Final Battle at the Mission
The last act of One Battle After Another erupts inside a remote mission where former French 75 operative Deandra (Regina Hall) has hidden Willa for safety. As soon as Lockjaw and his crew storm the building, the tension spikes. Lockjaw—who has been hinted to be Willa’s biological father—forces a DNA test that confirms his paternity, turning the conflict personal.
Faced with the prospect of his “race‑mixing” being exposed, Lockjaw hands Willa over to the seasoned bounty hunter Avanti (Eric Schweig). Avanti delivers her to a white‑supremacist militia outpost, where the men are ordered to kill her and erase any trace of the scandal.
Avanti’s conscience cracks at the last minute. He turns on the militia, fighting them off at the cost of his own life, and in doing so buys Willa a narrow window to escape. Meanwhile, Lockjaw’s own downfall begins when Tim, a member of the oddball Christmas Adventurers’ Club, discovers the truth behind Lockjaw’s murderous pursuit of racial purity. Tim ambushes Lockjaw on a deserted road, but the veteran criminal survives the initial strike.
Aftermath and the Fight That Lives On
Lockjaw’s luck runs out when the Adventurers’ Club lures him to their southwest headquarters under false pretenses. Surrounded and outnumbered, he is executed, sealing his grim arc. At the same time, Deandra is apprehended by military forces, tying up the loose ends of the mission’s chaotic night.
The chase isn’t over yet. In a high‑octane car pursuit, Willa confronts Tim, who has now turned hostile. She pulls the trigger, ending his life just before Bob arrives to rescue her and drive her home. The reunion is emotionally charged: Bob hands Willa a letter from her mother, Perfidia, filled with apology and a fragile hope for future reunion.
The film’s final moments shift from personal closure to broader symbolism. Walla hears news of protests erupting in Oakland. Without hesitation, she jumps into a car heading for the demonstrations, embodying the next generation’s commitment to the larger struggle against systemic injustice. The ending suggests that while the immediate villains have fallen, the fight against oppression is far from over.
All these threads—family betrayal, redemption through sacrifice, and the rise of a new activist spirit—interlock to give the movie a resonant, bittersweet finish. It reminds viewers that battles may end, but the revolutionary fire keeps burning, passed down to those who refuse to stay silent.
