Terminator: Dark Fate Ending Explained

MAJOR SPOILERS – Terminator: Dark Fate is now out in theaters, and if nothing else, this direct sequel also acts as a soft reboot for the entire Terminator franchise. That means some bold retcons of the established Terminator mythos, and some even bolder stage setting for new chapters of the franchise to come. As always, the time travel element of the story also creates a cause and effect loop that may confuse some viewers – especially the deep implications of Terminator: Dark Fate‘s ending. If you saw Dark Fate and still have questions, we’re here to help!

Read below for the full spoilers breakdown of Terminator: Dark Fate‘s ending!

The climax of Terminator: Dark Fate sees the team of cyber-enhanced future soldier Grace (Mackenzie Davis), Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), ex-Terminator “Carl” (Arnold Schwarzenegger), and future human resistance leader Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes) making a final stand against the deadly Rev-9 Terminator (Gabriel Luna). That last stand takes place at a hydro-power plant, where the group tag-teams the killer machine, and delivers a kill blow using one of the plant’s giant turbines. The Rev-9’s liquid metal exterior is destroyed, but the damaged endoskeleton makes one last strike, forcing Grace to sacrifice her power cell so that Dani can blow the Rev-9 up for good. The plan works with a last-ditch effort by Carl, who dies protecting Dani as atonement for killing John Connor many years before. Grace also dies from her wounds, creating a new time loop that’s key to humanity’s future.

As is revealed during Dark Fate‘s exploration of Grace’s backstory, cybernetic soldier was a child when the new future timeline’s A.I. threat, Legion, forced humanity into a nuclear holocaust. Grace would’ve died in the dystopian wasteland if not for the intervention of future Dani Ramos, who has become the leader that helps bring humanity out of the darkness. Future Dani took Grace under her wing and raised her like a surrogate mother, teaching her to be the elite soldier that Grace grows into.

Here’s what to know about the new time loop as Terminator: Dark Fate ends:

1. Future Dani sends adult Cyber-enhanced Grace back in time to save young Dani – and more importantly, introduce young Dani to Sarah Connor.
2. Adult Grace dies protecting Dani from Rev-9.
3. Grace’s death is what inspires Dani to take on Sarah as a mentor/surrogate mother. Dani vows to become the soldier she needs to be, in order to create a new future timeline where Grace never has to die protecting her.
4. Dani is trained by Sarah, and eventually becomes the leader of humanity, while knowing she will one day run into young Grace, and get to play the some mentor role for that girl that Sarah Connor did for her.
5. Back to step #1. Repeat.

The key question here, as with all Terminator movies, is how the time loop works in conjunction with the intended goals of the characters and their arcs. Namely: How does Dani’s mission to change Grace’s future coincide with the fact that Grace’s death must happen in order to inspire that mission? Dark Fate leaves that question looming over the next chapter of the franchise to answer.

Terminator: Dark Fate is now in theaters.