Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale will have a wide theatrical release on Sept. 12, 2025, and it has just been confirmed that one major cast member from the original TV series will not be returning. After Downton Abbey season 6's finale, the saga of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early 20th century continued with two movies, first 2019's Downton Abbey and then 2022's Downton Abbey: A New Era. While Mary's (Michelle Dockery) husband Henry (Matthew Goode) is in the first movie, he does not appear in the second.

Lady Mary Crawley marries Henry Talbolt in the penultimate episode of Downton Abbey, a few years after the death of her husband Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), a relationship that was the main romance of the first half of the series. After his absence, people were wondering if Henry would return for Downton Abbey 3. In an interview with Radio Times, Matthew Goode confirmed that his time with Downton Abbey is over, largely due to scheduling conflicts. Check out his comments below:

I was unavailable for the second because I was doing The Offer. Then [for the third] I was shooting this [Department Q]. But I also buggered my knee, and I had to have an operation.

That takes weeks to get over, so I was never going to be able to do it. And let’s face it, he was edging towards becoming a bit of a wet lettuce. So maybe it’s a good thing.

What This Means For Downton Abbey 3

Mary's Marriage Will Take A Hit Again

Downton Abbey: A New Era proved that there can be a successful movie without Henry, who ultimately plays a ing role in Mary's story, and the reason for his absence can be explained with little dialogue. However, Henry not returning might further push the storyline of his marriage to Mary becoming somewhat rocky. In A New Era, Mary is mildly frustrated that Henry is always focused on his automobile business and racing endeavors, rather than her. She then rejects what might have turned into an affair out of a sense of duty.

This storyline can be interpreted as the realistic struggles of an ultimately happy marriage, but seeing Mary and Henry together and happy in the last movie would have reassured fans. Now, the writers might be tempted to simply say that the marriage has become further strained, which is why he is not there. More than likely, the main plot will be more focused on the themes of facing modernity and how Mary continues to help manage the estate rather than her romantic strife.

Our Take On Matthew Goode Not Returning For Downton Abbey 3

He Should Have Been A Part Of Downton Abbey's Ending

Matthew Goode thinks that Henry doesn't need to return because his character has become uninteresting, which is true when he was introduced to be the happy ending for Mary. However, this is illustrative of the problem of Downton Abbey carrying on beyond its natural endpoint. Mary and Henry being happy together, both with professional ions that will carry them into the future, was a perfect ending to the series and the first movie. However, now that we are at Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, it has to find a satisfying conclusion all over again.