Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for ‘The Old Guard 2’The Old Guard was a big hit for Netflix in 2020. Starring Charlize Theron as Andromache (simply called Andy by most), the leader of an immortal group of mercenaries, The Old Guard was a fun action flick that offered something fresh. With an ending scene that showed one of the mercenaries, Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), being approached by a mysterious woman named Quynh (Van Veronica Ngo), the finale hinted at more to come. Five years later, we’ve finally got that with The Old Guard 2, also premiering on Netflix. While the follow-up, this time directed by Victoria Mahoney, might not be as good as the original, there are still a lot of intriguing questions asked. Who is Quynh, and what is her connection to The Old Guard? And just who is Discord (Uma Thurman), the film’s villain who propels the action to a third chapter to come?
Quynh Is an Immortal Who Was Left Behind by Andy
When we first meet Quynh in The Old Guard 2, it’s when a ship is lifting an iron maiden from the bottom of the sea. When it’s opened, there stands a trapped Quynh gasping for breath as Discord, the rich and powerful woman who made this happen, looks on. Quynh is an immortal just like the rest of our heroes, and for centuries, Andy was her best friend. However, five hundred years ago, fearful humans locked her in an iron maiden and tossed her into the ocean, where she has remained all this time. Unable to stay dead, Quynh has spent five centuries feeling the pain of drowning in darkness she can’t move away from, only to come back to life and drown all over again. How she’s not completely insane is a miracle.
Quynh is understandably hurt by everything that has happened to her. After looking for Andy and finding Booker, a mercenary who has been cut off from The Old Guard after selling the group out in the last film, a redemption-seeking Booker seeks out Andy to warn her. Shocked, Andy decides to meet up with her former friend. Despite a sincere apology, Quynh is angry that Andy stopped looking for her. The two have a short fight, but The Old Guard has bigger problems.
Who is this Discord that rescued Quynh to begin with? It’s revealed that she’s in fact the very first immortal, and she has spent centuries building wealth and power to fight mortals. She has been around so long that she recalls witnessing the crucifixion of Christ. Now she’s looking to attack The Old Guard (she stole books about their history), and to manipulate Quynh’s anger to get her to help with her newest plan: to infiltrate a nuclear facility with her army and set off a bomb.
Has Andy Found a Way To Reclaim Her Immortality?
During the events of The Old Guard, Andy mysteriously lost her immortality and stopped healing from her injuries. Now, she can die just like the rest of us, but that doesn’t stop her from fighting. In The Old Guard 2, we learn how she lost her powers. Nile (KiKiy Layne) is the last of the immortals. As revealed in one of their books, if an immortal is harmed by the last, their immortality is taken. There is a way, however, to get immortality back.
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The film also stars Henry Golding and Uma Thurman.
The book also says that immortality can be passed on to another. If the last immortal injures another immortal, the one who is attacked can then injure a mortal, giving up their abilities to turn them into an immortal. When Booker learns this, his fate is sealed. Wanting to make up for his sins in the first movie, he gets Nile to hurt him with a sword during a training session. Then, during the third act of The Old Guard 2, with Discord’s army closing in at the nuclear facility, Booker passes on his immortality to Andy. She is now invincible again, and as she flees, Booker sacrifices himself, giving his life to his friend.
Andy and Quynh Decide To Join Forces To Fight Discord
The third act shows Discord collecting other members of The Old Guard by freezing them and putting them in body bags. Just what is she up to? In the final scenes, Andy and Discord fight on a helicopter and a rooftop. It’s then that Andy sees that Discord isn’t healing from her wounds. The first immortal is now very mortal, and by capturing The Old Guard, she is seeking a way to get her powers back. Discord is then able to get away in her helicopter with the rest of The Old Guard, leaving Andy behind.
Meanwhile, Quynh is unable to set off the bomb in the nuclear facility. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone, and she still cares about Andy. After a heart-to-heart, the two friends make up, and Andy convinces Quynh to fight by her side to find Discord and rescue The Old Guard. Although they can’t decide who the leader of this two-woman group will be, they run off to save the day. The Old Guard 2 ends on a cliffhanger, setting up the third film in the trilogy. Will Discord get her powers back in The Old Guard 3? Will the other immortal mercenaries survive? And can a reunited Andy and Quynh stay friends long enough to be victorious?
The Old Guard 2 is now available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.
The Old Guard 2
- Release Date
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July 1, 2025
- Runtime
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104 minutes
- Director
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Victoria Mahoney
- Writers
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Greg Rucka
- Producers
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A.J. Dix, Charlize Theron, Denis L. Stewart, Beth Kono, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Don Granger, Marc Evans
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Charlize Theron
Andromache of Scythia / Andy
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