Death Cure's Ending Explained

THE Maze Runner: The Death Cure The finale brings the trilogy of dystopian YA films based on James Dashner's novels to a close, though it wasn't always obvious how the various plot threads running through the franchise tied together for the finale. Even though the Labyrinth Corridor 3 The ending explained a lot of things, it also left a lot of questions. The deadly cure is the third and final installment of the 20th century Labyrinth Corridor film franchise. Follows the first film from 2014 and the sequel from 2015 Maze Runner: The Scorch Trialswrapping up the stories of Thomas, Newt and Minho, and their fight against WCKD.

The third film in the series, based on James Dashner's 2011 novel The deadly curearrived in 2018. Although the final film tied up several plot threads, the Labyrinth Corridor the ending still deserves more explanation, as some of the conclusions of its multi-layered story are not very clear on first viewing. Maze Runner: The Death Cure builds on story threads established in both previous installments, but also introduces new key concepts that become an integral part of the final chapter. However, with the Maze Runner: The Death Cure ending explained, meaning of many parts by director Wes Ball film is developed.

How the Death Cure Ends Maze Runner Character Arcs

The group escapes to rebuild society away from WKCD and the Flare virus

The Maze Runner: The Death CureThe ending of and ended the stories of the franchise's main characters. Thomas (O'Brien) and Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) attempt to rescue their friend Minho (Ki Hong Lee) from the clutches of WCKD, where he is being tested along with other teenage Immunes - those who are immune to the Flare virus. which turns humans into zombie-like Cranes. Minho is only a prisoner of WCKD because Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) betrayed Thomas and his friends by telling WCKD leader Ava Page (Patricia Clarkson) and head of security Janson (Aidan Gillen) about their location after they escaped.

As a result, Thomas, Newt, Frypan (Dexter Darden), Jorge (Giancarlo Esposito) and Brenda (Rosa Salazar) leave Vince (Barry Pepper) and the rest of the resistance group, the Right Arm, to infiltrate the last surviving city. and save Minho. The Right Arm saved several Immunes and planned to find refuge away from the reach of Flare and WCKD.

Although Thomas and his friends - who meet up with former Glander Gally (Will Poulter) on the outskirts of town - are successful in rescuing Minho from WCKD, they are unable to get the cure to save Newt, who is not immune as his friends thought.

When Teresa convinces Thomas he may be the only answer to producing a viable cure at the end of The maze runner 3he comes back. But thanks to an uprising led by Lawrence (Walton Goggins) and a hostile takeover of WCKD led by Janson, Thomas barely makes it out of town alive. He flees with his remaining friends to the refuge Vince found where those immune to the Flare will attempt to rebuild society after The Maze Runner: The Deadly Cure end.

What happened to the cure in the end?

Thomas escapes with a cure for the Flare virus in Maze Runner 3

THE Labyrinth Corridor 3 the ending explained crucial mysterious elements from the previous films, including the Flare virus and how it related to the construction of the maze in the first film. The concepts of Flare and healing were not truly introduced until the end of The maze runner. As Thomas and the rest of the Gladers were placed in the Labyrinth after having their memories erased, they did not discover their purpose until they escaped.

At the end of The maze runnerAva Paige appears on a video screen and explains to the Gladers that Earth was devastated by a solar flare, and then humanity's already dwindling numbers have been ravaged by the Flare virus. So, in The Burn TrialsThomas and his friends are housed in a facility with survivors from other Labyrinth experiments, but they soon discover that it is run by WCKD. When Thomas discovers this, he and his friends escape and look for the Right Hand Man.

On the way they meet Brenda, Jorge and their group. Brenda is infected with the Flare virus, but one of the Right Arm members – a former WCKD scientist – uses an enzyme cure that cures her completely. The scientist reveals that the cure can only be harvested from the body of an Immune, not manufactured. The scientist disagreed with Paige on how to harvest the cure and revealed that was why she left WCKD.

When 2018 Labyrinth Corridor: The deadly cure begins, Teresa struggles to discover a viable cure. Despite collecting blood and enzymes from Immunes, she and Paige only manage to slow down the Flare virus. However, after Teresa sees Brenda cured, she suspects that Thomas may be the solution to stopping the virus entirely. She tests his blood and proves her hypothesis, then convinces him to return to help her create the cure.

Amid the revolt, Janson – now infected – takes advantage of the opportunity that Thomas is defenseless to force him and Teresa to create the cure. Instead, Thomas and Teresa fight back, but Teresa dies in The deadly cure after helping Thomas escape with his right arm. At the end of The maze runner 3it is revealed that Thomas escaped with a vial of the cure. He keeps the vial with him as he and his fellow survivors begin their new lives.

The Flare Virus Cure Was a MacGuffin

The Maze Runner ending revealed that the story was actually about self-sacrifice

At the end of Labyrinth Corridor: The deadly curethe cure for the Flare virus becomes somewhat secondary to the other ongoing crises. Although WCKD attempts to evacuate to continue searching for a cure, the organization is in chaos after several deaths. Furthermore, since Thomas was unable to get the “cure” to Newt in time to save his life, Thomas doesn't have much personal incentive to help solve the pandemic since everyone else he cares about is immune. Thomas offering himself to Teresa and WCKD is a move of self-sacrifice with little hope for his own future or freedom.

When the time comes The deadly cure ends, it appears that most of humanity has descended into the chaotic world seen outside the city walls throughout the entire film franchise. Meanwhile, the Right Hand, Thomas and the rest of their friends try to build a new society on an island far from the rest of the world. Presumably, they will let the rest of humanity die – whether through violence or through the Flare – and try to rebuild again. THE Labyrinth Corridor 3 the ending explained little more about their fates after the events of the film.

Thomas still has that vial of the viable cure at the end, but it apparently becomes moot since many of the survivors are immune. Furthermore, everyone Thomas knows who knows how to harvest the cure - Teresa, Paige, the defected WCKD scientist - are all dead. Between not needing the cure and no one being able to harvest it, Thomas' healing vial is essentially just a symbol of everything he went through to gain freedom and build a better life.

How does the ending of the Death Cure movie differ from the book?

Newt's note and epilogue were the main chances in Maze Runner 3

Newt's note is among the major changes director Wes Ball and screenwriter TS Nowlin made to the finale. In the book, Newt gives Thomas a note in hopes that he will read it before the former is consumed by the Flare. However, Thomas only reads it later, and it's incredibly dark: "Kill me. If you were ever my friend, kill me." Essentially, Newt asked Thomas to kill him before turning into a Crank. THE Labyrinth Corridor the film made the change to have this happen on screen as Newt struggles to maintain his humanity while begging to die.

Instead of a deeply disturbing message showing the desolation of the world these characters live in, Maze Runner: The Death Cure employs a classic movie trope: having the deceased character offer the protagonist some advice and/or hope via a letter. Newt's note speaks of a better world built by Thomas and the remaining survivors. Newt begs Thomas to "the future is in your hands" and tells Thomas to take care of everyone who left, thanking them for their friendship. The note offers hope for the future and gives the final moments of The deadly cure a clearly optimistic conclusion.

The other big change is that Maze Runner: The Death Cure eliminated the epilogue from Dashner's original novel. Written from Ava Paige's perspective, the original epilogue explained that the government actually created the Flare virus as population control after the devastating solar flare. However, although the virus was designed to kill a portion of the human population and then die, it survived and began to devastate the remnants of humanity. WCKD (called WICKED in the novels) was tasked with finding a cure, but Paige eventually realized that wouldn't be possible and came up with a new plan.

Notably, the Labyrinth Corridor 3 the ending explained nothing about the origin of the virus because the epilogue was omitted. Furthermore, in Death Cure novel, it was previously revealed that Thomas's allies Jorge and Brenda actually work for WCKD. The epilogue also has Paige revealing that this was part of her plan to gather all of the Immunes and transport them to a safe haven where they could survive the collapse of the rest of the world and have some hope of rebuilding.

Death Cure Epilogue Undermines Franchise Narrative

Changes were made to allow the film trilogy to end definitively

The epilogue coincides with the end of Maze Runner: The Death Cure as it reinforces the idea that the search for a cure was abandoned in favor of the safe haven of the Immune. The epilogue also establishes that this plan was in action long before the film began and would have given more credence to the idea of ​​Thomas and his friends moving away from the rest of the world to rebuild society.

However, it also overcomplicates the narrative and, more importantly, sets the stage for Dashner's previous novels, The Kill Order and The Fever Code. These romances take place before The maze runner and follow the initial outbreak of the Flare virus, as well as Thomas working with WCKD to build the Labyrinth.

But it seems unlikely that Fox will adapt these two previous novels - especially since Disney acquired The maze runner film franchise along with the rest of 20th Century Fox. So, The deadly cure necessary to tie up all the loose ends of the series, and did so by eliminating, or simply not including, certain aspects of mythologysuch as the source of the Flare virus and the secret plan WCKD has always had for the Immunes.

Why were they in the maze in the first place (and other unanswered questions)?

The end of the Death Cure left many mysteries about Maze Runner

There are a lot of unanswered questions after Maze Runner: The Death Cure. It's still unclear what happened to the rest of the world after Thomas and the Right Hand founded their safe haven and how the island is protected from the Flare. The films also didn't reveal how the cure was harvested from an Immune and why the Labyrinth was so important in developing it. THE Labyrinth Corridor 3 the ending explained a lot, but also left audiences with only vague clues to some of its biggest mysteries.

It stands to reason that the rest of the world eventually died, consumed by the Flare virus and the violence it inspires. It is also likely that the island was explored by the Right Arm (or, based on the books, its location was given to the Right Arm by WCKD). However, because it is unclear how the Flare virus is transferred between humans – direct contact can result in infection, but it is also stated in the film that the virus is airborne – and whether animals can transfer the virus, it is impossible to know whether the island is truly safe.

The science of Maze Runner: The Death Cure is an aspect that end explained very little about. The best explanation given for how the cure is harvested from an Immune is when Minho is being terrorized with hallucinations of the Labyrinth and the Grievers and his blood is drawn and turned into a light blue liquid. Furthermore, one of the WCKD scientists claims that the best samples for a viable cure were taken from the Immunes who underwent the Labyrinth tests. It's a provocation of the type of questions Labyrinth Corridor 4 could respond.

The Labyrinth somehow creates a reaction within an Immune's body that has the greatest chance of producing a viable cure – but why exactly the Labyrinth, and nothing else, can cause this reaction within the body is never explained.. It can perhaps be assumed that the Labyrinth was designed based on WCKD's previous research for a cure, but this is not directly stated in the films. How the Labyrinth was built is the premise of the previous novel, The Fever Code.

Essentially, Thomas and his friends were in the Labyrinth under the guise of WCKD looking for a cure, but all the while Paige abandoned hope for a cure and was working to send all the Immunes to a safe haven where they could rebuild society away from the Flare and the Cranks. Although the Maze Runner: The Death Cure ending leaves much to be inferred by the viewer, offers at least an optimistic - if fatalistic - conclusion to The maze runner trilogy.

The True Meaning of the Death Cure's End

The death cure favors self-sacrifice and hope

It can be inferred that the real meaning behind the end of The deadly cure is that there is always hope, even in the darkest situations. After all, the public has long believed that all hope lies in finding a cure, only to see every person who knows how to harvest and synthesize a cure die on screen.

This would apparently indicate that the world has no hope. Instead, it has become clear repeatedly that part of the population is immune to the virus. Those who are immune can survive no matter how harsh the conditions may be. Although in the case of the film this hopeful ending seems to be more a matter of convenience than perseverance, what immune people go through to begin rebuilding society cannot be discounted. They don't let anything or anyone stop them from finding a way to live their lives.

The deadly cure the ending, however, also has that heavy theme of self-sacrifice. Just as Thomas is willing to put himself at risk, so to speak, to find a cure for the rest of humanity, Teresa is also willing to sacrifice her own life for his. She repeatedly puts herself in danger, and ultimately dies, in order to keep Thomas alive. The willingness to sacrifice oneself for the greater good is at the heart of the ending, despite the group of Immunes isolating themselves from the rest of humanity in The deadly cure.

How the end of the Death Cure defines the future of the Maze Runner franchise

Maze Runner 4 doesn't seem likely

Despite being the conclusion of an entire narrative trilogy Maze Runner: The Death CureThe ending still leaves room for the franchise to grow. Newt's letter to Thomas briefly talks about the promise of the future. With the Gladers and other Immunes now living in solidarity, the setup is created for an adaptation of The Maze Cutter - James Dashner's sequel/spinoff novel set more than 70 years after the conclusion of The deadly cure. This moment alone provides potential hope for the Labyrinth Corridor franchise will continue if Disney wants it to.

Currently it does not appear that Maze Runner: The Death Cure will receive a sequel, as development of new films in the franchise has been silent. Disney confirmed plans to make Labyrinth Corridor 4 in 2019but no further news has come since, although all the Labyrinth Corridor the series can be seen on Disney+. With Maze Runner: The Death CureThe ending already explains the main mysteries, be it the public outcry and the rumors about the possibility of Labyrinth Corridor 4 will actually bear fruit remains to be seen.

How the Death Cure Ending Was Received

Reactions to the ending were mixed

Reactions at the end of The deadly cure have been mixed, but that's mainly because reactions to the franchise as a whole have been mixed. Those who loved the books didn't always like the changes made to the films, and The deadly cure presents many changes in relation to the book. Those who had not read the books felt that they were missing information, although many of the plot points left open were not necessarily knowledge gaps for the film.

As a result of the conflicting opinions, some members of the public loved The deadly cure ending, while others hated it. Even critics were quite divided on the film because, although they felt that the visuals were improved in the final chapter, they also felt that the story should have been simplified for the screen even more than it already was. THE Rotten tomatoes'the critical consensus reflects that, as it states, “Maze Runner: The Death Cure may offer closure for fans of the franchise, but for those who haven't yet been hooked, this bloated final chapter is best left unseen.”

The biggest hurdle for many critics was that the film's ending was simply too long. The reviewer of The Australian he said, "The final 40 minutes constitute the longest ending I've ever seen, almost inaccessible.” RogerEbert.Com essentially agreed with this idea, explaining: “For better or for worse, it is an overwhelming experience. And just when you think it's over, there's another coda, and then another.”

Of course, for every critical complaint about this ending, there is also the note that each installment in the franchise has improved upon what came before. NPR found The deadly cure be the best in the group, saying:

The Maze Runner is the rare series that has improved with each chapter, expanding beyond the organic pen of the first film into a larger, more exciting sci-fi sandbox.

Which Maze Runner movie had the best ending?

The final film offers the best ending

The deadly cure has the best ending Labyrinth Corridor trilogy by far. This is largely because its end is relatively finite. The first two films in the franchise were busy trying to prepare fans to expect another chapter of the story, which meant that their endings left a lot to be desired for those who weren't as familiar with the story as those who read the novels. that inspired the films. That's not to say these endings were horrible, but they were clearly intended to get people back to the theater.

The deadly cureon the other hand, it brings a lot of emotional weight to the franchise and allows the plot to be wrapped up. By having Teresa sacrifice herself to save Thomas, Newt begging his best friend to kill him, and Thomas fighting to get a cure he doesn't need for himself, the film is much more emotionally charged than adrenaline-charged, unlike the two episodes previous ones. With Teresa and Newt dying while Thomas and other Immunes live, there's also a sense of finality to the film despite life going on.

The film's optimistic ending, instead of Thomas and his friends facing another maze or obstacle in their path, also helps the film give the audience hope despite the often dark subject matter. All of this contributes to making The deadly cure the best ending the franchise could have asked for in addition to having the best ending of the three films.