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28 Years Later ending explainer: Who is Jimmy?
With 28 Years Later, director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland are not only picking up the zombie-focused franchise they began in 2002 with 28 Days Later; they're also charting a spinoff trilogy focused on the family introduced in their latest gnarly thriller. But there's more to family than blood, which the climactic finale makes clear and concerning.
If you've watched 28 Years Later and are wondering what's up with the ending and what it can tell us about Boyle and Garland's plans for the sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, we're here for you.
Below, we'll dig into the hidden details of the 28 Years Later finale, including spoilers and details from Mashable's Say More's interview with Danny Boyle.
So, let's begin with the big question:
Who is Jimmy in 28 Years Later?
Credit: Screenshot: YouTube
There's more layers to this answer than you might expect. On the top level: Jimmy is the name of the boy who appears in the film's gruesome beginning. In the early days of the Rage Virus outbreak, a room full of blonde children sit watching Teletubbies on TV, while the sounds of adults shouting and violent smashing can be heard through the wooden door of a cozy living room. Jimmy is the only one we know makes it out alive.
After his mother is attacked, she demands that he run. And he does — to a nearby church where a pastor kneels in prayer. Jimmy calls him "Dad" and says his mom has been attacked. But his father disagrees, telling the boy that this is God's plan. "This is a glorious day," the father proclaims, "A day of judgement!" Then, he gives Jimmy a golden crucifix necklace, saying, "My son, keep this with you always. Have faith!"
The infected storm the church and attack the pastor, who relishes joining their ranks. But young Jimmy hides, clutching the gold crucifix necklace. As the rampaging horde leaves, the boy shivers and says, "Father, why have you forsaken me?" A message that might speak to God the Father in the Christian faith or to his own father, who chose the horde of undead over protecting his son.
From there the movie leaps to "28 years later" — and you might look for Jimmy, even wondering if Spike's dad is the boy from the beginning. But his name is Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
By the end of 28 Years Later, 12-year-old Spike is on his own, like Jimmy was 28 years before. And just when Spike needs someone to save him from the rampaging infected, they meet, Jimmy introducing himself by name.
The movie lingers on this Jimmy (Sinners' chilling and beguiling Jack O'Connell), his blond hair, the gold crucifix hanging upside down from his neck. All of this suggests this is the boy from the opening, all grown up. And he's clearly a leader, as he drips in gold jewelry (necklaces and rings on every finger), regarding the others like members of his court as he wears a glittery tiara as a crown.
But what else can we glean from this scene?
Jimmy is a dangerous cult leader.
Credit: Sony
The first clue that Jimmy is the head of a cult is that he's flanked by followers who dress like him. They all have longish blonde hair. They all wear velour track suits. And, if you look at the credits, they are all called Jimmy.
While O'Connell is credited as as just "Jimmy," his gang is credited as Jimmy Ink, Jimmy Jones, Jimmy Snake, Jimmy Shite, and Jimmy Fox. Further bolstering that Jimmy is a crucial figure in this movie and its already-shot sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, is that even the characters in the first scene are credited in connection to him: "Jimmy's mom," "Jimmy's dad," and "Jimmy's sisters."
Jimmy's name appears in other places across Spike's journey ahead of their meeting. On his first day on the mainland, Spike and his dad come across an abandoned house, where an infected man has been hung upside down from the ceiling. His hands are bound behind his back. His head has a plastic bag tied around it, filled with pooled blood. Spike is shocked by the scene, and his dad explains this is "maybe a punishment. Maybe a warning." On the man's torso, spelled downward vertically, five letters are carved into the flesh: J I M M Y.
Later, as Spike leads his mother (Jodie Comer) deeper into the mainland in search of Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), they walk past a house with graffiti that includes the name "Jimmy." Both these things suggest that Jimmy's reach is wide on the mainland. And he's used it to create a cult that seems a slap in the face to his father's religion.
He not only wears his crucifix upside down (a symbol sometimes considered Satanic), but also the corpse bearing his name was hung upside down. And in that final fight scene, one of the Jimmys leaves an infected dangling the same way. None of this suggests that Jimmy's kingdom is as wholesome as his core inspiration.
What do the Teletubbies mean in 28 Years Later?
Credit: Screenshot: YouTube
As teased in the trailer, the iconic British children's series makes its appearance in the film's opening. It serves the initial purpose of establishing that this scene is set in 2002, when the show was hugely popular, and when the Rage Virus first took hold. Perhaps Boyle and Garland were also amused at juxtaposing such violent imagery against the weirdly cheerful series, where the sun is literally the face of a giggling baby. But Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Tinky-Winky, and Po have a bigger meaning within the movie.
In the ending, adult Jimmy is wearing a tracksuit that at a glance looks black. But as the sun shines on it, you can see it's actually purple. His fellow Jimmys wear similar athleisure wear in the colors red, yellow, and green. They are wearing the colors of the Teletubbies in soft fabrics that suggest the touch of their branded toys.
Whether Jimmy intended to or not, he's memorialized that moment of childhood trauma, surrounded by his blonde sisters watching the Teletubbies. He's made himself Tinky-Winky, building his new family with his own Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po, and — whoever the Jimmy in blue is emulating.
To hammer home the connection, the slamming soundtrack by Young Fathers pays homage to the Teletubbies by scoring the Jimmys' battle against the infected to a hard rock cover of the show's theme song. It's an utterly bonkers moment of cinema, but also a callback. After all, the untouched version of the theme song opens 28 Years Later, ahead of the reveal of Jimmy and his sisters watching the show. So, 28 Years Later creates a repetition, just as the Teletubbies did in their show. And this repetition is reflected in the film's montage sequences, which compress centuries of British war, using archers and child soldiers, to express the relentlessness of history repeating.
What does Jimmy mean for 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple?
Credit: Sony
This already-shot sequel, directed by Nia DaCosta (The Marvels, Candyman) and written by Garland, is slated to come out next year. From the title, you might expect it'll deal more with Dr. Kelson, who in 28 Years Later built numerous structures of bone as a memento mori. ("Remember death. Remember we must die.") However, we've seen how Kelson's territory and Jimmy's are in close proximity through abandoned, dangling bodies and graffiti. So, could there be a coming conflict between these two allies of young Spike?
In an interview with Mashable's Say More, Boyle teased how Garland pitched the first two films of this emerging trilogy to him: "[Garland] said the first script is about the nature of family, and the second film's about the nature of evil."
This quote suggests Spike is in for an even more brutal journey than he's already endured. Seeking a path of his own, Spike comes across a man who was once a boy forced to do the same. But even in the brief moments we spend with Jimmy in the finale, it seems he is dangerously stunted by his childhood trauma. He's rebuilt his family like a Clockwork Orange crew, favoring eccentric costumes and relishing in grisly violence as if it's a game. It's hard to feel Spike is in safe hands.
Will his father Jamie come to find him and cross Jimmy in the process? Will Jamie and Dr. Kelson become unlikely allies as they seek to find Spike or understand the mystery of his adopted sister, Isla? Will Jimmy become a father figure that Spike turns to in his earnestness to rebel against his father's brand of masculinity? ("Father, why have you forsaken me?") Or will Garland plot something we absolutely can't predict?
We'll have to wait and see.
28 Years Later is now playing in theaters. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is slated for theatrical release on Jan. 16, 2026.
If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.
There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.
An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
To creep around.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
SNEAK
Hurdle Word 2 hint
A long-legged bird.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
STORK
Hurdle Word 3 hint
To throw.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
CHUCK
Hurdle Word 4 hint
More accurate.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
TRUER
Final Hurdle hint
They show when one smiles.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
TEETH
If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
This summer, FX's Alien: Earth latched onto my brain like a Facehugger latches onto a new host.
Now, with the release of the show's Season 1 finale, you'd think that Facehugger would drop off and leave me be. You'd be wrong! Instead, the Season 1 finale leaves viewers with some major questions we'll be puzzling over until the show's potential return.
Here are the five biggest questions we have for Alien: Earth Season 2.
What does a Neverland run by hybrids look like?
Season 1 of Alien: Earth ends with the group of hybrids known as the Lost Boys in total control over the Neverland research facility. They've imprisoned Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), Morrow (Babou Ceesay), Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis), and Atom Eins (Adrian Edmondson). Now, with the adults out of the way, Wendy (Sydney Chandler) declares it's time for the hybrids to "rule."
But what will their rule entail? Will they stay on Neverland, or will they try to extend their authority to the rest of the world? Will they remain fast allies, or will they turn against one another and go full Lord of the Flies on their new island kingdom?
How will Weyland-Yutani and Alien: Earth's other corporations react to Boy Kavalier's plight?
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX
By the end of Alien: Earth Season 1, Weyland-Yutani is closing in on Neverland in order to take back the specimens Boy Kavalier stole. But will Yutani (Sandra Yi Sencindiver) change tack when she realizes her rival is being held captive? Will she leave the island alone or try to stage a hostile takeover? Perhaps her priorities will change entirely, shifting from trying to capture the alien specimens to trying to perfect Boy Kavalier's revolutionary hybrid tech. Either way, her looming presence does not bode well for the newly independent hybrids.
Weyland-Yutani isn't the only other major corporation on the board in Alien: Earth, though. There are three other corporations we haven't truly met yet: Dynamic, Lynch, and Threshold. Could they be joining the party in Alien: Earth's future?
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What's next for the loose orchid and eyeball aliens?
While the Xenomorph may be under Wendy's control, there are still several alien threats running wild on the island. In the Season 1 finale, the orchid alien (aka D. Plumbicare) revealed that it could turn into a floating, octopus-like creature and got loose in Neverland. I would not want to be walking around the island with that out there, that's for sure.
But that's not all: Alien: Earth's breakout star, the eyeball alien T. Ocellus, found a new host in the corpse of Arthur Sylvia (David Rysdahl). We've seen T. Ocellus take over a cat corpse and a human body, but now we get to see it go full zombie mode in what might be Alien: Earth's coolest development yet. But what's T. Ocellus's plan while in Arthur's body? Will it try to find a new, stronger host in, say, a hybrid? (And what would that look like?) Will it finally have a conversation with its biggest fan, Boy Kavalier? And how in the world will Dame react when she sees her beloved husband with a massive new eyeball and a burst-open chest? Bring on the zombie shenanigans!
Will the Xenomorph continue serving Wendy, or will it rebel?
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX
For now, Wendy and her Xenomorph seem pretty tight. But what happens if the Xenomorph goes through a rebellious teenage phase and decides it doesn't want to serve its human mother figure anymore? Could the hybrids lose their grip on Neverland if the apex predator at their disposal decides to turn on them?
Wendy's Xenomorph also isn't the only Xenomorph on the island. There's also the specimen that burst out of Arthur's chest. As it grows, will it become territorial with Wendy's Xenomorph, or will it join the hybrid-Xeno family and view Wendy as its queen? If so, what are the odds Wendy tries to build a whole Xenomorph army?
How will Alien: Earth tie back to Alien?
The question hanging over any prequel is "how will this tie back to the original?" and with Alien: Earth, that question is especially pressing, given that it takes place two years before the events of Alien. By that point, there are no mentions of hybrid technology, nor are there any mentions of them in the sequels. So what will happen to the hybrids between then and now to render them obsolete? It's a daunting question, but it's one that Alien: Earth will certainly have to contend with as it closes in on the original films.
Alien: Earth is now streaming on Hulu.
After eight episodes of terrifying new creatures, Alien homages, and existential questions about the future of humanity, Alien: Earth Season 1 has come to a close. And what a close it was.
The finale, titled "The Real Monsters," flips the power dynamic that's been in place for the entire season. By the end of the episode, the hybrid Lost Boys, led by Wendy (Sydney Chandler), have gained total control over their keepers, including Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin) and Dame Sylvia (Essie Davis). This power shift has been in the cards since Alien: Earth's first episode, but how do we get here? Let's break it down.
Alien: Earth's hybrids finally realize how strong they are.
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX
From the first moment Alien: Earth introduces Wendy in her super-strong, super-fast, super-durable hybrid body, it's clear that she and her fellow Lost Boys could absolutely wreck Prodigy's Neverland security team if they wanted to. That idea doesn't cross their minds, though. Instead, the Lost Boys are still children in consciousness, and they believe Neverland to be a safe paradise for them.
However, this idea erodes over the course of Alien: Earth's first season, as the Lost Boys lose confidence in the people they've been told to trust. They're endangered and experimented on. Nibs' (Lily Newmark) traumatic memories were manipulated. Isaac (Kit Young) died while tending to the alien specimens. Morrow (Babou Ceesay) threatened to kill Slightly's (Adarsh Gourav) family. Each horrifying incident wears away at the Lost Boys' childlike innocence, turning the idyllic Neverland into a hell on Earth.
Ironically, these incidents only increase the Lost Boys' feelings of powerlessness, even though they're the most powerful beings on Prodigy's remote island. But it's also in one of those scenes of powerlessness — when Prodigy forces corner Nibs, Wendy, and her brother Joe aka Hermit (Alex Lawther) on their escape boat in episode 7 — that the Lost Boys begin to realize their power. Nibs fully rips a soldier's jaw off, leaving Hermit to shoot (but not kill) her. Here, a horrified Wendy learns two things. First: Humans, including her brother, are terrified of the hybrids. Second: They have good reason to be. The hybrids are extremely dangerous. So why not embrace that?
That's the realization Wendy comes to in Alien: Earth's Season 1 finale. "All this time, we've been afraid of them," she tells the Lost Boys as they sit trapped in a Neverland cage. "But I think they should be afraid of us."
The Peter Pan allegories come to a head in the Alien: Earth Season 1 finale.
Credit: Patrick Brown/FX
Embracing the Neverland staffers' fear of them is the final stage in the Lost Boys' loss of their childish innocence. Or, in terms of Boy Kavalier's relentless Peter Pan references, this is them finally "growing up." However, that's exactly what the Prodigy founder and the rest of Neverland don't want to happen. As Wendy puts it, "We're all in this cell because we can't be kids anymore, but they won't let us be adults."
Nibs has another suggestion for what they are, one that's especially fitting after seeing the graves of their dead human bodies. "We're all ghosts," she says.
So what do these ghosts do? They turn Neverland into a haunted house, with Wendy using her in-built connection to the facility to manipulate video feeds, elevators, and doors to terrify every last soldier and scientist. Of course, having a Xenomorph at your beck and call helps too.
The entire episode serves as both a liberation for the Lost Boys and an identity crisis for Wendy, otherwise known by her human name, Marcy. She tells her brother, "I don't know what I am. I'm not a child. I'm not a grown-up. I'm not Marcy. I'm not Wendy. And I can't be what everyone wants me to be."
(Earlier in the season, Joe even questions whether Wendy truly holds his sister's consciousness, yet another blow to one of the pillars of Wendy's identity.)
Wendy's statement reflects the binaries in the world of Alien: Earth. Child and adult. Human and synthetic. Hybrids exist somewhere in between, blurring boundaries and creating a new kind of personhood. Wendy and the Lost Boys have spent the entire series having not just new names but entirely new identities imposed on them by exterior forces. Now, they get to make their own. Fellow hybrid Curly (Erana James) embraces her former name, Jane, as Wendy reminds each of the Lost Boys of theirs — a move the late Isaac, formerly Tootles, only enjoyed for an afternoon.
Wendy's identity crisis also explains her affinity for the Maginot aliens, whom she considers "honest." These creatures are wholly themselves, unlike liars such as Boy Kavalier. As Wendy points out, he considers himself Peter Pan, but he was never truly a boy. He was always a "mean, angry little man," just like his abusive father. Ouch. I'm not sure he'll be picking up a copy of Peter Pan any time soon after that.
"Now we rule."
Credit: Patrick Brown / FX
"The Real Monsters" ends with Wendy and the Lost Boys holding all of the authority figures in their lives hostage in the same cage they were formerly incarcerated in, prompting Wendy's declaration that, "now, we rule." Even Kirsh (Timothy Olyphant), their Prodigy synth senior, and Morrow, their cyborg antagonist, now answer to them.
The hybrids finally taking control is undoubtedly worthy of Alien: Earth's last hard-rocking needle drop. But it's certainly not the end of the Lost Boys' story. After all, the Weyland-Yutani forces are still encroaching on the island with numerous Prodigy forces still left, hinting at more conflict ahead. Plus, the alien orchid is loose, and T. Ocellus has found a new host in the chestburst corpse of Arthur Sylvia (David Rysdahl). That's a lot of threats for these still-young hybrids to deal with. How will they be able to fight off their enemies and learn how to rule their island?
That question of what it will look like for hybrids to "rule" hints at an intriguing new literary reference point for a possible Alien: Earth Season 2. If Season 1 was the Lost Boys growing up in the style of Peter Pan, then Season 2 might just see them learning to survive on an island in the vein of Lord of the Flies. With that in mind, who's Piggy, who's Ralph, and will the Xenomorph's head somehow wind up on the end of a pointy stick?
Alien: Earth is now streaming on Hulu.
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