The Thing 2011 Ending Explained-The Prequel To Carpenter’s Original Sets Up A Bleak End Of Days

I’m a massive fan of John Carpenter. His apocalypse trilogy is untouchable, in my opinion. Despite their age, all three movies, Prince of Darkness, In The Mouth Of Madness, and The Thing, still scare me. My heart has a special place for the 1982 movie, which is quintessential ’80s at its best. Some hold up better than others, but the central themes and performances retain their ability to frighten audiences. The original The Thing from 1982 from the novella Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell is a masterclass of ’80s cheese, tense sequences, and paranoid horror. 2011’s The Thing from Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., when put into context with Carpenter’s vision, elevates both movies. Acting as a direct prequel, the 2011 story explains how the alien got loose and shows how unlikely humans are to survive.

This newer The Thing capitalizes on the issues women face in the workforce, particularly in male-dominated fields. Kate(Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is one of only two women at the outpost, and although she was recruited, she is obviously not respected. She is often ignored, ridiculed, and outright belittled by her peers despite being a true voice of reason. Where the original showcased the difference between two men, one of science and reason and the other of action, this newer version uses societal pressures between sexes.

She counsels caution when her boss foolishly wants to experiment on the ship and mysterious life form. But, unfortunately, Dr. Halvorson’s decision to ignore her proves to be deadly. The virus thaws out and begins replicating the crew of the Norwegian base quickly. It is the beginning of the end for this base and the American one later.

In The Thing 2011, a Norwegian Antarctic research outpost discovers an alien ship and potential lifeform and decides unwisely to bring it inside to study. Just like in Carpenter’s original, the group gets picked off one by one, and chaos ensues. Paranoia takes over, quarantines are implemented, and everyone views everyone else with suspicion. The more scared they become, the less clearly they think. Making matters worse, the one person able to put together cogent thought is Kate(Mary Elizabeth Winstead), who was recruited by Dr. Sandor Halvorson but is disrespected at almost every turn. After several crew members are revealed to be aliens, they finally begin listening to Kate, and she instructs them to check for fillings in everyone’s mouths.

The ending of The Thing explained

The aliens can’t replicate inorganic material, and the alien copies have pristine mouths. It’s not a perfect system, nor the tense blood test used famously by MacReady in 1982’s The Thing, which is a direct sequel to this one, but it’s better than nothing. They separate and isolate the group into possibly infected and human. When the two helicopter crash survivors from earlier in the film return, everything disintegrates, and the aliens infect and kill almost everyone. Only Kate and Carter are left, and they hunt down the remaining Things to prevent them from escaping. All of the alien-human hybrids are presumably killed by Kate when they see Halvorson drive off in a truck previously disabled. They chase him back to the alien spaceship and eventually kill him before he can take off in the alien ship.

The pair heads for a Russian station about 50 miles from their current location. Before they leave, though, Kate kills Carter because he no longer wears an earring. The Things can’t replicate metal, and when the earring he had been wearing in his right ear was missing, she asked him about it. He reached for his left ear, solidifying that this was not a human. She climbed into another vehicle and waited to die.

How the ending of The Thing 2011 ties to The Thing 1982

In an in-credits ending scene, Matias returns in a helicopter to find the base destroyed and dead bodies everywhere. Lars, who has survived, realizes that his dog, which is infected, is escaping. Matias and Lars chase him in the helicopter. Unfortunately, the dog reaches the other base, and we know from the beginning of The Thing 1982 that Matias is blown up accidentally by a grenade, and Lars is shot dead before they can warn the new base.

The final sequence is a shot-for-shot reenactment of the beginning of The Thing 1982. A Norwegian helicopter chasing a dog and firing a gun arrives at the base where Kurt Russell’s MacReady and company are working. Lars was trying to warn the others and kill his infected dog before it could get to this other outpost. Those who have seen the original know Lars is unsuccessful, and the cycle starts again. The dog which infected the other dogs and created the human infestation was Lars’ dog, and he was walked right into their facility.

The point of 1982 The Thing is this unknowable, seemingly unstoppable monster is us, and our inability to reason and make safe decisions will always allow the aliens to win. It may have started on a tiny outpost cut off from the rest of the world, but it only takes a second for disaster to strike. It’s only a matter of time before a person-shaped alien slips through. It’s a nihilistic view for sure, which is why it is included in the Carpenter End of Days trilogy.

If aliens don’t get us or madness doesn’t destroy us, aliens disguised as humans will. They are the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing. The final scene of MacReady and Childs, as the last people standing holed up together, preparing to freeze to death without really knowing if the other is a hybrid, is devastating. In all likelihood, it doesn’t matter because it is only a matter of time before another unsuspecting team finds and thaws out the aliens, and the cycle begins again.

Giving an origin story that also acts as a continuous loop of infection and paranoia perfectly encapsulates the idea that humans are on borrowed time. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy we are doomed to repeat and can’t escape from. The Thing 2011 is currently streaming on Netflix, and The Thing(1982) is available to rent or buy everywhere on VOD.