Does Peter die in The Long Walk movie? Explored

The Long Walk (2025) is a chilling Lionsgate adaptation of Stephen King’s 1979 novel (written as Richard Bachman). 50 teenage boys are thrust into a dystopian America’s deadly contest: walk along U.S. Route 1 at a minimum of three miles per hour or face execution by soldiers in jeeps. The last boy standing wins a fortune and one wish, from riches to retribution. Directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), with a script by JT Mollner, the 108-minute R-rated film was shot in Manitoba’s harsh summer to echo the walkers’ suffering. 

The film’s climax, where Ray sacrifices himself and Pete shoots the Major, leaves a burning question: Does Pete die? The ambiguous ending suggests Pete may not survive, with a faint gunshot-like sound hinting at his off-screen death, though some see his final walk as a sign of defiance or escape.

Cooper Hoffman stars as Raymond “Ray” Garraty, a Maine teen driven by revenge against the Major (Mark Hamill), who killed his father for defying the regime. David Jonsson plays Peter “Pete” McVries, a witty orphan with a scarred past, forming a deep bond with Ray. 

The cast includes Garrett Wareing as the secretive Stebbins, Tut Nyuot as the earnest Art Baker, Charlie Plummer as the unhinged Gary Barkovitch, Ben Wang as Hank Olson, Joshua Odjick as Collie Parker, Judy Greer as Ray’s grieving mother and Josh Hamilton as his slain father.

The Long Walk: The ending unveiled Peter's fate 

As The Long Walk nears its end, only a handful of the 50 boys remain after days of grueling marching, with most killed for slowing below three miles per hour due to exhaustion, injuries or despair. The final stretch focuses on Ray, Pete and Stebbins. Earlier, Hank Olson, delirious, charges a soldiers’ truck and is shot. Gary Barkovitch, panicked, slits his own throat. Art Baker, bleeding from a hemorrhage, walks to the trucks to die. Collie Parker tries to rebel, killing a soldier before being gunned down. These deaths set the stage for the last three.

Stebbins, pale and coughing, reveals he’s the Major’s illegitimate son, entered as a “rabbit” to prolong the contest. Accepting his fate, he slows, takes three warnings and is executed, eyes on Ray and Pete. Now alone, the two friends—Ray, fueled by vengeance for his father’s death, and Pete, marked by a knife scar from his orphan days—reach a rainy city road. Sparse crowds watch, their cheers hollow. Pete, ready to quit due to his lack of family or future, sits down to let Ray win and kill the Major. Ray, insisting they’re in it together, tricks Pete into standing, then sits himself. Soldiers shoot Ray on live TV, leaving Pete devastated.

The Major, smugly declaring Pete the winner, asks for his wish. Pete, channelling Ray’s mission, requests a soldier’s carbine, claiming it’s for his future son. Instead, he tells the Major, “This is for Ray Garraty,” and shoots him dead. Pete drops the gun and walks into the night, his fate unclear. Unlike the book, where Pete dies mid-walk and Ray wins but walks on in a hallucinating daze, the film crowns Pete the survivor. The ambiguity fuels debate. The empty streets could mean Pete’s mind snapped, imagining freedom while soldiers kill him, the “gunshot” sealing his doom.

An earlier scene, where Parker’s killing of a soldier leads to a swift replacement, suggests the regime’s machine grinds on, likely ending Pete’s rebellion. Yet some fans on X argue the Major’s death topples the system, letting Pete walk free.

Director Lawrence, in a Variety interview, called the ending “intentionally vague,” mirroring King’s ambiguity but emphasising Pete and Ray’s bond, brought to life by Jonsson and Hoffman’s raw chemistry.

Mollner noted King approved the changes, aiming to balance loyalty to the novel with fresh emotional stakes. The faint sound tilts toward Pete’s death, aligning with the regime’s unrelenting control, but his final walk leaves just enough room for hope.

The Long Walk is now available to stream on premium digital platforms from Lionsgate.

Stay tuned for more such updates!