Hit Man Ending Explained (2024)

Hit Man's ending takes some creative liberties concerning the true story of Gary Johnson, providing the audience with several twists and turns. In Hit Man's cast of characters, Glen Powell brings Gary to life. Gary begins the film as a mild-mannered college professor who often helps the New Orleans Police Department by providing tech for undercover sting operations. That said, the true story of Hit Man sees Gary pushed into playing the undercover, fake hitman himself, with the professor soon finding he has a hidden talent for eliciting confessions out of unsuspecting conspirators.

Throughout the film, Powell's character begins taking on several Hit Man aliases and identities, figuring out that different people will be more inclined to admit to planning a murder depending on who they are speaking to. By the time of Hit Man's ending, several dead bodies begin piling up due to Gary's - or more aptly, Ron's - relationship with Adria Arjona's Madison. The ending of Hit Man is suitably dark but often hilarious, allowing the film to rank as one of Richard Linklater's best movies, while including several twists on the real story of Gary Johnson.

Why Did Gary/Ron Really Kill Jasper & How Did They Get Away With It?

Gary's Final Victim Says A Lot About His Character In Hit Man

Throughout Hit Man's first two acts, Gary never crosses the line between make-believe and reality by killing anyone, despite often playing a variety of seasoned hitmen. That said, the ending of the film sees Gary take the final step and kill Jasper, his former associate in the New Orleans Police Department. Jasper finds out that Gary was complicit in Madison's murder of her ex-husband, Ray. While Gary did not kill Ray, he knew that Madison did, leading Jasper to confront them and threaten to implicate them so he could get his old job back.

However, the first twist of Hit Man's final scene comes when Jasper faints, leading Madison to reveal she drugged his drink. Gary, still somewhat masquerading as his hitman persona Ron, ties a plastic bag around Jasper's head, suffocating him. The first question raised by this is how Gary and Madison got away with Jasper's murder. Gary states that Jasper is disliked anyway, as a racist, misogynistic, abusive person. He also reveals that Jasper's wife left him, meaning placing him in a car with drugs in his system and a bag over his head positions the murder as a believable suicide.

The second major question is why Gary finally takes the giant leap to murder someone, after being so shocked at Madison's willingness to do so in earlier parts of Hit Man. A large aspect of Gary's character in the film surrounds wish fulfillment. Gary becomes over-the-top, murderous characters as a way to experience life on the other side of his somewhat bland existence. Throughout Hit Man, Gary states that the line between him and Ron becomes blurred, with the former liking the personality of the latter. In Hit Man's final scene, Jasper reiterates that "tough guy" Gary could not kill anyone.

Aside from being driven by his love for Madison and thus the need to protect her from going to jail, Gary's murder of Jasper could be part of his desire to become Ron. Gary, after being told he is unexciting compared to Ron endlessly throughout the film, could have wished to prove Jasper and even himself wrong, by taking the step of murdering someone. While his protection of Maddy is a driving factor, Gary becoming hitman Ron and killing Jasper is a natural evolution of the film's themes.

Why Did Madison Kill Her Husband In Hit Man?

Hit Man Offers Several Motivations For Madison Killing Ray

Someone complicit in Gary's murder of Jasper is Madison, who is no stranger to killing. Earlier in the film, Madison reveals that she killed her husband Ray by shooting him and fabricating the story that he was killed in a drug deal gone wrong. Madison's reason for killing Ray is a form of self-defense, after finding out that the latter had contacted Gary's fake hitman persona to kill her; Madison believes Gary/Ron is a real hitman, and Ray will eventually find someone who will kill her despite Ron turning him down if her vengeful ex-husband does not do it himself.

Besides this, Hit Man offers other reasons as to why Madison would want Ray dead. For one, Ray is incredibly abusive. Madison is introduced as she contacts Ron to kill Ray, due to the latter's controlling, abusive treatment of her. This could be one reason that led her to kill him, while another could be his insurance money. It is revealed that Ray had an extensive life insurance policy that Madison - as his wife, despite their impending divorce - would receive should he die. All of these reasons likely factored into Madison's decision to kill Ray, leading to Hit Man's finale.

Hit Man's Ending Time Jump Reveals A Dark Truth About The Ending

Madison Is Still Impacted By Her Confrontations With Ray & Jasper

After Gary covers up Jasper's death and moves suspicion away from Madison and himself, Hit Man's ending includes a time jump. The film picks up years later with Gary and Madison happily married, even with two children of their own. However, one scene reveals the dark truth that Madison is still haunted by her actions.

When Madison is shown talking to a friend and colleague, the latter states that someone named Gabby let her down by bailing on her, prompting her to exaggerate that she "could've strangled her to death." Upon hearing this phrase, Madison is shown to somewhat disassociate, fake laughing while showcasing a brief look of horror. This proves that the murders of Ray and Jasper still trouble her, even years later after Hit Man's time jump.

What Happened To The Real Gary Johnson After HIt Man's Ending

Hit Man's Story Adds Fictional, Dramatized Elements To The Real Gary Johnson's Life

As alluded to, Hit Man is based on the real-life of Gary Johnson. Gary Johnson is someone who helped the police by starring as an undercover hitman, leading to over 70 arrests. Other real aspects of Gary's life in Hit Man are that he was an incredibly mild-mannered person and was a college professor. Naturally, Gary Johnson did not murder anyone in real life. Hit Man makes a clear note to make this evident to the audience, stating that Gary's murder of Jasper and complicity in Ray's death were made up for the film.

What Hit Man's Ending Really Means

The Escalation Of Hit Man's Ending Pays Off Gary's Character Arc

Concerning what the real meaning of Hit Man's ending is, it serves as a way to pay off Gary's character arc. At the beginning of the film, Gary is relatively happy with his unassuming life, though he often provides hints that he thinks it could be more exciting. Various people in Gary's life tell him, or make comments behind his back, that he could be a more thrilling person like Ron is, for example. Through Hit Man's ending, the real meaning of why Gary took those final steps to kill Jasper and solidify his life with Maddy is revealed.

After Hit Man's time jump, Gary is shown giving a lecture to his students. In this lecture, he states that he used to believe life was immutable, and that everyone is stuck in their own ways. However, he states that he discovered this was not true, and people can become different and, thus, better versions of themselves. Gary tells his students to seize the identity they want in their lives, essentially summing up the themes of Hit Man. Gary seized a more exciting life as Ron and settled down with Madison, albeit one that saw them overcome dark speed bumps.

Hit Man

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From director Richard Linklater comes Hit Man, a 2023 action comedy film based on aTexas Monthlyarticle of the same name. Undercover and trying to catch a group of criminals, a Houston police officer poses as a hitman until he falls for a woman on assignment. Finding himself diving deeper into the world of crime, the Houston officer finds it increasingly difficult to escape his new undercover persona.

Director

Richard Linklater

Release Date

September 5, 2023

Cast

Glen Powell , Adria Arjona , Austin Amelio , Retta , Molly Bernard

Runtime

113 Minutes