Part of the magic of John Carpenter's legendary 1982 sci-fi horror film *The Thing* lies in its ambiguous ending. For 43 years, fans have speculated whether R.J. MacReady, portrayed by Kurt Russell, or Childs, played by Keith David, transforms into the film's central monster. Carpenter deliberately left the ending open-ended, providing no clues—until now.
At a special 4K screening of *The Thing* at the David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles on March 22, Carpenter revealed to director Bong Joon Ho that there is a "giant hint" in the middle of the film that indicates who ultimately becomes The Thing. In a playful tone, he suggested he would share this secret for an undisclosed sum of money sent "in an envelope to my house."
Carpenter also shared that the actors themselves were kept in the dark about their characters' fates. "They had no clue," he admitted. "But they had to play it human, you see. The creature imitates perfectly. It could be one of us, it could be somebody in the audience, and there's no way of telling. So I knew, they didn't know."
Following the screening, indie director Joe Russo (not to be confused with the MCU's Joe Russo) shared his theory on X / Twitter. Russo pointed out that MacReady learns the creature can replicate at the cellular level, meaning the team should only consume items they've personally handled. Despite this knowledge, MacReady shares his liquor with Childs at the film's end. Russo theorizes that MacReady's action suggests he might be The Thing, having forgotten or disregarded this crucial detail. "As soon as Childs drinks from the bottle, The Thing has won," Russo asserts. "It's beaten its most skeptical, final threat."
The brilliance of Carpenter's film is that it ends without confirming any of these theories. Yet, Russo provides further evidence by analyzing the film's final line, "Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens?" This line, he suggests, fits perfectly if MacReady is already The Thing. Additionally, Russo questions the scene where MacReady kills The Thing, suggesting viewers might have seen "a BETTER imitation kill a POORER imitation because it had a better chance of infiltrating society upon rescue."
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While some fans found Russo's theory compelling, others remained convinced that Childs is the creature. "I still think it's Childs because we don't know his whereabouts for a long time heading into the final scene. But Keith David will tell you he's 100% not The Thing," one fan commented. Russo responded, "Carpenter said both actors don't know... Childs always felt like a red herring to me."
Regardless of the debate, Carpenter's ability to keep fans engaged and theorizing even decades later is a testament to his storytelling prowess. We're fortunate to continue receiving insights and tidbits from this master of horror.
