The final installment in the Maze Runner movie trilogy is set to arrive soon for home viewing. And if you’re a fan of the popular series, based on the dystopian novels by James Dasher, you’ll want to watch The Death Cure over and over to make sure to catch all of the little details. We’ve actually done just that and have highlighted some fun easter eggs, references, and book-to-film differences below. So, be on the lookout for all of these and more!
Where is the Last City?
WCKD, the organization behind the experiments that the characters are put through, is headquartered in the Last City. We see it for the first time in The Death Cure. But unless you read the books, you might not realize where the Last City is supposed to be located IRL. Pay close attention and you’ll see that the WCKD busses have Colorado plates — in the books, it’s described as being in Denver, Colorado.
How many sections of the Maze are there?
Here’s what we know: During explorations of the outer sections of the maze, numbers were found printed on the walls, sections 1 through 8 — so, there are 8 in all. Every night when the maze changes it opens up a new section. The pattern always stays the same: 71526483.
NOTE: The numbers are from the book, in the film the 6-4-8-3 portion of the pattern is the only string mentioned.
A special cameo appearance…
Ava and Teresa share a common goal: finding a cure. They can’t do that without board approval. Together they present data to the board in hopes of keeping their work funded. Pay close attention in this scene, and you may notice that one of the board members is none other than James Dashner, the author of the Maze Runner book series.
Thomas’s blood vs. his brain
Teresa would do anything to find a cure for the Flare, even betray her friends. So when she found out that Thomas’s blood was the key to curing Cranks she tried to lure him back to WCKD by claiming that he could save Newt. It worked but proved to be too little too late.
Careful readers will note that in the books, it isn’t that scientists want Thomas’s blood so much as his brain. They hoped that by dissecting it would bring them one step closer to finding a cure.
Brenda and Jorge: Double Agents
Brenda and Jorge have become allies to Thomas and his crew despite their friendship having started off rocky. Brenda especially has carved out a place next to Thomas as she is constantly watching out for him.
Here’s something interesting about those two: While in the movies they are definitely Team Thomas, in the books they act as a double agent as they also worked for W.I.C.K.E.D. (the abbreviated name for WCKD in the novels).
How many Cranks are there?
We don’t actually know how many people have been infected with the Flare virus, but we do know a little bit of context around the infection rate thanks to Teresa. She says that “the infected already outnumber the healthy 3 to 1.”
The names of lost Gladers
Surviving the maze and beyond hasn’t been easy for Thomas. He’s lost a lot of friends along the way including Alby and Chuck. After being rescued from a burning WCKD facility, Thomas was taken to a safe haven. There Vince dedicated a memorial stone to those they’ve lost and encouraged others to engrave the names of their friends on it.
Look closely at the stone and you’ll clearly see the names of lost Gladers who appeared in the previous two Maze Runner films.
Aidan Gillen plays a “rat”
When we first met Janson — played by Game of Thrones’ Aidan Gillen — in Scorch Trials, he pretended to be Thomas’s ally. In reality, he was just another member of WCKD out to use the Gladers to achieve his own nefarious plans. They didn’t learn of his true identity until The Death Cure, but in the books there’s a dead giveaway about Janson’s true nature — his nickname is “Rat-man.”
Aidan Gillen is one of three actors in the cast — the others being Nathalie Emmanuel and Thomas Brodie-Sangster — who appeared in Game of Thrones.
Ava’s expanded role
Ava Paige is the main face of WCKD. She is also the mysterious figure who mentored Thomas before the Maze. In fact, she’s the one who told him that “WCKD is good.” Ava is an interesting character and actress Patricia Clarkson is fantastic in the role, but only book readers will know that Ava actually barely appears in the novels.
There’s Even More to the Movie Than You’ve Seen…
With so much story left to tell and only a single film to tell it, Death Cure director Wes Ball had a unique challenge. He couldn’t possibly squeeze everything into the final movie and had to remove some great scenes from the final theatrical cut. The good news? Get your hands on the Blu-ray and you’ll be able to watch some of those thrilling deleted scenes, including this one of Gally leading Thomas and Newt through an epic train tunnel run.
Maze Runner: The Death Cure is now yours to own on Blu-ray & DVD at JB HiFi.