Cody Fern Teases a "Battle Royale" in 'American Horror Story: Apocalypse' Finale

American Horror Story: Apocalypse is nearing its end and with just two episodes remaining before the season finale, the show appears to be gearing up for a final showdown between Michael (Cody Fern) and the Coven witches. It's a battle fans have been waiting for and it sounds like it won't disappoint.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fern revealed that the final will be a "battle royale", and it's possible that Michael not be evil after all.

"We've seen Langdon in Outpost 3 [at the beginning of the season] so we can let go of that hope!" Fern said about his character bringing about the apocalypse. "But again, I don't think Langdon is evil. One thing to think about is that after the eighth episode, we know that he gets to Outpost 3 and we know that Cordelia has arrived at that time and Michael has appeared to stop them. We're hanging on that moment and seeing how we get there. The last episode illustrated how this isn't about the apocalypse for Michael Langdon. He wasn't born with this idea that he has to end the world. He was born with a compulsion and now that compulsion has become personal. That is what we will explore next. And I can tease that there's going to be a battle royale. You can't build this many episodes to have it all end happily ever after! There's going to be a battle and it's going to be surprising. It' snot going to go the way we all think it's going to go -- it's a Ryan Murphy battle royale."

That there would be a showdown in the end is something that's never really been a secret in Apocalypse. When the Coven witches first arrived it was made clear that things would come down to "witches and warlocks", but the idea that it might not work out the way many think is a curious one. There are several theories on how things ultimately play out with the more popular ones leaning towards the idea of the apocalypse being undone or having never happened at all.

The idea that Michael is more than just an evil entity is something that Fern has also discussed before. He told Variety a few weeks ago that Michael simply has a lot of purpose -- and is not someone who is directly evil.

"I knew that I had to come in with very strong choices about his physical life and his vocal life and how he controlled himself in a room -- because playing powerful is difficult, but playing evil is impossible," Fern said. "Everyone is saying, 'Oh he's so evil, he's so evil' ... [but] I don't see Michael Langdon as an evil character. I don't even see him as a bad character. I see him as somebody with a lot of purpose."

Fern went on to explain that there are various "categories" of evil, but when it comes to Michael, he doesn't actually do anything himself. Instead, he nudges people towards their own desires.

"The world so far, under God's image, is clearly not working out," Fern said. "And if this is God's image -- this is how Langdon sees it -- then he just pushes that and takes people further down that path ... In episodes two and three in particular, you see that Langdon doesn't actually do anything with his bare hands. He pushes people's buttons, he tempts them and seduces them and brings out their greatest fears and desires, and then they go about enacting horrific evil while he watches. He acts as a conduit for other people's evil, I suppose."

And that might end up being a direction Apocalypse leans into. In the show's most recent episode, Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) told Michael that she could see good in him still and offered to help him. He ultimately rebuffed her offer and ended up going full antichrist but having Michael turn against Satan and side with the witches in the end would certainly be unexpected -- and exactly the kind of thing that would fit right in with American Horror Story.

What do you think? Is Michael evil? How will Apocalypse end? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.