The killer’s game ending explained: What happens to Joe?

Warning: Contains spoilers for The Killer’s Game!The killer’s game Delivers an action-packed ending, one that leaves room for a potential sequel based on Joe’s fate and future. Dave Bautista’s 2024 action movie follows his character, Joe Flood, as he is diagnosed with a terminal illness, which results in him ordering a $2 million contract for an assassin to kill him. However, Joe learns that he was misdiagnosed due to a lab error and attempts to cancel the contract, but it is too late. Several other murderers are already coming for him, and Mariana (Pom Klementieff) is not ready to lift the order.

This leads to Joe fighting for life, killing multiple rival assassins in the process before working with TBI (Ben Kingsley) to coordinate a trap for any remaining assassins. Joe doesn’t know that his biggest rival, Lovedahl (Terry Crews), has captured his girlfriend Maze (Sofia Boutella). The good news is that Maze manages to save Joe from near death, allowing them to reconcile and release their love as they continue to try and survive. Watching The killer’s game And its explosive ending leaves Joe’s future and a possible franchise in an uncertain place.

Is Joe really retired from the game?

He no longer wants to be a murderer

The big question of The killer’s gameThe ending is whether Joe is still part of the “game” as a hired killer. He wants to retire from this line of work early in the movie once his relationship with Maze starts to get serious. Joe then thinks that he will retire the non-peaceful way by death as part of the contract he orders. But once he kills everyone coming after him, Joe tells Zvi he is retired So he and Mays can start a happy life together, as shown by them having a proper marriage before the birth of their first child.

The wedding festivities end with Joe confirming that he has retired to ZBI, however The killer’s game suggests that this may not be permanent. Zvi mentions how he will have more opportunities to work Now that Marianne and her network of assassins are out of the picture, that’s why he wants Joe to come back to work for him. Surprisingly, Maze doesn’t seem completely opposed to the idea of ​​Joe returning to the life of a hitman, as she jokes about how much he can do for just hurting people instead of killing them.

With Maze and Joe discussing the need for them to start a college fund for their child, The killer’s games end implies that Joe’s retirement may not be permanent. For now, he is retired and ready to spend some time living with his new wife. However, the door is open for Joe to return to being a killer, especially now that Maze knows the truth and may be more comfortable with the idea that this is his line of work.

Why Marianna wanted to kill Joe so badly

She holds a grudge because of her father

While much of The killer’s gameThe plot is the direct result of Joe’s decision to ask Marianne to put a hit on him, most of the movie could have been avoided if she complied with his request to cancel it. She is eager for Joe to dieAs she even mentions that she has been thinking about doing it herself for years and that she might have done it if it hadn’t ruined her career. The reason Marianna wants Joe dead is glossed over in the story, but the movie provides some details.

The root of Marianne’s hatred for Joe is because he was responsible for killing her father. Marianne suggests that Joe is quite close to her father, and she felt betrayed that Joe would kill him. It’s not until later The killer’s game reveals that Joe only killed Marianna’s father because he broke the rules By hiring mercenaries for a contract job. Ironically, it was breaking the same rule that caused Zvi to kill Marianna in the finale, while Joe killed off all the mercenaries that she hired to kill him.

What is really wrong with Joe?

His health issues were resolved

The killer’s game It is made clear early on that Joe is not in perfect health, as he has terrible headaches, double vision, and other symptoms during his first mission. After the doctor ruled out tumors as the cause, Joe was told he had Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).. He was given just three months to live after the rare disease diagnosis and believes he will get more symptoms of it once his hands start shaking. However, the lab mislabeled the tests, so Joe did not have CJD, and the doctor never correctly diagnosed what was wrong with him.

In a somewhat unexpected development, The cause of Joe’s headaches and double vision is rooted in his neck. Tzbi’s wife, Sharon, who previously worked as a massage therapist, begins working on Joe’s neck one night, and his symptoms are learned after she is done. This means that Joe has never been close to a serious illness. He just needed a good massage to help his neck back in order after 20 years of taking hits and punches.

Why Joe & Maze didn’t help Lovedahl

They let him into the church

The killer’s gameThe end of Joe and Maze making a potentially interesting decision not to help Lovedahl once all the shooting and fighting have come to a close. Lovedahl finds himself in the crosshairs of Marianna’s mercenaries, and he and Joe briefly work together to stop them in the end. But, it Ends with Lovedahl stuck on the ground and injured by scaffolding on him. He asks Joe and Maze to help him get free, but they refuse. While it is shown that he is free on his own, Joe and Maze’s decision sticks out.

The reason why Joe and Mays do not help Lovedale is probably the result of the role that Terry Crews’ character played in the danger they found themselves in. Lovedall only stopped trying to kill Joe because Marianna would not raise the bounty to $6 million as he requested. He was also the one responsible for putting Maize in danger since he kidnapped her. Joe gives Lovedahl the professional courtesy of not killing himBut he won’t help him either because of his role in what happened. That’s why Joe even suggests Lovedale should retire.

How the killer’s game sets up a sequel

The killer landscape has changed

The killer’s game Does not immediately set a sequel in a traditional sense. Instead, it opts to leave the door open to a potential sequel, but it still has an ending that works if this is ultimately a standalone movie. It can’t be a The killer’s game A post-credits scene promises what might come in a sequel, but the end of the movie still drops a few clues about what another installment might be about.

The most important thing The killer’s game 2 The setup through the finale is how different the killer landscape is now. Tzvi mentions that Marianne’s death opens up more opportunities for him and his murderers to have work. That would be possible Expand the pool of targets that Joe could go after in a sequel. Furthermore, Mariano’s death at the hands of Tzbis could lead to other traders coming after him to try to take some of the new-found power. Joe may even be targeted again due to the various assassins he killed.

The history of The killer’s game 2 Would also certainly mean that Joe is coming out of retirement In some form. This would also likely put Maize and their child in some sort of danger. It would be up to the sequel to explore how Joe and Maze’s relationship has progressed. Maybe The killer’s games sequel may even bring Maze into the action a bit more after she kills Max and possibly gets a taste of the assassin lifestyle.

The real meaning of the killer’s game

This movie is about finding happiness

The killer’s game It may just seem like a mindless action movie, and it is to some degree, but there are bigger themes at play. The biggest is The idea of ​​finding happiness and love. Joe always puts work before making a life for himself, but that changes with Maze. He finally finds happiness and is willing to walk away from that lifestyle to be with her. Even if he finally winds up as a murderer again, The killer’s game Still shows that he is in a much better place after finding the love and happiness he deserves.