The Long Walk (2025) ending explained: does Pete survive, the Alternate Ending, & would the walk be possible?

Welcome to Knockout Horror. It’s time to explain the ending to the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk . We are going to get straight into it but remember, there will be spoilers.

When Is The Long Walk Set?

The Long Walk is set in a fictional time period but we can deduce from the evidence that it was set in the mid to late 1970s.

So this is probably the first part of The Long Walk that’s a bit confusing, right? When is the movie set? This is a fictional time period so we have to do some creative deducing. The novel was written in 1979. We don’t see any cell phones or modern technology. Cars look to be from the 60s and, potentially, the 70s. The fashion choices also hint at the movie being set during this time period.

The answer actually lies in what the soldiers are wearing and the weapons they carry. The soldiers are wielding, along with M1 Carbines, M16 Assault Rifles. Most weapon enthusiasts are incredibly good at spotting different gun types and will probably be able to tell that these are early model M16s. I’m not a gun expert but I used to be a sure hand with first person shooters (lame, I know!).

The M16 wasn’t put into service until 1964. It became standard issue in 1969. The soldiers also appear to be wearing the standard issue OG-107 uniform that was common during the Vietnam war. The USA entered the Vietnam war in 1965 before withdrawing in 1973.

We can deduce from all this evidence that The Long Walk is set in the early to mid 1970s. It’s important to remember, however, that this isn’t the reality that we know. This is an alternate, totalitarian, version of America under a completely new regime. This brings us onto our next point.

Who is The Major?

The Major is an enigmatic figure that acts as the all powerful military dictator of America in The Long Walk.

The America depicted in The Long Walk is under military rule in the form of a military dictatorship. A military dictatorship is exactly what it sounds like. There are no elected leaders or officials. The country is ruled by the armed forces and the leader of said armed forces is the head of the country.

In this case, it is Mark Hamill’s enigmatic character The Major. The Major is a “cult of personality” type of character. Completely ruthless, all powerful, and omnipresent in the people of America’s lives. Think of him like a dictator that you would see on television all the time, would see pictures of throughout cities, and people would be expected to worship.

Stepping out of line and disrespecting The Major or expressing outsider thoughts would result in certain death. Understanding The Major from this point of view helps to grasp why he would hold so much authority. After all, there are many examples of this throughout history and even still present today in places like North Korea. With this in mind, he’s almost a composite of a number of different real life figures.

He is part Francisco Franco for his deceptively friendly and almost paternal style of “looking out for the nation”; he’s part Augusto Pinoche for his approach to creating economic stability regardless of the cost; and he even shares traits with German World War 2 leaders thanks to his use of the youth as a motivating factor for the entire country.

Why Is America Under a Military Dictatorship in The Long Walk?

America is under a military dictatorship in The Long Walk due to years of economic instability. The military were always there but, after years of struggle, the citizens were willing to trade their freedom for some kind of stability and predictability. This allowed the already present military to take full control.

This military dictatorship appears to be somewhat monolithic and has, perhaps, been in power for a long time. There’s not one solid turning point where the country was overtaken. More like an overtaking of power by inertia. This means the teens in the movie were born into it and really don’t know any different. The movie expertly places you in to their shoes by just dropping you into the world as it is.

You are expected to just accept it in the same way the people that live there have to. It’s a cruel world that makes little sense.

Is The Long Walk an Allegory for the Vietnam war?

While not explicitly the intention of the writer, The Long Walk perfectly acts as an allegory for the turmoil caused by America’s intervention in the Vietnam war and the social upheaval of the 70s.

Young men being drafted against their will into a war in a far away country is represented here by the teens being forced into a long march towards their death. King fantastically portrayed the political upheaval of the time, as well as the idea that you should conform to whatever your government deems to be right, via the medium of the walk and the menace of the Major.

In a lot of ways, The Long Walk is another loss of innocence story, a concept that often plays a huge part in King’s novels. It is more than just the boys that are losing their innocence by seeing their friends shot dead, though.

The entire nation is by engaging in the spectacle and celebrating the winner. As a poor and suffering society loses hope, they also begin to lose some of their humanity for a chance to escape from their own troubling realities.

What Is The Long Walk?

The Long Walk is a relentless march that takes place between 50 boys who are chosen at random from a group of volunteers. The winner will be granted his utmost wish, the others will be shot dead.

One boy is chosen from each state of America. Walkers must maintain a consistent pace of 3MPH.

Should they slow down, they will be given a warning, if they don’t speed up, they will be give a second warning. A third warning will result in them being executed by merciless soldiers known as “Squads”. Walkers also have other rules such as not being able to step off the path or they will be immediately shot.

The walk will continue, day and night with no rest or no opportunity to stop, until one boy remains. That boy will be rewarded with massive riches and a wish.

Why Does The Long Walk Take Place?

The Long Walk is portrayed to people as an opportunity to motivate the populace to kick start the stifled economy. It’s a grand display of the optimism of youth and a message to the country that one should be happy to sacrifice for the greater good.

These young boys march relentlessly, with all but one finding themselves killed for failing to keep pace. The one that wins will serve as an inspiration to the entire country. If they could survive through the harshest type of physical torment possible then people can survive while working ridiculously hard to support the militant government.

The walk is a form of propaganda and a way for the regime to reinforce their brutal doctrine based around conformity, endurance, and personal sacrifice. It’s a grand spectacle designed purposefully to remind the populace of what is expected of them and what will happen should they fail.

It also serves as a way to pacify the population and reinforce the idea that service to the regime is a worthwhile, and even glorious, undertaking.

Is The Long Walk Really Voluntary?

The long walk is described as voluntary but this isn’t true at all. Young boys are expected to volunteer and they do so without hesitation. Any boy that didn’t volunteer would be seen as betraying their people and their nation. Again, this reflects on the attitude towards conscientious objectors who refused to accept their drafting into the Vietnam war.

While the boys have the illusion of choice, they all volunteer to compete regardless. The walk is presented as a representation of true patriotism. The boys who win are idolised and propped up as heroes. This is contrasted against their actual reality.

The militant dictatorship has turned the country into a hopeless and poverty laden society with no upward mobility. The possibility of escaping this reality is virtually none.

The walk offers them the only chance to change their lives. If they win, they are given immense riches and granted their every wish. To many, this is a much better alternative than staying in the bleak world that they currently live in. There is immense societal and personal pressure to compete in the walk and though it is deemed to be voluntary, nobody would ever dream of not volunteering.

The Long Walk is the boy’s only chance to change their lives for the better

Aside from the fact that they would be deemed to be weak, unpatriotic, and selfish. They would miss their one chance to change their lives for the better. To them, the risk seems worth it. It must be better than living the life they are currently living. In a lot of ways, their existence is designed purely to funnel them towards the walk. It’s their only change of a better life.

You can draw parallels here to the anxieties of the post-Vietnam era in which the novel was written. There was a pervasive feeling that the government viewed its young men as expendable resources for its own ideological purposes.

The Long Walk taps into this fear, creating a world where societal pressure and propaganda successfully convince young men to sacrifice themselves for a spectacle, all under the guise of patriotic duty. It explores the same dark questions about a system that glorifies the sacrifice of its youth while offering them little else in return.

It’s haunting, really and in a present time that sees the shadow of war each and every day, it feels all the more stark.

What happened to Curley that lead to his death?

Curley, in quite a sad scene, suffers from a Charley Horse (leg cramp) that causes him to be unable to walk. As a result, he was shot representing the first of the boys to die.

His death is quite important given the context of the film and the story. He’s an actually developed character that the viewer is supposed to gravitate towards straight away. He’s smaller than the others, he seems a little bit nerdy, he’s also very upbeat.

Seeing him killed in such merciless fashion is the moment that reminds you “Oh shit, this is serious”. It works a treat, too. I thought this scene was really tragic and honestly didn’t see it coming.

Why does Barkovitch provoke Rank?

Barkovitch provokes Rank in order to whittle down the numbers of boys and give himself a better chance of winning.

Obviously, Barkovitch plays the role of minor antagonist from the very start. He’s extremely aggravating and deliberately tries to undermine the other boy’s confidence in themselves. He wants to win and he will do whatever it takes, including causing the death of another character.

It’s somewhat poetic that Barkovitch ends up sewing the seeds of his own fate here. He never gets over causing the death of Rank and takes the other boy’s taunts very poorly. It will ultimately lead to his death. Barkovitch’s actor, Charlie Plummer, has been in a lot of horror movies over the last few years – The Clovehitch Killer and Spontaneous being two absolute must-watch options.

What does Pete want to wish for should he win?

Pete wants to use his wish to make the world a better place and help his fellow man. This is in stark contrast to almost everyone else taking part in the walk who wants to use the wish for personal gain.

This is also a stark difference from the novel where Pete simply wants an education to make a better life for himself. It’s important to note what a shitty life Pete has had. His parents were abusive and he spent his life being passed around from person to person. Despite this, he still wants to help people.

Another interesting plot point is that Pete never intends to win. He is going to sit down when he has had enough because he can’t see another person killed purely so he can win. Pete’s motivations are purely altruistic and I am sure he is actually happy that he was chosen for the walk because it will save the life of another boy.

This is a major contributing factor when it comes to Ray’s choice to give up later in the movie. Ray sees a kindness in Pete that doesn’t need to be reciprocated by the rest of the world. This is, obviously, true kindness.

What happened to Ray’s Father?

Ray’s father was shot dead by the Major after rebelling against the military dictatorship by speaking out against the government, the Major, and the very idea of the long walk itself.

Ray’s father was a rebellious free thinker – a massive no-no in the totalitarian America of The Long Walk. He spoke out against the idea of The Long Walk, he taught his son, and others, to not believe the lies of the government, and he spread knowledge of alternate religions, music, and culture.

It’s quite scary because this parallels the very real world actions of totalitarian governments even to this day. When it comes to dictatorships, nothing other than complete worship and servitude is accepted. People die every single day for defying their government in ridiculously minor ways.

Surprisingly, Ray’s father was offered a chance to repent but he refused. He accepted his fate and was shot dead. This served as a message to his son that confirmed how corrupt the Major was.

What does Ray want to wish for should he win?

Ray has one simple wish should he win – he wants a rifle so that he can shoot the Major dead on the spot. He wants to do this to take revenge for his father who the major killed years before.

Ray plans to finish the walk, wish for the specific rifle that the Major carries, and then shoot him dead with it. He knows he will likely be shot immediately but his ultimate act of revenge will be complete so that really won’t matter.

What happened to Hank?

Hank was shot by the squad and left to bleed out on the side of the rode after attacking them.

Hank was quickly overwhelmed by the difficulty of the walk as he couldn’t actually eat most of the supplied rations. He was hungry and delirious; after walking in a daze, he snaps and attacks the soldiers. The squad then shoot him and, rather than kill him, they allow him to bleed out slowly.

This is a symbolic act as much as anything. The squad want the others to see that, should they attack them, they will die an agonisingly slow death rather than a quick one. Their compliance in the rules of the walk is not only a chance to win but an opportunity for as quick and painless a demise as possible. Pretty haunting, right?

Was Hank actually married?

Yes, Hank was actually married though he told very few people.

Hank basically spends the movie acting like one of the boys. The truth is, he had a wife and was trying to win the walk to provide a better life for her. The boys all agree that whomever wins will send Hank’s wife some money to help her out. This is a nice sign that the boys developed some true camaraderie despite the horrific circumstances.

Why did Barkovitch snap?

Barkovitch snapped because he was suffering from immense guilt due to causing Rank’s death and he had been ostracised by the other boys.

The guilt ultimately caught up to Barkovitch. He was never quite as bad as his initial acts suggested and the group completely ostracising him made it all the worse. When the group finally accept him, after he had begged, he sees this as an opportunity to die while having been atoned in some way by the others.

With the stress already at a boiling point, he takes his own life. I really thought he would factor into the ending more than he did. This is a bit of an unsatisfying end for his character.

Why does Ray run to his mother?

Ray runs to his mother because he is feeling tremendous guilt for actually competing in the long walk. He wants to apologise to her and say goodbye.

Ray’s mother never wanted him to take part in the long walk. She knows Ray’s father was against it and she didn’t want to lose her son. Ray, however, had such a strong desire for revenge that he didn’t listen to her.

When he sees her on the side of the road, realising that he will still die even if he wins, he wants to say sorry and say goodbye to her.

How did Collie die?

Collie dies after mentally snapping, stealing a rifle from a squad member, shooting him and being shot by another.

Obviously the stress had gotten too much for Collie. A proud Native American, he decides that the best way to go out is as a warrior so he steals a gun, kills a squad member, and is killed himself.

How does Art Die?

Art suffers from an internal bleed which causes him to become so weak he realises he can’t carry on. He stops, drops to his knees, and is shot by the squad.

It’s hard to say where this internal bleed came from, potentially just the absolute physical strain caused by the walk. He also spends a lot of the film keeping a fast pace and providing the humour for the group. It’s a really sad scene, especially when he thanks Pete and Ray for their friendship.

What was Stebbins’ secret?

Stebbins’ secret was that he was actually the Major’s illegitimate son. He wanted to win the walk so that the Major would recognise his achievement and accept him as his own child.

Should he win, Stebbins wanted to be taken in by the Major. Not so much for the riches and to inherit some power; it’s more a story of a boy wanting acceptance from his father. There’s a nasty hint at just how vile the Major is, here.

Stebbins is just one of the Major’s many illegitimate sons. Whether these children are conceived willingly or not is left up to the viewer to decide. That’s a really dark way to look at the story.

How did Stebbins die?

Stebbins dies because he had fallen ill just before the start of the walk leaving him too weak to complete it. He thanks Pete and Ray for the walk before stopping and allowing himself to be shot.

The irony here is that Stebbins never got ill leading up to this point. He remarks on how he had never had so much as a cold or the flu. The first time ever just so happened to coincide with the long walk beginning. This is why we see him coughing so much during the film.

How long does the walk last?

The long walk lasts five days and travels 331 miles (533 kilometers) before the two remaining boys reach the final city.

Technically, at a speed of at least 3mph with no stopping at all, the long walk should have taken 110 hours and 20 minutes which is bout 4 days, 14 hours or roughly four and a half uninterrupted days of walking. Just imagine the toll that would take on your body. It raises an interesting question, though…

Would the long walk be possible?

The long walk would almost certainly not be possible but that’s where the horror lies. It’s a form of torture and spectacle more than anything else.

The majority of people would fail around the 80 – 120 mile range. I mean, let’s look at the stats a little here. First, step count…

Average walking cadence at 3 mph is about 100 to 110 steps per minute depending on the person’s stride. These are all teen boys who are relatively fit so it’s safe to use a conservative middle ground:

• 105 steps/min
• 110.33 hours × 60 = 6,620 minutes
• ~ 695,000 steps

That’s not a typo… Seriously! Just under three quarters of a million footfalls. That’s insane! How about that all important calorie burn? At 3 mph, an average adult burns roughly 280 to 320 calories per hour. Again, let’s go with the middle ground:

• 300 calories/hour
• 110.33 hours
• ~ 33,100 calories

That’s the energy equivalent of:

• 13 days of normal eating
• Or about 90 cheeseburgers
• Or one very patient cow walking politely along with you as you take chunks of its flesh away

And that assumes perfect digestion while walking, which, let’s be honest, is fantasy. Real absorption drops as exhaustion rises. You’d have to eat a cheeseburger every hour just to keep your energy up. Here’s the part that gets me about this film, though… Sleep deprivation.

The sleep deprivation, lack of rest, and pace makes the long walk impossible

Here’s where things start transforming your brain into complete mush.

• 24 hours: reaction time tanks, judgment softens
• 36 hours: microsleeps begin while standing (we see this in the film)
• 48 to 72 hours: hallucinations, emotional volatility, time distortion
• 96+ hours: dissociation, loss of identity continuity, motor failure, tremors, real physical symptoms.

Combined with the calorie loss, by the final day, the body isn’t walking because it wants to. It’s walking because stopping has become this abstract concept that it simply doesn’t understand. We haven’t even talked about the musculoskeletal breakdown.

• Feet: skin maceration, toenail loss, stress fractures, and ungodly blisters
• Calves/Achilles: constant eccentric loading, high rupture risk… Did anyone mention shin splints?
• Hips/lower back: inflammation spirals, posture collapses, neck pain, shoulder pain.
• Gait: becomes asymmetric, which accelerates everything else going wrong

You would physically fall apart. As a shin splint sufferer, I would be done in the first mile. The minimum speed and the lack of rest is what makes the long walk completely impossible. It’s even worse in the book, as well. You need to keep a minimum of 4mph.

Why does Ray give up in the end?

Ray gives up at the end of The Long Walk because Pete’s kind nature changes Ray’s desire for revenge. Pete makes Ray realise that there is more to life than violence. This leaves Ray with the belief that Pete would be a better candidate to win because he will use the wish to help people.

There’s an interesting role reversal that takes place during the events of The Long Walk. Although Ray sets out with his eyes firmly fixed on avenging his father. His viewpoint changes and a lot of that is due to Pete himself. Pete’s kind nature and logical argument regarding people being generally good and wanting to make a change in the world obviously struck a chord with Ray.

Ray eventually realised that his act of revenge would be less beneficial to the world than Pete winning the competition and being able to make a change using his wish. Ray, had he won, wouldn’t be able to use his wish in a meaningful way that would benefit people. It would purely be used for selfish revenge. In a moment of self sacrifice, he decides to give his own life so that Pete can make the world a better place.

Why did Pete kill the Major?

Pete killed the major because of his grief at losing Ray. He wanted to avenge Ray in the same way Ray wanted to avenge his father.

While Pete had changed Ray for the better, Ray imparted a change on Pete, as well. Pete had never had chance to experience a positive relationship before because he never really cared for anyone. He was abandoned while young and had few friends or family. He never had a chance to experience real loss.

When it happened and Ray was killed, it hurt him immensely. He immediately wanted to take revenge on the Major who had just shot his friend.

Not only would he be completing Ray’s plan, but he would be avenging his friend, as well. Perhaps with the Major gone, the world would change too. This was a way for Pete to, essentially, fulfill both his and Ray’s wish.

Ray’s revenge will be complete, Pete will have avenged his friend, and the world would be a better place without the Major in it.

Did Pete actually kill the Major or did he imagine it?

Pete actually killed the Major, he didn’t imagine it.

I’ve seen some people wondering whether the ending actually happened or Pete just imagined it. I think it is very clear that it did, in fact, happen. The lack of a crowd and the strange, soft focus, almost dream-like style of filming is done purely to reflect the haze of trauma that Pete is feeling.

His viewpoint became narrow when Ray was killed and the noise was drowned out because he was suddenly consumed by grief. All of a sudden, revenge was the only thing on his mind. The fantastic cinematography here reflected how his world just collapsed in on him and he now had one singular goal.

Why didn’t the squad kill Pete when he shot the major?

The squad didn’t shoot Pete immediately when he killed the Major because the Major had told them to stand down. This is a totalitarian authority and his word is final, regardless of what happens. The squad knows to never break an order.

The Major had complete, arrogant faith in his absolute power. He didn’t believe for one second that Pete would shoot him. He thought that he would come to his senses when he reminded him of the prize that was now his.

This was an important moment for the Major to look both powerful and in control. Had they shot him, he would have looked weak. The Major just happened to grossly misjudge the situation. Pete didn’t care about money or riches. At that moment, all he wanted was revenge.

Does Pete Survive?

Pete is shot by the squad moments after killing the major.

This is, obviously, left rather ambiguous, as is the nature of a lot of Stephen King stuff, even though the ending here is very different from the novel. Pete is seen to just walk off into the long road after shooting the Major. We can conclusively say that Pete was shot shortly after turning away from the crowd, though, and that’s made clear by another moment of brilliant cinematography and direction.

The final scene reflects the fading perception of the world by a dying man. Everyone is gone and Pete is now alone. No soldiers, no crowd, no noise, no fireworks, just the rain and an empty road that Pete will continue walking on. This is a clear visual cue that he died. Maybe he will meet up with Ray on the other side?

Does Pete survive in the alternate ending?

Yes, Pete does survive in The Long Walk’s alternate ending.

In the alternate ending, Pete drops his rifle and refuses to shoot the major. He walks away from the celebrations feeling sad and disillusioned. In the future, he sends Hank’s widow, Art’s grandmother, and Ray’s mother envelopes of money each week to make their lives easier.

This is, ultimately, the ending that Pete wanted should he win. He wants to help people and that’s exactly what he does. Rather than take revenge for Ray, he remembers how Ray wanted Pete to help people and sacrificed his own life so that Pete could win.

Ray did this so that Pete could help people and that’s exactly what he does. It’s the much nicer ending and probably the more satisfying one.

Recapping The Plot: The Long Walk

Teenager Raymond “Ray” Garraty defies his mother’s pleas and joins “The Long Walk” at the Canadian border. While waiting, he forms a core group with fellow walkers: the empathetic Peter “Pete” McVries, the friendly Art Baker, the cynical antagonist Gary Barkovitch, and the mysterious loner Stebbins.

The rules are simple: walk at 3 mph or be executed by the military “Squads” after three warnings. The early hours see the first casualties, establishing the event as a brutal national spectacle overseen by the totalitarian leader known as “The Major.”

As the miles wear on, the psychological strain becomes as deadly as the physical fatigue. Barkovitch is ostracised after goading another walker into a fatal mistake, eventually succumbing to insanity and taking his own life. During the march, Ray reveals his true motivation to Pete: his father was a political dissident executed for opposing the Major.

Ray’s plan, should he win the Prize, is to use his “Wish” to request a rifle and assassinate the Major. Pete, horrified by the cycle of violence, vows that he would rather sit down and die than win at the cost of another’s life.

The final five

Fatigue and injuries whittle the group down to five: Ray, Pete, Stebbins, Baker, and Collie Parker. The group begins to fracture under the pressure. Parker snaps, killing a guard with a stolen rifle before being shot down. Baker, suffering from internal bleeding, thanks Ray and Pete for their friendship before accepting his execution. This leaves a final trio of Ray, Pete, and Stebbins.

Stebbins finally reveals his secret: he is the Major’s illegitimate son and entered the Walk solely to force his father to acknowledge him. He’s also been ill the entire time, despite never getting ill in the past. Stebbins, too unwell to continue, gives up and is executed. The final stretch sees Ray and Pete struggling through Ray’s hometown.

Despite Ray’s attempts to carry him, Pete, true to his earlier promise, refuses to let Ray die for him. Ray, already on two warnings, deliberately stops walking to sacrifice himself so Pete can win. The Major personally executes Ray, crowning Pete the victor.

Devastated by Ray’s sacrifice, Pete uses his Prize to fulfill Ray’s original plan. When asked for his wish, he demands a rifle. The Major, arrogant and believing his control is absolute, allows it. Pete hesitates briefly before shooting and killing the Major in front of the stunned crowd.

Rather than celebrating his victory, a traumatised Pete turns away from the carnage and continues walking down the empty road, unable to stop the march that has consumed him.

Thanks for reading!

This was a fantastic movie. One of my favourite King adaptations in years. It was very sad, though. I think the alternate ending is much more positive.

Thanks for reading and spending your time at Knockout Horror.

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