Gods of Egypt ending explained: Is Set defeated in the end?

Gods of Egypt is a 2016 film directed by Alex Proyas, who was previously known for The Crow, released in 1996.

Gods of Egypt follows a power struggle between the deities of Egypt after Set assassinates his brother, Osiris, and usurps Osiris's son, Horus, by stealing his eyes. Horus later encounters Set's former slave, Bek, who returns one of the eyes and brings him back into the fight.

At the end of Gods of Egypt, Set learns from his father, Ra, that he has been groomed for a battle to protect the world from the monstrous Apophis. Set proves himself beyond all redemption when he chooses to destroy the afterlife rather than save it so that he can become immortal.

In the final battle, Horus and Bek confront him to stop his evil plan, and Bek sacrifices himself to remove Horus's other eye from Set's armor. With Set weakened, and Horus reaffirming his duty to his people, Set dies by Horus's hand.

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Gods of Egypt chronicles Set's defeat by Horus

Gods of Egypt focuses on the rivalry between Set, the God of the desert, and Horus, the God of Air. Set usurps Horus's succession to the throne of his brother, Osiris, by murdering Osiris and taking the throne for himself.

After taking the throne, Set rules as a tyrant by gating off access to the afterlife to the wealthy and those loyal to him, and maims Horus by robbing him of his eyes.

After a year, Zaya, a slave of Urshu, Set's architect, discovers blueprints for Set's pyramid and treasure vault. She partners with her lover, Bek, to raid the vault, and they discover one of Horus's eyes.

The duo is caught by Urshu, and Zaya dies during the escape. Bek finds his way to Horus with Zaya's body and returns his eye, promising to find the other eye in exchange for bringing Zaya back to life.

Bek and Horus meet with Ra, Horus's grandfather, who's currently at war with Apophis, a shadow beast that threatens to swallow the world. Ra refuses to directly intervene in the war of succession but allows them to take a via of divine water that could weaken Set.

The film stars Gerard Butler as the villainous Set. (Image via Lionsgate)

Hathor, the goddess of love, rebels against Set and his allies with Horus and Bek, and they recruit Thoth to solve the riddle of the Sphinx. They approach the heart of Set's power, only to be discovered. Set destroys the divine water and robs Thoth of his brain, but Horus, Hathor, and Bek manage to escape.

Hathor summons Anubis so that Bek can travel to the underworld, and donates her bracelet to help Zaya pass on to the afterlife, even if this will result in Hathor being exiled.

Meanwhile, after absorbing Thoth's brain, Osiris's heart, and Nepherys's wings, Set confronts his father, Ra, who reveals that he planned to have Set succeed him in the battle against Apophis. Set, however, attacks Ra and decides to control Apophis for himself, so that he can use it to ravage the afterlife and mortal world.

In the final act of Gods of Egypt, Horus confronts Set and begins to battle him. Bek then returns to the mortal world at Zaya's urging and sacrifices himself to weaken Set by removing Horus's remaining eye from his armor.

Horus realizes that his true destiny is not to avenge his father, but to protect the people of Egypt, and with this newfound resolve he vanquishes Set and and rescues Ra, and together, they repel Apophis and reopen the gates to the afterlife.

As a reward, Ra grants Horus's wish to revive Bek and Zaya from the dead. Horus succeeds his father, Osiris, as the new ruler of Egypt, but eventually leaves to rescue Hathor from the underworld.

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Gods of Egypt was produced by Summit Entertainment and distributed by Lionsgate. It starred Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Horus, Gerard Butler as Set, and Brenton Thwaites as Bek, among others.