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.
