Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End Ending Explained

Updated Nov 3, 2026, 3:57 PM EST Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. Warning! This post contains spoilers for Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End. Manel manages to save the day in Prime Video's Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End's ending, but before the movie's end credits start rolling, a grim twist introduces new challenges for the heroic character. Directed by Carles Torrens, Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End is based on Manel Loureiro's novel of the same name. The movie walks through a typical zombie apocalypse saga where a man finds himself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse, where he must survive many odds to save himself and the friends he makes along the way. Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End's main character, Manel, is portrayed as a grieving man who loses his wife in a car accident long before the beginning of the titular world-ending event. Owing to this, when the central zombie infection finally starts spreading, his journey of survival not only helps him break his spell of isolation but also allows him to find peace after his wife's demise. In its final moments, the Amazon Prime Video zombie movie also introduces a massive cliffhanger which perfectly paves the way for a sequel. Why Belen Stops Manel From Coming To The Canary Islands In Apocalypse Z's Ending The Islands Are Seemingly Not As Safe As Manel Was Told In Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End's opening arc, Manel learns that all the survivors are gathering at the Arousa Estuary and planning to go to the Canary Islands. Although Gabriella initially promises to accompany him to the safe haven, Manel is forced to go alone after she dies. In the movie's ending moments, Manel and his new friends manage to defy all odds to get their hands on a helicopter that can take them to the islands. To Manel's relief, even his phone receives a signal as soon as their chopper rises above the ground, allowing him to receive a call from his sister, Belen. However, to his dismay, Belen warns him to stay away from the Canary Islands as soon as he informs her he is heading there. Although Manel tries to ask her what is happening, Belen panics and only tells him not to visit the location. Her reaction suggests that the location is not safe anymore, and the virus outbreak has somehow reached the islands as well. Before Manel can figure out what is happening, two fighter jets zoom past the chopper, hinting that an airstrike has been planned on all zombie-ridden areas — including the Canary Islands — to contain the virus. Belen's husband, Mario, is a soldier, so her family may enjoy the privileges of a dictatorship if one has been implemented on the islands. Her disrupted call does not mean she is dead, since the lack of network while Manel travels on a helicopter may have ended it. The TZ Virus & How It Started The Zombie Apocalypse In Apocalypse Z Explained The Virus' Origins Remained Unknown Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End never delves into the details of what started the zombie apocalypse. In its initial moments, it walks through how Manel lost his wife in a car accident. Its storyline then jumps ahead in time where Manel struggles to accept his wife's death while a virus outbreak gradually spreads across the globe. The movie's story only suggests that it is set in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the central virus that turns humans into zombies was likely created in a lab and used as a biological weapon to kill many humans. Apocalypse Z: The Beginning Of The End Cast & Character Breakdown Actor Role Francisco Ortiz Manel José María Yazpik Viktor Pritchenko Berta Vázquez Lucía Iria del Río Julia María Salgueiro Sorc Cecilia Amalia Gómez Gabriela Marta Poveda Belén Yuri Mikhaylychenko Ushakov Manel and other survivors avoid getting infected by the virus by ensuring the infected individuals bite them. This suggests the virus is not airborne and can only spread through direct contact with bodily fluids. Characters in typical zombie movies usually end up finding cures or developing ways to contain the outbreak. In Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, however, the characters barely survive the outbreak because a cure for the virus has seemingly not been found. When it comes to the visual representation of the infected, the Amazon Prime horror movie's depiction is not too far from the traditional zombie genre. What Ushakov & His Men Wanted From Manel & Other Survivors The Ukrainians Cared Little About Helping Other Survivors While sailing alone across the sea, Manel runs into a group of Ukrainians who welcome him to his ship. They offer him a room on their boat and, in return, expect him to guide him to guide him to places in the city where they can find food and other useful resources. Manel accepts their offer and agrees to help them until he starts noticing something is wrong. After his first day on the ship, he realizes that Ushakov and his crew rescue many lost survivors from the sea, but none can be found on board. Before landing on Amazon Prime Video, Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End premiered at the 57th Sitges Film Festival on 5 October 2024. He later heads to one of the lower decks of the ship and finds a group of survivors tied up in a holding area. This helps him realize that the Ukranians do not intend to help other survivors. Their sole purpose is to capture and exploit them for their own benefit. Even before Manel's arrival, Victor knew what Ushakov and his men were trying to do. However, to ensure his own and Manel's survival, he did not tell Manel about their true motives. Fortunately, for him, Manel helps him escape the ship before the Ukrainians can harm them. Ushakov and his men later arrive at the hospital, searching for supplies. During the group's escape, Sister Cecilia is bitten and has to be left behind. Cornered by Ushakov's armed men, Manel breaks open the holding pen surrounding them, letting in hundreds of infected who overrun and kill Ushakov and his men. Victor Pritchenko, the Ukrainian-Mexican pilot working with Ushakov, helps Manel escape and gets the helicopter running. Manel manages to put Victor, Lucia, the kids and his cat Luculo inside the helicopter, and they leave the hospital with the surviving group. How Much Of Manel Loureiro's Apocalypse Z Book Series Does The Spanish Movie Adapt Manel Loureiro Wrote An Apocalypse Z Book Trilogy Manel Loureiro has written three books in the Apocalypse Z series: Apocalypse Z #1: The Beginning of the End Apocalypse Z #2: Dark Days Apocalypse Z #3: The Wrath of the Just As its title suggests, the movie only adapts the first novel in Manel Loureiro's Apocalypse Z trilogy. Like the first book in the trilogy, Amazon's Apocalypse: The Beginning of the End primarily revolves around the spread of the zombie virus and the fall of humanity. Similar to the book, it also shows how the pandemic gives the main character, Manel, the opportunity to finally overcome the grief of losing his wife in a tragic car accident. However, given that there are two more books in the trilogy, there is enough source material content to follow up the Amazon movie with two more sequels. Loureiro's story began as a blog before it was published as a novel in 2007 as Apocalipsis Z: El principio del fin. He later wrote two sequels, Dark Days (Los días oscuros) in 2010 and The Wrath of the Just (La ira de los justos) in 2011. How Apocalypse Z's Ending Sets Up A Sequel The Movie's Ending Paves The Way For A Darker Followup Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End's ending suggests that Manel and the crew will have to head to the Canary Islands and save Manel's family before they get infected, or an air strike kills them. Apart from following Manel's rescue mission for his sister, Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End's sequel could also explore the origins of the virus and reveal which nation created the biological weapon.