Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s ‘Soulcatcher,’ directed by Daniel Markowicz, is a Polish action thriller film that follows a former special forces agent and his team as they embark on a mission revolving around a weapon of mass destruction. After a mission goes south, military contractor Robert “Fang” Kieł loses his brother to a machine that turns people into mindless, violent brutes. Seeking revenge, Fang undertakes another mission covertly operating under Minister Jan Zaręba and brings together a team to retrieve the deadly machine known as “The Soulcatcher.”
Along the line, Fang and his companions find themselves caught in a twisted ploy for political power. If you’re curious to see how things turn out for Fang and what’s in fate for the Soulcatcher machine, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Soulcatcher.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
Soulcatcher Plot Synopsis
Two brothers, Fang and Piotr Kieł, contractors-for-hire, go on a mission to retrieve sensitive information about a General from Eliza Mazur, currently held captive by the local warlords. The Kieł brothers successfully rescue Eliza from the warlord’s village with the help of their fellow teammates, Seba and Harbir. However, soon the local gangsters arrive, splitting the group in half. Although Seba and Piotr fight off their enemies, they accidentally get in the fire path of a lethal machine that unearths a violently savage part of them.
When Fang tries to help his brother, Piotr attacks him, forcing Fang to kill him in self-defense. Likewise, Seba runs into the machine operators and meets his end. Afterward, Fang calls in his emergency getaway pilot, Krzysztof Bielik, and escapes from the region with Harbir. On the other hand, Eliza stays behind after handing over the information in a memory card, insisting she has her own path to follow.
After returning to Poland, Interpol catches the trio, and an agent tries to warn Fang against working off-record missions for the government. Even though the agent implies a history of dubious disappearances involving former special forces soldiers like Fang, the latter pays him no mind. Soon, Minister Zaręba frees Fang from Interpol’s custody and briefs him about the weapon that killed Piotr.
The weapon “Soulcatcher,” having started off as a medical experiment to treat cancer, turned into a dangerous weapon after an accident left several dead. The machine’s creator, Professor Witold Mazur, now works as the right-hand man of General Yousif Bashir Mammadov. According to Zaręba’s intel, the machine has been restored to its unethical prime, with an African warlord arriving to buy it from the General. As a result, Fang finds himself undergoing another mission and recruits his old friends, Bull and Storm, alongside Krzysztof and Harbir.
Additionally, Zaręba sends in a comms and explosive expert, Damian Prochyra, with them. The goal of their mission is simple: terminate Witold to ensure he doesn’t make similar weapons and retrieve Soulcatcher to Poland. Soon, the team lands near the weapon’s location by the underground prison base, where Fang and Harbir run into Eliza, here to rescue her father, Witold.
Eliza becomes a part of the mission, and the trio infiltrates the base with Fang and Harbir pretending to be nameless henchmen. Simultaneously, Bull and Damian set up numerous explosives in the facility’s underground while Krzysztof and Storm keep watch from afar. During the mission, Fang watches the machine in use again, turning a cageful of people into murderous savages.
Eventually, Fang realizes Witold may be more innocent than they had thought and decides to spare his life and tries to rescue him out of the facility. However, when Fang confronts the General, he gets blasted by the edge of the Soulcatcher. Nevertheless, the added adrenaline only helps Fang complete the mission, as he kills the General in his murderous haze.
Once the team returns to Poland, Fang realizes that Zaręba lied about his intentions with the Soulcatcher and wants to use it as a weapon for his nation. When things turn bleak, Interpol arrives to arrest Zaręba and his men. Fang and his team join Interpol in the fight that ensues, but Zaręba still overpowers them, resulting in Krzysztof’s death. Injured and wounded, the team flees with the Interpol agent, leaving Witold and his machine behind.
Soulcatcher Ending: Does Fang Save Witold Mazur?
Professor Witold Mazor gets his introduction into the story as an evil scientist who discovered a lethal weapon by accident. Although Zaręba specifies that Witlold was trying to find a cure for cancer with his experimental technology, he makes it a point to paint it out as an alleged story to sow seeds of doubt in Fang and the audience. As such, when Fang finally meets Witold face to face, he’s confused to learn a different story.
At General Mammadov’s base, Fang rescues Witold from guards but hesitates to kill him as per his orders. Perhaps the same has to do with Witold’s connection to Eliza, his daughter. Since Eliza seems adamant in her conviction to save her father, Fang must have realized there has to be something worth saving in the man. Witold confirms the same by telling his side of the story, where he invented the weapon accidentally and was kidnapped by Mammadov to finish it.
Fang sees Witold tossed around and abused while working on the machine. Therefore, it’s easy for him to believe Witold isn’t a voluntary participant. As such, when Witold gets left behind under Zaręba’s control, Fang realizes he has to go back for him. Furthermore, his budding relationship with Eliza motivates Fang toward his new mission. After recuperating from his injuries, Fang embarks on one final mission, intending to put an end to the entire Soulcatcher debacle.
With the Interpol agent’s help, Fang organizes a one-man mission, and Eliza helps him learn about Witold’s location through a coded message. Consequently, Fang infiltrates Zaręba’s base of operation. After sneaking past guards and killing several of them without raising any alarms, Fang finds Witold and frees him from his binds.
However, before they can escape, Damian arrives at the scene with guns blazing. One of his bullets catches Witold, fatally wounding him. While Fang engages in an altercation with Damian, Witold makes his way to the elevator. On another floor, the Professor blows himself up with a handful of grenades, taking down a horde of soldiers.
The man likely harbors some feelings of guilt for creating such a destructive weapon that has caused the deaths of so many innocent people. Therefore, when the opportunity arises to buy Fang more time, in the end, Witold dies, sacrificing himself for Fang’s safety.
What Happens to Minister Jan Zaręba?
As the story unfolds, Zaręba reveals himself to be the true antagonist. Although the Interpol agent tries to warn Fang against his particular line of work, doing odd jobs for Zaręba, Fang ignores it. Still, he realizes the Minister’s true interests at heart near the end.
Even though Zaręba proposes Soulcatcher’s retrieval as a peace mission, he never intends to use the machine for anything but evil. Fang and his team bring back the machine, thinking the Minister plans to rework it into a miraculous cancer-curing equipment. However, as soon as Zaręba gets his hands on the Soulcatcher, he reveals his true colors.
Zaręba wants to use the machine to gain political power over his people and become the savior of his nation. While Fang is recovering from his injuries with the rest of his team scattered and lost, Zaręba covertly uses the machine on civilians to clear his pathway to success.
One of his political opponents, Jakub Olec, mysteriously goes berserk and kills his wife, and a student protest turns violent without reason. Zaręba choreographs both instances as they help him control a violent narrative and scare the nation’s people into idolizing him. By the time Fang breaks into his base, Zaręba already has control over the population and would likely take over if things go according to plan.
In fact, he urges Fang to blow up the Soulcatcher since it’s already done its job of providing Zaręba with the power he wants. While talking to Fang over Damian’s radio, Zaręba admits to his various plots as a means to gloat. However, Interpol is actively taping this conversation through comms.
Afterward, Fang and the others release the recording to the public, which causes nationwide outrage. The next day, Zaręba’s office is flooded by angry citizens, protesting his tyrannical and deceitful plot. Although Zaręba manages to escape the mob, Bull, previously assumed to be dead at Damian’s hands, is waiting for him in his car. Therefore, it’s safe to assume nothing good is in store for Zaręba and that he likely dies with his political reputation forever tarnished.
Does Fang Destroy The Soulcatcher?
Initially, the Soulcatcher was meant to be a medical breakthrough that would have saved the lives of millions of people. However, when the experiment went wrong, it gave birth to a sinister weapon capable of unimaginable horrors. From the moment Fang picks up the mission, he believes the best and safest course of action is to destroy the machine. Nevertheless, he brings it back to Poland at Zaręba’s command.
Eventually, Fang witnesses the Soulcatcher’s gross misuse under the hands of someone he once considered honorable. As such, he realizes destroying the machine is the only actual solution. Fang used to be a Special Force Agent who received a medal for saving Krzysztof’s life. The same depicts his sense of honor and righteousness.
Moreover, Fang has a personal vendetta against the destructive machine, given it led to his brother, Piotr’s death. Therefore, in the end, the answer is clear to Fang. After getting footage that exposes Zaręba, Fang installs a bomb within the Soulcatcher. As he escapes from the base with Harbir’s help, the machine blows up into smithereens taking the base along with it.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s Soulcatcher Filmed?
