The Expendables 4 Ending: Breaking Down the Shocking Character Comeback

The Expendables 4 culminates with significant revelations and plot twists while setting up potential future films in the action franchise. A key narrative focus is on Jason Statham’s character, Lee Christmas after team leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is shockingly killed early in the film. This loss motivates Christmas to uncover the truth about a mysterious villain known as Ocelot.

In the climactic scenes set on an aircraft carrier, Christmas rescues his teammates who were being held prisoner. This includes Gina (Megan Fox), who helped infiltrate the ship which houses a nuclear bomb capable of starting World War III. It’s part of a plot masterminded by the villainous Rahmat (Iko Uwais) and Ocelot.

During an explosive battle sequence, Christmas defeats Rahmat while also turning off the nuclear threat. But there is still one major reveal left. In a surprising twist, Ocelot is unmasked and turns out to be none other than Barney Ross himself. Ross had faked his death to go undercover as Ocelot, getting close to Rahmat to uncover the nuclear plot.

This shocking plot twist allows Barney to return to the franchise after it had seemed that he was killed off. It also provides an unexpected narrative jolt for audiences. The reveal shows Barney embracing more of a “dark side” as Ocelot while ultimately staying loyal to his Expendables team.

In the final moments, Christmas and the other Expendables escape the doomed aircraft carrier in choppers just as tons of explosives detonate. They did manage to avert WWIII, even if Rahmat’s threat remains, along with some loose plot threads. This leaves the door open for potential new missions in future Expendables films.

The ending delivers major surprises by bringing Barney back and exposing his identity as Ocelot. This paves the way for more scenarios with the core Expendables actors in future installments.

1. Is Barney Ross alive? How he faked his death?

At the end of The Expendables 4, a significant revelation is that Barney Ross staged his death earlier in the film. When the Expendables’ plane crashes early on, Barney is presumed dead since a burned body wearing his signature ring is found.

However, Barney returns heroically in the climax to rescue his teammates. He explains to Christmas that the body double was Jumbo Shrimp – the man who won Barney’s ring in a bar game. Barney kidnapped Jumbo Shrimp, dressing him in his clothes and ring before the plane crash.

Right before the crash, Barney parachuted safely while Jumbo Shrimp remained on the doomed plane disguised as Barney. This allowed Barney to fake his demise and go off the grid. His dramatic reappearance during the finale provides a crowd-pleasing twist for fans as Sylvester Stallone’s central character returns to help wrap up the story.

Barney can make his death look convincing by elaborately staging Jumbo Shrimp’s death in his place. This shows the big payoff of his triumphant return to defeat the villains and rescue his teammates. The twist paves the way for more Expendables films starring Stallone’s cunning character, Barney Ross.

2. Ocelot’s Identity, Villain Plan, & History With Barney Explained

Another major twist revealed at the end of The Expendables 4 is the true identity of the mysterious villain, Ocelot. Ocelot is CIA agent Marsh (Andy Garcia), who had worked with Barney years before.

Twenty-five years ago, Barney and Marsh were on a mission trying to uncover Ocelot’s identity. After that mission resulted in the deaths of Barney’s entire team, the truth about Ocelot remained buried. Marsh resurfaces in the present by hiring the Expendables under pretenses, accompanying them on their mission to stop Rahmat.

However, Marsh’s motives as the secretive Ocelot are to profit from starting World War III by framing America for detonating a nuclear bomb in Russia. After Barney’s supposed death, a classified file reveals Ocelot’s identity to Barney. Marsh then poses as Rahmat’s hostage to get him out of CIA custody and kill him, hoping to keep his Ocelot persona hidden.

This surprise revelation of Marsh as the elusive, villainous Ocelot provides a jolting plot twist for audiences. It brings clarity to the central mysteries around Ocelot’s identity and agenda.

By unmasking Marsh as Ocelot, the story returns to Barney’s failed mission 25 years ago. This twist sets the stage for an old rivalry being re-ignited between Barney and Ocelot/Marsh in potential future films.

3. Why Lee Christmas Didn’t Get Off The Aircraft Carrier?

Before Barney’s return and Ocelot’s death, Lee Christmas makes a somewhat surprising decision to stay on the boat after the rest of the Expendables team make it off safely. He was meant to be the last to descend to safety on Decha’s (Tony Jaa) boat, but he cuts the line in self-sacrifice.

Jason Statham’s character decides to stay on the aircraft carrier to turn it around before it reaches Russia and detonates. He wants to make the ultimate sacrifice, just like he thinks Barney did in the movie’s beginning. If not for Barney coming to his rescue, Christmas would have died on the boat.

4. What Happened To Rahmat? Is He Dead?

A lingering question left by The Expendables 4 is what happened to Rahmat. Iko Uwais’ villain was severely wounded in a fight near the end against Lee Christmas. However, Rahmat managed to escape unexpectedly when Christmas took his focus away from the seemingly dying villain to talk to Gina.

The Expendables 4 does not address how Rahmat escaped Christmas’ clutches, but his fate is likely sealed either way. Decha’s boat was the only way off the aircraft carrier before Barney sank it and the nuclear bomb went off. This should mean Rahmat died, barring a surprise retcon in The Expendables 5’s story.

5. Did Anyone Else Know About Barney’s Fake Death Plan?

The complex storyline of The Expendables 4 leaves some ambiguity around who was aware of Barney’s plan to fake his death. It seems clear that Lee Christmas and Marsh were kept in the dark, believing Barney had been killed. Other team members, like Toll Road, Gunner, and others, were unaware of Barney’s secret plan.

The only person who may have been let in on Barney’s scheme ahead of time was Gina, who collaborated closely with Barney prior and seemed to anticipate Christmas’ arrival. While Gina definitively knew about the tracker in Christmas’ knife, it remains vague if she or anyone else had foreknowledge of Barney faking his death as part of the larger plan.

6. How The Expendables 4 Sets Up Expendables 5: Who Is Still On The Team?

While there is no explicit setup for The Expendables 5 at the end of The Expendables 4, the franchise is positioned to continue. The film concludes with the team reuniting and celebrating Barney being alive, along with Christmas and Gina’s relationship intact.

As long as stalwarts like Stallone and Statham remain involved, more Expendables sequels could likely happen depending on the box office reception. If interested, Megan Fox’s character, Gina, also seems primed to lead a potential female-led spinoff.

If The Expendables 5 does get made, the core team already seems set. Barney could take on more leadership with Christmas as his right-hand man. Veterans like Toll Road, Gunner, Galgo, and others are still around to contribute. Newer members Easy Day, Galan, and Lash could also return.

The door is open for Dacha to rejoin, too. Of course, The Expendables 4 ending allows both new and old faces to join the crew. There are many avenues to continue the franchise with the established characters.

7. About The Expendables 4

Expend4bles (also known as The Expendables 4) is a 2023 American action film that is the fourth installment in The Expendables film series, following The Expendables 3 (2014).

The film stars an ensemble cast including Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, and Randy Couture reprising their roles from previous films, with Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy García joining the cast. It is directed by Scott Waugh from a screenplay by Kurt Wimmer, Tad Daggerhart, and Max Adams, based on a story by Spenser Cohen, Wimmer, and Daggerhart.

Expend4bles was released in China on September 15, 2023, and in the United States on September 22, 2023, by Lionsgate. The film received negative reviews from critics.