What happens to Peter McVries? The Long Walk ending explained

After over 300 miles, The Long Walk reaches its heartbreaking (and ambiguous) finish line – and if you’re confused about the ending or want to clarify what happened, you’re in the right place.

Stephen King movies are (in)famous for their endings, whether it’s Thomas Jane stumbling out to see a tank rolling down the road in The Mist (if you know, you know), Red reuniting with Andy in Zihuatanejo in The Shawshank Redemption, or the last words Gordie types in Stand By Me.

They can be bleak, scary, mysterious – and, occasionally, they’re hopeful. Spoiler alert, but the latter can’t be said for The Long Walk, and that goes for both the original novel and the new movie adaptation.

The film follows Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter McVries (David Jonsson), two contestants in a national competition that forces young men to walk faster than 3MPH until only one remains. By the end, one of them is left standing… or are they?

How does The Long Walk end?

Lionsgate

The Long Walk ends with Garraty sacrificing himself so McVries can live, believing he’ll make better use of the riches. However, McVries honors Garraty’s memory by making his wish come true: he asks for a gun and shoots the Major, before walking away.

As they reach the 326-mile point, only three men remain: Garraty, McVries, and Stebbins (Garret Wareing). He admits that he’s the son of the Major, who reportedly has “dozens” of children, and that he planned to use his winning wish (if they win, they get “gazillions” of dollars and one wish) to stay in his father’s home.

However, he also believes he was picked for the contest to be the “rabbit” – in other words, a pacemaker that ensures the walk lasts longer than it would have otherwise. With his condition worsening, he volunteers to stay back and let Garraty and McVries continue. “I’m glad it’s you two,” he says, before we hear him get shot.

Five miles later, Garraty and McVries walk into a city, where spectators have gathered in the streets. McVries attempts to kneel down and let Garraty win, but Garraty refuses to let him stop. When McVries incredulously asks him what he’s doing, Garraty says: “Being a brother to my brother… I can’t see it, you can, that’s why I love you.”

As they walk on together, Garraty stops without McVries noticing. By the time he turns round, it’s too late to help him. The soldiers shoot Garraty, and the walk ends, with fireworks lighting up the sky.

The Major congratulates McVries and asks him for his wish. Instead of using his wish for his ambitions to better the world, he asks for the carbine that belongs to the soldier beside him. He aims the gun at the Major’s head, who tells McVries that he shouldn’t throw away everything he’s earned.

He thinks on it, before saying, “This is for Ray” and pulling the trigger. His body falls to the ground, and McVries is left alone on the street. He turns around and walks away, and the movie ends.

Does Peter McVries die in The Long Walk?

Lionsgate

It’s not been confirmed if Peter McVries lives or dies, but The Long Walk’s ending is purposely ambiguous; either reading of the film is entirely valid.

For example, you could argue that McVries standing alone in a dark, rainy street after he shoots the Major could be an indication that he’s already dead. After all, wouldn’t the other troops kill McVries as soon as he pulled the trigger?

However, the darker (and better) interpretation is that McVries lives after shooting the Major, but in doing so, he doomed himself to darkness – which is exactly why Garraty knew he’d waste his wish.

Think about it: earlier in the film, when Garraty pledges to “become the kind of person” that could take someone’s life, McVries says, “That’d be sad.” When Garraty picks up McVries and sacrifices himself, he says, “I can’t see it, you can.”

What can’t he see? The future beyond the moment he gets his revenge. McVries had a vision for how he could use the money and his wish to help people; it wasn’t a means to an end… it was a way to establish a new horizon.

However, as the Major’s body falls, McVries is almost engulfed in darkness. He can’t see what’s ahead of him, and he gives up his – and perhaps the world’s – future because he loves his “brother.”

The Long Walk is in cinemas now. Check out our list of the best horror movies of all time and see what else is dropping this year with our 2025 movie calendar.