The following contains spoilers for 28 Years Later, now playing in theaters28 Years Later has a huge twist involving the birth of a human girl, which teases some big changes about the Infected and could impact the future of the franchise. The long-awaited third film set in the 28 Days Later universe, 28 Years Later returns with a new cast of central characters. Introduced living their lives in a remote village somewhat removed from the mainland, people like Spike, Isla, and Jamie have been able to carve out good lives for themselves while doing their best to avoid run-ins with the Infected.

However, Spike’s two trips to the mainland force him and his family to deal with all sorts of Infected, including two of the fearsome new Alpha variants. The biggest shock comes well before 28 Years Later‘s ending when they discover a solitary pregnant Infected Woman, which changes the trajectory of the entire film. Here’s how the birth of a healthy baby girl from an Infected Woman could happen in 28 Years Later and what it means for the franchise’s future.

An Infected Woman Gives Birth To A Healthy Human Baby In 28 Years Later

28 Years Later Reveals The Rage Virus Doesn’t Necessarily Pᴀss Down During Birth

One of the big twists of 28 Years Later is the discovery of a pregnant woman infected with the Rage Virus, who nevertheless gives birth to a healthy human baby. While venturing across the mainland alongside his mother Isla, and the NATO soldier Erik in search of Doctor Kelson, Spike encounters a pregnant Infected. Although the film had shown her before among a horde of other Infected, this woman is now alone in the wreckage of a train, clearly in labor. With the help of Isla, the woman successfully gives birth to a child, a baby girl.

The mother doesn’t live for much longer, as Erik shoots her when she makes a move to attack Isla. The child is also implied to be the daughter of an Alpha, a new variant of Infected introduced in 28 Years Later. The Alpha, dubbed Samson by Kelson, arrives on the scene to kill Erik and chase after Spike and Isla when they take the baby. As Kelson confirms when Spike and Isla reach him, the little girl is completely healthy and shows no signs of the Rage Virus infection, despite the circumstances of her birth.

Why 28 Years Later’s Baby Isn’t Infected With The Rage Virus

The Placenta Saved The Baby From Her Mother’s Rage Virus

The birth of a healthy human baby by an Infected is a big reveal in the world of 28 Years Later, as the severity and infectious nature of the Rage Virus make even minor contact with the infection a potentially fatal development. Instead, the Rage Virus, which is transmitted through contact of blood and saliva, failed to develop in the baby while she was in utero. Kelson theorizes that it was really the placenta that saved the baby from being infected.

This is actually consistent with real-life biology. The placenta is one of the first organs that the fetus develops while in utero. While it is always exposed to the mother’s blood, the placenta has developed a series of natural defenses to prevent the transmission of viral infections and diseases. It seems that the Rage Virus is one such infection that couldn’t overcome the natural defenses of the placenta. It also suggests that other babies could be born of Infected parents, as it’s a natural part of the pregnancy that saved the baby rather than some unique immunity to the virus.

How Was The Infected’s Baby Created?

The Infected Might Be Capable Of Creating Families

There are two possibilities with the conception of the baby, although neither of them is exactly ideal. One possibility is that the baby was conceived while the woman was still a regular person. Then, after conception, she was turned into one of the Infected. It’s a dour potential direction, and one that actually seems less likely. The appearance of the woman is haggard and weather beaten as with almost every Infected seen in the film. The implication is that she is one of the many Infected who simply roam the countryside and not a recent victim of the Rage Virus.

The other possibility is that the Infected have begun to reproduce, which raises several questions about the Infected. People who were corrupted by the Rage Virus have never been shown to have any motivation beyond chaotic outbursts of violence. However, the Alphas have been shown developing more critical thinking capabilities, waiting to strike, and commanding other Infected. It’s likely that the Alpha had Sєx with the Infected Woman, which resulted in the pregnancy. While this could be a fully animalistic act, there’s one brief clue that there might be something more going on with the Infected.

When the Alpha arrives at the train and kills Erik, Isla and Spike make their escape with the baby. In that moment, the Alpha looks down at the now ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Infected Woman, and seems to regard her with something that feels more deliberate than a simple acknowledgment. There’s a moment of almost somber emotion before the Alpha rushes after them with a newfound fury. It might actually be genuine anger that propels the Alpha so hard into the chase after Spike and to recover the child.

This suggests the possibility that the Infected (or at least the Alphas) are capable of making emotional connections and ᴀssociations, as it seems to recognize the woman. The Alpha might want the baby back because he is her father, a level of raw emotional intelligence and recognition that audiences have never truly seen in an Infected. It also makes the fact that the Infected are still so brutal and monstrous despite developing these aspects all the more horrifying.

What 28 Years Later’s Human Baby Means For The Franchise

28 Years Later’s New Baby Hints At How The Infected Have Been Evolving

What makes the birth of a healthy baby girl — eventually dubbed Isla in honor of Spike’s mother after she dies — such an interesting turn is the ways the 28 Days Later franchise could build off that moment. In most horror fiction like 28 Years Later, an infected giving birth to a healthy child would be a potential game-changer. It could set up plenty of new developments, with some potentially developing plans to utilize this fact to fight back against the virus or work towards a cure.

However, the grim and gritty realism of 28 Years Later is a big part of the appeal, a grounded aspect that elevated 28 Days Later in the first place. It makes such a cure storyline unlikely. No one outside of Spike and Kelson may ever even learn the truths of Isla’s birth. However, future films that put focus on the character could reveal that being born from an Infected Woman, giving Isla some unique attributes or advantages in future stories.

While there might not be a cure taken from Isla, the fact that the Infected can have children (and seem to be capable of forming some kind of connection with one another) suggests the Infected are evolving in new and unexpected ways. This could be further explored in other sequels that reveal how much the Infected are changing and evolving, which in turn could introduce new complications for the survivors to overcome. The birth of a healthy baby girl in 28 Years Later is a big turn that could have serious implications in the long run for the franchise