In a surprising revelation, the hit movie “Damsel” almost featured a very different conclusion for Princess Elodie. Damsel’s alternate ending recently coming to light, showcases a solitary journey for Elodie. It hints at a future filled with freedom and new adventures. Dive into the details of this unexpected narrative turn and its implications for the beloved character and potential sequels.
Brooke Carter plays Elodie’s younger sister Floria in “Damsel”. So Carter is naturally very familiar with the Netflix production which underwent numerous changes during filming. Brooke Carter spoke in an interview about this and revealed that “Damsel” had an alternate ending that would have ended the film on a completely different note. Warning, spoilers for the finale of “Damsel” follow!
After Princess Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown) finds out that the story of the unprovoked murder dragon (voiced by Shohreh Aghdashloo) spread in the kingdom of Aurea is a lie, she spares the animal and makes a pact with him. The dragon stops killing young women of supposedly royal blood and instead takes revenge on the true masterminds of the whole evil, the royal family around Queen Isabelle (Robin Wright) and Prince Henry (Nick Robinson).
The dragon burns the royals with his breath of fire, as they are, after all, the descendants of those who killed the pangolin’s three innocent babies centuries ago. He even torches the entire castle. The dragon then flies back to Elodie’s homeland side by side with Elodie, Floria and their stepmother (Angela Bassett) – but this final scene could have been very different.
Damsel: The Netflix hit could have ended so differently
As Brooke Carter explained, a scene was also filmed for ‘Damsel’ in which Elodie does not return home at the end with her sister and stepmother. “There was one (ending) where Elodie stays with us and one where Elodie leaves,” says Brooke – who wishes the audience could see this scene: “It would have given a completely different vibe to what’s going to happen in the future.”
While the beginning and middle part of the film remained largely unchanged, a lot of changes were made to the last part in the production phase. “Many lines of dialogue have been cut, others have been added. When we did the reshoots, there were quite a few scenes that they had now replaced with others,” Carter said in the interview.
Here’s how the alternate ending would have changed the fantasy adventure
Damsel’s alternate ending would not only have changed how Elodie continues in a possible “Damsel 2” – alone in new adventures instead of together with her family – but would also have made Elodie’s development in “Damsel” itself appear in a different light. Because the young woman emphasizes several times that she wants nothing more than to be free and see the world. It would only be logical that Elodie, having freed herself from her role as a wife, would now actually go her own way and set off into the world, without her mother and sister in tow.
At the end of ‘Damsel’ she is on her way back home with them. After the death of Lord Bayford which is now without a leader. Instead of saying goodbye to her family, giving Lady Bayford the responsibility and going her own way, Elodie’s sense of duty seems to have prevailed again at the current film ending of “Damsel” and she returns home, loaded with supplies for her starving people to take care of everything there with her family.
‘Damsel 2’ with Elodie at home or on the road?
Of course, this shouldn’t prevent Elodie from going out into the world in a possible “Damsel 2”. Although it is of course quite possible that new adventures are also waiting for her and the dragon in her own kingdom, and the somewhat older Floria could play a bigger role in this.
Nevertheless, we would have liked to see an ending in which Elodie, just like Arya Stark in the finale of “Game Of Thrones”, sailed towards a self-determined, adventurous future on the world’s oceans.
Also read: Stranger Things Season 5 will feature Hopper’s shocking transformation (globalpopcult.com)
