The Ending Of Terminator: Dark Fate Explained

Terminator: Dark Fate has arrived, and it's safe to say that fans have a lot of questions. Which works out really well, because we happen to have a lot of answers! Answers that require spoilers, of course. With that warning, let's break down the ending of Terminator: Dark Fate.

The first two thirds of Terminator: Dark Fate set the table: a new evil Terminator model called the Rev-9 has been sent from the future to kill a Mexican woman named Daniella. Luckily, someone also sent back a bionic woman from the future named Grace to protect her. Along with Sarah Connor, looking to get revenge after her son John was killed by a Terminator, they end up finding help from a very unlikely source: Arnold Schwarzenegger's T-800, who has been stuck in the past since killing John after the events of Terminator 2.

The real surprise here, though, is that this Terminator has voluntarily given up the terminating business and has settled down in a human life under the name Carl. He embodies the core message from T2 that people can choose their own fate and rewrite their future. He decided to stop being an evil killing machine, and instead become a nurturing father figure. It's an unexpected twist that suggests humans and robots may actually be able to live together in peace after all if the robots simply choose a different path.

One of the big mysteries in Terminator: Dark Fate is just why the robots have sent their agent back in time to kill Dani. During the final chase scene, though, Grace reveals the truth: that Dani herself actually becomes the resistance leader in the future. As Sarah puts it, she's the new John Connor the new last, best hope for all mankind.

Like Carl, Dani's character arc also reinforces the idea that you can choose your own fate. Several times in the film, the others urge her to run and hide, but she instead insists on fighting back. She chooses to become the hero humanity needs, and indeed, it's those choices that actually make her a hero. It's a real contrast to John, who often seemed to reject the role of savior, only reluctantly being pressed into it by circumstance. John as a character seemed consigned by fate, while Dani chooses her own path.

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Carl | 0:16
New hero | 1:17
Chase scene/Dam Fight | 2:10
Blow your mind | 3:09
Thumbs up | 4:01
The end? | 4:33
Now what? | 5:37