Civil War Ending Explained

Warning: This post contains major spoilers for Civil War

Alex Garland’s latest film, Civil War, ends with multiple deaths. The film, set in the future of the US, where a civil war has broken out and the states have been split into various factions, including the Western Forces, which are fighting against the Loyalist States with plans to kill the president. Starring Kirsten Dunst as Lee, Civil War finds the war photographer and what’s left of her team after Sammy’s death — Joel and newbie photojournalist Jessie — heading to the heart of Washington, DC alongside the Western Forces, who have seized the White House with the president inside.

With all the shooting and hiding for safety, Lee’s walls begin collapsing, as the weight of Sammy’s death and all that she’s seen threatens to pull her under. Once the Western Forces breach the White House, Lee, Joel and Jessie follow along. The Secret Service and the Western Forces exchange gunfire, and Jessie rolls into the hallway to get a good shot. Lee jumps in front of her to save her from the bullets. Shortly after, the president is captured, and Joel asks him for his final words before he’s killed, with Jessie taking a photo of his final moments.

Lee & The US President Die At The End Of Civil War

Lee sacrifices herself to save Jessie

While Lee is adamant about protecting Jessie from the horrors she’s been so jaded by for the entirety of Civil War, the film culminates with Lee sacrificing herself to save Jessie from being shot by the Secret Service. Jessie photographs Lee’s death, suggesting her apparent disconnect between a war photographer and her subject. This is Jessie at the start of her photography career, whereas Lee deletes the photo of Sammy’s dead body from her camera at the end of hers.

Lee losing her mentor changed her, and the war zone near the White House put everything into focus. Lee stepped in to save Jessie because she was all out of steam; she had given her all for years and losing Sammy was witnessing the true consequences of the job. Lee jumped in front of Jessie to ensure the new war photographer would live on to witness the Western Forces taking down the President. Lee was still jaded, but she recognized the importance of the work. She also didn’t want to witness Jessie’s death when she was still so young.

Nick Offerman’s US President, meanwhile, is killed by a few soldiers serving the Western Forces. His final words are along the lines of “Don’t kill me, please,” which Joel confirms is good enough for an exclusive before he’s shot, ending his three-term presidency, though it’s unclear if the president’s death also means the end of the civil war. Though Lee didn’t live to see the president fall, she’d at least accomplished her goal of getting to Washington, DC, and being the first team to get a quote from the president.

Why The Western Forces Killed The President

The President became a tyrant who betrayed American citizens

The main objective of the Western Forces throughout Civil War was to end the reign of the tyrannical President, played by Offerman, who disavowed the United States Constitution by holding onto his executive power for a third 4-year term. By refusing to abide by the Constitution, the President had set a dangerous precedent that is essentially un-American, which has caused a national outcry to the point of succession and the forming of militias. If there is one person to blame for the start of the Civil War in Garland’s cautionary film, it’s unquestionably Offerman’s President. His death at the end of the movie is crucial because he represents the source of the entire conflict and ultimately its end.

Civil War’s Final Shot Explained

Jessie will become a national hero

The final shot of Civil War is quite literally a camera shot through the lens of Jessie’s camera. It shows Moura’s character Joel standing over the dead body of Offerman’s President with a few of the Western Forces who neutralized the target. In that moment, Jessie takes the most significant photo in the history of the United States and will inevitably become a national hero. Dunst’s Lee, who was killed in the line of fire trying to protect Jessie, likely would have taken the photograph if she were still alive. In this way, Jessie ultimately fills in Lee’s shoes as the civil war comes to an end.

What Alex Garland Has Said About Civil War’s Final Shot

Alex Garland spoke on the intention behind the final shot of Civil War. “[The photo comes at a] personal cost, and not just her personal cost, but [to] people around her. But that’s part of the transactional deal that sometimes people have to make to do that thing. In 20 years’ time, what would be the image that survived this? If there was a news article that was illustrative of that moment, what would that image be? That is the image she takes.” The final shot of Civil War would theoretically be printed in every newspapers, magazine, and textbook in the country, and likely the world, marking a new beginning for the U.S.

What’s Next For The US After The Western Forces’ Successful Operation

With the president dead, the US’ future is in question

With the president fallen, the Western Forces’ goal has been accomplished. That leaves their future unknown by the end of Alex Garland’s film. The Western Forces, led by the seceded states of California and Texas, have historically been on different sides of the political spectrum. They had a shared goal during Civil War: Eradicate the fascist president. Now that their plans have come to fruition, the future of the US is up in the air. It’s possible the Western Forces will rejoin the greater US and reunite the country.

It could also be that California and Texas will go back to being on different sides politically, though that may take much longer considering the way the country has been divided in the civil war. What’s more, with the president’s death the US’ future is called into question. It’s likely that a leader with the Western Forces will emerge, and that could create an entirely new conflict. Regardless of how things shake out, the outcome of the Western Forces’ operation positions them as a powerful party, one that could shape the rest of the factions and the US’ future.

Civil War’s Ending Is Just As Ambiguous As Its Politics

Alex Garland wanted to keep it that way

Civil War ends with the US President’s death at the hands of the Western Forces. What it doesn’t reveal, however, is how the country will move forward in the aftermath. The film itself throws viewers into the midst of an ongoing conflict without revealing when or even what caused the movie’s civil war, though there are allusions to the president throwing out the Constitution. But the ending is ambiguous, since there’s no confirmation regarding what will happen next. Garland likely wanted to keep it that way, considering Civil War’s politics are equally undefined.

It’s muddled in a way that gives enough to understand what’s going on but not enough to make a statement either way. Civil War has the kind of ending that leaves audiences with more questions than answers. The Western Forces hated the president and wanted to do away with him because he was a fascist, but the film didn’t reveal what their plans would be in the aftermath of his demise. What the US will look like in the years to come is unclear, and Garland leaves it up to viewers to decide what may or may not happen next.

Civil War’s Political Themes Explained By Alex Garland

While politics is not exactly the heartbeat of Civil War, Garland certainly made a statement by having the politically opposite states of California and Texas join forces in the most unlikely of alliances. In an interview with The Atlantic, he commented, “I find it interesting that people would say, ‘These two states could never be together under any circumstances.’ Under any circumstances? Any? Are you sure?” Garland’s message here is that even the most politically dissimilar states in America would come together in order to protect the foundation notion of “a more perfect union.” It’s a reminder that underneath it all, each state enjoys the freedoms of democracy and shares an ideological foundation.

Where The Florida Alliance & The Loyalist States Are In Civil War’s Ending

Civil War’s primary focus is on the Western Forces

Given their vendetta against the president, Civil War’s Western Forces take up the majority of the film’s focus. The Florida Alliance is briefly mentioned near the start of the film, but the alliance’s perspectives and allegiances regarding the war are vague, though it seems like they’re allies with the Western Forces. However, Civil War’s ending doesn’t reveal much of anything about where the Florida Alliance and the Loyalist States’ forces are. Considering the Western Forces approach into Washington, DC, it’s revealed the Loyalists surrendered, leaving the president undefended. They likely retreated from the capital, no longer in the fight.

During a news segment at the start of Civil War, a journalist confirms The Florida Alliance was busy stopping the Carolinas from an insurrection. Additionally, there is, according to Civil War’s movie map of alliances, the New People’s Army, which is made up of northwestern states like Oregon. That part of the country is not really highlighted in Civil War, so there’s no telling what they’re really up to. The Western Forces are so central to the narrative because of their power and influence, so much so that the remaining factions fall to the wayside.

The Real Meaning Of Civil War’s Ending

The film’s finale brings meaning to photojournalism

Civil War’s ending centers on the importance of photojournalism in the midst of wars and horrific human actions. Near the start of the film, Lee says that surviving a war zone made her believe she was sending a warning home, but then nothing much changed. And yet, the film’s finale showcases how crucial the documentation of events is — no matter how awful they are. Lee’s career as a war photographer may not have ended any wars, but witnessing them through her lens serves as a reminder of the history and events that took place.

What’s more, Civil War’s ending asks the audience to make up their own minds about the war, through the perspective of Lee and her team’s photographic documentation and experiences. It brings meaning and weight to war photography as a pivotal element of journalism, especially as Lee wants to do her job with the least amount of bias. The deaths of Sammy and Lee at the end of Civil War suggests they didn’t die for nothing, that their work, which will continue on through Joel and Jessie, was critical.

Civil War is a 2024 action thriller from writer and director Alex Garland. Starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and Stephen McKinley Henderson, Civil War takes place in the near future and shows the United States entering a new Civil War after California and Texas attempt to separate from the country.

Release Date

April 26, 2024

Studio(s)

DNA Films

Distributor(s)

A24

Cast

Kirsten Dunst , Wagner Moura , Stephen McKinley Henderson , Cailee Spaeny , Jesse Plemons , Nick Offerman

Runtime

109 Minutes

Expand