Fallout TV Show Ending Explained and How it Sets Up Season 2

Warning: Spoilers for the entirety of Fallout are found in this article. Read onward at your own discretion. 

At last, Fallout has been released on Prime Video. Rather than releasing all eight episodes that comprise Season 1 on a weekly basis, Amazon opted to dump the full series at once onto Prime Video so that eager viewers could binge it without stopping. If you've clicked on this article, though, you're likely more interested in learning about what happens at the conclusion of Season 1 for Fallout and how it might pave the way for an eventual Season 2. Luckily, we have those answers for you. 

How Does Fallout End?

The first season of Fallout concludes with all of the show's major plotlines converging at once. After leaving Vault 33 to search for her father, Hank Maclean, Lucy finally reaches her dad who is being held captive by Moldaver, the leader of the remnants of the New California Republic. Lucy hands over the head of Wilzig and learns that the former Enclave scientist has developed the ability to generate cold fusion. However, the technology cannot be activated unless Hank, who is a former Vault-Tec employee, provides a code for the proprietary energy source. 

Lucy then proceeds to learn about the history of her father, who was alive before the nuclear bombs dropped over 200 years ago. After having been frozen in stasis for nearly two centuries, Hank exists to continue the goals of Vault-Tec, who are waiting for all the scavengers in the wasteland to die out or kill one another before emerging to take over the remnants of America. In that aim, Lucy learns that her dad assisted in the destruction of Shady Sands, which in turn killed her own mother. 

With an unlimited energy source now at her grasp, Moldaver and the NCR are invaded by the forces of the Brotherhood of Steel, who are also vying for this power. An all-out battle between the NCR and the Brotherhood breaks out which leaves Lucy to determine what she should do with her father. In the commotion, Maximus reunites with Lucy after having previously been separated and releases Hank from his jail cell. Hank then sprints to a nearby Power Armor suit that was lying nearby and enters it while Lucy and Maximus are distracted. After confronting the pair, Hank proceeds to punch Maximus in the face, knocking him out cold. 

At last, The Ghoul (real name Cooper Howard) appears and comes face to face with Hank once again for the first time in 200 years. The Ghoul demands that Hank reveal the location of where his wife and daughter are, which is the first such indication that both might still be alive. Refusing to answer the question, Hank flees and powers up the jets on his Power Armor before flying off into the distance. 

Season 1 of Fallout then concludes with Lucy and The Ghoul escaping the chaos that has ensued around them to pursue her father. Lucy leaves Maximus behind, who awakens to find Moldaver activating the cold fusion tech. Moldaver looks out over the area around her that is now humming with power before dying. The remainder of the Brotherhood of Steel then finds Maximus standing near her lifeless body and infers that he killed the leader of the NCR. They then proceed to celebrate his victory and dub him a Knight of the Brotherhood. 

As a final stinger, Fallout then wraps up by showing Hank MacLean one last time, who is seen stumbling through a desert in his Power Armor. Hank comes upon a hilltop and looks outward to see a walled sitting lying in view before him, which is clearly the destination that he's been trying to reach. 

What Does Fallout's Ending Mean for Season 2?

The biggest takeaway from the conclusion of Fallout is that it sets the stage for the introduction of New Vegas, which is the city that Hank sees sitting in the distance at the conclusion of Season 1. New Vegas stems from the appropriately titled Fallout: New Vegas which was released back in 2010. This entry in the Fallout video game series introduced a number of new characters and locations spread across the "Mojave Wasteland," but it also put a heavy emphasis on the New California Republic as one of the game's primary factions. As a result, there's a good chance that the NCR will return in some capacity in Season 2. When it comes to Hank's reasoning behind traversing to New Vegas, it's implied that the person he reports to might be tucked away in the city. 

As for Lucy and The Ghoul, Season 2 should see them also ending up in New Vegas at some point since they happen to be pursuing Hank. Meanwhile, it's a bit harder to know how Maximus might fit into Season 2. Assumed to now be a Knight, there's a good possibility that Max will use his newfound rank to pursue Lucy, who he'll almost certainly come into contact with again. 

For now, Prime Video and Amazon haven't announced that Season 2 of Fallout will even be happening, but initial reviews for the series suggest that it should be a big hit. When and if Season 2 is properly confirmed for Fallout, we'll be sure to let you know here on ComicBook.com.