Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) had quite the journey through both Firefly and its movie spinoff, Serenity - but here's everything that canonically happened to the captain in the time that followed. Born and raised on a ranch planet named Shadow, he volunteered to fight for independence from The Alliance during the Unification Wars. Outwardly jaded due to his wartime experience, Mal is nonetheless a fiercely loyal leader, and one not above theft, smuggling, and even killing to protect those his crew and keep his ship in the air. Throughout Firefly, Mal clashed with several foes - including Christina Hendricks' Saffron and the mysterious Hands of Blue.
During Serenity, Mal faced off with The Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor) - who was sent by The Alliance to reacquire River Tam (Summer Glau). Despite losing Wash (Alan Tudyk) in the conflict, the group successfully defeated him and exposed some of The Alliance's dark secrets. Warned to expect retribution, the movie ended with Mal once more leading the surviving members of his ragtag group into the unknown. That wasn't the end of Mal's journey, however. Serenity: Those Left Behind, Serenity: Downtime, and Serenity: Better Days explored some previously unseen adventures - set between the events of the TV series and the movie.
The first taste of what came next for Mal after Serenity came via Serenity: The Other Half. After rescuing a client from the dreaded Reavers, he's revealed to be an undercover Alliance agent. Holding River at gunpoint, the agent is ultimately killed by her. After the event, Mal revealed that he'd actually suspected the man's duplicity but trusted River to be able to handle it if need be. He again reaffirmed her as part of his crew. Mal also appears in another one-shot, Serenity: Float Out, which was written by Patton Oswalt. The story serves largely as a memorial for Wash, complete with flashbacks, Mal is on hand for the ceremony - and for the moment it's revealed that Zoe is pregnant with Wash's child. Another one-off story, Serenity: It's Never Easy, sees Mal himself held at gunpoint as somebody tries to steal his ship. Though Mal is shot, he ultimately survived after being saved by River.
Now officially registered as wanted fugitives, Mal and his crew continue to live under the radar in Serenity: Leaves on the Wind. It's also revealed that Mal and the disavowed companion Inara Serra have consummated their relationship. Despite laying low, Mal is drawn once more into conflict when Zoe is captured by The Alliance. With her imprisoned, Mal aligned with the reformed Operative and members of the New Resistance to rescue her. Along the way, Mal once again clashed with bounty hunter Jubal Early and also rescued Iris, a woman subjected to the same experiments as River. Though asked to lead the "Browncoats" against The Alliance, he opted to continue flying free - but vowed to support them when needed.
Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse saw Mal called in to help when Bea from the New Resistance is captured. The mission puts Mal at odds with a new Operative named Kalista and a more bloodthirsty Resistance faction known as The Peacemakers. The crew succeeds in rescuing Bea - as well as restoring the subsequently captured and re-brainwashed River. However, he suffered a severe beating at the hands of Kalista. He also failed to prevent The Peacemakers from committing an attack on The Alliance that simultaneously caused mass innocent casualties. Equally, his relationship with Inana was left in doubt when he learned of a secret from her past directly connected to one of the Resistance's most brutal tragedies. The various experiences led to Mal vowing to bring The Alliance down for good - albeit on his terms and without harming innocents.
Despite the cliffhangers, subsequent comics have returned to a prequel format, shedding light on Mal's early days and the Unification War. It remains to be seen whether any of these tales - or brand new ones - will ever make it to the screen. However, with streaming services like Disney+ showing a renewed interest in Firefly and Serenity, fans continue to hope.