The Old Guard Ending Explained And How It Sets Up A Sequel

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne and Matthias Schoenaerts, among others, The Old Guard is without a doubt the hottest thing on Netflix right now, with both critics and viewers absolutely loving the action-packed blockbuster. And if you’ve seen it, you’ll know that the love its earning is justified.

For those unfamiliar, though, the pic tells the story of an immortal group of mercenaries who’ve fought in many decisive battles throughout history. But when their secret’s exposed and they become the target of a greedy pharmaceutical executive who wants to capture them to exploit their abilities for research purposes, they must fight to keep their way of life.

Based on the graphic novel created by Greg Rucka, it’s a riveting ride from start to finish, and one that clearly has a sequel in mind. Indeed, many plot points are dropped throughout that are obviously there should Netflix decide to push forward with a follow-up. But as for the ending in particular, let’s take a closer look at what happens, shall we?

Towards the final act, we find out that Andy can no longer heal, which makes her mortal. Meanwhile, Booker betrays the team and sells them out to Copley, and as punishment, Andy explains to him that he’s being exiled for 100 years, after which point he can rejoin. But this obviously means that Andy probably won’t see him again. And finally, she tells Copley that he’s now going to be helping them remain off the grid and hidden from the public eye, which he agrees to.

But the best is yet to come. As one final tease of what awaits us in The Old Guard 2, there’s a scene that sees Booker – several months later – stumbling into his apartment only to find someone already inside. “Booker,” she says. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” And that someone just so happens to be Quynh, who we learned about earlier in the film. She was “the first of Andy’s comrades, who centuries ago was captured by priests and cast into the sea in an iron maiden, and has been continually drowning ever since.”

“She’s lived with that guilt ever since, but she blames herself for Quynh’s fate,” Joe tells Nile at one point in the movie, with Andy later admitting that she gave up searching for her: “I made Quynh a promise, and I broke it.”

Obviously, this is a huge set up for the all but confirmed sequel, showing us that somehow, Quynh escaped from her iron tomb and is now back for some reason, seeking her old friend. Perhaps she’s looking for revenge? Or maybe she has something else in mind?

We’ll have to wait and see, but it’s a hugely tantalizing tease and we imagine it’s only a matter of time now before Netflix announces a sequel to The Old Guard.