The Thing sports an open-ended conclusion, in which MacReady (frequent Carpenter collaborator Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David, future star of Carpenter's They Live) are the only two characters still alive.
What happened to Childs and MacReady in The Thing?
With no other choice, Childs sacrifices himself to destroy the creature by blowing himself up while MacReady escaped the sub in a capsule. However, it would be later revealed that Childs was assimilated by the creature, who would later reveal itself to MacReady in Argentina.
The most debated aspect of The Thing concerns its two survivors, MacReady and Childs. The events of the film see every other person in Antarctic Outpost 31 killed, and the horror movie's final survivors are left in the impossible — but practically inevitable — situation where neither man knows if the other is infected.
Cundey suggested that throughout the film a specific light gleam can be seen in the eyes of whichever body is currently inhabiting the alien. A light gleam can be seen in Childs' eyes in the final scene, which would mean he's infected with the Thing under Cundey's theory.
THE THING (1982) Breakdown | Ending Explained, Why Childs Was A Thing, Theories & Hidden Details
Was Childs human at the end of The Thing?
By the end of John Carpenter's The Thing, only MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David) are left standing. For decades, audiences have wondered whether or not Childs was human in the movie's ending, but it is not certain that either one of them is human.
You've read the other theories, now bask in truth: MacReady is infected and has been throughout the film. Carpenter wants you to assume Childs has been infected while off-camera during the climactic finale, hence MacReady's questioning as they sit amongst the warm flames that engulf what's left of their outpost.
MacReady returns in the 2002 video game sequel to The Thing to assist the U.S. Rescue Team investigating Outpost 31 in destroying The Thing. MacReady's survival is never explained, though the game is set 3 months after the events at Outpost 31. MacReady has also gotten access to a new working helicopter.
While the more heavily believed theory does seem to be that Childs is The Thing in the closing moments of the film, it is important to note that it's never truly been confirmed one way or another.
Blair was eventually assimilated by the Thing and secretly constructs a small UFO underneath the shed where it plans to sleep through the winter until the rescue team arrives.
MacReady was a level-headed leader who kept everyone in check, hence why he is one of the best characters in The Thing. So the Thing was smart to frame him as an imposter, leading to disarray in the crew.
J&B Rare Blend is a blended Scotch whiskey developed by Justerini & Brooks. The beverage features prominently in the 1982 film The Thing as the preferred drink of U.S. Outpost 31's helicopter pilot, R.J. MacReady.
Blair-Thing transforms into an enormous creature and breaks the detonator, but MacReady triggers the explosives with a stick of dynamite, destroying the station and the monster. In the final scene, Childs returns as MacReady sits by the burning remnants, saying he became lost in the storm while pursuing Blair.
As predicted, the vast majority of the prequel's characters are dead by the time credits roll, though Winstead's Kate has managed to (at least temporarily) stop the monster from escaping Antarctica in its spaceship. The Thing 2011 ends on an ambiguous note for Kate, though the original script made his fate very clear.
The movie's ending is famously ambiguous, with Kurt Russell's MacReady and Keith David's Childs the only two men left alive. It's left up to viewers to decide whether the alien lives on in one of them.
The film was about the end of the world. Its bleakness was the reason it wasn't a success at the time, but I think also why it has endured. In fact the film was an enormous failure. I got fired because of it and was out of work for a while, but slowly its reputation changed.
Taking the form of a prequel, the 2011 revival — also titled The Thing, which isn't confusing at all — explains what occurred at the abandoned Norwegian camp explored by R.J. MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Doctor Copper (Richard Dysart) in the Carpenter film.
Before they can detonate the explosives, The Thing kills Garry and breaks the detonator. Thankfully, MacReady manages to trigger the explosives with a stick of dynamite, destroying the station and killing the creature. In the final scene, Childs returns to find MacReady sitting amongst the wreckage.
There are only two survivors of the shape-shifting alien beastie: Kurt Russell's MacReady and Keith David's Childs. The creature has been destroyed (probably) and the station — perhaps their only hope for survival — has been destroyed.
While there are convincing arguments that Palmer was the original, most fans subscribe to the idea that Norris was the first to die. His character is one of the least seen in the movie but is conveniently one of the first to appear every time some major event happens.
Norwegian Passenger with Rifle : [in untranslated Norwegian] Get the hell away! That's not a dog, it's some sort of thing! It's imitating a dog, it isn't real! GET AWAY, YOU IDIOTS!
The revelation came as Carpenter was asked about comments made by Dean Cundey, who served as cinematographer on The Thing. Cundey said that there was a specific lighting in the eyes of human characters. Using this logic, it would appear that MacReady is still human but Childs isn't.
