The Old Guard 2 Recap & Ending Explained: Is Discord An Immortal?

The trend of franchise-forced sequels and spin-offs has reached such a bad state that nowadays a number of streaming channel projects are getting released just to act as filler to churn out more sequels that have not much individual merit of their own. Victoria Mahoney’s The Old Guard 2, a sequel to Netflix’s 2020 hit action-fantasy, The Old Guard, is a prime example of that. The first movie was nothing exceptional, but it still had a cohesive plot structure, gritty action, memorable characterization, and captured viewers’ attention through its take on existential crises stemming from immortality. The sequel, which saw a change in direction, fumbles in every aspect the first movie excelled in. It is surprising how, despite having Greg Rucka, the creator of the comic-book series the movies are adapted from, involved in the second entry as well, The Old Guard 2 turned out to be such a disappointment.

Spoilers Ahead

Why Did Discord Rescue Quynh? 

The Old Guard 2 begins with Discord, who is later revealed to be the first immortal, rescuing Quynh by bringing the iron maiden she was trapped in out of the depths of the ocean. Viewers who are familiar with the first movie will surely remember that Andromache and Quynh used to be immortal companions who fought side by side for millennia, until both of them were captured by Christian zealots during the middle ages who suspected their immortality to be evidence of them being practitioners of witchcraft. The fanatics punished Quynh by locking her inside an iron maiden and sending her to a watery grave in the ocean. As revealed in the sequel, Andromache was rescued by another immortal named Tuah, but despite looking for Quynh repeatedly, she was not able to find her ever again. Quynh, remaining trapped, went through a cycle of death and rebirth for over five centuries, until, in the present age, Discord rescues her. 

It should be mentioned that Discord, who has been observing humanity through the ages, has maintained her stance of never interfering with the affairs of mortals, as the cruelty humanity can wreak upon themselves has acted as a strong enough warning for her. Discord’s belief was strengthened further when she witnessed Andromache and Quynh being subjected to human brutalities, which prompted her to believe that Andromache’s relentless efforts to fight for the betterment of humanity were not merely a fool’s errand but a threat to the existence of immortals. For a certain period, Discord studied the immortals with Tuah, who found himself content with being a keeper of knowledge, using his millennia-long existence to gather knowledge on the immortals in an underground library near Seoul. However, Discord severed ties with Tuah by betraying him and stealing some of the books from his library. It is revealed much later in the movie that, like Andromache, Discord too has lost her immortality and wants to find a cure by using Andy and her band of immortals. To ensure her ploy works, Discord needs Quynh by her side, as she is well aware that Andy blames herself for not being able to rescue her dearest companion, and Quynh’s presence can be a distraction strong enough to put Andy off her game. 

Andy Reunites With Quynh and Learns About Discord

Meanwhile, Andy and her team—Nile, Joe, Nicky, and even Copley, who is actively taking part in their mission—take down a notorious arms dealer, Konrad, by infiltrating his mansion in Split, Croatia. It has been six months since Andy lost her immortality, but having an expiry date on life hasn’t slowed her down a bit. The team dynamics are as great as ever, with Copley fitting in with them in his own way, but there is noticeable uneasiness when the topic turns to Booker, aka Sebastian, who is in exile in Paris for betraying the team during the events of the first movie. As revealed in the mid-credits scene of The Old Guard, upon learning about Andy’s present predicament and her relations with her immortal friends from Discord, Quynh approaches Booker in Paris. Quynh abducts Booker to pry intel from him to find Andy.

Copley finds out that Konrad was merely a middleman, while the real dealer is someone else. Konrad was supplying arms to Discord, about whom Andy and her team are totally in the dark at present. However, Nile, who shares a unique connection with fellow immortals, remembers dreaming of Discord. Nile saw Discord inside the underground library and her betrayal of Tuah in her dream, which prompts Andy to take Copley along with her to Seoul to meet Tuah. It should be mentioned that Andy kept her connection with Tuah a secret from her immortal comrades, upon his request that she maintain his privacy. 

On the other hand, Nicky gets suspicious of his boyfriend, Joe, and, taking Nile with him, decides to follow Joe to Paris. Unlike Nicky, who has not been able to forgive Booker for his betrayal, Joe has found it difficult to turn his back on his comrade and has kept in touch with him in secret. Following Joe to Booker’s place, Nicky confronts Joe and shares his disappointment, and it doesn’t take them long to realize that Booker has found himself in trouble. 

Andy learns all there is to know about Discord from Tuah, who warns her by mentioning Discord has no noble intentions for her fellow immortals, and might be targeting Andy and her group. Andy and Copley reunite with the rest of the team in Italy and bring Tuah with them as well—which initially causes a bit of a confusing situation in the team, as Andy had kept Tuah’s existence a complete secret from them. Anyway, Andy learns about Booker’s situation, and Quynh releases Booker to have him meet with Andy and share her message with her. Quynh feels betrayed as she considers that Andy gave up on her effort to try to rescue her and has set up a life of her own with her immortal comrades, breaking her promise of always being there for Quynh. As a result, Quynh has joined hands with Discord, something that Andy is unaware of. There is a strong indication that Andy and Quynh were more than friends/sisters in arms, but the movie never explicitly commits to the possibility of them having a romantic relationship. Anyway, Andy is shaken upon learning of Quynh’s survival, as she had given up all hope of ever being reunited with her, and sets off to meet with her at once. Nile, who fears that in her emotionally vulnerable state, Andy, a mortal at present, could find herself in grave danger, accompanies her. Andy fears that the person whom she knew as Quynh for over 1500 years might no longer exist, and similarly, the Andromache Quynh trusted and cared for might have changed beyond recognition. As expected, their reunion in Italy doesn’t go well, with a disgruntled Quynh blaming Andy for giving up on her, and despite Andy’s desperate attempts at reconciliation, Quynh holds on to her grudges. Quynh is also shocked and disheartened upon learning that Andy is still trying to help humankind by fighting for them, the same lot who subjected Quynh to centuries of torture. Quynh considers Andy’s actions a betrayal of her trust. Nile, who is on the lookout for Andy, finds Discord lurking around. Upon meeting with her, the first immortal mentions Nile is the last immortal to be born, and she harbors a unique power, which Discord aims to use against her comrades. An alleyway fight breaks out between Andy and Quynh, and as Nile tries to interfere, Discord arrives. It becomes clear to Andy that Quynh has joined hands with Discord, as both of them escape. 

What Is Nile’s Unique Ability?

Andy and Nile regroup with the team and share their recent findings, and Booker, who so far has received the cold shoulder from the majority of the team members, tries to comfort a dejected Andy. Nile remains fixated on Discord’s words, and later on, Booker learns the probable nature of Nile’s powers from Tuah. Scouring his books, Tuah has found that, as the last immortal, Nile might have the ability to take the gift of eternal life from other immortals by injuring them, which explains why Andy lost her immortality after her fight with Nile on the plane during the first movie. Tuah also reveals that an injured immortal can bestow their immortality upon others, but only if it is given willingly. 

Tuah’s words prompt Booker to test his theory by sparring with Nile, and as he ends up injuring himself, his suspicions about Andy’s unique abilities are confirmed as Booker doesn’t heal. Booker wanted to bestow his immortality on Andy and wanted Tuah to keep his wish a secret from Andy, who obviously would have refused the gift. Booker’s choice makes perfect sense, as it not only allows him to redeem himself to his leader but also helps Booker put an expiration date on his life, like he always wanted. The sole reason Booker betrayed his team in the first movie was because he hoped that Copley would be able to find a cure to his immortality, which Booker deemed to be a curse after being unable to have a human connection with his loved ones. Booker also knows that, whatever happens, his comrades will never be able to mend their broken bond of trust with him, and Andy’s immortality is of utmost importance for their security, now that Discord and Quynh are working together to bring their ruin. 

The Old Guard 2 Ending Explained

Infuriated at Andy’s betrayal, Quynh shares his desire with Discord to see the world of mortals ruined. Accordingly, with the help of Discord’s private militia, the duo take control of a nuclear facility in Jakarta—a Chinese-controlled black site—and prime it with a bomb to trigger an explosion that will end millions of lives. Despite knowing that it is a trap set by Quynh and Discord to lure Andy and her team in, they decide to go anyway to stop a global crisis. Unbeknownst to anyone (except Tuah), Booker transfers his immortality to Andy, but the exact process is not shown in the movie. 

As the team infiltrates the nuclear facility, they get ambushed by Discord’s men. Copley gets captured, and one by one, Nicky, Tuah, and Joe get trapped and abducted. Nile engages in a battle with Quynh and learns about her ability as she ends up injuring Quynh and taking away her immortality in the process. At this moment, Discord abducts Nile as well by incapacitating her, and leaves an injured Quynh to her fate. As the only surviving team members, Andy and Booker fight off hordes of mercs when Andy learns that Booker has transferred his immortality to her. Much to Andy’s dismay and grief, Booker sacrifices his life to give her a chance to escape and rescue her comrades. The fact that the other immortals hated Booker for his betrayal and don’t get to know about his sacrifice in the end is somewhat tragic. 

Andy meets an injured Quynh and realizes her present predicament. Quynh is seen holding the trigger to the bomb, which can trigger nuclear meltdown, and Andy gives Quynh the freedom of choosing her path instead of forcing her to accept her ideals. During the middle ages, after losing Quynh, Andy found herself in a dark space of mind as she became vengeful and almost killed a person responsible for her misery by strangling her. Back then, Quynh’s memory restored her faith in her true path of altruism, and at present, perhaps Andy’s presence allows Quynh not to choose humanity’s destruction at the end, as she doesn’t activate the bomb trigger. 

Andy engages in a battle with Discord, who was on her way to flee from the facility in a chopper. Andy finds out the sole reason for Discord having gone through the entire ordeal is that she too has lost her immortality and wants to regain it by making one of the immortals transfer their power to her. This is why Nile is so integral to her plan, and now that Discord has abducted her, along with Joe, Nicky, and Tuah, she will torture them until they break and abide by her command. Andy fails to capture Discord, who escapes, taking the immortals captive. Even though Andy has averted the global crisis, she has lost her friends in the process, and vows to bring them back. 

However, in her mission to rescue them, Andy will not be alone; as the movie ends, a recovering Quynh is revealed to have come back to her senses and joined Andy’s side. Quynh reveals that she was unaware of Discord’s ulterior motive, and clouded by her anger with Andy, Quynh played right into her hands and acted as her pawn. At present, Andy and Quynh have taken shelter at Tuah’s library, where Andy scours through his books to find Discord’s possible whereabouts, and in time, both companions mend their bond anew. In the final moments of the film, it is shown that Andy is setting off to rescue Nile and the rest of the immortals, and despite being in her mortal state, Quynh is more than eager to take the charge in the battle against Discord. 

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