28 Years Later Ending & the Bone Temple Set Up Explained

Curious how the ending of 28 Years Later unfolds and what it means for Spike, Isla, and Jamie? A mother’s final choice, a mysterious survivor’s return, and a newborn immune to the Rage Virus reshape the post-apocalyptic world and set the path for what’s coming.

Here’s what happens to each character and how the final moments set up The Bone Temple.

What happens to Isla, Jamie, and Spike in 28 Years Later’s ending?

Isla dies after being diagnosed with terminal cancer by Dr. Kelson.

She chooses to let Dr. Kelson euthanize her peacefully, and he adds her skull to his monument. Jamie, her husband, is largely absent from the second half of the film, having separated from Isla and Spike earlier. Spike survives the final confrontation with an Alpha. He leaves the newborn baby at his village and returns to the mainland alone.

Kelson tranquilizes Spike to stop him from interfering with Isla’s euthanasia. The child, born uninfected from an Infected mother, is named Isla and left in the village with a note from Spike. In the final scene, Spike encounters Jimmy Crystal, who rescues him from an Infected attack, marking the beginning of Spike’s journey with Jimmy’s group on the mainland.

Jimmy Crystal’s return and 28 Years Later’s ending and The Bone Temple set up explained?

Jimmy Crystal first appears as a child in the cold open of 28 Years Later, set during the initial Rage Virus outbreak in the Scottish Highlands. Crystal watches his family die during the Rage Virus outbreak, then escapes and hides beneath a church. His priest father gives him a cross necklace and tells him, “the virus is humanity being saved,” before the Infected kill him.

In the film’s coda, Jimmy returns as an adult leading a group of similarly dressed followers who rescue Spike from an Infected attack. He still wears his father’s cross and introduces himself to Spike, revealing that he survived and founded a cult-like group rooted in his early beliefs.

The film focuses on Spike and his family, but Jimmy’s appearance at both the beginning and end sets up his larger role in the sequel. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta and written by Alex Garland, will release on January 16, 2026.

The sequel will likely explore Jimmy’s ideology, the evolution of the Rage Virus, and the significance of the uninfected baby.