What happened to Big Man in Sweet Tooth season 3?

Sweet Tooth season 3 brought the story of DC Comics' human-animal hybrids to a heartwarming close as the characters worked to get rid of the virus that had plagued their post-apocalyptic world.

In the finale, Gus is trying to eradicate the virus while Tommy Jepperd, a.k.a. Big Man, is stabbed by Helen Zhang. As he battles his injury, he asks Gus to tell him a story. As Gus starts narrating their adventures once more, his voice merges with that of the narrator, revealing an older Gus narrating everything to his grandchildren.

The show concludes with an open-ended scene featuring Gus and Big Man, where Jepperd joins Gus in an empty chair and smiles at him while they sip maple syrup. This scene can be interpreted in two ways, concerning Jepperd's ending: either he survives his injury and recovers from his wound, or he has passed away but remains alive in Gus' heart and memory.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Sweet Tooth season 3.

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What happened to Tommy Jepperd a.k.a. Big Man in Sweet Tooth season 3?

Nonso Anozie as Big Man in a still from Sweet Tooth season 3 (Image via Netflix)

In Sweet Tooth season 3, Gus and his friends, led by Tommy Jepperd, a.k.a. Big Man, embark on a journey to Alaska to find the root of the virus named The Sick, hoping to cure the world. Their journey leads them to a cavern with a tree of life that is infected by the virus.

Here, they encounter the antagonist Helen Zhang, accompanied by Dr Aditya Singh. In the scuffle, Zhang stabs Jepperd in the stomach. Distraught and desperate, Gus approaches the tree and sees a vision of his father figure, Pubba, reminding him that life and death are interconnected. Gus destroys the tree, eradicating The Sick for good. Saved at the last moment by Dr Singh's sudden change of heart, Gus manages to hold up Jepperd and leave the cavern.

However, Big Man starts to get weary because of his injury and requests Gus to tell him a story. In a bittersweet moment, Gus recounts his time with Jepperd, his voice mingling with the narrator. It is then revealed that an older Gus is narrating the story to his grandchildren with Wendy.

When asked what happened to Big Man, Gus has a flash of vision where the audience sees him sitting in a chair out on the porch. Jepperd joins Gus in the empty chair beside him, and the two share a smile as they sip maple syrup while looking out into the distance.

A still from the final scene of Sweet Tooth season 3 (Image via Netflix)

This ending can be interpreted either as Big Man's survival or death. Jepperd might have made it back to the cabin at Yellowstone and recovered from his injury. On the other hand, it might also be that he succumbed to the stab wound, but Gus always sees a part of his mentor right beside him.

For Gus, the story would always remain never-ending, and he could return to Jepperd in his mind, something that also ties in with his vision of Pubba in the cave.

Showrunner Jim Mickle discussed this open ending in an interview for People, where he said that the decision to keep Jepperd's ending open was intentional.

Executive producer Amanda Burrell added:

"We knew that we wanted it to feel like that Jepp was finding an end at the end of this episode but we also wanted to say, a little bit ET-inspired, ‘He's always with him. He'll be right here.’ If the audience wants to engage and believe that he sat there with him on the porch, then they can. But at least for me, I think it was an ending."

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Who plays Big Man in Sweet Tooth season 3?

Nonso Anozie plays the character of Big Man in Sweet Tooth. He has previously worked on shows such as Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones, and Dracula. Anozie has also featured in films like Cinderella, Artemis Fowl, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Nonso Anozie is accompanied by many other talented cast members on Sweet Tooth, including Christian Convery, Adeel Akhtar, Dania Ramirez, and Stefania LaVie Owen.

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Sweet Tooth season 3 is streaming now on Netflix.