I Am Legend's Alternate Ending Explained - What Happens & Why It Was Cut

We all have gone through the phase where watching post-apocalypse movies was quite the buzz! There’s a lot of thrill in watching a few survivors running after escaping the comfort of their homes. We have all seen Will Smith in some of the top movies; I Am Legend is one of them. 

In 2007, Will Smith came as Dr. Robert Neville, the ‘only’ man who’s survived on Earth. He runs around New York City, discovering a cure for the virus that has infected the people around him. But the great movie ends with a very tragic ending, but it turns out there’s an alternative end to the movie. That must be a shocker for you if you had no idea about this. 

So, if you’re not looking for spoilers, it’s time to stop right now, but if you have seen the movie, you must know I Am Legend alternate ending! 

Explaining I Am Legend Alternate Ending

Explaining I Am Legend Alternate Ending

The alternate ending is quite different from the original one, but in this Will Smith survives the incident. In the alternate ending of the I Am Legend, Neville discovers how the infected people have a small amount of intelligence and are aware of themselves and their surroundings. This discovery shocks Robert Neville and how the darkseekers are really scared of him. The creatures aren’t attacking his house to kill him; instead, they want to save him. According to the vampire-like creatures, the female infected that he has in his house is the one they want. 

The main point of the alternate ending was to find a cure for the virus by conducting a series of experiments. The minute Robert realizes that the creatures have a society and can now communicate amongst themselves. He lets his subject join her friends. Eventually, he does understand that he’s also the villain of the darkseekers, as mentioned in the book. However, the realization leads to Robert’s survival, and he doesn’t need to sacrifice himself. In the alternate ending, Will Smith’s character takes the cure and heads toward Vermont with Ethan and Anna. 

Why Did the Creators Not Use the Alternate Ending

The ending was quite different from the one that was part of the movie. In the movie, Will Smith’s character is seen in his lab working on finding a cure for the widespread virus. Once he discovers the solution to the problem, the creatures end up at his house. But Neville eventually sacrifices himself to kill the monsters and help Ethan and Anna escape. Ethan and Anna then leave and end up finding survivors while taking the cure of the sample. While Nevilla did die he doesn’t realise he’s become the villain. 

The alternate ending, on the other hand, wasn’t part of the movie. Ultimately, the ending finalized was on the basis of the reception of the audience. 

The narrative of the novel is quite close to death, but they forget how the movie leans towards morality rather than zombie action. The alternative ending is quite far ahead of the book. Neville does learn how he’s not as understanding as he thought he was. The director claims that the twist in the ending was changed to the heroic version because the test audiences reacted negatively to Robert Neville being a villain. 

I Am Legend 2 Updates

I Am Legend 2 Updates

When I Am Legend 2 was announced, followed by the reveal of characters, Will Smith was also a part along with Michael.B.Jordan, which raised a lot of questions. Since we have seen the death of Will Smith’s character, his return might be challenging to digest at the start, but eventually, we can rely on the directors to get their job done properly. But we aren’t sure if Neville is going to be part of the sequel; I am Legend 2 will start off with an alternate ending showing how he fled with the cure. 

While the alternate ending explains how Will Smith made a comeback for the sequel, there will still be a lot of questions that watching the second part will help with. If Robert Neville did have a cure, did he take it away, give it to the survivors, or did he build a life away from the darkseekers and the infected? The entrance of Michael.B. Jordan can be an interesting shift. 

Bottom Line

So, if you’re a fan, you now know what the alternative ending of I Am Legend means! Let’s hope the sequel brings more change with Michael’s entry and Will Smith’s comeback. Fans are hoping they get answers to all their questions, and the story elaborates more on Neville’s escape in the end. 

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By Abdul Wahab

Abdul Wahab is a Software Engineer by profession and a Tech geek by nature. Having been associated with the tech industry for the last five years, he has covered a wide range of Tech topics and produced well-researched and engaging content. You will mostly find him reviewing tech products and writing blog posts. Binge-watching tech reviews and endlessly reading tech blogs are his favorite hobbies.

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