Boots Riley’s explosive and profound series I’m a Virgo concludes with an epic superhero smackdown that refuses to leave a single stone unturned, while also setting up exciting things to come.
Played by Jharrel Jerome, Cootie, a 13-foot-tall Black teenager, goes face-to-face with his superhero idol The Hero (Walton Goggins), who largely targets the town’s Black population when enacting vigilante justice. With the town’s conspiracists and authority figures against him, Cootie seeks assistance from his social activist friends to clear his name and restore peace. But, *record scratch* how exactly did we get here?
Told over seven episodes, the series explores themes of anti-capitalism through its lovable characters and fantastical story. The first part of the season follows Cootie as he escapes his oppressive parents and ventures out into the public for the first time after befriending a trio of rebels, Jones (Kara Young), Felix (Brett Gray) and Scat (Allius Barnes), who bring him to parties and help him adjust to civilization. After tragedy strikes the group, Jones is left enraged and Cootie joins her in her fight for justice.
Along the way, they get on the bad side of a few very powerful people and the tall teenager is ostracized from society after being placed on house arrest by The Hero. What happens next? What are the results of the showdown between Cootie and The Hero? Continue reading for everything you need to know about the ending of I’m A Virgo.
Around the midway point of I’m A Virgo, the series splits into several new directions: Cootie decides to take an active role in a political protest regarding the death of one of his friends — which lands him in trouble with The Hero, a group of miniature people are introduced and The Hero is given a tragic backstory.
Ahead of the finale, Cootie – nicknamed Thwomp and referred to as a “thug” by conservative commentators – is placed on a 120-day house arrest because there’s no jail cell large enough to accommodate him. During this time, a group of newscasters discuss his predicament and reveal that The Hero custom-made the house arrest bracelet for the giant, hinting at his true intentions. While serving his sentence, Cootie grows fixated on the way he is being presented in the media as a villain, both in news, fictional television shows and on social media. He recalls his mother warning him, “It’s only a matter of time because people make you a villain,” when he was younger. After growing outraged by the portrayal, Cootie decides that he’s going to “play the role of the villain.”
Despite the show’s multitude of storylines, the bulk of the resolution relies on Cootie. The giant breaks his arrest and shows up to a passionate rally, which successfully summons The Hero. Cootie immediately smacks him down like a fly and drags him into the street. He punches the super-powered being and leaves him begging for forgiveness. The Hero tells Cootie that they should work together for a common good and admits, “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I needed the world to see a real super-villain and to see me defeat him,” thus explaining why he was so eagled-eyed about the towering teen’s behavior.
Cootie is easily won over and asks his wounded idol to give him context to a plot hole in the fictional comics based on his life. The superhero laughs and says he’s been waiting forever for someone to ask him about that, distracting the giant being. Cootie joins in the laughter and says he doesn’t want to fight anymore, but as he’s being wooed, the superhero has his drone tie a rope around Cootie’s neck and drag him to the ground. The superhero uses a spiked metal bat to beat Cootie to a pulp and reveals that he built the giant teen a prison where he is expected to serve for a few decades.
Jones runs over to interfere in the battle and comfort her injured friend, which is when Cootie convinces her to do “that thing.” The activist convinces The Hero to give her three minutes of his time, during which she takes him on a visual journey explaining why he’s part of the reason that crime exists. The superhero sees an artistic performance put on by mainly faceless people while she guides him through her perspective.
The visual feast features the conclusion, “Capitalism necessities unemployment and poverty, which necessities illegal business — the regulation of which is what causes violence. How do you tell the whole working class that poverty and violence is necessitated by capitalism without them deciding to get rid of capitalism? You don’t.”
Jones continues, “You tell them that poverty is due to the bad choices of those impoverished. How do you tell the whole working class that their economic situation is due to their poor choices? You don’t. You tell them it’s the others that are making bad choices. It’s the culture of the others. You do this through the news, sitcoms, cop shows, and superhero shows.”
The Hero watches in horror as Jones tells him, “If you wanted to stop so-called crime and the violence that comes from it, you’d be a revolutionary, but you’re not. You’re a tool that helps capitalism run smoothly.” The superhero has nothing to say in return and unchains Cootie before walking off in the distance. The surrounding protestors cheer as Cootie watches his idol depart. Jones asks her friend, “How did you know this would work?” He opens his mouth to seemingly say, “I’m a Virgo,” and is interrupted by the title screen.
But that’s not all — in the final moments, the series sets up for more antics to come. Cootie stands and stares off into the distance while unzipping his sweater and revealing that his skin condition, which has been developing throughout the series, has worsened. The rash is now cracking his torso apart. So, overall, Cootie won his battle against The Hero (with assistance from Jones), but is he really winning? There’s clearly much left to be explored in this series.
I’m A Virgo is currently streaming on Prime Video.