The Conjuring: Last Rites introduces a potential franchise-wide threat that should never return for any future Conjuring sequels. The ninth entry in the Conjuring franchise, Last Rites effectively closes the book on the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren by forcing them to fight an old enemy they thought they’d escaped long ago.

It’s a great final enemy for the family, especially because of how it specifically goes after their daughter Judy. It also showcases a wealth of power and a personal sense of malice that could make for a good recurring threat. However, the Conjuring series needs to ignore that impulse, as bringing this demon back would only hurt the franchise’s future.

The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Villain Only Really Works For The Warrens

The Mirror Demon is a fitting final antagonist for the Warrens to confront in The Conjuring: Last Rites, but the series shouldn’t bring the character back for any prospective sequels. While other demons and ghosts in the franchise have been given тιтles or had their names exposed, the Mirror Demon remains hidden in mystery by the end of Last Rites.

The demon works within the film as an overarching threat that’s been lying in wait, a lingering threat towards the Warrens and a reminder that they aren’t invincible. Established as one of the early demons the Warrens encountered in their careers, Ed and Lorraine fled the Mirror Demon when it almost caused Lorraine to deliver Judy as stillborn.

Now that the films have introduced Judy as a grown woman and the Warrens at the end of their career, it makes perfect sense that a lingering thread from early in their careers could return. In theory, this concept could position the Mirror Demon as a major threat within the universe.

The demon is powerful enough to send the Warrens fleeing in terror and requires two telepathic ᴀssaults to push back. It could easily stand out from the more one-note demons and ghosts of the rest of the series. It’s even established as being powerful enough to control other ghosts for its own purposes, similar to the franchise mainstay Valak.

In theory, the Mirror Demon could become like Valak, the ghostly nun who has become one of the series’ most iconic fixtures. However, doing so would defeat the main narrative purpose of the Mirror Demon. While other demons and ghosts clearly hate the Warrens, it comes across generally as a malice for the world at large.

The Mirror Demon, with its cruel approach and habit of appearing as reflections of the Warrens, makes for a very personal foe for the family to overcome. Take away those aspects, and the Mirror Demon becomes less compelling. It’s not just that it’s powerful (even overcoming the natural defenses of a church to target Father Gordon), but that it’s spiteful.

It makes the conflict of Last Rites feel more personal, ensuring their eventual victory is all the sweeter as a result. It’s a horrifying and effectively vile antagonist for the film, a perfect final threat for the Warrens. However, that power would be reduced if the Mirror Demon were to return and become a recurring threat to other families.

The Conjuring Needs To Move Beyond Last Rites Instead Of Reiterating It

The Conjuring series is at an interesting crossroads following Last Rites. The single highest-grossing film in the series is also meant to effectively end the story of Ed and Lorraine Warren. This means the franchise has a blank slate in the future, with plenty of possible directions to take.

One potential future path for the series could bring back the Mirror Demon, teasing out just how powerful it really is. The Mirror Demon could return to hunt Judy or shift targets to a new family or demonologist. It’s even possible that the unnamed Mirror Demon is retroactively made an even larger part of the Conjuring canon.

Because of the ambiguous nature of the supernatural and the unknowable realities of the demons in this franchise, the Mirror Demon could become any and all unspecified hauntings in the series. In this way, the Conjuring films could make the Mirror Demon into their own personal Thanos, an overarching single bad guy connecting all the films.

However, taking this kind of route would retroactively hurt Last Rites and would throw off one of the best elements of the entire Conjuring series. By removing the direct conflict with the Warrens, the Mirror Demon would lose that specific spite and hatred that made it unique. Doing so would just make it another demonic enтιтy to combat.

That’s something the Conjuring universe has plenty of already. Reverting to the Mirror Demon would also mean that sequels would likely repeat a style of scares, instead of exploring different approaches and corners of the universe. That’s the most exciting element of the sequels moving beyond the Warrens, after all.

Getting past the Warrens only to bring back one of their personal enemies would feel like a step backwards for a franchise that seems to be moving towards “Phase 2.” Having a singular overarching threat would also reduce the stand-alone nature of much of the series’ films, which has always been a great strength of the franchise.

While Valak and Annabelle may appear in multiple movies, there are often new targets and new hauntings at play. Even their reappearances are often unconnected to specific previous films, The Nun II notwithstanding. For example, the Annabelle movies shared an antagonist, but all worked on their own as solo entries into the series.

Bringing back the Mirror Demon, especially as a central threat pulling the strings, would unnecessarily overcomplicate a franchise that works best when it’s straightforward. It would remove the unique vendetta that made it so compelling, and could trap the Conjuring‘s future in the past. The Mirror Demon is great in The Conjuring: Last Rites, but doesn’t need to return.