Warning! SPOILERS for Spiderhead.
Netflix’s Spiderhead is a psychological thriller starring Chris Hemsworth and Miles Teller - here's a full breakdown of the ending. The Chris Hemsworth-led movie is an adaptation of "Escape from Spiderhead," a short story from 2010 by George Saunders. With additions and changes from the source material, director Joseph Kosinski translated the short story into a feature-length film that fits into the modern trend of showcasing the dangers of human greed and technology through horror, suspense, and sometimes even comedy pieces of fiction – a trend perfectly summarized by Black Mirror.
In addition to Hemsworth, who plays the enthusiastic chief scientist Steve Abnesti, Spiderhead also stars Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick, Whiplash) as Jeff and Jurnee Smollett (Birds of Prey, Lovecraft Country) as Lizzy. As is the case with every adaptation, Spiderhead takes a lot of liberties regarding the "Escape from Spiderhead" short story, including the nature of Steve Abnesti’s motivations. The movie also changes Jeff’s background, as in the short story there was never a girlfriend he had killed in a car accident. There is also not a Lizzy in "Escape from Spiderhead," and the story is more centered on Jeff’s point of view.
While Jeff and all the other inmates of the so-called Spiderhead prison were seemingly fully aware that they were subjects of several experiments, with the “I convey” line being said by many of the Spiderhead characters throughout the entire film, none of them had any idea what Steve Abnesti’s real plan was. Abnesti would usually test many different drugs in the prisoners, with an apparent focus on the N-40 – the Luvactin. However, the most crucial part of the experiment was not to get people to fall in love but rather to see if there could be a drug powerful enough to remove the free will of an individual. Jeff’s realization that Abnesti was not the man he said he was, as well as Mark’s regrets from helping in such horrendous experiments, was enough to put an end to Abnesti’s plans.
What Does The B-6 Do
Towards the end of Spiderhead, Jeff realizes that there were only two drugs that Netflix original movie Spiderhead were being controlled on some level by Abnesti. This is why the prison was able to hold several highly dangerous criminals with minimal security.
What Abnesti’s Plan Was
Out of all drugs that were being tested on the prisoners, the only one that mattered to Chris Hemsworth’s character Steve Abnesti was the B-6. In fact, the only reason why so much effort was being put into the N-40, the “love drug,” was to make one subject fall in love with another so that the B-6 could be better tested. If Jeff or any other subjects were confirmed to be in love, then Abnesti could test if the B-6 could make them kill the person they love. That is why Abnesti is constantly asking for Jeff’s permission to use the Darkenfloxx in the women Miles Teller’s character could potentially be in love with and why Chris Hemsworth's Steve Abnesti gets so frustrated anytime Jeff refuses to do so. As for the reasons why Abnesti wants to create such a tool, it’s implied that the character felt mortally wronged after being abandoned by his father at the age of eight, and he now wants to make sure that no other human will ever make a similarly harmful decision.
Did Abnesti Die At The End Of Spiderhead?
Upon having his MobiPak and its controller damaged, Abnesti was injected with many different doses of all drugs at the same time, including the B-6. That is why he is not making much sense during the final minutes of the film. As the police approached with Mark as a witness at the end of the Netflix sci-fi movie, Abnesti’s only way out of the island was a plane – even though he was in no condition to pilot. Although there is a cut from the last shot of Chris Hemsworth’s character to the moment the plane hits the mountain and explodes, it’s highly unlikely that Abnesti survived.
What Happened To Jeff And Lizzy
One of the many secrets that Abnesti was keeping from the inmates was that some of them were no longer supposed to be in jail. Jeff had been on parole for a week, and Lizzy had been granted some sort of pardon. Upon escaping the facility after being chased by all the other inmates, Jeff and Lizzy took a boat to escape the island. Considering how neither of them was supposed to be in jail anymore, both Miles Teller's Jeff and Jurnee Smollett's Lizzy would find no problem in leaving the island and going back to the world. Still, they would most likely be sought out to give their testimonies in a potential investigation of the Abnesti company.
What Happened To The Other Prisoners Of Spiderhead
Spiderhead is set in a dystopian future, as the Abnesti’s Pharmaceuticals had been granted at least some sort of authorization to do experiments with inmates. Still, after everything that was exposed regarding Abnesti, including the death of a patient and the fact he was holding freed people captive, it’s likely that the whole facility would be shut down. The remaining inmates who had already served their time but didn’t know were most likely released after their testimonies, and the others probably transferred to another facility.
Will There Be A Spiderhead 2? How The Ending Sets Up A Sequel
Spiderhead ends with a thoughtful voiceover by Jeff, but the Chris Hemsworth Netflix movie curiously differs from the short story regarding Jeff’s fate. In the "Escape from Spiderhead" short story, it’s heavily implied that Jeff commits suicide at the of the story, while in the Spiderhead movie, he manages to walk out of prison alive and seems ready to start a new life -- even if it means having to live with the guilt for killing his girlfriend and his friend in an accident. One of the reasons for that change could have to do with plans for a Spiderhead 2, although nothing on a sequel has been officially discussed yet.
