Warning: this article contains spoilers for Succession season four, episode 10
A lot of emotions and drama unfolded during the series finale of Succession. The Roy siblings have one final chance to save Waystar Royco, a company that their father Logan Roy started. If the Roy siblings stop the GoJo deal, Kendall Roy, the eldest of the Roy siblings, would take his father’s place as the new CEO.
Unfortunately, this does not come to pass. And while the show’s creator, Jesse Armstrong believes that these siblings could carry on with their lives after the events that happened, it still doesn’t negate the fact that they’ve lost what their father has built. And for Kendall, it meant that he’s failed his father. Does this mean that this Roy sibling received the worst fate by the show’s final chapter?
Does Kendall die in Succession?
During the series finale of Succession, it was up to Shiv Roy to decide if Waystar Royco would still belong to the Roy family or not as the decision was tied with a 6-6 vote. This led to a final fight among the Roy siblings, with Kendall attempting to persuade his sister that he can continue his father’s legacy. He even told his sister that he “might die” if he doesn’t become the company’s new CEO. Unfortunately, this final fight led to Kendall’s downfall and Shiv’s decision to vote for the deal to go through.
While the news left Kendall shocked and distraught, it wasn’t enough to make him decide to take his own life, nor for someone else to do the job. The show ended with Kendall walking with Colin behind him at a park near the waterside. He was alone while his bodyguard kept watch, as he thought about what to do next since he’s no longer CEO or has ownership of his father’s company.
Fans have theorized that Kendall might have done something harmful to himself off-camera. However, series creator Jesse Armstrong believes otherwise, stating that he thinks that this second-eldest Roy sibling could have ended up building a new company from scratch. During the Succession featurette on Max titled “Controlling the Narrative,” Armstrong says that Kendall has the potential to do so, it just won’t be as huge compared to his father’s achievements.
“For Kendall, this will never stop being the central event of his life, the central days of his life, central couple of years of his life. Maybe he could go on and start a company, or do a thing. But the chances of him achieving the sort of corporate status that his dad achieved are very low. And I think that will mark his whole life.”
Succession‘s series finale was very emotional, and left close to nothing left for the Roy siblings. Everything they’ve worked for ended up being for naught. While it wasn’t a happy ending, no one lost their lives because of this unfortunate (for the Roys) outcome. If you want to watch how the series came to a close, season four, episode 10, as well as the rest of the series in full, is now available to stream on Max.