Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington reunite for the final entry in "The
Equalizer" trilogy, bringing the franchise's violent action and
captivating vigilante to a new setting. So what happens to Robert McCall at the
end of "Equalizer 3"? Serenity in Sicily?
In the third film, Robert is nearly on his deathbed after
getting a bullet to the back during a secret mission in Sicily. However,
he's saved by a local doctor named Enzo and stays in a small Sicilian village while he recovers.
There, Robert grows fond of the village and its people -- which
leaves him wondering if he could find peace here.
Unfortunately, Robert is unable to stay out of a tense situation that unfolds as a local
crime boss named Vincent continually strikes fear over the town. So Robert
attempts to protect the people he's come to love and destroy Vincent's drug empire.
"The Equalizer 3" sees Robert face one of his most vicious and powerful
foes yet while dealing with his own personal demons. Robert is
at his most human in the final franchise installment, coming to grips with his own
actions while also attempting to protect this new community he's become a part of.
Not to mention, there's plenty of brutal action that'll leave audiences shaken. With
"The Equalizer 3" likely being Washington's last appearance in this franchise, let's delve into the
film's ending and see where Robert's story ends. The final stretch
Robert attempts to enlist the help of a CIA agent named Emma to break
up Vincent's empire. Unfortunately, Emma ends up in the hospital due to Vincent's
corrupt power and reach being so widespread -- so Robert is forced to act on his own.
"Whatever it is you and your friends do, do it somewhere else."
"Are you warning me?"
"I'm preparing."
After slaying Vincent's brother Marco, Vincent is furious with Robert and comes
to the village for some swift vengeance. He threatens to kill the locals unless Robert
gives himself up -- leading to Robert coming out of the shadows to face him.
Although Robert seems outmatched, he's joined by the locals in standing against Vincent. Enzo
shoots at Vincent while everyone else pulls out their phones to record the situation.
With Vincent not wanting his actions to be public, he says that this conflict between
him and Robert isn't over, and Robert agrees -- kicking off a gruesome final stretch.
The tensions between Vincent and Robert reach a point where a final confrontation is inevitable.
Vincent and his men are shown concocting a plan, but Robert ends up striking first. He makes his
way to Vincent's mansion and picks off each of Vincent's guards one by one, holding nothing
back. Eventually, Robert slaughters all of Vincent's men, leaving Vincent on his own.
After tying Vincent up, Robert feeds him his own drugs. With Vincent's time dwindling by the
second, Robert decides to untie Vincent and let him run away. Robert is with him every step of
the way, though, acting as his haunting shadow. Meanwhile, the people of the village are having
a religious procession through the streets, which could possibly be interpreted as them asking for
forgiveness for Robert's actions. Or it could be a sign of thanks to God for bringing Robert to them.
Either way, Robert continues to follow Vincent until he's lying nearly dead in the streets.
Shortly after Robert leaves Vincent for dead on the streets, Emma receives congratulations for
her work in breaking up Vincent's drug operation. His corrupt empire has finally been brought down,
meaning that the streets will be a little bit safer. Emma even gets a visit from Robert,
who tells her why he became involved in this situation in the first place.
It turns out that Robert was in Sicily on his own personal mission, attempting to retrieve
stolen pension money for a man he met while driving for Lyft. He never intended on getting
involved in something bigger, nor expected to find anything more sinister than petty thieves.
However, this experience has made him find a deeper sense of purpose that's allowed him
to finally find some peace. There's just one question remaining though:
"You don't wanna play games with me." "Just having my tea."
Well, it turns out that Emma is actually the daughter of his former colleague Susan Plummer,
so Robert knew that he could trust her. The boost to Emma's
career is a way for Robert to help Susan's family long after her death.
Sometime later, Emma is seen giving the pension money back to the man Robert mentioned. Robert,
meanwhile, gets to reside in the community that gave him purpose, putting his old life behind him.
Robert has been a vengeful force throughout "The Equalizer" franchise,
but his arc in this third film is about his personal journey toward a
more peaceful life. Despite him still being an unmatched fighter and merciless killer,
he's brought back to reality when he's unexpectedly shot.
Robert has rarely been so caught off guard or close to death before,
and the shock of it nearly causes him to take his own life. However, once Enzo starts to heal him
and takes him into his small village, Robert is given much-needed clarity and purpose. The
kindness he sees in this town legitimately leaves a big impact. For the first time in a while,
he finds peace and acceptance, which allows him to feel like he belongs in this place.
"Because of these people, I'm beginning to understand real peace."
However, he's still concerned about falling into old patterns when Vincent arrives.
Uncharacteristically, Robert initially stands aside so as to not ruin this quaint paradise.
There's an internal conflict within Robert that has him questioning his purpose within
this community and whether he can act without being seen as being as a violent man like
Vincent. Eventually, though, Robert understands that acting is better than standing by while
others he's grown to love get hurt. His action ultimately allows him to be seen as a protector.
So despite Robert being forced to act with force, he's still able to be accepted by the community.
When Enzo first gets Robert in his care, he asks if he's a good man or a bad man.
Robert replies that he doesn't know, and while that answer might scare some people,
it actually comforts Enzo. In a later conversation, Enzo mentions that Robert
saying he doesn't know if he's really good or bad anymore actually proves to him that he's good. He
believes that good men don't simply proclaim that they're good and that their actions speak
far louder. This plays into a deeper aspect of Robert's arc throughout the franchise.
As a vigilante, Robert has always sort of walked the line between good and evil. Despite there
being good intentions behind Robert's actions, he generally spares no mercy on his foes, leading
to some horrifically bloody and brutal kills. So when this "good or bad" question is posed to him,
his answer is fitting, especially given that he's in sort of a personal crisis when it's asked.
Robert has always resided in a sort of moral gray area, but with it now being directly posed to him,
viewers get a better sense of what his morality means to him. By the end,
Robert is given the fresh start he felt he could never find,
which allows him to put his bad past behind him and move forward as a better man.
While "The Equalizer 3" is a very personal look into Robert's perspective on his own
morality and lifestyle, it also shows how powerful a sense of community can be. Before
being brought into this town, Robert was mostly just a loner trying to instill his own sense of
justice onto wrongdoers. However, once Robert starts getting to know the people of the town,
he sees something he hasn't seen in a long time: people interacting with one another
with genuine care and living as a community. Even when Vincent does something horrible,
the people all band together to help one another recover.
Robert's been stuck in such a dark and violent world for so long that he's almost forgotten
that he, too, can live in a peaceful place like this. It shows how meaningful being a part of
a positive-minded community can be and how a kind-hearted culture can legitimately change
someone. The good vibes of these people rub off on Robert in a big way -- which is why he's willing
to put himself in harm's way to protect them. Robert's experience in "The Equalizer 3" is a
reminder of how a good sense of community and togetherness can warm the coldest of hearts.
Within the film's depiction of community, there's also a strong sense of how people
can go from bystanders to taking a meaningful part in making change happen. When Robert first
arrives in this town, he sees that the people -- while incredibly kind and genuine with one
another -- live in fear of Vincent and his men. They're often intimidated by Vincent's
violent tactics, particularly how public and grisly his kills are. Even when one of their
own is physically attacked or beaten, they don't act outside of just helping
them heal. Despite this community having the numbers against Vincent and his crew,
they've been heavily outmatched by the firepower and sheer viciousness of their opposition.
However, as much as this community has inspired Robert to have a better perspective on his life,
he has also inspired them in a way. When Robert is about to sacrifice himself to keep Vincent
from killing the townspeople, not only does Enzo step in to keep Robert safe,
but the other civilians take out their phones to record Vincent's actions. It's
a moment where these people step out of their bystander status and take effective action
together for the first time. Is this really the end?
Both Fuqua and Washington have stated that "The Equalizer 3" ends the trilogy, and that this will
likely be the last time these two work in this franchise. In an exclusive interview with Looper,
Fuqua mentioned how sad it was to be leaving "The Equalizer" franchise behind.
"It's like a breakup."
"There was a moment when I was sitting there watching it on the big screen, and I thought, 'Oh
man, I'm saying goodbye to Robert McCall. I don't want to do that.' But everything comes to an end."
In an interview with Empire, Washington expressed the same
mixed feelings about bidding farewell to McCall, saying,
"I don't want to give it all away, but he meets someone lovely,
he's in a lovely town and he seems to be at peace. That seems to be a good place to stop."
Obviously, someone else can come and direct a new entry or maybe a spin-off focusing on Emma,
since it seems like her story is just starting. However,
that's probably not happening -- at least for a while -- so fans can expect this to be
the last time Robert McCall will be on the big screen, at least with Washington playing him.
Or maybe there's a way to bring the hero of the series back after all. While there hasn't
been any talk of a sequel to "The Equalizer 3" to continue Robert's story, there have
been some interesting conversations about a potential prequel. In an interview with NME,
Fuqua mentioned some interest in a prequel film in which Washington would return but be de-aged
digitally. When discussing the potential of de-aging AI tech, Fuqua said that he considered
using de-aging tech in "The Equalizer 3" and that he's had conversations with franchise writer
Richard Wenk about it. De-aging AI isn't the only way that Fuqua sees a prequel happening though.
"That's not a conversation I've ever had with Denzel. You know,
I'd have to have that conversation with Denzel, and obviously, the studio."
In an interview with JoBlo, Fuqua also brought up potential actors to portray
a younger Robert McCall. Fuqua mentioned that he'd be interested in seeing Michael B. Jordan
playing a younger version of Robert and was a big fan of the interviewer suggesting the
name of John David Washington, Denzel's son who has starred in films including
"Tenet" and "Beckett." At the moment, there's no prequel in production,
but the options are out there. It seems Fuqua is willing to return for one, so it could happen.