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The Old Guard 2 Ending Explained: Shocking Cliffhanger & What’s Next for Immortal Warriors

BBG News

As a die-hard movie enthusiast, I’ve been eagerly waiting five long years for “The Old Guard 2” – the highly anticipated sequel to the 2020 Netflix action flick about an immortal team of mercenaries. Yet, despite the tantalizing hint of a larger adventure in its final scene, this sequel seems to leave us hanging mid-sentence.

Based on the comics penned by Greg Rucka and beautifully illustrated by Leandro Fernández, published by Image Comics, both “The Old Guard” and its successor revolve around Andy (Charlize Theron), who despite being over 6,000 years old, remains as striking as ever. She leads a motley crew of immortal warriors, their lives marked by loyalty, sorrow, and the inability to die.

“The Old Guard 2,” which experienced some delays, finally dropped on July 2. It finds our newcomer immortal, Nile (KiKi Layne), fully integrated into the group, embarking on a pulse-pounding mission in Split, Croatia, supported by the cunning CIA defector Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

In the first movie, we discovered that immortality can end at any moment. By the conclusion of “The Old Guard,” mortality had claimed Andy, as she no longer healed from wounds instantly. Yet, her combat prowess and badassery remain undiminished.

In the continuation of “The Old Guard 2”, we find the storyline resuming directly from where the initial film, helmed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, ended. The suspenseful finale of “The Old Guard” unveiled a shocking twist for any potential sequel – the seemingly departed characters Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) and Quynh (Van Veronica Ngo). Intriguingly, it was Andy who had lost track of Quynh hundreds of years ago. The second installment opens with Quynh’s metal coffin being hauled back to the surface in the first scene of “The Old Guard 2”, a gruesome relic dragged up by Discord (Uma Thurman), an older, more ruthless immortal who stands in stark contrast to Andy’s compassionate and loyal crew.

In the initial encounter, Discord’s image in a security footage triggers Nile’s recognition, as she had seen her in her dreams before. It turns out that this place, filled with records and tales about their kind spanning centuries, is where Tuah (Henry Golding), an ancient archivist, gathers information. This is also the location where Nile experienced her dream. Intriguingly, Discord was seen in Nile’s dream stealing all of Tuah’s books related to the Old Guard. As per Tuah, Discord is the oldest immortal (older than Andy), and rather than fostering unity among immortals, she amassed wealth and power as a means of self-protection, believing that immortals like Andy were worsening the persecution against their kind by meddling in human affairs.

What’s Discord’s plan with our heroes?

As I sat down to pen my thoughts on this riveting movie, I couldn’t help but reflect on the turbulent reappearance of Quynh in the world of the living. The tight-knit Old Guard had always been a picture of harmony, yet her return seemed to disrupt that tranquility. Despite Andy and her comrades having spent years searching for her, it didn’t feel as if she had truly been missed from her own perspective.

Booker provided the team with the location of Quynh, setting in motion a series of events that led to a painful reunion between Andy and her vengeful ex. The tension between them was palpable, making for an intensely dramatic scene. In a chilling conversation within the confines of a church, Discord shared a startling revelation with Nile: their birthmarks, etched upon our arms, signified that we were the first and last immortals. This lore bombshell left me stunned, as I learned that Nile harbored an unconfirmed power that Discord coveted with an unsettling hunger.

This intricate plot twist has certainly left me eager to learn more about these characters and their extraordinary lives. The skillful blend of action, drama, and mystery in this film makes it a must-watch for any discerning moviegoer.

The movie reaches a climactic confrontation at a factory, and in a selfless act, Booker sacrifices his immortality to Andy. This is because earlier in the film, Tuah proposed a theory stating that if an immortal injures another immortal, they will lose their eternal life. It’s suspected that Discord aims to render all the Old Guard mortal, allowing him to then eliminate them. According to legend, a wounded immortal can transfer their immortality to someone who is not immortal, which explains why Andy regains her magical healing abilities before engaging Discord in a deadly sword fight.

What questions does The Old Guard 2 leave us with?

In the climax of “The Old Guard 2”, Discord manages to disable Andy’s team, including Nile, capturing them and transporting them away on helicopters. In a heartfelt, intense moment, Quynh decides not to retaliate by detonating a bomb prepared by Discord, indicating a slight move towards reconciliation with her feelings of deception upon returning to a world that betrayed her. The ensuing fight between Discord and Andy ends with Discord escaping with all of Andy’s companions. It’s noteworthy that Discord is absent from Rucka and Fernández’s second volume, “Force Multiplied”, which instead revolves around the vengeful comeback of Nokiro (originally a Japanese character, reimagined for the films as Quynh, to accommodate Vietnamese actress Veronica Ngo). Unlike the more action-packed and impersonal narrative in “The Old Guard 2”, “Force Multiplied” delves deeper into the characters’ emotions, culminating in a “big bad” revealing her mortality and requesting that Nile grant immortality to all the Old Guard in her dying breath.

As a fervent admirer, I find myself taking refuge within Tuah’s extensive library, where the recent encounter with Quynh has left me questioning who among us truly holds the gift of immortality. In this moment, the enigmatic duo, long separated by time, decide to join forces against our common adversary. This reunion, centuries in the making, promises an intriguing tale yet to unfold.

In this conclusion of “The Old Guard 2”, there’s a call to action for an unfulfilled mission, hinting at reconciliation with a witty remark. Andy asks, “Will you do what you excel at and fight beside me?” To which Quynh responds, “No, you will fight by my side.” As our main characters dash towards a door, the credits roll before they even step outside. Compared to the initial film, “The Old Guard”, this sequel ends in the middle of the narrative rather than providing a climactic ending that wraps up the story neatly.

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but notice the intriguing cliffhanger in “28 Years Later,” where a chilling cult patterned after one of Britain’s infamous children’s entertainers makes its entrance. However, this revelation comes at the end of our hero’s emotional journey, and surprisingly, a sequel that could resolve this intriguing twist has already been filmed and scheduled for release. On the other hand, as I pen these words, there’s no official word on whether “The Old Guard 3” will see the light of day. It’s quite ironic, given that “The Old Guard 2” concludes so abruptly, leaving us hanging in the balance – a stark contrast to the ongoing perils portrayed in this action series.

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2025-07-03 01:06

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