Could there be a ‘Bullet Train 2’? ‘Bullet Train’ ending and post-credits scene explained

The following article contains spoilers for Bullet Train.

The new action-thriller comedy starring Brad Pitt, Bullet Train, is finally in theaters. Bullet Train is a story about an assassin sent to retrieve a briefcase on the bullet train in Japan, only to be hindered and interrupted by other individuals on board who each have conflicting motives.

The film is made up of multiple intersecting storylines, with multiple characters dying by the film’s end. But even though characters die and their plans get derailed, could we see a Bullet Train 2? Let’s take a look at how the film ended, along with its post-credits scene, and ponder the possibilities for a sequel.

Could there be a Bullet Train 2?

By the end of Bullet Train, the reason every assassin was on the train had been revealed. It was all an elaborate plot designed by the White Death, played by Michael Shannon, to kill the people who killed his wife. Everyone on the train was connected to the murder or the White Death in one way or another, with the Prince (Joey King) being revealed to be his daughter, and The Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada) being part of the clan that the White Death wiped out years prior. 

The only character not to be connected to anything was Ladybug (Brad Pitt) because he was filling in for an assassin who couldn’t make it, named Carver, played by Ryan Reynolds in a quick cameo. The Elder, Ladybug, and Lemon (Brian Tyree Henry) worked together by the end of the film, to take out the White Death and his minions. However, it was the Prince who ultimately put an end to her father, and in a turn of events, a tangerine truck that put an end to the Prince. 

The post-credits scene is not too far into the credits of the film, occurring after only a few names have come across the screen. The scene picks up after Lemon and one of the White Wolf’s henchmen took a dive into a body of water. After dispatching the henchman, Lemon finds a vehicle. By coincidence or fate, the vehicle is a tangerine truck, the name of his former partner and twin. He then uses that tangerine truck to get revenge on the Prince for the part she played in his brother’s murder. 

The Prince, Tangerine, the Wolf, the Son, and the Hornet were all killed in one way or another, ruling them out for a sequel, along with the White Death, who died when he used the gun rigged to explode by his daughter. The only people to leave the film alive were Ladybug, Lemon, The Elder, Kimura (Andrew Koji), and Maria (Sandra Bullock). So, the options for a sequel or spin-off would be somewhat limited, with either a spin-off following The Elder and his son or a sequel with Ladybug, who may or may not be accompanied by Lemon. Regarding The Elder, his and Kimura’s story seems complete, with Kimura’s son safe and The Elder witnessing the man who had his wife killed die. As for Ladybug, there’s always a new mission, and with his newfound optimism, that mission might become all the more interesting. 

As for whether or not we might see a sequel down the road – although this time they might be on some other mode of transportation – it is yet to be seen. The movie is currently sitting at a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but has a higher audience rating and has been doing well at the box office. It wouldn’t be the first time Brad Pitt returned for a sequel, either, returning for Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen, but those might be the exception to the rule. 

Bullet Train was based on a novel by Kōtarō Isaka, and this might be the biggest reason against a sequel. While Isaka has written other novels – with only Three Assassins and Remote Control available in English – they do not seem to be connected to Bullet Train or have Ladybug as its protagonist. While they could make the other novels into films and maybe tie them into Bullet Train, it seems like Bullet Train might not become a franchise.

But that’s fine, because the movie works fine as a non-stop action blockbuster. You can read our review of Bullet Train here, and it seemingly will not be on streaming for a while, so catch Bullet Train in theaters now.