jesus, it's him!'"
"Can't believe no one's mentioned Vader in Star Wars yet," someone else commented. "The all-black contrast against the all-white rebel starship interior surrounded by all-white Stormtroopers when the door explodes and Vader walks through the smoke is perfect.
Lastly, one user wrote: "Morpheus in the first Matrix. His intro was so badass and really set the tone of the film. Lawrence killed it and it's an effing crime they didn't bring him back."
For more, check out our list of the best Oscar-winning movies of all time.
