Who dies at the end of Heads of State? Explained in depth

Heads of State ends on a note that’s as explosive as it is emotional. As President Will Derringer and Prime Minister Sam Clarke navigate the chaos of a mission gone sideways, the story takes a darker, more personal turn. Vice President Elizabeth Kirk finds herself caught in the crossfire of shifting allegiances, while arms dealer Viktor Gradov pushes his plan to the brink.

With CIA agent Marty Comer’s fate hanging in the balance and tensions at the NATO summit peaking, the final act leaves no room for comfort. If you're wondering who makes it out and who doesn't, here's everything you need to know.

What does Heads of State revolve around?

Still from Heads of State (Image via Prime Video)

Heads of State begins in Buñol, Spain, during La Tomatina, a chaotic tomato-throwing festival. Amid the crowd, MI6 agent Noelle Bisset, played by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and her team are ambushed by Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov, played by Paddy Considine, and his assassins, including "Olga the Killer" and "the Chef". Gradov kills Bisset’s team and escapes with access to ECHELON, a global surveillance program used by the Five Eyes intelligence alliance. Bisset appears to die in the attack.

Meanwhile, in London, newly elected U.S. President Will Derringer, played by John Cena, a former action movie star, arrives for a state visit with British Prime Minister Sam Clarke played by Idris Elba. The two leaders clash publicly, prompting their aides Simone Bradshaw and Quincy Harrington to suggest that they fly together to the upcoming NATO summit in Trieste aboard Air Force One to present a united front.

During the flight, Air Force One is attacked by Gradov’s terrorists and shot down. Clarke and Derringer parachute out and land in Belarus, presumed dead by the world. Realizing there’s a mole in their inner circles, they hitch a ride to Poland with a Belarusian woman and take shelter at a CIA safehouse in Warsaw run by agent Marty Comer. There, Comer informs them that NATO is collapsing after ECHELON was hacked and files were leaked, revealing sabotage and espionage between allied nations. Gradov’s assassins attack the safe house, and Comer is seemingly killed. Clarke and Derringer are rescued by Bisset, who survived the earlier ambush thanks to a bulletproof vest.

Bisset, Clarke, and Derringer learn that the summit is in jeopardy due to the leaks and that the insider maybe someone close to them. They travel to the summit by train but are attacked again. Hacker Hammond, working for Gradov, kills the assassin but is mortally wounded. Before dying, he directs them to his former office in Zadar, Croatia, where they discover old chat logs implicating Bradshaw. In another ambush, Clarke appears to die in an explosion.

Eventually, it's revealed that the mole isn’t Bradshaw or Quincy but American Vice President Elizabeth Kirk. She had long pushed an "America First" agenda to dissolve NATO. Thinking Clarke and Derringer are dead, she joins world leaders in Trieste and convinces them to exit the alliance. Meanwhile, it’s revealed that Gradov’s motive is revenge for his son, the scientist behind a clean energy breakthrough, who was killed in a NATO missile strike after ECHELON flagged plutonium linked to his project as a nuclear threat.

So which head of state dies in Heads of State?

After parachuting into Belarus and being presumed dead, President Will Derringer and Prime Minister Sam Clarke argue over their next steps. Will wants to contact his team, but Sam suspects a mole and warns it’s too risky. While attempting to hot-wire a car, they get into a fight with Belarusian men, only to be rescued by an old woman who helps them cross the border into Poland and reach the CIA safe house.

At the NATO summit in Trieste, the final confrontation unfolds. Viktor Gradov kills Vice President Elizabeth Kirk after she outlives her usefulness. As Viktor attempts to escape, Sam and Will chase him down. Before the climax, Sam admits to Will that he's a fan and has seen all of his movies. In a moment of cinematic homage, Sam asks Will to recreate one of his movie endings. Sam takes an arrow to the shoulder from Viktor, while Will hurls a statue into the helicopter’s rotor blades. The rotors shatter, and Gradov falls to his death.

Meanwhile, Noelle Bisset fights assassin Sasha the Killer in an intense hand-to-hand showdown and emerges victorious. In the final scene, Noelle embarks on another secret mission while maintaining a friendly relationship with Sam.

How does the film end on a positive note?

Two months after the chaos, NATO is slowly rebuilding trust among its allied nations. Sam Clarke and Will Derringer, now unlikely friends, reunite at a London pub for a friendly chat. Clarke treats Will to fish and chips, a lighthearted nod to their bond, and celebrates his rising approval ratings, which had previously tanked.

While their public image has improved, Clarke’s personal life remains complicated. He texts Noelle Bisset, with whom he shares a quiet, unresolved attraction. But with Noel constantly away on covert missions, a relationship seems out of reach though Clarke still holds on to the hope that one day, it might happen.

Is there a post-credits scene in Heads of State?

Yes, Heads of State features a post-credits scene that delivers a cheeky surprise. At a beachside bar, CIA agent Marty Comer who was believed to have died from a headshot during the Warsaw safe house attack is revealed to be alive. He explains to a group of unimpressed women that a metal plate in his head, installed after a “rotisserie grill debacle,” saved his life. Marty brags about staying in touch with Clarke and Derringer and hints at a possible cabinet role.

While the women roll their eyes, Noelle Bisset appears beside him and says, “I believe you, Agent Comer,” suggesting a new mission might be on the horizon. This lighthearted moment not only confirms Marty’s survival but also teases the possibility of a sequel.