Mahershala Ali Has A Theory About What Exactly Happened During Jurassic World: Rebirth's Ending

Major spoilers for Jurassic World Rebirth lie ahead, so read on at your own discretion.

Jurassic World Rebirth – the latest installment in the Jurassic Universe – is finally here, and the film introduces audiences to a cast of new characters. As you’d expect, these new protagonists find themselves in some precarious situations involving dinosaurs. There’s actually one situation at the end of the film that seemingly marks the demise of one character. However, in a wild twist of fate, that development gets wrapped up on a positive note. Mahershala Ali has since spoken to CinemaBlend about what he thinks happened.

Near the very end of Rebirth, mercenaries Zora Bennett and Duncan Kincaid along with Dr. Henry Loomis and the Delgado family make one final effort to escape the island of Ile Saint-Hubert. They’re able to find a boat but are intercepted by the monstrous D. Rex, which Duncan lures away with a flare. Duncan’s actions eventually bring him face to face with the massive creature, which looks like it’s about to attack him. However, as Zora and co. prepare to sail away, they see a flare and meet up with Duncan, who swims towards them.

Honestly, I don’t know about anyone else, but I definitely thought Duncan was done for before that reveal. That upbeat ending came up while CinemaBlend’s Hannah Saulic spoke to Mahershala Ali and his cast members, Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey. While Bailey and Johansson joked about how Ali’s character survived his encounter with the D. Rex, the Oscar winner himself tried to provide a more practical theory:

That could’ve been the case, and it does make a lot more sense than Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey’s humorous assertion that the Duncan who swims back to the group is actually a “clone.” Believe it or not, Mahershala Ali himself also thought Duncan died, as he revealed during the interview. Apparently, Ali didn’t discuss the specifics of that with director Gareth Edwards either. I’m not sure if we’ll ever receive a concrete answer there, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy to see that Duncan survived.

Duncan Kincaid’s characterization does represent one of the best elements of the original Jurassic Park, which writer David Koepp compared to Rebirth in some respects. As much as the movie delivers on dinosaurs and spectacle, it also puts focus on human connections. Duncan is a man who’s lost a child, and it’s for that reason he’s willing to put himself in harm’s way to protect the group, especially the Delgado kids.

Peacock TV: from $7.99 a month/$79.99 a year
The Jurassic Park saga is available on Peacock, and fans who want to check them out should consider grabbing a membership. It costs as little as $7.99 per month. Customers can also pay more for Peacock Premium and take in ad-free streams along with the option to download titles for viewing at a later date.

View Deal

At this point, it’s hard to say if Mahershala Ali will reprise his role in another installment of the Steven Spielberg-produced. However, at the very least, the creative team has the option to do so, given his survival and, given the ending of Rebirth, the future of the Jurassic franchise is wide open.

Jurassic World Rebirth is now playing in theaters amid the 2025 movie schedule, so check your local listings. Also, the previous six films in the series are currently available to stream with a Peacock subscription.