Knock at the Cabin is a movie all about choices, and while the decision to sacrifice himself is Eric's to make, it's really Leonard who stops the apocalypse. The M. Night Shyamalan thriller, starring Ben Aldridge, Jonathan Groff, and Dave Bautista begins with the former two actors portraying dads vacationing at a remote cabin with their daughter Wen, played by Kristen Cui. Leonard (Bautista) arrives with three other visitors in tow; Sabrina (Nikki Amuka-Bird), Adriane (Abby Quinn), and Redmond (Rupert Grint), each part of a collective guided by prophetic visions. They believe that if the family doesn't sacrifice one of its members, the world will be engulfed by doomsday.

When the four strangers invade their home, the couple is understandably hostile, but as they get to know them, they realize that they're not monsters, but regular people like them faced with impossible choices. It's tempting to think that Knock at the Cabin's big sacrifice ends the apocalypse because of Eric's selflessness, but if it was left up to Andrew, his world-weary partner would have made him doubt the validity of their mission. Even Eric, the more spiritual of the couple, would never have become open to his purpose if it wasn't for Leonard.

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Eric Wouldn’t Have Sacrificed Himself Without Leonard’s Guidance

Eric crying as he looks at Andrew in Knock at the Cabin

Despite his intimidating stature, Leonard is quite gentle and soft-spoken, and his guidance is what leads Eric to make the necessary sacrifice to save his family. Leonard is a second-grade teacher, who instructs students Wen's age, and is no more thrilled to have to die for the apocalypse than anyone. When he's the last of the Four Horsemen standing and must take his own life because Eric and Andrew haven't yet made a decision, he takes solace in the fact that his students might grow up to achieve greatness in a prosperous world.

Ultimately, Eric and Andrew's end is even stronger because Eric listens to Leonard's final words and realizes that he'll need to make sure Wen has a full future too. It's not enough for his family to survive if they're wandering a ravaged Earth with no other humans and no chance for Wen to have a family of her own someday. Leonard convinces Eric that he's not just saving the world, he's saving a beautiful world full of promise and hope for Andrew and Wen.

Why Leonard Is Knock At The Cabin’s Most Important Character

Dave bautista and cast knock at the cabin

Whether viewed as a villain or a victim of circumstance, Leonard is Knock at the Cabin's most important character. Looking at it from the point of view of some of Shyamalan's other films, Knock at the Cabin's best twist is Bautista, because he could have been just a mammoth-sized menace, yet plays a gentle giant that is so much more than a caricature. By presenting Eric and Andrew with an impossible choice, Leonard forces each of them to come to terms with their dueling worldviews.

Eric, aided by open-minded parents, sees the good in people, while Andrew, rejected by his family and the victim of a hate crime, understandably sees the worst the world has to offer. Leonard shows them a spectrum of humanity in each of the Four Horsemen and asks them to embrace true empathy. While Eric might have been the one to stop Knock at the Cabin's apocalypse and save the world with his sacrifice, he was reminded of its beauty by Leonard, whose compassionate contribution deserves just as much credit.

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