Manifest's Official Return Can Answer The Show's Biggest Mystery

Published Sep 23, 2026, 10:01 AM EDT Mads Misasi is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. Before joining the ScreenRant team they wrote for TellTaleTV for 9 years working their way up from contributor to Associate Editor. TV has been a passion of theirs since a very young age. Mads typically watches all of the things, especially dramas and sitcoms. When Manifest came to an end in 2023, the series managed to answer many of the questions that had followed Flight 828 since the beginning. The passengers finally learned why they disappeared, what the Callings represented, and what awaited them on the dreaded Death Date. Yet, even with those answers, the finale couldn't possibly resolve every mystery introduced across four seasons. ​ Three years later, the Manifest universe is officially returning with Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery. Rather than simply continuing the Stone family's story after the original finale, the new Netflix series will introduce another mystery and a new group of characters. That gives Arrivals the freedom to expand upon the mythology that Manifest established without diminishing the surprisingly definitive ending given to Flight 828. ​ There is one lingering mystery that would be especially valuable for Arrivals to revisit. Long before Flight 828 disappeared for five and a half years, Al-Zuras and his crew seemingly experienced the same supernatural phenomenon centuries earlier. Manifest used their story to prove the passengers weren't the first people chosen by the Divine Consciousness, but never revealed what ultimately became of them. Arrivals could finally provide those answers while revealing just how far back this phenomenon truly goes. Manifest Never Answered What Happened To Al-Zuras & His Crew Al-Zuras' story first became important because it proved Flight 828 was not an isolated event. Centuries earlier, his ship disappeared at sea for 10 years before returning without its crew having aged. Once back, they began hearing what Al-Zuras described as the voice of God and learned that, much like the 828 passengers, they would eventually face a Death Date. ​ The similarities became even stranger when Al-Zuras' journal described a "silver dragon" flying above his ship during a storm. A shared Calling eventually revealed that the dragon was actually Flight 828, placing the plane and Al-Zuras' ship in the same supernatural space despite existing centuries apart. It was one of Manifest's biggest mythology reveals, but the series never fully explained what that connection meant. ​ Al-Zuras' journal and tarot deck repeatedly helped the Stones understand the Callings, the Omega Sapphire, and eventually the judgment awaiting the passengers. Even in the Manifest series finale, Olive turned back to Al-Zuras' work to realize that Ben needed to forgive Angelina before facing the Last Trial. His clues were essential to solving Flight 828's story, even when his own remained unfinished. ​ Yet, Manifest never revealed whether Al-Zuras successfully faced his own judgment. His journal established that some of his crew were driven mad trying to escape the Callings, with some even going overboard. Historical records offered no definitive answer either, leaving open the question whether Al-Zuras died on his Death Date or survived for years afterward. That makes his fate one of the show's most significant unanswered questions. Arrivals Can Finally Explain Manifest's History Of Divine Experiments That unanswered history makes Al-Zuras particularly relevant to Arrivals: A New Manifest Mystery. Netflix has only revealed that the series will introduce a new cast and "uncharted storylines," with Manifest creator Jeff Rake returning alongside showrunners Margaret Easley and Laura Putney. Rake has also said the new story is being designed to reward longtime fans while remaining accessible to viewers who never watched Manifest. ​ Revisiting Al-Zuras could accomplish both goals without requiring Arrivals to become a direct continuation of the Stone family's story. Another disappearance could reveal whether Al-Zuras and Flight 828 were only two examples of a pattern that has recurred throughout history. Manifest showed other people, including Zeke, Griffin, and the three "meth heads", disappearing and returning with their own Death Dates, suggesting Flight 828 was only one piece of something much larger. ​ Al-Zuras could also help clarify whether every group pulled into the Divine Consciousness is subjected to its own version of the Last Trial. If his crew was judged collectively, just as Flight 828's passengers eventually were, learning who survived could explain far more about how these events work and why different people throughout history have been given similar second chances. It could even establish whether the Divine Consciousness has been testing humanity for centuries. ​ Most importantly, answering Al-Zuras' fate would expand Manifest's mythology rather than undo its ending. Flight 828's passengers already earned their second chance and returned to 2013; Arrivals doesn't need to disturb that resolution to make the original series matter again. It simply needs to explore the larger mystery Manifest left behind: how many people experienced this phenomenon before Flight 828, and what happened when their judgment came? Release Date 2018 - 2023-00-00 Network NBC, Netflix Showrunner Michael Smith Directors Romeo Tirone, Michael Smith, Claudia Yarmy, Dean White, Marisol Adler, Craig Zisk, Joe Chappelle, Paul Holahan, Ramaa Mosley, SJ Main Muñoz, Sherwin Shilati, Andy Wolk, Bosede Williams, Cheryl Dunye, Constantine Makris, David Frankel, Félix Enríquez Alcalá, Jean de Segonzac, Laura Belsey, Millicent Shelton, Nathan Hope, Nicole Rubio, Ruba Nadda, Tawnia McKiernan Writers Jeff Rake, Laura Putney, Margaret Easley, MW Cartozian Wilson, Simran Baidwan, Matthew Lau, Ezra W. Nachman, Bobak Esfarjani, Marta Gene Camps, Darika Fuhrmann, Matt K. Turner, Sumerah Srivastav, Jeannine Renshaw, Amanda Green, Ryan Martinez, Margaret Rose Lester, Eric Haywood Creator(s) Jeff Rake