Rebel Moon Part 1 Ending Explained, Zack Snyder Movie Has Massive Cliffhanger

Rebel Moon Part One: A Child of Fire, the new movie from Zack Snyder and Netflix, is officially streaming. The first part in the brand new Rebel Moon franchise for both Netflix and Zack Snyder kicks off in a big way and then manages to leave viewers hanging with a major cliffhanger. Fans of Zack Snyder's other movies likely already know that his new film was influenced by Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, but also began as a pitch for a new Star Wars movie (which Snyder even tried to sell to Lucasfilm). Even knowing that though, the big cliffhanger left at the end of Rebel Moon Part One, easily teeing up April's Rebel Moon Part Two: The Scargiver, is something almost no one saw coming. Let's break down the Rebel Moon Part One ending below, Rebel Moon spoilers follow!

RELATED: Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire Review: Too Much Universe, Not Enough Heart

Rebel Moon Ending Explained

As a set-up for the film, Rebel Moon centers on Sofia Boutella's Kora, a former soldier of the Motherworld who fled her life there and has taken up residence in a small farming village on the planet Veldt. Eventually however the fascist army of the Motherworld comes knocking and demand the village's entire stock of grain, to be collected in ten weeks time. From their Kora, along with Michiel Huisman's Gunnar, leave the village to assemble a team of warriors to help them fight off the Motherworld and Ed Skrein's Admiral Atticus Noble.

Along the way they meet a host of colorful characters to help them including Charlie Hunnam's Kai, a mercenary and pilot whose ship takes them around the galaxy; Staz Nair's Tarak, a former slave and blacksmith; Doona Bae's Nemesis, a master swordsman that is part-robot; Djimon Hounsou's Titus, a former general turned drunken gladiator that previously fought off the Motherworld; and brother-sister revolutionaries, Darrian and Devra Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher and Cleopatra Coleman), the later of whom doesn't join the group but remains with their own rebel army.

By the time this group of rebels have been collected however, they make one last pitstop before returning to Veldt, as Kai needs to drop off a shipment to a buyer. Once there though it becomes clear that this has been a set-up and Kai helping Kora assemble this army of fighters to take on Motherworld was being done for selfish reasons. Not only are the Motherworld army present at this location, but Kai intends to sell them all back to the Motherworld and Admiral Atticus Noble for a heft sum, it's a betrayal in the movie that comes as a major twist.

Rebel Moon final battle explained

Despite all of the characters getting captured here, a fight still manages to break out, with most of them escaping their confinement and attacking the Motherworld army. Gunnar kills Kai with a blast to the bottom of his head, while Darrian sacrifices himself to take down The King's Gaze, the giant warship that Admiral Atticus Noble has been flying upon the entire film. Kora finally confronts the Admiral in one final confrontation too, sending him flying off a floating dock and seemingly to his doom. In the end however, the Motherworld army is able to recover the Admiral's body and revive him, setting the stage for his return in the sequel.

Kora and Gunnar return to Veldt with Tarak, Nemesis, Titus, and one of Darrian's best Bloodaxe soldiers, Millius. They all prepare for the eventual return of the Motherworld, but what is clear by the film's end is that the Motherworld and it's leader Balisarius, know exactly who Kora really is. Throughout the film ti's revealed that Kora isn't her real name, in fact she's hiding from her past as Arthelias, a warrior raised by Balisarius as his own and who has such violent reputation it earned her the nickname, The Scargiver (the subtitle for the Rebel Moon sequel).

How many parts to Rebel Moon?

As of this writing, the first two parts are the only confirmed movies that will be made in the Rebel Moon franchise. Creator Zack Snyder and Netflix seem to have ambitious ideas about further expansion of the Rebel Moon property though including a graphic novel and a four-player co-op action game. Snyder also has plans for more movies in the franchise as well, which could mean there will be more parts to Rebel Moon in the end. 

Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire is now streaming on Netflix, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver will premiere on April 19, 2024.