‘The Creator’ Ending Explained: Equal Parts Triumph and Loss

The Creator, Gareth Edwards’ story of Americans warring with artificial intelligence, is now out in theaters. The Creator is an atmospheric saga filled with twists and turns, and an ending that’s a hefty dose of both victory and heartbreak. So what exactly happens at the end of The Creator? Let’s get into it.

Nomad is destroyed

Nomad, the floating military base that rains terror and destruction down on the A.I. enclave in New Asia, is the U.S.’s main weapon in its war against A.I. Joshua and Alfie hijack a flight to the lunar colonies and reroute it to Nomad, where they dock it and make their way on board. After a battle against the military forces aboard the station, Joshua and Alfie manage to destroy the station. However, after Joshua gets Alfie into an escape pod, he’s left trapped on board.

Alfie’s escape pod lands in New Asia, and as she emerges, she sees her people celebrating as pieces of the destroyed Nomad fall to Earth. The tide of the war has turned, and the A.I. of New Asia now have a fighting chance against the U.S.

Nirmata’s identity is revealed

In a somewhat predictable twist, Joshua learns that Nirmata, the mysterious A.I. designer known as “the Creator,” is none other than his missing wife Maya. Unfortunately, Maya has been in a coma since the attack that separated her from Joshua years ago, and Joshua finds that he’s the one who has to pull the plug.

However, after Maya dies, Colonel Howell (Allison Janney) uses a brain scanner to download her memories. Joshua takes the data and gives to Alfie, who later uploads it into a simulant body modeled after Maya’s likeness. The body doesn’t seem to work, though, and Alfie is forced to abandon it where she found it aboard Nomad.

Joshua and Maya are reunited

After Joshua gets Alfie safely off Nomad, he waits for the ship to explode around him. As he’s wandering in a hydroponic corn field, though, he sees Maya approaching him. Her new simulant body ended up working after all, and Maya is now awake. The two rush to each other and embrace as the ship explodes. Joshua’s longing for Maya is the driving force of the film, propelling him on his mission to find Alfie, and he finally gets the reunion he wanted, if only for a few seconds.

What’s next for Alfie?

At the very end of the film, we see Alfie—who, it turns out, was modeled on the DNA of Joshua and Maya’s unborn child—crying for her lost parents. However, as she watches her people celebrate Nomad’s demise, she also smiles and laughs, hopeful for the future.

However, we’re not likely to see more of Alfie’s story. Edwards recently told Screen Rant that he’s not interested in making a sequel to The Creator, instead letting the film stand on its own.

(featured image: 20th Century Studios)