The Killer Ending Explained- What Does The Hunter And The Bear Story Mean And Will There Be A Sequel?

Based on the graphic novel by Alexis “Matz” Nolent and Luc Jacamon, Netflix’s The Killer is a surprisingly talky movie for something whose title promises more death than anything else. Michael Fassbender plays the titular lead role as an assassin who finds he is now a target. With no choice but to find and kill those responsible, he sets out to find those responsible. He leaves a trail of bodies in the process. More important than who wants him dead is whether the Killer wants to be killing anymore. Here’s everything you need to know about the Hunter and the Bear story, why he leaves the Client alive, and if there will be a sequel.

The unnamed assassin who is only ever credited as the Killer is a gun for hire. He constantly plans and prepares for each new job. He religiously recites a mantra about not trusting anyone and not having empathy, even though he appears to trust a few people. We first meet him surveilling his newest target in Paris, France. Things do not go well, and he ends up missing the target and killing an innocent instead. Fleeing back to the Dominican Republic, he discovers he and his girlfriend have been targeted, presumably for his poor job performance.

Who put the hit on The Killer?

Claybourne placed the hit on The Killer because he was a liability. He failed to do his job, and now the man he was hired to kill knew he was a target, thus making killing him in the future more difficult. Additionally, he proved he could no longer be trusted to do his job because he failed. He knew too much to be allowed to live. So Claybourne, an extremely wealthy businessman, decided to end his employment permanently.

Hodges, the attorney and the assassin’s handler who was nail-gunned through the chest towards the beginning of the film was the one who initially called for the Killer’s death. However, Claybourne agreed because he didn’t realize what he was agreeing to. Claybourne has no personal beef with the Killer. He said it was simply a misunderstanding. After finally hunting down the man responsible for his girlfriend’s attack and the bounty on his head, the Killer leaves without killing the Client. Claybourne also agrees to leave the Killer alone, and the Killer returns to the Dominican Republic.

Why did the Killer leave Claybourne, The Client, alive?

He left him alive because he was ultimately tired of killing and wanted to keep his loved ones safe. The story about the Hunter and the bear was meant to demonstrate the difference between killing and hunting and self-sabotage. When one forgets the distinction, one should reevaluate one’s life choices. Fassbender’s Killer believed he was safeguarding his survival by leaving the Client alive. Claybourne was also basically clueless about the hit Hodges placed on him because he was a big-money figurehead with no actual idea what was going on. When Hodges offered him “insurance,” he thought it meant something as trivial as iPhone insurance at the Apple store. Something nice to have but not worth thinking about. Realizing that killing Claybourne would not satisfy his need for revenge, he chose to leave him alive.

He would also have a wealthy ally should he ever need one. Despite telling us throughout the film that no one should ever be trusted, he ultimately trusted Claybourne to remove the hit on him and not hire any additional assassins to try to hurt him or those he cares about. The Killer proved he could avoid being killed and get to Claybourne whenever he wanted, so it was in Claybourne’s best interest to leave him alone.

With everyone else involved in the original assassination attempt dead, there was no one left who knew the Killer botched the Paris job. By leaving Claybourne alive, he was in his debt. Considering he was also tired of killing, not killing Claybourne satisfied several things. Killing Claybourne would have ensured no one else would come after the Killer. He would have to kill one more time, though. Leaving him alive meant he didn’t have to kill again and had a powerful friend with very deep pockets should he ever need him. Claybourne, in exchange, would feel grateful for his life, afraid of the Killer’s demonstrated skills, and with no reason to continue to go after him, would pretend none of it ever happened and move on.

Tilda Swinton’s The Expert’s Bear and Hunter fable explained

During a tense dinner after the Killer tracks down the Expert, a story is told about a hunter who tries repeatedly to kill a bear. Partly, this story is meant to buy her time. As long as she could keep the assassin talking and listening, she thought she could buy herself time to escape. Additionally, she wanted to garner sympathy from him. She needed him to see her as an emotional, intellectual person with insight into his life. By telling the story she was explaining to him, she saw him as a killer and a man. The story was meant to encourage him to stop killing and hopefully spare her life. She may have been trying to explain that he failed at the Paris job because he was tired of death and might find peace elsewhere.

Like the Hunter, he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt far more than killing the bear. The Hunter may have enjoyed the Bear’s violation. He subconsciously missed the Bear because he liked the abuse. It is why he failed to kill the animal in the story and why The Expert posits the Killer may have failed to complete his job. Since we watched the assassination attempt, we know the Killer didn’t intend to save anyone’s life, but he also doesn’t appear to appreciate his work. Likely, his heart was not in the lonely, isolated work and the devastation he left behind. He might be better served as a finder rather than a murderer in the future. Considering we last saw him in a beautiful house with his girlfriend, it is more likely he is retiring for good.

Fassbender’s assassin constantly ruminates about his rigid rules and how clever he is. Yet, his insistence on using pop culture icons as aliases belies that cold-blooded approach. He has a sense of humor and probably. In the graphic novels, Cheer’s Sam Malone, Archie Bunker, and George Jefferson are all names he uses. The first volume of the graphic novel takes place in the early 80s, so it is possible their use is to nod back to the source material. It also makes the assassin born in the late sixties or early seventies, presumably. Their usage also gives away the assassin’s sense of humor and probable concern for friends and family. All the shows he references are about families by blood or choice.

He consistently screws up small things like miscalculating, how long it takes to bleed out, and his almost disastrous attack on the Brute. Maybe he was never very good at his job and managed to fail upwards time and again. Or maybe he had become weary of being a very violent version of a paper pusher.

Will there be a Killer 2 or a sequel?

There are several volumes of the graphic novel from which director David Fincher got the story. Although the Killer does retire, he is pulled back into the assassination game via a Cuban oil conspiracy. That beautiful setting would certainly make for gorgeous set pieces and exciting action sequences should Netflix choose to move forward with additional films. There is plenty of material in the graphic novel series. By leaving Claybourne alive, he can always return to work for him, either out of boredom or revenge.

As the Killer was fond of saying, you can’t trust anyone. Even though Claybourne has the incentive to leave him alone, he may not have a choice. If he needs a mercenary for hire or protection from some unknown enemy, he could be called again. Maybe the Killer finally realized doing nothing isn’t as exhausting as he thought. We are all cogs in the wheel anyway. Might as well enjoy the silence and the fruits of our labors while we can. Regardless of the possibilities, Netflix has not confirmed or denied any more movies yet. It is currently streaming on Netflix.