The last scene in the Into the Badlands series finale would’ve been a game-changing moment for a potential season 4. The introduction of firearms would have had an irreversible effect on the Badlands, but unfortunately for fans, Into the Badlands’ cancellation prevents this storyline from ever happening, unless Into the Badlands moves to another network.
Throughout the back half of the season, Pilgrim (Babou Ceesay) has been focused on spreading the Gift all around the world. His plan to fulfill the dreams of Azra’s elders and kill everyone who doesn’t have the Gift threatened everyone in the Badlands. On Monday, the post-apocalyptic martial arts series wrapped up its third and final season. The season 3 finale, “Seven Strike as One”, unites the seven remaining heroes, led by Sunny (Daniel Wu) and the Widow (Emily Beecham), for an epic final battle with Pilgrim.
At the end of the episode, Sunny uses Waldo’s sword to kill Pilgrim. However, he, too, is killed in the struggle. Sunny finds himself in the realm between life and death and meets the Master (Chipo Chung), a recent victim of Pilgrim’s crusade. The Master explains to Sunny that an evil buried long ago that’s “more powerful and insidious than any human” is about to emerge. According to the Master, this evil is even more dangerous to the world than Pilgrim himself. The Master says it will be Sunny’s job to deal with it.
The closing scene reveals that the evil mentioned by the Master is a gun. One of Pilgrim’s followers, Eli, finds a loaded revolver in the rubble where the Meridian Chamber was destroyed. The discovery of firearms will of course change the Badlands forever. Human history is proof of that. In real life, guns redefined warfare, and every civilization had to evolve and adapt in order to keep up and survive.
The difference here is that the real world was introduced to firearms somewhat gradually. Guns evolved over the course of centuries, and it was quite a while before people had access to repeating firearms. If the world of Into the Badlands gains access to this technology without having to go through those same steps, the impact will be even greater. Imagine how much more guns would have changed the world if a country developed repeating firearms before muskets. Such a discovery would be a catastrophe for the rest of the world.
Guns would have posed a significant - but fascinating - challenge, not just for the characters, but for the writers as well. At its heart, Into the Badlands has always been a martial arts show. Among the show’s biggest draws are its stunt coordination, kung fu, and sword fights. Add guns to the picture, and Into the Badlands would never be the same again.
More: Into The Badlands’ Ending Explained
