The Monkey King ending explained: Did The Monkey King find enlightenment?

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A new action-comedy titled The Monkey King launched on Netflix on 18 August 2023. It was directed by Anthony Stacchi and written by Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman, and Rita Hsiao.

The Monkey King follows the journey of an immortal and powerful monkey who befriends a mortal girl named Lin. The mischievous ape had to perform several daunting tasks to live among the Gods. By the end, he attains enlightenment and is reborn as a formidable force of nature.

The official synopsis of The Monkey King reads,

“Inspired by an epic Chinese tale, The Monkey King is an action-packed family comedy that follows a rebellious and charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey’s greatest foe of all —his own ego! Along the way, a young village girl challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.”

The Monkey King ending explained: Was The Dragon King defeated?

The Monkey King’s tale has seen numerous renditions on-screen. Anthony Stacchi’s version hinted at a sequel through its ending. The beauty of this movie is the closure of some important characters who will certainly not appear in this franchise continuation.

At the end of the film, Lin tricked her friend, The Monkey King (TMK), and took his magic staff. Lin was a poor peasant girl whose village was ravaged by droughts. The Dragon King (TDK) promised to bring rain in exchange for the magic staff.

Lin handed TDK the staff, and just when she thought her problems were about to end, the villain changed his plan. He revealed that his intention was never to save her village but destroy it, along with every life on Earth. TMK gets furious after realizing what Lin did. He felt betrayed but strived to get the staff back.

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TDK took a frightening gigantic avatar and began destroying everything in his way. Thankfully, TMK showed up and tried to take the villain down. Unfortunately, TDK proved too strong for our hero. Lin decided to help her friend and suggested TDK attack TMK with lightning.

Without second thoughts, the villain attacked TMK with lightning bolts. The ape looked injured at first but gradually grew in size and got stronger. He swam under the ocean, spotted the magic staff, and took it with him.

TMK reappeared in front of everybody and challenged TDK to a battle. TMK was already immortal and did not take long to defeat his opponent. However, he got drunk with power after victory and called out the Gods from heaven. TMK wanted to live and breathe among the divine beings in heaven, but he could not even after many tries.

TMK had started battling some Gods when all of a sudden, Buddha showed up. Buddha wished to enlighten TMK. To do so, he took Lin’s help. Buddha explained that TMK needed to be humble and wise. To become a sage, he had to meditate for centuries. TMK had no other option but to comply. He had lost his staff and needed a fresh start. Buddha then sent him to a cave where he began his path toward enlightenment.

The stone cave was supposed to shut down entirely, but Lin noticed a small cavity. She peeked in and saw her friend trying to meditate. Lin and TMK then had a brief but heart-touching interaction where they thanked each other for their help. Lin even gave TMK the magic staff. They finally said their goodbyes to each other before the cave got sealed completely.

After 500 years, some men opened the cave and summoned TMK for help. The ape – now enlightened, humble, and reborn with new strength – prepared for a brand new adventure.