The Ending Of Rebel Moon Explained
Contains spoilers for "Rebel Moon"
Zack Snyder channels his distinct vision for "Rebel Moon," an original space opera that culminates in a new cinematic universe for Netflix. The first film in the franchise –- titled "Part One: A Child of Fire" –- takes viewers into a world where the shadow of a tyrannical faction known as the Motherworld looms over the cosmos. Through their powerful army called the Imperium, the Motherworld rules the galaxy with an iron fist. However, one of their top admirals — Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein) — unexpectedly causes a resistance to form when he attempts to usurp the resources of a farming colony. From there, a woman named Kora (Sofia Boutella) embarks on a journey to build a rebellion and fight against Noble's forces.
"Rebel Moon" kicks off this epic story of a heroic uprising that's filled with various personalities and lots of lore sprinkled throughout. From small teases of Kora's backstory to new companions who further flesh out the devastation of the Motherworld's regime, there's a lot to unpack within the story of "A Child of Fire." By the end, there are still some lingering questions about the wider universe and what the upcoming sequel "Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver" could touch on. That's why we're here to delve into the ending of "A Child of Fire" and speculate how it leads into the next film.
What you need to remember about the plot
Before we head into the finale, though, let's do a quick plot recap of "A Child of Fire." While Kora has lived peacefully within the farming community of Veldt, she's unable to escape the inevitable appearance of the Imperium and one of its cruelest top-ranking admirals — Atticus Noble. With the help of his equally sinister army, Noble hopes to deplete the village of its resources and take them all for himself. Kora quickly becomes infuriated by Noble's brutality and the way his soldiers hurt the people she loves, so she decides to leave Veldt in search of skilled warriors who'll help her defeat Noble.
Her mission is quite successful as she rounds up a group of worthy combatants from across the galaxy — including former Imperium commander Titus (Djimon Hounsou) and deadly swordmaster Nemesis (Bae Doona). Along the way, Kora discloses that she was once a member of the Imperium after her family was killed by the ominous Regent Balisarius (Fra Fee). From there, she was taken by Balisarius and raised in the image of the Motherworld before eventually escaping. However, Kora's current plans are nearly thwarted by the betrayal of the group's shady pilot Kai (Charlie Hunnam) and everyone almost falls into Noble's grasp. Thankfully, they're able to break loose and kill Kai before engaging in a major battle against Noble.
What happened at the end of the movie
Shortly after everyone breaks free from their restraints, a huge fight between Kora's newly formed team and Noble's forces ensues. In the heat of battle, Kora's side loses fearsome insurgency leader Darrian Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher) after he sacrifices himself to destroy Noble's powerful gunner. However, his choice helps the momentum swing in his allies' favor and the rebellion gains the upper hand on Noble's army. This allows Kora to take on Noble herself and after a brutal exchange, she ultimately comes out the victor. With Noble seemingly dead and his forces decimated, the group celebrates their victory and heads home to find a new resistance is already brewing.
Unfortunately, Motherworld recovers Noble's body from the wreckage and attempts to revive him. While in an eerie machine, Noble's consciousness transports to a strange reality where he communicates with Balisarius about Kora's resistance. Although Noble still doubts Kora is a threat to Motherworld, Balisarius thinks otherwise. Balisarius believes that Kora shouldn't be taken lightly and instructs Noble to bring her to him after slaughtering her companions. Then, Noble springs back to life, signaling that Kora's battle against Motherworld has only just begun.
What does the end of the movie mean?
The ending of "A Child of Fire" sets the tone and direction for two pivotal factions in this universe — Kora and her team as well as Balisarius and Motherworld. For Kora's squad, this victory means more than just saving Veldt from Noble's cruelty: It's a sign that they can overcome even the toughest of obstacles. Despite the battle resulting in victory, they did suffer two grave losses. They no longer have a skilled pilot because of Kai's sudden betrayal, and Darrien's death takes away one of their strongest tacticians. However, their success outweighs the people they lost as it creates momentum for their fight against the Motherworld.
As for Noble and Balisarius, they're on their heels. While Noble doesn't care to understand the impact of Kora's defiance, Balisarius is well aware of the damage that Kora could cause. After all, he knows that Kora wants revenge against him and the Motherworld for the life she was put through. He even acknowledges the talented pieces in her army that could be difficult to deal with. There's no doubt that Balisarius thinks that they can win and maintain the Motherworld's dominance in the galaxy. But he also knows that Noble needs to act fast, and the punishment he sets for failure makes the high-stakes nature of the situation incredibly clear.
The deeper meaning of the team's first victory
While Kora's trouncing of Noble symbolizes how her team can conquer adversity and work as a unit, it carries an even deeper meaning that Titus explains when the dust settles. As the team reunites after the chaotic final battle, Titus recognizes that their victory could inspire others. Now that they've shown that the Imperium is beatable, word could easily spread across the galaxy and new rebellions against Motherworld could form. Maybe it'll even lead to others coming to Veldt to join Kora's cause.
This first battle is just a taste of the manpower and weaponry that the Motherworld holds. But given how the odds were so stacked against Kora and her companions, their triumph is remarkably impressive. Balisarius is certainly worried about the message that Noble's defeat could create, and it's why he's determined to snuff the rebellious flame that's beginning to spark.
Guilt is a connecting theme for the team
Although Kora's team is made up of people with vastly different backgrounds, they share a common motivation that's tied to the Motherworld's horrific sense of superiority. As mentioned by Kora in a conversation, the key thing that drives everyone is the guilt that lingers from how the Motherworld has crushed them. Kora feels immense regret for how she joined the entity that killed her family rather than do everything she could to decimate Motherworld. Titus continues to wallow in the sorrows of the traumatic losses he endured as an Imperium commander and deals with the pain of being seen as a disgraced leader. Nemesis and Tarak (Staz Nair) still blame themselves for the loved ones they lost at the hands of the Imperium.
Even someone like Gunnar (Michiel Huisman) who hasn't seen much combat against the Motherworld now has guilt within him for how his choices led to Sindri's (Corey Stoll) harsh death by Noble. Yet as the group comes together, the remorse they feel isn't something that brings them down. Instead, it turns into a reason for them to fight against the Motherworld and work alongside each other. While revenge is clearly on their minds, the personal hardships they feel are a more prevailing connective thread for Kora's rebellion and something that establishes how destructive the Motherworld has been.
Jimmy starts the revolution at home
One of the more unresolved aspects of "A Child of Fire" is undoubtedly the character of Jimmy (voiced by Anthony Hopkins). Jimmy is a former mechanical knight who's been reprogrammed by the Imperium to work as slave labor. With his combat programming being shut off, Jimmy is only capable of following orders and taking a beating without being able to fight back. However, he's shown to be a good-hearted force within the village and ultimately helps Kora defeat Noble's soldiers so that she can escape. However, the ending of "A Child of Fire" displays a greater purpose for Jimmy that could have a major impact on Kora's revolution.
As Kora and her allies return home, Jimmy is rising out of the fields and sporting a helmet of antlers instead of the wreath of flowers he wore before. With Jimmy's previous gun firing likely unlocking the combat abilities that were once suppressed, he may have been teaching the villagers how to fight. His antler helmet certainly feels like a symbol of combat or potentially him stepping into a leadership role — which would make sense, since he has the most war experience. While Kora has been collecting fighters for Veldt, Jimmy might've already been building the revolution at home — meaning that Kora's army could be bigger than she realizes.
Balisarius has a bigger plan for Kora
While it makes sense that Noble's defeat would frustrate Balisarius, he seems to have a bigger plan unfolding. Instead of approving Noble's plans to wipe out Kora and her friends through brute force, he says that Noble needs to keep Kora alive and bring him to her. This isn't too surprising, since Balirsarius and Kora have quite a history together. While Kora lived under the Motherworld's rule, Balirsarius was her adoptive father and molded her into the perfect soldier within the Imperium. As Kora got older, she became a high-ranking member of the Imperium and even worked with the royal family.
This means she likely knows some of the secrets and weaknesses of the Motherworld. Plus, Balisarius did say that she's one of the biggest traitors still alive in the Motherworld's history, and we still don't know how Kora left the Imperium behind. So there are many reasons that Balisarius would want Kora alive. But there could also be a more sentimental or psychological motivation behind Balisarius' interest in Kora.
After all, Kora does mention how manipulative Balisarius can be, and she is still a fearsome warrior that anyone would want on their side. If Balisarius is planning on bringing Kora to the Motherworld, perhaps it could be to bring her back under his control and force her to squash the defiance she creates in this film.
The Motherworld is more powerful than everyone percieves
For the most part, Motherworld and the Imperium aren't depicted as anything special or unique. Aside from the bizarrely dressed figures that follow Noble off his ship, most of his soldiers are standard-looking army guys viewers can find in many movies. The weaponry they use is equally as basic and doesn't lean too far into strange sci-fi territory. Even in terms of the Motherworld as an empire, it's not given a distinctive identity outside of its overpowering nature. However, the ending shows that there's a hidden technological strength to the Motherworld that makes them more powerful than they initially appear.
Despite Noble being slain in the final battle, he's put into a machine that allows him to tap into some wild abilities in death. Not only is he capable of communicating with Balisarius on a different plane of existence, but he's also able to spring back to life. This final sequence with Noble makes earlier scenes of him using these tentacles that latch onto his body much more important because they help him use this machine. If other soldiers like Noble can be revived in an instant, Kora has much bigger problems on her hands than she realizes — the Motherworld might have deadlier capabilities than just powerful guns.
Kora's female empowerment arc
"A Child of Fire" is just the starting point for a larger universe that's developing, but there's one character arc in particular that is already unfolding in a big way. Kora is undeniably the central thread of "Rebel Moon" and her narrative already boasts thematic elements of empowerment. While Kora is initially seen as a reserved entity on Veldt, she grows throughout her adventure. As she expresses the pain of her past and takes a more direct approach to organizing the revolution, she starts to gain confidence as an inspirational leader. Kora's arc in "A Child of Fire" puts the pieces in place for a moving and emotional empowerment story to persist throughout the franchise, and that wasn't lost on actor Sofia Boutella.
In an interview with GamesRadar+, Boutella discussed how Zack Snyder establishes a strong and fulfilling arc for Kora that's both complex and compelling. "I just love that he [Snyder] was given the opportunity and allowed to give this movie a woman as a lead," said Boutella. "And not only that, but a woman with a strong ability, but that comes from a very, very particular and complicated past, that gives her that vulnerability."
With the ending signaling that more of Kora's past will be touched on, her empowerment arc is set up to evolve into a rich and impactful storyline.
What does the ending mean for the sequel?
We already know that an extended cut of "A Child of Fire" is set to come to Netflix sometime in 2024, but there's also a sequel on the way — titled "Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver." And, lucky for us, Zack Snyder and the cast are already dropping details for the upcoming film. In an interview with Yahoo Movies UK, Snyder discussed what the tone of the sequel will be like. "It's more of a war movie ... it's much different than the tone of the first movie," said Snyder. In the same interview, Sofia Boutella also talked about how the story will go deeper into the characters' backstories and expressed that there will be more context for some of the story arcs the first film establishes.
Given the sequel's "The Scargiver" title and the phrase's connection to Kora, it's very likely that the follow-up will delve more into Kora's past with Balisarius. Along with Kora continuing to build her team and the reemergence of Noble, it's fitting that the next chapter will look more into Kora's story and fill in the gaps about the Motherworld that are left ambiguous in this film. Who knows, maybe we'll even see Darrian's sister Devra (Cleopatra Coleman) return to avenge her fallen brother. There's a lot of ground that "The Scargiver” needs to cover, but the pieces seem to be in place for Snyder to dive deeper into the lore of this world and the characters he's introduced.