Ever since the first Zombieland staggered into theaters in 2009, fans have clamored
for a sequel.
We had to wait a full decade for a follow-up, but from new zombies to every major storyline
in this long-awaited sequel, here's everything you need to know about the ending of Zombieland:
Double Tap.
As the film opens, we find our four main heroes making their way to a new yet entirely familiar
home: an abandoned White House.
They spend a little time being a dysfunctional family, then hit the road again after Little
Rock runs off with a pacifist named Berkeley.
Along the way, they kill a bunch of zombies, meet some new friends, get up to some Elvis
shenanigans, and have a short-lived run-in with a couple doppelgangers.
“Oh, God, those are T-800s, or at the very least T-700s.
There actually was no T-700.
Yeah, T-800's the first model.
It's great having two of you."
Things get back on track after Nevada, the proprietor of the Hound Dog Hotel, tells the
group that she saw Little Rock and Berkeley and knows where they're going.
This all leads up to the gang heading to Babylon, a commune which promotes a pacifist way of
life.
It's mostly just filled with twenty-somethings doing the world's last remaining drugs and
playing hacky sack, despite the hordes of zombies that have taken over the planet.
"No worries, man.
No, there's some worries, man.
There's some worries."
As the gang sets off, they end up finding a familiar and fairly unwelcome face on the
road: the very bubbly, very ditzy Madison, who everybody thought got shot earlier in
the film.
As it turns out, Columbus didn't actually shoot Madison.
She never even became a zombie at all — she was just allergic to trail mix.
With Madison in tow, the gang finally finds their way to Babylon, a seemingly successful
stronghold complete with an enormous tower that's protected by walls on all sides.
Much to the gang's dismay, guns are confiscated and melted down at Babylon.
After reuniting with Little Rock, the gang realizes that she's happy being with friends
her own age, and they all realize they need to give her a little room to live her life.
Tallahassee, who has been itching to return to the road for the entire film, decides to
leave Babylon and set off on his own once more.
But as he drives away, he notices a ton of super-fast zombies heading right for Babylon,
which is, of course, setting off fireworks and playing music as loudly as possible.
Tallahassee reverses course immediately and returns to Babylon, warning its inhabitants
as he tries to figure out a course of action to defend the complex considering there are
absolutely zero weapons on the premises.
Eventually, they come up with a solution involving plenty of biofuel and fire.
It seems to work...until it doesn't.
The four heroes find themselves surrounded by zombies, thinking the end has finally come.
In the end, Double Tap doesn't dispose of its four main characters during their final
showdown; at the last second, a monster truck, driven by Nevada, arrives to mow down as many
zombies as possible.
Once they all pile in, they return to Babylon, where the weakened residents are attempting
to barricade themselves against hordes of vicious, superfast undead.
Tallahassee's plan, as it turns out, left no stone unturned, thanks in part to his newfound
heritage.
Early in the film, he bores Columbus with an explanation about his Native American bloodline,
rattling off a long story about Native American hunters luring buffalo off of a cliff.
Since nothing in the Zombieland films ever happens by accident, it seems inevitable that
this story would end up serving an important purpose.
Naturally, it does.
As Tallahassee lures the zombies upstairs, it turns out they have a trap laid on top
of Babylon's highest tower.
For a moment it seems like Zombieland's toughest hero might fall, but his littlest friend comes
to his aid.
Babylon might not allow any guns, but Little Rock snuck one in; specifically, Elvis' gun
that Tallahassee gave to her for Christmas, which she uses to shoot the last of the zombie
horde and save Tallahassee's life.
In the aftermath of the massive zombie attack on Babylon, several characters come back together
for happy endings.
Tallahassee and Nevada reunite, and with Little Rock's blessing, Madison and Berkeley pair
off.
Most importantly, Wichita turns to Columbus and says the only word she needs to say — "yes"
— and the two officially get engaged, despite Wichita's misgivings about marriage and the
pair's recent split.
Along with Nevada, the gang drives off in Elvis Presley's pink Cadillac, with their
destination completely unknown.
When asked where they should go together, Columbus simply says, "home," ultimately elaborating
that, with his chosen family, home can be anywhere in the world.
It might seem odd for a zombie movie to have such a happy ending, but that's simply the
Zombieland style: it lets its heroes have everything they want, even as the world around
them crumbles.
"They were the closest to something I'd always wanted, but never really had.
A family."
Of course, no Zombieland film would be complete without a celebrity cameo, particularly after
the first film's Bill Murray guest spot.
Naturally, Murray comes up pretty quickly in the film; shortly after the gang meets
Nevada, she says she almost "Murrayed" Tallahassee, explaining that shooting a human you think
might be a zombie is called "Murraying," thanks to the little case of mistaken identity that
happened in the first film.
"Is that how you say hello where you come from?"
"Oh my God, oh my God I can't believe I shot Bill Murray."
During the credits, Columbus gives the audience a glimpse at Murray's first day in the zombie
apocalypse, which initially finds him conducting unenthusiastic press interviews for the fictional
Garfield 3: Flabby Tabby.
After Al Roker succumbs to the zombie infection, Murray mows his way through a press room,
gleefully taking out zombies while quoting everything from Ghostbusters to Caddyshack
to, well, Garfield.
"I hate Mondays.
Just hate 'em."
The ending of Double Tap sees our heroes literally riding off into the sunset.
But as with the first film, which ended in a pretty similar way, the movie definitely
leaves the door open for a possible third Zombieland.
However, after a ten-year wait between the first Zombieland film and its sequel, it also
seems as if assembling the teams on either side of the camera might be a pretty Herculean
task.
Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin, and Jesse Eisenberg are all more in demand
than ever, and writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick have been involved in a ton of high-profile
projects since they made a splash with the first Zombieland.
With that said, zombie stories are always an extraordinarily rich creative well, so
a third Zombieland film would likely not only be well-received, but well-attended to boot.
If Double Tap closes out this witty, clever series, its ending serves as a perfect coda
to this extremely fun saga.
But if the demand is there for it, there are definitely still more stories to experience
alongside Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, Little Rock, and their new friend Nevada.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
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