Him's Wild Ending Explained

The following contains heavy spoilers for "Him," obviously.

Justin Tipping's "Him" is finally here, a nightmare look into the world of sports, it's a horror movie that looks at the cultish obsession with sports in America, as well as the commodification and corporatization of sports in the country. It's a thrilling film that feels tailor-made for Jordan Peele's production company Monkeypaw Productions, as on the surface it is great popcorn entertainment with a simple story that's both specific yet universal. And at the same time, that simple story reveals many layers the more familiar you are with the subject matter, with plenty of biting commentary.

In his review for /Film, Chris Evangelista described he movie as "wonderfully weird and twisted," but noted particular problems with the ending, which he calls "oddly lacking."

Indeed, the finale of "Him" has proven quite divisive, particularly in how it handles the themes of the story and its commentary. In its final moments, of course, we see young quarterback-hopeful Cameron "Cam" Cade (Tyriq Withers) murder his idol, legendary QB Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), in a bizarre ritual to get the coveted position of quarterback for the San Antonio Saviors. But right as he's going to sign a contract with the team's owners, Cam has a change of heart, and goes on a bloody rampage, murdering all the rich executives and walking off a field with his head held high.

Like much of the movie, and like most Monkeypaw Productions, there's more than meets the eye. If you have questions about the ending or just want to read a different interpretation — or just check if you're not crazy and there are more people out there with your same thoughts — then this is the explainer for you. Let's dive into the ending of "Him."

The bulk of "Him" takes place over the course of a week. Cam is invited by his football idol, Isaiah to his remote compound in the middle of the desert to train, so Isaiah can assess if Cam can replace him as he quarterback of the San Antonio Saviors. Before this, Cam had his promising football career damaged when he was hit in the head with a hammer by an assailant after practice one night, so he's suffering from concussion-related hallucinations that make him unsure of what's real and what isn't.

During training, Cam gets a look at the hell athletes put themselves through to be the very best, to be "Him." From foregoing any fun, companionship, friendship, good food, to brutal training regimens, to bizarre injections of mysterious drugs — and in this particularly peculiar case, it's Isaiah's literal blood being transfused into Cam. Things keep getting weirder as Cam and Isaiah's mentor-mentee relationship deteriorates and becomes more of a lion-lamb situation, with Isaiah talking several times about how little choice there is in the pursuit of greatness and how they are all just following the motions. He also talks about how you have to completely take over your idol in order to surpass them — as in literally take over them, by killing and consuming them.

At the end of the movie, Cam is told by Isaiah that he has to fight to get his dream, and if he wants to get as good as his idol, he has to take that spot from him — literally. Turns out, there is a long history of sick rituals of quarterback-hopefuls fighting and killing their predecessors to take over their role. After a bloody fight, Cam emerges victorious after bludgeoning Isaiah to death with a football helmet — something you wouldn't see in other so-called best football movies. 

It is then that Cam exits the complex and walks into a football field where he is greeted by his agent, Isaiah's wife, the team's owner, and a full marching band, all dressed in cultish outfits and some even wearing pig skin masks. This is it, the moment Cam has been waiting for, they are about to sign him to the team. 

But there's more. The owner reveals they have been preparing Cam for this moment for a long time. Cam's own father worked with he team's owner and coaches to groom his son in order for him to become a quarterback when he grew up. The assault that nearly killed Cam, the isolation that made him desperate enough to accept the bizarre training camp with Isaiah, it's all been part of the plan.

Enraged, Cam rejects all this nonsense and goes on a very bloody killing spree, grabbing the very same hammer used to attack him at the start of the film and murdering every executive on the field, before walking off it with his head held high and covered in blood... as a fighter jet flyover with red/white/blue smoke soars overhead while the band continues to play.

A big part of "Him" deals with the quasi-religious treatment of sports in America, particularly football. How families groom their kids for a football career since birth, dedicating them, sacrificing them at the altar of their favorite team, dictating their entire life for that singular goal. These athletes are essentially gods to many people, but at the same time they have little agency of their own, whether it's because of the pressure of fame and expectations from devoted fans, or just the teams themselves and their rich owners who can dictate everything the athletes can and can't do, and fire them on a whim if they don't comply.

The original script for "Him," then titled "GOAT," ended just with the characters that would later become Isaiah and Cam talking, and Isaiah revealing a deal-with-the-devil type ritual that made him impervious to injury that allowed him to be the goat. Cam, though reluctantly at first, ultimately agrees and does the ritual himself, becoming a star quarterback while Isaiah gets to finally live a life surrounded by friends, family, and junk food he stopped eating years prior.

It's a different ending for a movie that's more about the pressures of greatness, but "Him" goes further. By explicitly getting rid of Isaiah right before the grand finale and changing the targets to the billionaire owners and other executives, the movie specifically talks about the trend of players fighting to get more agency, to be able to determine not just plays on the field but also how they lead their lives. If he signs the contract, Cam would become a cog in a machine, one that can be easily replaced, a player in an endless cycle with no escape. That's why it's significant that the movie changes tone compared to the original script and has Cam take control of his own legacy and murder everyone while rejecting that cycle. He has agency, he has a choice, which Isaiah believed was nonexistent.

"Him" is now in theaters.