NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n\n- \n\n
Mary Shelley\u2019s book inspired Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi Gothic movie Frankenstein<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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The director changed the ending of the book to show the Creature’s humanity<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
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Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, premiered on Netflix on Nov. 7<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Fans of Mary Shelley<\/a>\u2019s iconic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus might be leaving Guillermo del Toro<\/a>\u2019s 2025 film adaptation a little surprised.<\/p>\nThe sci-fi horror flick, which had its global premiere on Netflix<\/a> Nov. 7, follows the turbulent life of scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac<\/a>) as he embarks on an unorthodox experiment to create life after death.<\/p>\nThe result is a monster known as the Creature (Jacob Elordi<\/a>), a character whose own personal journey and quest for companionship has inspired a myriad of work<\/a> since Shelley\u2019s inception of him in 1818.<\/p>\nWhile del Toro\u2019s adaptation of Frankenstein<\/a> remains mostly loyal to its source material, the acclaimed director makes a daring choice to diverge from Shelley\u2019s book by the film\u2019s end, choosing to craft a finale laden with hope rather than tragedy.<\/p>\nSo what does Frankenstein\u2019s ending mean? Here\u2019s everything to know about the film\u2019s finale and what Guillermo del Toro has said about its significance.<\/p>\n
How does Frankenstein (2025) end?<\/h2>\n![\"Netflix](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/JoncvOUt_1YKchq9qxRoAA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/542bcda10fb64b7e518a7ac017b6517b\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\nNetflix<\/p>\n
‘Frankenstein’ (2025)<\/p><\/div>\n
Following the deaths of his brother William (Felix Kammerer) and his sister-in-law Elizabeth (Mia Goth<\/a>), Victor vows vengeance on the Creature and dedicates the rest of his life to a merciless pursuit of him.<\/p>\nHis hunt eventually leads him to the Arctic, where he\u2019s discovered wounded by a stranded troupe of sailors who offer him shelter on their trapped ship. While resting on the boat, Victor begins telling his story to the ship\u2019s captain, Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen), but is interrupted midway by the Creature, who has made it aboard.<\/p>\n
Rather than destroy his creator, however, the Creature tells his side of his life\u2019s story and recounts the neglect and abuse he\u2019s faced at Victor\u2019s hands. The conversation prompts a moment of catharsis for Victor, who finally realizes how he\u2019s failed the Creature as his creator and subsequently as his father.<\/p>\n
Victor quickly apologizes for his past cruelty and begs the Creature for his forgiveness in the film\u2019s final few moments. He also implores the Creature to keep living life as he is, before succumbing to his wounds and dying.<\/p>\n
The Creature, finally at peace after having received the closure he needed from his creator, leaves the ship and helps push it out of the ice it was stuck in. As the boat sails away, the Creature quietly stares into the sunrise with a smile on his face.<\/p>\n
How is Frankenstein\u2019s ending different from the book\u2019s ending?<\/h2>\n![\"Netflix](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/jBwd8HoQdB9IzN9HQSI96w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/374a46600441ab99a90cc9d2397a16b9\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\nNetflix<\/p>\n
‘Frankenstein’ (2025)<\/p><\/div>\n
While both Shelley\u2019s book and del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein<\/a> end with Victor having told his story to a captain in the Arctic before being found by the Creature, how the stories conclude, and their impacts differ.<\/p>\nIn the book, Victor finishes telling his story and vows to keep hunting the Creature, no matter what it takes, as a salve for his actions. But before being able to fulfill that promise, Victor dies while aboard the ship due to his poor health.<\/p>\n
It is at that moment when the Creature finally arrives on board, only to discover that his creator is now dead. After mourning Victor\u2019s death, the Creature indicates that he now also plans to leave this life, and departs the ship to burn himself on a pyre.<\/p>\n
Frankenstein\u2019s ending notably diverges from its source material in several ways. Firstly, the Creature in del Toro\u2019s adaptation<\/a> is immortal and therefore unable to die. Secondly, and perhaps most glaringly, the Creature and Victor forgive each other at the film\u2019s end, unlike the book, which offers catharsis through death.<\/p>\nWhat does Frankenstein\u2019s ending mean?<\/h2>\n![\"Ken](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/c8DiesU.73RdKKQGfUqqBw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/270010fc89909d862c489e1260d6e823\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\n\nKen Woroner\/Netflix<\/p>\n
‘Frankenstein’ (2025)<\/p><\/div>\n
The ending in del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein is evidently one of bittersweet hope.<\/p>\n
With the onset of sunrise, the Creature has chosen to embrace and live his life fully despite all his broken \u2014 literal and symbolic \u2014 parts.<\/p>\n
To drive the point further, del Toro ends Frankenstein<\/a> with a quote from English poet Lord Byron\u2019s piece \u201cChilde Harold\u2019s Pilgrimage\u201d that reads, \u201cThe heart will break and yet brokenly live on.\u201d<\/p>\nAlthough the Creature finds catharsis at the end of both Shelley\u2019s text and del Toro\u2019s adaptation, one leans on a more tragic note, while the other offers a sense of hope befitting a modern retelling of Frankenstein, focused on the power of kindness and empathy.<\/p>\n
By the film\u2019s conclusion, Victor has been able to break the pattern of generational abuse born from his troubled relationship with his father, Baron Leopold Frankenstein (Charles Dance<\/a>), leaving the Creature to grow from that cycle of hurt.<\/p>\nWhat has del Toro said about Frankenstein\u2019s ending?<\/h2>\n
Mary Shelley\u2019s book inspired Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi Gothic movie Frankenstein<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
The director changed the ending of the book to show the Creature’s humanity<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
Frankenstein, starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, premiered on Netflix on Nov. 7<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Fans of Mary Shelley<\/a>\u2019s iconic novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus might be leaving Guillermo del Toro<\/a>\u2019s 2025 film adaptation a little surprised.<\/p>\n The sci-fi horror flick, which had its global premiere on Netflix<\/a> Nov. 7, follows the turbulent life of scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac<\/a>) as he embarks on an unorthodox experiment to create life after death.<\/p>\n The result is a monster known as the Creature (Jacob Elordi<\/a>), a character whose own personal journey and quest for companionship has inspired a myriad of work<\/a> since Shelley\u2019s inception of him in 1818.<\/p>\n While del Toro\u2019s adaptation of Frankenstein<\/a> remains mostly loyal to its source material, the acclaimed director makes a daring choice to diverge from Shelley\u2019s book by the film\u2019s end, choosing to craft a finale laden with hope rather than tragedy.<\/p>\n So what does Frankenstein\u2019s ending mean? Here\u2019s everything to know about the film\u2019s finale and what Guillermo del Toro has said about its significance.<\/p>\n Netflix<\/p>\n ‘Frankenstein’ (2025)<\/p><\/div>\n Following the deaths of his brother William (Felix Kammerer) and his sister-in-law Elizabeth (Mia Goth<\/a>), Victor vows vengeance on the Creature and dedicates the rest of his life to a merciless pursuit of him.<\/p>\n His hunt eventually leads him to the Arctic, where he\u2019s discovered wounded by a stranded troupe of sailors who offer him shelter on their trapped ship. While resting on the boat, Victor begins telling his story to the ship\u2019s captain, Anderson (Lars Mikkelsen), but is interrupted midway by the Creature, who has made it aboard.<\/p>\n Rather than destroy his creator, however, the Creature tells his side of his life\u2019s story and recounts the neglect and abuse he\u2019s faced at Victor\u2019s hands. The conversation prompts a moment of catharsis for Victor, who finally realizes how he\u2019s failed the Creature as his creator and subsequently as his father.<\/p>\n Victor quickly apologizes for his past cruelty and begs the Creature for his forgiveness in the film\u2019s final few moments. He also implores the Creature to keep living life as he is, before succumbing to his wounds and dying.<\/p>\n The Creature, finally at peace after having received the closure he needed from his creator, leaves the ship and helps push it out of the ice it was stuck in. As the boat sails away, the Creature quietly stares into the sunrise with a smile on his face.<\/p>\n Netflix<\/p>\n ‘Frankenstein’ (2025)<\/p><\/div>\n While both Shelley\u2019s book and del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein<\/a> end with Victor having told his story to a captain in the Arctic before being found by the Creature, how the stories conclude, and their impacts differ.<\/p>\n In the book, Victor finishes telling his story and vows to keep hunting the Creature, no matter what it takes, as a salve for his actions. But before being able to fulfill that promise, Victor dies while aboard the ship due to his poor health.<\/p>\n It is at that moment when the Creature finally arrives on board, only to discover that his creator is now dead. After mourning Victor\u2019s death, the Creature indicates that he now also plans to leave this life, and departs the ship to burn himself on a pyre.<\/p>\n Frankenstein\u2019s ending notably diverges from its source material in several ways. Firstly, the Creature in del Toro\u2019s adaptation<\/a> is immortal and therefore unable to die. Secondly, and perhaps most glaringly, the Creature and Victor forgive each other at the film\u2019s end, unlike the book, which offers catharsis through death.<\/p>\n Ken Woroner\/Netflix<\/p>\n ‘Frankenstein’ (2025)<\/p><\/div>\n The ending in del Toro\u2019s Frankenstein is evidently one of bittersweet hope.<\/p>\n With the onset of sunrise, the Creature has chosen to embrace and live his life fully despite all his broken \u2014 literal and symbolic \u2014 parts.<\/p>\n To drive the point further, del Toro ends Frankenstein<\/a> with a quote from English poet Lord Byron\u2019s piece \u201cChilde Harold\u2019s Pilgrimage\u201d that reads, \u201cThe heart will break and yet brokenly live on.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the Creature finds catharsis at the end of both Shelley\u2019s text and del Toro\u2019s adaptation, one leans on a more tragic note, while the other offers a sense of hope befitting a modern retelling of Frankenstein, focused on the power of kindness and empathy.<\/p>\n By the film\u2019s conclusion, Victor has been able to break the pattern of generational abuse born from his troubled relationship with his father, Baron Leopold Frankenstein (Charles Dance<\/a>), leaving the Creature to grow from that cycle of hurt.<\/p>\nHow does Frankenstein (2025) end?<\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
How is Frankenstein\u2019s ending different from the book\u2019s ending?<\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
What does Frankenstein\u2019s ending mean?<\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n
What has del Toro said about Frankenstein\u2019s ending?<\/h2>\n