The Maze Runner's third and final cinematic run, titled The Death Cure, is just as action-packed
and character-heavy as the previous installments.
So, if you lost track of all that went down in the explosive closing chapter for the sci-fi/adventure
series, here's the play-by-play on what exactly happened to all those Greenies and Gladers
in the end.
The rescue riot
A good chunk of the movie is dedicated solely to rescuing Minho from the clutches of the
WICKED scientists, including our old frenemy Teresa, who are treating him and other immune
kids like lab rats in the hope of siphoning off a cure.
After their first wildly unbelievable train car heist fails to save him, they decide to
storm the "Last City."
"Maybe?"
This is a bona fide techno-fortress that has been built to keep the uninfected population
safe from the "cranks," and it's specifically designed to keep undesirables like Thomas,
Newt, and Frypan from getting in.
There's a big price to pay for getting through: they'll need to rely on a rogue group of insurgents
that are lingering outside of the wall, waiting for an opportunity to come in and wreck the
place.
And wreck it they do.
With the help of Gally, who's decided to be on Team Glader again after his unfortunate
reaction to a sting, Thomas and friends infiltrate the wall through the tunnel system and make
way to the WICKED lab building where Minho and other kids are being held.
In return, Gally's friends in the havoc-wreaking army get access to come in and blow everything
up.
But skyscrapers and countless amounts of Last Citizens aren't the only ones lost in the
fray.
The sacrifice
About halfway through the rescue mission for Minho, we learn that Newt has been infected
with the now-airborne virus that's been plaguing people around the globe.
He manages to power through some of the most difficult moments but before the group can
make it back to their rendezvous point for rescue, he begins to succumb to the zombifying
disease.
Thomas tries his best to bring him back from the infection's haze until some serum is dropped
off, but when the now-mad Newt whips out a knife, it's hopeless.
Thomas turns the weapon on his best friend, and that's that.
And just when they got one of the crew back, too.
But, hey, at least Frypan and Brenda are able to save a literal busload of the other immune
kids by literally hoisting them over the wall with a crane.
The death cure
The reunion between Thomas and Teresa is not a happy one at first.
After the guys are able to nab her on the street, have her remove their tracking devices,
and then lead them to Minho's holding chamber, it's clear she's not too tormented over whether
what she's doing is ethical.
"I did what I thought was right."
In her mind, there are people dying every day of this horrific disease, and she's desperate
to find a cure for the infection, even if it means torturing kids like Minho.
While Minho's blood serum manages to stave off the infection temporarily, her experiment
with little Cheyenne proves that it doesn't work for long.
Minho's not the answer, even if WICKED would still prefer to bleed him dry anyway.
Realizing that, she's more earnest in her effort to help her old Maze pals rescue him
and escape — until she realizes that Thomas' blood is what she's been looking for all along.
The WCKD collapse
Just as Thomas is attempting to exit the city, Teresa lures him back to the lab by telling
him that it's his blood which can save everyone from certain infection.
Thomas can't help but be the good guy and tries to turn himself in for service.
Unfortunately, upon his arrival, and Ava's promise to take care of his friends in exchange
for his cooperation, her sniveling henchman Janson decides now is the perfect time to
betray her.
He incapacitates Thomas and takes him hostage because Janson himself needs the cure.
Thomas and Teresa outsmart him, of course, but escaping that peril isn't the end of their
struggle.
They soon find themselves on the roof of the burning building as mass chaos continues to
erupt outside.
Although Jorge is able to get a hovercraft to the roof through a major movie miracle
and rescue Thomas, it's too late for Teresa and the remnants of WCKD.
The next run
Thomas wakes up on a remote island with the rest of the runaways under Vince's care, and
it's an actual paradise.
But as Thomas reflects Newt's sacrifice, he knows he's not ready to settle down.
Now that he knows he's the cure for the whole world, can he stay away from the action forever?
"That's what I'm afraid of."
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