The alternate ending to "Edge of Tomorrow" was too dark – it was cut to avoid upsetting viewers (6 photos)

Have you ever wondered why Edge of Tomorrow ended the way it did? If so, you're not alone. Now imagine if there was an alternate ending that would have made the story even more confusing? Warning! Spoilers ahead!





In 2014, Edge of Tomorrow became the sci-fi hit everyone was waiting for. It gave Tom Cruise the perfect platform to play with time, shown through the cold lens of all-out alien war.

How It Works

Doug Liman's sci-fi action film follows William Cage, a slightly brazen US Army major with no combat experience. He's forcibly sent to the front lines, into the thick of a landing against a race of alien predators known as Mimics. It's a bloodbath. But when Cage comes into contact with Alpha Mimic blood, he gains their ability to manipulate time. These new abilities allow him to train to the point of exhaustion and experiment with different tactics, dying again, and again, and again.



The film is based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka's novel "All You Need Is Kill," so it already had its own fan base by the time of its release (I highly recommend it – it's very interesting and offers a completely different storyline!). However, some viewers, both longtime fans and new ones, were less than thrilled with the film's ending.

Cage certainly learns an important lesson, but some audiences felt his story deserved a more definitive conclusion. As it turns out, this option was actually considered in early versions of the script.

The Stakes of the Final Fight

Throughout the film, Cage relives the same day over and over again. This is the key mechanism that anchors the entire story. He ultimately joins forces with the "Angel of Verdun," Rita Vrataski. He is determined to tip the scales in humanity's favor, which means taking on responsibility and perhaps even... falling in love.

Of course, no amount of training or romantic feelings could prepare him for what lies ahead. Cage and Vrataski track down a powerful Mimic known as Omega. It is he who studies the battlefield and resets time, ensuring victory for his race. Unfortunately, during a mission to seize a vital device, Cage is gravely injured. He receives a blood transfusion, which deprives him of the ability to reset time.





The entire film centers on the United Defense Force's attempt to retake the world from the invaders. And while this battle is replayed many times throughout the film, the final run is the only one that matters. After crashing in Paris, Cage's entire squad sacrifices themselves so he and Vrataski can reach Omega. When an Alpha Mimic kills Rita and wounds Cage, all hope seems lost. But before he dies, Cage manages to throw off his grenade belt, blowing up Omega and destroying all the Mimics. As he dies, he immerses himself in Omega's blood and seemingly regains his ability to manipulate time.



He wakes up a few days before the invasion, right at the beginning of the film. Cage not only escaped certain death, but now finds himself in an alternate timeline where an energy wave wiped out all known Mimics just as the JSF landed in France. His squadmates are alive again, including Rita. And while they may not know who he is or what he did, he has changed himself and made the world a much safer place.

Another ending – dark and uncomfortable

One of the reasons some viewers disliked the ending of Edge of Tomorrow is that William Cage survived. Many believed his story would have been far more poignant if he had sacrificed himself to save the squad and the woman he fell in love with. And then it turns out there was a version of the script where Cage didn't get his happy ending. But it was too dark. And too convoluted.



The alternate ending revolved around the Alpha Mimic—a creature whose killing triggers a reset of the day. In the version released in theaters, Cage directly warns J-Squad of the consequences.

"Don't kill Alpha. If we kill Alpha, Omega will reset the entire day. We won't even remember we had this conversation."

It's a rather ominous idea, isn't it? And yet, that's exactly how the film was supposed to end. Screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie told MovieWeb about this scrapped ending:

"Imagine the classic horror movie scene where one of the heroes gets separated from the group. He's attacked by Alpha and killed. And at the moment Alpha dies, you see Omega reset the day. We're transported to the plane. And this time, as Cage utters the line, 'Rest assured, they have a plan to kill us all,' a shell hits the ship."

The idea was certainly elegant, but there was one problem. As McQuarrie explained:

"As an audience member, you understand that the enemy knows they're coming. The problem was that by that point, the audience was already completely exhausted emotionally—having been worried about the characters for the entire film before."

Why We Got What We Got

The ending where everyone dies was ultimately scrapped in favor of a more optimistic conclusion. And while the alternate ending is certainly smarter and more striking, it must be acknowledged that getting to the point where everything begins to come together would have been quite a challenge. Instead, they opted for a much happier ending, not without the help of Tom himself. Cruise.



McQuarrie explained that it was Cruise who felt the film needed a bit of levity, and the ending with no survivors was discarded. The screenwriter continued: "We struggled a lot to get the ending to have the right emotional impact. I know the ending was controversial; some people didn't like it. I think the only way to please those people was to end the film unhappily. And we weren't interested in that. The story shouldn't have ended on such a harsh note."

The theatrical ending feels like a compromise. No one but Cage has the slightest idea what really happened. But Cage himself is a better man. It's not the great act of self-sacrifice that would have made him a legend, but it's still a neat way to tie up all the loose ends.