The film opens at the perimeter of an immigration detention facility in Southern California, where Perfidia Beverly Hills walks past the chain-link fence and meets up with members of a radical cell that calls itself the French 75. Present at the rendezvous are Perfidia's lover, "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun; Deandra; Mae West; Laredo; Junglepussy; and several other militants. Under cover of night the group moves to liberate detained immigrants. Perfidia slips into the camp, locates the tent occupied by Captain Steven J. Lockjaw, and confronts him. She forces Lockjaw out of his canvas shelter in a sexually humiliating tableau that leaves him both enraged and obsessed. Outside the compound the French 75 finish freeing the prisoners, set off celebratory fireworks, and drive away as Lockjaw promises retribution, telling Perfidia he will see her again once she "puts him in a cage." Pat and Perfidia kiss in the getaway car.

Over the following months the French 75 stage a string of militant operations. Perfidia and Pat help plant an explosive at a local politician's campaign office; the device detonates, wrecking the campaign headquarters. The group sabotages an electrical transmission tower, causing a wide blackout across the city. In another operation they plan a bank heist. During the bank plot Lockjaw surprises Perfidia in the act of priming an explosive; he confronts her and, rather than arresting her on the spot, forces her into a bargain: she will be allowed to leave if she agrees to meet him for sex. That night she goes to a motel, has intercourse with Lockjaw, and insists on maintaining control during the encounter. Sometime after the affair Perfidia discovers she is pregnant; Pat, who has been faithful to her, believes the child is his.

Perfidia gives birth to a daughter named Charlene. Pat devotes himself to fatherhood and to providing for Charlene. Perfidia keeps a journal in which she confesses growing resentment toward the infant; she writes that she envies the way Pat centers his life on the child and that she cannot settle into domesticity. Perfidia's mother Jennie speaks to Pat and warns him that she doubts his ability to protect Perfidia and the child over the long term. Perfidia refuses to form a conventional family and abandons Pat and Charlene to resume underground operations with the French 75.

During a subsequent bank robbery the operation collapses into violence. Perfidia fatally shoots a security guard when he reaches for his weapon. A chaotic pursuit unfolds through city streets: Perfidia flees in a vehicle, engages in a high-speed chase, and is eventually forced to abandon the car and run on foot. Officers and Lockjaw's men close in and capture her. Faced with the prospect of long prison sentences and eager to dismantle the French 75, Lockjaw offers Perfidia a deal: she can avoid incarceration if she divulges the identities and whereabouts of her comrades. To protect herself, and under Lockjaw's coercion, Perfidia names members of the group and agrees to enter witness protection. During Lockjaw's subsequent manhunt he tracks down and summarily executes multiple French 75 operatives; Mae West, Laredo, and Junglepussy are among those gunned down by Lockjaw's unit as he hunts the organization "on sight." Pat recognizes the new level of danger and resolves to move his daughter out of reach.

Pat takes Charlene into hiding and relocates with her to the sanctuary city of Baktan Cross, adopting the false identities Bob and Willa Ferguson to conceal their past. Perfidia, having provided the information to Lockjaw and entered the witness protection program, manages to escape Lockjaw's custody and flee into Mexico before he can produce further evidence against her. Lockjaw, seething at the double life he believes Perfidia led and determined to root out any remaining ties, advances his career through anti-immigrant action.

Sixteen years pass. Bob, once Ghetto Pat Calhoun, has become a burned-out, alcoholic addict who relies on drugs and paranoia to cope with constant fear. His daughter, Charlene--now going by Willa Ferguson--is a teenager training in martial arts under Sensei Sergio St. Carlos at Sergio's dojo. Sergio harbors and mentors many undocumented immigrants in Baktan Cross. Willa grows strong and independent; Bob deteriorates into dependency, often needing Willa to care for him rather than the reverse. Meanwhile Lockjaw has risen to the rank of colonel and receives an invitation to join an elite, racially exclusionary secret society called the Christmas Adventurers. At an induction meeting Virgil Throckmorton, the group's frontman, asks Lockjaw whether he has ever had an interracial relationship. Lockjaw lies that he has not; he becomes paranoid that Perfidia's unborn child--if any--might undermine his standing and vows to locate any offspring tied to her.

Lockjaw commissions a bounty hunter named Avanti Q to capture Howard Sommerville, a former associate of Bob known as "Billy Goat" who facilitated Bob and Willa's aliases. Avanti apprehends Howard and compels him to reveal Bob and Willa's new names and their location in Baktan Cross. Two boys witness Howard's arrest; they trigger an emergency signal that alerts surviving members of the French 75. Deandra receives that distress signal and moves to extract Willa before Lockjaw's men can find her. At Willa's high school dance Deandra arrives to take Willa away just as Lockjaw's agents begin interrogating Willa's classmates on the street outside. Most students refuse to give up Willa's number, but one does; when the phone begins to ring in a police car, Deandra snatches it and hurls it out the open window so Willa cannot be located.

Back at the Ferguson house Bob is at home high and slow to react when an associate calls to warn him that men are looking for his family. Bob flees the house into a network of tunnels beneath Baktan Cross that he and other residents use to elude law enforcement. He reaches a payphone to call the French 75 hotline for a secured rendezvous point, but the line's gatekeeper tests him with a passphrase--"What time is it?"--and Bob, his brain scrambled from substance abuse, cannot remember the required answer. He seeks out Sergio at the dojo to get help. Sergio calls in favors and arranges for Talleyrand to vouch for Bob; Talleyrand speaks to the hotline guardian and procures the rendezvous coordinates. Sergio also alerts the immigrants he protects and initiates a mass escape through the dojo's back tunnels, shepherding his students across rooftops to avoid police sweepers. During the rooftop flight Bob slips and falls from a low roof, tumbling into an alley where a law enforcement officer tasers him and takes him into custody.

Bob ends up in a hospital under guard. A sympathetic nurse aids him in slipping from custody and reunites him with Sergio. They drive toward the rendezvous point together. Police spot the speeding vehicle; Sergio accelerates to create an opportunity for Bob to escape. Sergio yanks open the door and urges Bob to jump from the moving car; Bob freezes and Sergio shoves him out. The police stop the car and arrest Sergio while Bob slips away on foot. Bob hot-wires another vehicle and drives to the convent that serves as a hidden safe haven run by a group of revolutionary nuns. Deandra had already reached that convent and brought Willa there. The nuns know Perfidia's name as a betrayer--a "rat" in their words--but after meeting Willa they test her and decide to trust her commitment to the cause enough to shelter her.

Lockjaw, acting on Howard's coerced intelligence, reaches the convent before Bob. His forces storm the shelter in a paramilitary raid. Colonel Steven Lockjaw seizes Willa, drags her into a makeshift command post, and forces a DNA test to determine parentage. The analysis confirms that Lockjaw is her biological father. Willa reacts with shock and humiliation upon learning the truth. Lockjaw, intent on eliminating the bloodline that would expose his affair, orders Avanti to "dispose" of the minor. Avanti takes Willa to a rendezvous where Lockjaw has arranged for mercenaries to finish the job. Confronted with hired gunmen who will carry out an order to kill a child, Avanti refuses to execute a minor. He turns his weapon on the mercenaries, shooting and killing the hired men in a sudden firefight. During the exchange Avanti sustains a mortal gunshot wound; he dies from that wound after protecting Willa. Willa takes Avanti's car and his pistol and drives away.

As Willa flees on a back road, Tim Smith--the operative dispatched by the Christmas Adventurers to eliminate anyone who could bring disgrace on the club--spots Lockjaw driving nearby. Smith opens fire and shoots Lockjaw in the face, striking him painfully and causing Lockjaw to lose control and crash his vehicle. Smith speeds away, intent on catching Willa before she can reach safety. Bob, driving in the search area, comes upon Lockjaw's wrecked car and believes Lockjaw dead. Willa stops at the top of a hill to hide behind a boulder and observes Smith barreling down the road in pursuit. Smith fails to notice Willa's car in time; he slams into its rear at high speed and flips his vehicle. Smith staggers from the wreck and approaches Willa aggressively. Willa calls out a revolutionary countersign, but Smith does not know the response. Recognizing the threat, Willa fires and kills Smith before he can reach her. Bob arrives at the scene shortly after and finds Willa alive. They reunite beside the ruined cars.

Lockjaw survives the gunshot to the face but sustains severe disfigurement. He returns to the Christmas Adventurers. At a gathering there he frames his wounds as the result of a sexual betrayal, telling the members that he was "raped in reverse" by Perfidia and that she bore him a child. The Adventurers initially appear to reward Lockjaw with an office and greater stature. Instead, in a private betrayal intended to protect the club's reputation, they subject Lockjaw to lethal gas while he is inside the compound and then push his body into a furnace, incinerating his remains.

After the violence subsides Bob and Willa go home. Bob brings Willa a letter from Perfidia; the envelope bears the name "Charlene," the name Perfidia once used for her daughter. Willa opens the letter and reads her mother's words. Having seen the truth of Perfidia's choices in the convent and having survived the hunt, Willa lets go of the idealized image of her absent mother. She listens to a portable radio and hears a news bulletin about a protest scheduled that afternoon in Oakland, a protest organized by movements aligned with the French 75's earlier aims. With Bob's blessing--he gives Willa the letter and his tacit approval--Willa leaves their home and sets off to join the protest in Oakland. The film closes with Bob standing in his doorway, watching his daughter walk away toward the protest, no longer paralyzed by fear for her future.

The ending of One Battle After Another (2025) concludes with the ex-revolutionaries successfully rescuing Willa Ferguson, Bob Ferguson's daughter, from their resurfaced enemy, Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw. The final confrontation results in Lockjaw's defeat, and the group disbands once more, each character facing their own uncertain futures but united by the bonds rekindled through their shared ordeal.

Expanding on the ending scene by scene:

The climax begins in a remote, heavily fortified compound where Willa Ferguson is held captive. Bob Ferguson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, leads the reunited group of ex-revolutionaries, including Sensei Sergio (Benicio del Toro), Deandra (Regina Hall), and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), as they infiltrate the enemy's stronghold. The atmosphere is tense, with the team moving cautiously through dimly lit corridors, communicating silently to avoid detection.

As they advance, flashbacks briefly intersperse, showing the history of their past battles and the personal stakes involved, especially Bob's deep paternal concern for Willa. The group encounters Lockjaw's guards, leading to a series of intense, close-quarters combat scenes showcasing each character's unique fighting skills and teamwork.

Eventually, they reach the central chamber where Lockjaw (Sean Penn) awaits, surrounded by his loyalists. A fierce confrontation ensues. Lockjaw taunts Bob, revealing his motivations rooted in vengeance and ideological conflict from their revolutionary past. The fight is brutal and emotionally charged, with Bob and Lockjaw exchanging blows and verbal barbs that reflect their complicated history.

During the battle, Sensei Sergio intervenes to protect Bob, sustaining injuries but managing to incapacitate several guards. Deandra and Perfidia coordinate to disable the compound's security systems, allowing the team to access Willa's holding cell.

Willa (Chase Infiniti) is found weakened but resolute. Her reunion with Bob is brief but poignant, underscoring the emotional core of the story. As they attempt to escape, Lockjaw makes a last desperate attempt to stop them, but Bob ultimately overpowers him, delivering a decisive blow that ends Lockjaw's threat permanently.

The film closes with the group escaping the compound as dawn breaks, symbolizing a new beginning. Each main character's fate is subtly revealed: Bob and Willa begin to rebuild their fractured relationship; Sensei Sergio recovers from his wounds, hinting at a quieter life ahead; Deandra and Perfidia part ways with the group, their roles in the revolution concluded but their spirits unbroken.

The ending emphasizes themes of loyalty, sacrifice, and the enduring impact of past conflicts on present lives, leaving the audience with a sense of closure yet acknowledging the ongoing struggles the characters face beyond the battlefield.

Yes, several characters die in One Battle After Another (2025), and their deaths are tied closely to the film's intense action and thriller plot involving ex-revolutionaries and their nemesis.

Key deaths and their circumstances include:

• Perfidia Beverly Hills (played by Teyana Taylor): Perfidia, a revolutionary and mother of Willa, is out of the picture by the time the main story unfolds 16 years later. Her departure from the narrative is linked to her choosing continued activism over parenthood, leading to a point of no return that implies her death or disappearance during the intervening years before the main timeline. The film does not show her death explicitly but establishes that she is no longer alive or present when the rescue mission begins.

• Other unnamed revolutionaries and antagonists: The film's plot involves violent confrontations, raids, and a methodical pursuit by Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) of Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his daughter Willa. During these conflicts, several characters die, including members of the revolutionary group and Lockjaw's forces. For example, in the initial raid on a migrant detention center, there is violent action that results in casualties, though specific names and detailed circumstances of these deaths are not fully enumerated in available summaries.

• Bob Ferguson's enemies: As Bob and his allies try to stay ahead of Lockjaw's pursuit, there are multiple violent encounters. The film's tone and genre (dark comedy, action thriller) suggest that deaths occur during these battles, but detailed descriptions of each character's death, including timing and method, are not fully disclosed in the public plot summaries or reviews.

In summary, the film features deaths primarily among the revolutionary group's members and their enemies during violent confrontations, with Perfidia's death or disappearance being a significant backstory element. However, detailed, scene-by-scene accounts of each death, including exact timing and method, are not publicly available as of now. The film's focus is on the emotional and political aftermath of these losses as much as on the physical violence itself.

The movie One Battle After Another (2025) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson does have a post-credit scene. According to reports from early screenings, there is a substantial mid-credits scene that follows a large time jump, showing where the surviving characters ended up. Additionally, there is a brief end-credits scene after that, described as a nice easter egg, though details on its exact content are limited.

The film is noted for being polarizing and somewhat "messy but purposely so," which may extend to its post-credit content that leaves some viewers puzzled or intrigued. However, no detailed description of the specific visuals or narrative content of the post-credit scene has been publicly disclosed in the available sources.

In summary, One Battle After Another includes both a significant mid-credits scene and a brief post-credits easter egg, but the precise nature of these scenes remains largely undisclosed beyond their function of showing character outcomes after a time jump.

Bob Ferguson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is motivated by his commitment as a civil rights activist and his involvement with an anti-government group fighting against a resurging white supremacist enemy. His primary drive is to protect his family and comrades, especially as the group reunites to rescue his daughter, Willa Ferguson, from their evil enemy who has resurfaced after 16 years.

Sean Penn portrays Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, an alt-right white nationalist leader who resurfaces after 16 years to pursue the group of ex-revolutionaries. Lockjaw is the relentless villain driving the chase and conflict, leading a white supremacy group that targets Bob Ferguson and his allies, making him the central antagonist whose actions catalyze the reunion and rescue mission.

Deandra, played by Regina Hall, is a key member of the ex-revolutionary group and serves as a mentor and trainer, particularly to Bob Ferguson's daughter, Willa. She is deeply involved in the group's activism and the rescue mission, providing guidance and support during the relentless chase against their enemy.

Willa Ferguson, portrayed by Chase Infiniti in her film debut, is the daughter of Bob Ferguson and Teyana Taylor's character Perfidia Beverly Hills. Her kidnapping by the resurfaced enemy is the catalyst for the reunion of the ex-revolutionaries and the central rescue mission that drives the film's plot.

Leonardo DiCaprio's Bob Ferguson and Teyana Taylor's Perfidia Beverly Hills are depicted as a Bonnie and Clyde-like couple, united in their civil rights activism and involvement with the anti-government group. Their relationship is both personal and political, as they fight together against the white nationalist threat while raising their daughter, Willa, who becomes the focus of the rescue mission.

The movie "One Battle After Another" (2025) is not family friendly; it is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for pervasive language, violence, sexual content, and drug use.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects for children or sensitive viewers include:

• Frequent strong language throughout the film.
• Violent scenes, likely intense given the action and thriller genres.
• Sexual content and nudity.
• Depictions of drug use and alcohol consumption.
• Frightening and intense moments consistent with its dark comedy, crime, and thriller elements.

Because of these mature themes and the R rating, the film is intended for adult audiences and may be unsuitable for children or those sensitive to such content.