If you haven’t yet watched Nimona on Netflix, do yourself a favor, and remedy that immediately. Based on the popular 2015 graphic novel by ND Stevenson, Netflix’s new animated film is a totally metal and totally queer adventure that is absolutely worth your time. Between the empowering trans allegory from its lead shape-shifting character, to the adorable romance between Sir Ballister Boldheart and Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin, Nimona is truly a treat for the gays.
It also had a long, treacherous journey to the screen—it was originally intended for release in 2020 by the former Fox subsidiary Blue Sky Studios, but the movie was killed by Disney after the mega-company shutdown Blue Sky following the Disney-Fox merger. Nimona fans have been waiting for this one.
But if you aren’t familiar with the webcomic-turned-graphic-novel that inspired the Nimona movie, you might find yourself curious about the source material—particularly when it comes to the Nimona ending. Don’t worry, Decider is here to help. Read on to learn about the Nimona movie ending and how it differs from the Nimona graphic novel ending.
At the end of the Nimona movie, Ballister talks Nimona down from her terrifying monster state. She transforms back into a human girl, and stops attacking the city.
But that’s not good enough for The Director, who decides to nuke her own city—and all the people in it—in order to kill Nimona. In order to save the people, Nimona pulls an Iron Giant, transforms into a phoenix, and flies out to head off the nuke before it can hit the city. She sacrifices herself to save the people.
After the explosion, Ballister sees a shower of red sparks that seem to be Nimona’s soul. He begs her to come back, but she does not return, and the sparks fade. We then flash-forward to a later date, where the city is safe and thriving. Ballister and Ambrosius are back together, and everyone is happy… except for the fact that Nimona is gone. But, at least she is remembered as a hero.
But is she really gone? In the final scene of the movie, Ballister visits his former secret hideout with Nimona. There’s a knock on the door, and Ballister runs to answer it—but no one is there. Then we see a red glow behind Ballister, and Nimona’s voice saying, “Hey.” Ballister’s eyes shine with joy, and he exclaims, “Holy shi–!” and with that, the movie ends.
In other words: Nimona comes back. We don’t get to see what form she comes back as, but she’s definitely back. Huzzah!
The Nimona graphic novel ending is very different from the movie ending, mostly because the webcomic (and subsequent graphic novel) are very different from the movie in general. But, a basic summary of the Nimona graphic novel ending is this: In the big climax, Nimona splits into two beings, a girl and a monster. The monster is attacking the city, and Ballister is forced to slay the beast in order to save everyone else. In the course of that fight, damage to city’s evil science lab causes the lab to explode. Ballister manages to escape the explosion, but Nimona the girl stays with Nimona the slain monster, and is caught in the explosion. Ballister assumes that Nimona dies. After everything, Ballister becomes a hero, but Nimona is still remembered as a monster.
No. Like in the movie, Nimona does not die in the comic. However, unlike in the movie, Ballister and Nimona never properly reunite.
In the graphic novel, after the incident, Ballister takes an injured Ambrosius to the hospital. He argues with a doctor who calls Nimona a monster. Ballister looks down at the hospital chart, and sees a drawing of a shark in Nimona’s signature scrawl. He chases after the doctor, gets lost in the crowd… and then he sees Nimona, who waves at him. But she disappears before he can catch up. From then on, Ballister believes he sees Nimona everywhere, from strangers on the street to unusual animals in the city.
Yes. Well, sort of. If you wait until the very end of the Nimona movie credits, you’ll be rewarded with the sound of Nimona’s cackle, and an animation of her arm spray-painting the “A” for anarchy inside of a heart. So, yeah, she’s definitely not dead!
Never say never… but probably not. There are no current plans for a second Nimona movie. Netflix rarely makes sequels to its animated films, and it already was hard enough to get the first Nimona movie made. Again, it’s not impossible, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Just enjoy the movie you do have!