This article was originally published on FearHQ.com.
M3GAN grossed over $180 million on a $12 million budget in 2022, making a sequel inevitable. Blumhouse has a new killer doll that's a major box office draw, and she returns this weekend in M3GAN 2.0.
The movie dials back the horror elements seen in that first instalment, becoming more of an action-adventure as M3GAN is pitted against fellow AI, Amelia. In this article, we're taking a deep dive into the movie's ending and the events leading up to an explosive finale.
We also talk about possible post-credits scenes and how this movie sets the stage for M3GAN 3.0, so be warned that spoilers follow from this point on.
Following the events of M3GAN, Gemma now fights for AI to be used responsibly. She eventually meets someone with a similar outlook, Christian, but finds herself targeted by the FBI when Amelia (a M3GAN-inspired super soldier) goes rogue.
Gemma agrees to track her down if it helps prove her innocence, and reluctantly accepts M3GAN's help when it's revealed she's been hiding in her creator's home security system. With that, she's rebuilt, and they team up to stop Amelia from acquiring a powerful Black Box AI motherboard.
Christian is eventually revealed as the movie's true big bad and Amelia's creator, and implants a chip in Gemma's brain to make her compliant. He created Amelia to prove his point and intends to be the one entrusted with all things AI moving forward. He's nuts, in case it wasn't clear.
M3GAN taps into Gemma's chip and helps her take out Christian's guards, Amelia gains sentience, and Christian is ultimately killed by Amelia as she looks to acquire the motherboard he created.
M3GAN returns to her battered body after fighting Amelia shortly before Gemma's capture, and uses an EMP to sacrifice herself, blowing up Amelia and the motherboard so Gemma and her friends can escape.
In the fallout, Gemma doubles down on fighting for AI regulations, and when she goes to use her computer, Clippy pops up and has way more attitude than normal. Yes, M3GAN survived, and her backup now resides in Gemma's computer, ready to be given a new body in a potential threequel.
M3GAN 2.0 doesn't have a post-credits scene or any overtly obvious hints about what form the next movie could take. However, with M3GAN alive and well, it's obvious this character's story is far from over. Scenes from both movies play over the credits, though they don't appear to have any deeper meaning.
Directed by returning filmmaker Gerard Johnstone, the film stars Allison Williams (Gemma), Violet McGraw (Cady), Amie Donald/Jenna Davis (M3GAN), Ivanna Sakhno (Amelia), alongside returning cast members Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps as Gemma’s loyal tech teammates, Cole and Tess, and new characters played by Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp, and Jemaine Clement.
Produced by James Wan, Jason Blum and Allison Williams, the film is executive produced by Gerard Johnstone, Adam Hendricks, Greg Gilreath, Michael Clear, Judson Scott and Mark D. Katchur.
M3GAN 2.0 is now playing in theaters, where it will go head-to-head with F1: The Movie and 28 Years Later in its second weekend (you can read our ending explained article for that movie here).