The following contains spoilers for The Old Guard 2.The Old Guard 2‘s director, Victoria Mahoney, breaks down the immortality twist and how the film depicts it near the end. Centering on the resurfacing of a mysterious and powerful immortal, the new action thriller follows Andy (Charlize Theron) and her group of immortal warriors as they attempt to safeguard humanity while fighting to protect one another.

The beginning of the new film takes place after Andy has become mortal in The Old Guard‘s ending. As the group dives deep into the lore to uncover the first Immortal, Discord (Uma Thurman), and her power, they discover a secret around Nile (KiKi Layne), who has been revealed to be the last Immortal with the power to take away others’ immortality.

At the same time, Tuah (Henry Golding) discovers a lore that suggests that a mortal immortal could regain their ability if another transfers their ability willingly. At the end of The Old Guard 2, Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), who has grown to resent his power, decides to transfer his immortality to Andy.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Mahoney explained how they approached Booker’s sacrifice. The director shared that they had extensive conversations about the immortality transfer in the movie, so that they could “use language that the actors could plausibly dictate” while making the scene believable, and the result was by showing “what’s underneath the dialogue.” Read her comment below:

We were possessed by a demonic spirit, that’s how overtaken we were with that discussion. Fortunately, we have incredible actors, and we just had to find a way to make it truthful and make it make sense for them. And then we didn’t have to sell them or sell the audience because really, you see the way they play it.

That scene with Tuah and Booker in the library, and they go in and Booker comes to Tuah and they have this wonderful exchange — it’s so respectful and honorable. And then what’s fascinating is what they’re not saying, what’s underneath the dialogue, and the way that Tuah posits his theory, and then the way that Booker receives it and you see he’s studying and telling himself, “I can give Andy back this thing that I took and I can be free.”

You can see it was a beautiful, beautiful, tiny thing. You can see the wheels going, and I love that. And those two actors in that particular scene did a lot of lifting that could have been really hokey, pokey, jokey — but it’s not.

What This Means For The Old Guard 2

The Transfer Of Magic Was Filmed Organically

The Old Guard 2 didn’t visually show how immortality was transferred between Andy and Booker. Instead, the movie opted for a non-visual and non-verbal approach. Unlike most fantasy movies, the new Netflix film didn’t include a spell or a ritual. Instead, it approaches the transfer from an emotional standpoint and leans into Brooker’s willingness and how it serves as a full cycle moment for the character, who betrayed Andy and the team in the first movie.

Much as Mahoney explained, Brooker’s decision-making moment can be spotted during the exchange with Tuah, where he first heard of the concept. Since that moment, he has been testing ways to transfer his immortality to Andy. At The Old Guard 2‘s ending, despite initially wanting to keep it a secret, Brooker reveals to Andy his intentions and sacrifices himself to keep her safe. Mahoney’s comment sheds some light on how this process was depicted by the actors’ nuanced performances in these key moments.

Our Take On Brooker’s Demise In The Old Guard 2

It’s A Beautiful Ending For The Character

Brooker’s sacrifice was a genuinely shocking moment in The Old Guard 2 that changed the course for Andy and Discord. Without him giving his immortality to Andy, there’d be no one left to save the team from Discord. At the same time, the decision also served the character in the best way possible.

Brooker has been tormented by grief due to his inability to share his gift with his loved ones. Seeing him giving Andy immortality so that she could use it to serve a better purpose brings a beautiful end to the character.

Source: EW