The director for The First Omen has confirmed what many fans have suspected about the inspiration for the sequel-hooking ending.
The prequel was welcomed with open arms by critics and the horror community, but even some of them couldn't help but make comparisons to the ending. One critic even called it "the Rouge One of Omen movies."
Other fans couldn't help but compare Ralph Ineson's Father Brennan to a Catholic Nick Fury named-dropping the next big villain, but director Arkasha Stevenson doesn't deny the comparison—she even embraces it.
The First Omen Ending Comparison Explained by Director
When asked in an interview with ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese about the ending of The First Omen being comparable to a post-credits scene from a typical entry in the MCU, director Arkasha Stevenson couldn't disagree.
"Yeah. Our Avengers post-credit scene," Stevenson said, laughing and smiling alongside the film's star, Nell Tiger Free.
Stevenson thought that it was important for the audience to know Margaret Daino had survived and how she had "cobbled together this family:"
"Our Avengers post-credit scene. Exactly. It was so important for us to show that 1) Margaret survived and 2) That she had cobbled together this family and was taking care of all these girls trying to get over this trauma, and that they were doing quite well. And then also to show that Brennan is still alive."
To set the scene, the production designer had said, "Oh, this should be so peaceful until Brennan shows up, so let's have it snowing." All while Free was brandishing a shotgun, which she claimed to be "the heaviest thing in the world," to which Stevenson apologized.
"It was. It was the heaviest, I’m so sorry about that. I’m so sorry. Yeah, it was delightful."
So, not only did the ending reveal that Margaret and Carlita survived the church fire, but they were raising Margaret's daughter (and Damien's twin) together, a character never part of the franchise until now.
What Comes Next for The Omen Franchise?
The First Omen already retconned multiple aspects of its sequel, The Omen, such as Damien's mother surviving his birth, Father Brennan fighting against the conspiracy from the start, and, of course, the introduction of Margaret's daughter, Layla.
It's clear that some kind of sequel is being planned, but considering how the original three films, The Omen, Damien: Omen II, and The Final Conflict, covered Damien's whole life, from birth to death, it's hard to place where a sequel to The First Omen could even take place.
In the same interview with Treese, Free expressed that Layla could represent "so many different things" that could be explored in the future:
"I thought it was really smart to have the female counterpoint of Damien and what that could be and what that represents. Does that represent good? If he’s evil, is that good? Is that it? There are so many different ways it could go and so many different things that she could represent, and she could be."
Something that could continue the female POV in The First Omen that Stevenson loved and how "the two worlds" of this prequel and the original Omen becoming connected was "very clever."
The First Omen is currently streaming on Hulu.
Read more about other horror endings:
In a Violent Nature Ending Explained by Director: What Does That Stare Mean? (Exclusive)
The Strangers Chapter 1 Ending Explained: How the 2024 Movie Sets Up Chapter 2
Late Night With the Devil Producer Confirms What We All Suspected About the Ending
