Warning! SPOILERS for The Woman KingThe Woman King's story of a battle-hardened general leading her soldiers into war has an ending with both personal and cultural depth. Set in 1823, The Woman King, led by Viola Davis (who plays the DCEU's Amanda Waller), blends history with fiction in its story of General Nanisca (Davis), the leader of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors for the West African nation of Dahomey. With the backdrop of the Transatlantic slave trade, The Woman King includes many actual historical elements, along with characters unique to the film.
In The Woman King, the Dahomey are in a tense rivalry with the Oyo Empire, who sell captives to slave traders in exchange for European muskets and other weapons. After rescuing a band of captives, the Dahomey are given an ultimatum by the Oyo: hand over a collection of the captives to be sold into slavery or go to war. With the backing of her soldiers including her second-in-command Izogie (played by No Time To Die's Lashana Lynch) General Nanisca makes a firm rebuke of this, putting the Dahomey and the slave traders into conflict. Meanwhile, the new Agojie student Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) reveals an unexpected aspect of Nanisca's past.
As an action-packed historical epic, The Woman King more than delivers with its blistering fight scenes and the intense performance of it cast, including Viola Davis as the unbreakably stoic Nanisca. The ending of The Woman King also reveals new sides of both her and numerous other characters. Here is the ending of The Woman King and what its meaning is for the characters of the story.
The Final Battle Against The Oyo & The Slave Traders
Though the Agojie defeat the Oyo in a brutal battle after Nanisca's refusal to meet their demands, they suffer a big loss when numerous Agojie soldiers are taken prisoner by the Oyo to be sold to the slave traders, with Nawi and Izogie among them. Despite being commended by John Boyega's King Ghezo for her leadership, Nanisca is ordered not pursue the captive Agojie. Against these orders, Nanisca leaves the village that night to bring the captured Agojie home, expecting to be working alone only to be joined by her close ally Amenza (Sheila Atim) and numerous other Agojie warriors.
Nawi and Izogie attempt to escape while being sold into slavery, with Izogie being killed while trying to save the re-captured Nawi. That night, Nanicas and her Agojie soldiers arrive at the trading post to launch a surprise attack, with Nanisca also slaying Oyo leader Oba Ade (Jimmy Odukoya) in single combat. By the end of the battle, the Agojie stand victorious with their captured fellows saved.
Nanisca's Fate For Disobeying Orders
Naninsca and the other Agojie return to Dahomey the next day, being welcomed back triumphantly despite Nanisca breaking rank from Ghezo's orders. Nanisca walks straight up to the Dahomey king of The Woman King's characters, turning over her sword and offering her resignation as Agojie general for violating his orders. Instead, Nanisca is commended once more by Ghezo, and receives an even greater honor.
With the Agojie having defeated the Oyo under Nanisca's leadership, Ghezo declares that the Dahomey will no longer be party to the Transatlantic slave trade. Nanisca is bestowed the rare title of "The Woman King" for her leadership and bravery in battle.
Nanisca's Relationship With Nawi
Throughout The Woman King, Nanisca has a complex relationship with Nawi after rescuing her and other captives from the Oyo. Initially taking the orphan Nawi under her wing to be trained as an Agojie warrior, Nanisca discovers a shocking truth: Nawi is her daughter, born from Nanisca being raped many years earlier, with Nanisca having given up Nawi to keep her secret from the Agojie. Along with a shared theme of past trauma and pain from director Gina Prince-Bythewood's The Old Guard, this makes things increasingly tense between them when Nanisca reveals this secret to her, with Nanisca warning Nawi of the Agojie's celibacy vows as she sees her getting closer to young Brazilian businessman Malik (Jordan Bolger).
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The Agojie's victory in the final battle ultimately reshapes the perspectives of both Nanisca and Nawi. As the Agojie return to Dahomey, Nawi silently bids farewell to Malik, choosing to accept the life and vows that comes with being an Agojie warrior. After being crowned the Woman King, Nanisca finally rids herself of the pain of the rape she experienced when she was young, the horrific experience she went through being a burden neither she nor Nawi should ever have to carry.
The Meaning Of The End Credits Scene
The mid-credits scene of The Woman King also shows Sheila Atim's Agojie warrior Amenza performing a ritualized memorial ceremony alone for Izogie. On a basic level, Amenza is paying her respects to fellow warrior as an Agojie who gave her life to save another. However, the scene also ties back to apparently prophetic dreams Nanisca experiences earlier in the film that she cannot understand, which relate to her relationship with Nawi.
As the general of the Agojie, the outwardly stern Nanisca finds peace from her traumatic past by reuniting with the daughter she once had to give up. Amenza's ritual is a tribute to this seemingly cosmically unlikely turn of events, and Izogie's sacrifice in helping it come to pass. With the help of Izogie's heroism, Nanisca and Nawi can start anew.
What The Ending Of The Woman King Means For Nanisca & Nawi
The Woman King likely has one of the more emotional endings of 2022's September theatrical releases. It is not clear whether Nanisca and Nawi inform their fellow Agojie that Nawi is Nanisca's daughter or choose to maintain their secret (though Amenza is aware after seeing Nanisca come to that realization). Nanisca having given away Nawi after her birth was a heartbreaking act she did out of fear of being excommunicated, Nanisca probably fearing she would not be believed in revealing that she was raped. However, Nanisca and Nawi choose to go forward, they each have been given renewed belief in themselves and what they mean to each other.
Nawi, having been welcomed into the Agojie, is determined to become the best warrior she can be, and has greater confidence than ever in realizing that her mother is guiding her. Nanisca is also no longer weighed down by her long-standing pain with Nawi back in her life against all odds, a heartwarming story for audiences to see this fall. As Nanisca and Nawi join the Agojie in their celebratory victory dance at the end of The Woman King, each looks to the other with both family love and a warrior's bond, a combination that unites them forever.