A major moment at the end of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth has confused fans and is probably one of the reasons why the movie has received somewhat mixed reviews. Upon its release, reviews for Jurᴀssic World Rebirth have been quite underwhelming. This is disappointing, since it was meant to start a new era for the long-running franchise.

Instead of being excited about the future of the franchise, many fans have felt let down by the end of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth. The new movie was written to be a standalone story, but it definitely leaves the door open for a potential sequel. Therefore, it should be interesting to see what the future of the Jurᴀssic World franchise looks like after Rebirth.

It’s possible that some members of the cast of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth will return for the next film, such as Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali. Ali potentially returning, in particular, is very surprising since he was originally meant to die in the franchise’s most recent entry. In fact, it’s very confusing how Duncan survives at all at the end of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth.

How Did Duncan Survive In Jurᴀssic World Rebirth?

Duncan Heroically Faces The D-Rex In Rebirth

During the climax of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, the characters are hunted by the D-rex, a terrifying mutant dinosaur. After they notice the D-rex is attracted to light, Duncan ignites a flare and leads it away from the other characters. He tells Zora and the others to leave the island without him, and heroically jumps into the water.

In this moment, Duncan especially wants to protect Isabella, a young child. Since his own child died before the events of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, Duncan is focused on protecting Isabella many times throughout the movie. After he jumps into the water, the D-rex follows him far away from the dock.

At this point, Duncan seemingly accepts his death as the dinosaur stares him down. Once his flare goes out, audiences and the characters in the film ᴀssume that Duncan has died. However, before they drive too far away, Duncan shoots another flare into the sky, which allows him to be rescued.

The ending of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth doesn’t explain how Duncan survives his encounter with the D-rex. Did he swim away from the dinosaur or somehow distract it? Regardless, Duncan surviving his showdown with the D-rex honestly doesn’t make any sense.

Duncan Originally Died In Jurᴀssic World Rebirth

The Studio Wanted Duncan To Survive The Ending Of Rebirth

In an interview with Screen Rant, director Gareth Edwards revealed that Duncan was originally supposed to die in Jurᴀssic World Rebirth. According to him, Ali’s character was killed by the D-rex in David Koepp’s original script. However, the studio actually ended up convincing Edwards to keep the character alive. The director said:

It was written that he died, and we went into it with this feeling like, ‘Okay, cool, he’s going to die. That’s great.’ And then the studio was like, ‘Whilst you’re in Thailand, because we’re not going to be going back, you want to shoot a version where he lives?’

This was a little thing that tapped me on the shoulder as we were making the movie. And it’s like, ‘Okay, alright, so we can’t half a– this because if it plays out that he lives, I’m going to be living with that for the rest of my life.’ I really want it to be a really good version of that and feel classy and everything. And so I started trying to imagine, ‘Okay, how would that work? How would we play that story out?’ And you start to picture it, and then I started to think, ‘I kind of like that.’

In this interview, Edwards explains that since Duncan was originally supposed to die, all the common tropes are there. For example, his last words to Zora before leading the D-rex away trick viewers into thinking he will die. In Edwards’ opinion, this is precisely why him surviving at the end of the film is such an amazing moment. Edwards continued:

It’s a little bit magical. I think because we thought he was going to die, and we wrote it that way and did it that way and sH๏τ it that way, I think the audience thinks he’s going to die, because we did the little tropes. The final little thing you say to your best friend before you leave, it just tells the audience he’s not coming back. We kept all those in even though we knew he was coming back, and I felt like it might feel like a sellout.

I just reminded myself, and obviously our film is nowhere near as good as this movie, but say E.T., another Spielberg film, E.T. dies in E.T. And when it comes back, it’s so euphoric. You so want him to live, you don’t feel cheated at all.

The reaction the other night, listening to it with the crowd, it was the best moment in their whole film, their reaction to seeing that flare, and they all instantly knew. It was funny because it was just a little flare and out of focus behind Scarlett, and this applause happens. They just knew it couldn’t have been something else. You know what I mean? I nearly teared up. I was like, ‘Oh my God, studios are right sometimes.’ I’m glad we sH๏τ that.

Obviously, Edwards thinks Duncan surviving is the best possible ending for Jurᴀssic World Rebirth. However, by not explaining why the D-rex didnt kill him, the new movie repeats a divisive twist from Jurᴀssic Park III, which suggests that the franchise hasn’t learned much from its previous controversies.

Duncan’s Survival Repeats Jurᴀssic Park 3

Billy Was Originally Meant To Die In Jurᴀssic Park 3

In the franchise’s third film, Billy was seemingly killed after saving Eric, a younger child, from an attack by a flock of Pteranodons. In a thrilling sequence, Billy recuses Eric and allows him to return to his parents. However, after he falls into a river, several Pteranodons attack him, seemingly killing the young paleontologist.

Just like Duncan in Rebirth, Billy was actually originally supposed to die in Jurᴀssic Park III. However, the ending was eventually rewritten, and it is revealed that Billy was saved by the Marines. Even though he had some injuries, Billy survived the traumatic events of Jurᴀssic Park III.

In this franchise, Billy and Duncan are two characters who survived seemingly impossible odds. While these characters surviving can be a relief for audiences, it honestly makes the dinosaurs in the series seem much weaker. Therefore, I don’t understand why either of these characters survive their respective films in the franchise.

Duncan’s Survival Isn’t A Surprise Based On Jurᴀssic Park History

Usually Only Supporting Characters Are Killed

Even though it seemed like Duncan was definitely going to be killed at the end of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, his survival honestly shouldn’t be too surprising based on the franchise’s history. After all, the franchise very rarely kills off its main characters, especially those who are presented as “good guys” in their films.

The best example of the franchise killing off a prominent character is when Eddie dies in The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park, the series’ second film. However, Eddie wasn’t as important as some other characters in the film and arguably isn’t even a main character. Therefore, it remains very rare for the franchise to kill off a main character.

Duncan Surviving Is Good News For The Next Jurᴀssic World Movie

Will Ali Return For A Jurᴀssic World Rebirth Sequel?

The surprising ending of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth may confuse some audiences and raise many questions, but there is an obvious silver lining to Duncan surviving. Since Edwards decided to listen to the studio and keep Duncan alive, Ali could return in a potential sequel to Jurᴀssic World Rebirth.

Ali is undoubtedly a great actor and many fans, myself included, would be delighted to see him in another Jurᴀssic World movie. Perhaps a sequel will reveal more about his personal life and his relationship with the mother of his deceased child. Therefore, Duncan surviving the events of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth could end up being great for the future of the franchise.