Summary
Multiple plot twists madeThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.’s ending conclude Solo, Illya and Gaby’s mission unexpectedly, with the last scene satisfactorily setting up a potentialThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.franchise. Directed by Guy Ritchie,The Man from U.N.C.L.E.is based on the series of the same name that aired between 1964 and 1968. Starting in East Berlin only for most of the action to happen in Rome,Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin faced many glitches before learning to cooperate as allies, even having to save each other’s lives before reaching the mission’s end, inevitably changing their perspectives as a result.
What started as a joint CIA-KGB mission where Solo and Illya had to find Dr. Udo Teller and stop the Vinciguerras from selling off a nuclear weapon quickly turned into something more chaotic the moment the British Naval Intelligence revealed its involvement through Gaby. However, the trio eventually stopped Victoria Vinciguerra’s nefarious plans aided by Waverly, albeit not completing the mission precisely like Illya and Solo’s superiors wanted.The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’s last scene finally set up an interesting future for the unlikely trio, even if Warner Bros. has yet to announce their return inThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. 2.
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Why Solo & Illya Destroy The Disk in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’s Ending
Choosing Their Alliance Over The Mission Would Have Meant Terrible Consequences Without Waverly
Illya and Solo had received exactly the same mission from their superiors, to collaborate to save Teller from the Vinciguerras, but also to take the computer disk with Teller’s discoveries, even killing the other spy if it came to it. While Solo and Illya both considered the option to follow their orders and kill the other, making their guns easier to reach,Solo eventually defused the situation by giving Illya back his father’s watch. Having gone through so much together, they couldn’t just obey and live with the fact they would have had to kill who was now an ally.
Solo’s gesture had a profound symbolic meaning, as at the mission’s beginning in Rome, he had to remind Illya to behave like an architect would have, letting himself and Gaby be mugged to keep their cover, as their muggers would have been sent by the Vinciguerras.Illya and Solo didn’t trust each other at the start of their mission, but they had learned to, to the point that Solo stopped to steal back Illya’s father’s watch at the Vinciguerra compound, and giving it back to Illya was a symbol of trust, proof they could choose their bond over the mission.
Solo throwing Illya his father’s watch was a symbolic gesture of peace, proving he had thought of Illya’s story during the raid on the Vinciguerra compound and that he was choosing their new bond over the mission they had both received.
Burning the disk was the only possible option for Solo and Illya, as they couldn’t let the KGB have the advantage over the CIA and vice versa, and they weren’t willing to kill each other to obtain the nuclear plans. Waverly’s proposal to travel to Istanbul for another mission came in handy in the end, asneither of them would have had to explain to their superior why the only remaining computer disk, whose existence was proven, ended up being destroyed.
The Plot To Stop Victoria Vinciguerra Explained
Solo & Illya’s Plan Couldn’t Have Worked Without Gaby
The multiple twists involved in stopping Victoria Vinciguerra meantThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.’s cast of charactershad to collaborate to succeed, with Illya and Solo working to retrieve Gaby and the bomb as Waverly’s men fought against the Vinciguerras’ men. Even then, their plan had to change along the way becausethe bomb Illya, Solo and Gaby acquired wasn’t the nuclear warhead but the decoy, which proved Victoria still had the weaponshe was about to supply to neo-fascist groups. With no way to physically reach Victoria, they had to know certainly on which of the hundred boats Victoria was.
Even knowing their location, Solo, Illya, Gaby and Waverly needed the means to reach her. However, Gaby’s stint at the Vinciguerra compound proved useful, as the information she garnered from the scientist working with Udo on the nuclear weapon offered them the solution to their Victoria problem.By using the safety system that would have delivered the bomb in the position of the nuclear warhead, they redirected the bomb toward Victoria, effectively stopping her, the sale, and destroying the computer disk.
Why Gaby Needed To Betray Solo & Illya For The Mission
Gaby Would Have Never Reached Udo Without Betraying Solo & Illya
Illya and Solo’s arrival at Gaby’s shop in East Berlin already fumbled Waverly’s plan to let the Nazi ex-friends of Udo find Gaby and bring her to Rudi, but their joint mission raised even more alarms in Rome. Between Illya’s violent tendencies and Solo’s nocturnal explorations, it was very difficult for the Vinciguerras to believe they were civilians.This made Gaby’s betrayal of Illya and Solo necessary, as by outing them, Alexander and Rudi would have trusted her, letting at least Gaby close to Udo.
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While Rudi and Alexander seemingly believed Gaby, Victoria didn’t. Indeed, Victoria used Gaby’s presence to push Udo to complete the bomb, but she also saw through Udo and Gaby’s plan to tamper with the bomb’s inner workings.Only by letting out the truth of Illya and Solo’s identities could the mission be brought to term, as Gaby needed an in with the Vinciguerras, and Solo and Illya could offer her their full support as spieswith Waverly’s help.
How The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’s Ending Set Up The Franchise
The Trio’s Successful Mission Set Up U.N.C.L.E. & The Collaboration
Spending the best part ofThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.stepping on each other’s feet, Solo, Illya and Gaby already showed why they could be an entertaining trio to watch. However,by the end of the movie, they had all saved each other, proving the opposite point they made at their mission’s start, that they worked best alone. Indeed, if they had gone at it without relying on the rest of the group, they would have died, showing that, despite their differences, they could work seamlessly together and complete the mission.
Having Waverly’s support at the very end ofThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.only cemented how they should have continued together in international missions, as working together under Waverly’s direction kept them focused and at their best. In addition,Illya and Solo deciding to burn the computer diskmade it evident they chose their alliance,proving Waverly could have trusted them, but their original superiors could not. With Waverly’s proposal and the closing credits essentially starting the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement, the movie’s ending perfectly set up aneventualThe Man from U.N.C.L.E. 2.
What U.N.C.L.E. Could Mean For Solo & Illya’s Future
Waverly Saves Them By Recruiting Them, But They Still Owe Something To Their Countries
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.formed a new team and created solid relationships among its members, who could now trust each other after proving their loyalty. However, while Gaby’s future seemed relatively straightforward given that she was first made a spy by Waverly, who also led U.N.C.L.E., the same could not be said about Illya and Solo. Not only were Illya and Solo’s original alliances with the KGB and CIA respectively, but they also risked more due to their personal histories.
While the KGB and CIA might have temporarily agreed to let their agents work for U.N.C.L.E.,The Man from U.N.C.L.E.clearly established howSolo had to do whatever the CIA asked him to because of his suspended sentence, and Illya found himself in a similar situation with the KGBthreatening to send him to Siberia like his father. Potential sequels could explore such aspects, especially afterThe Man from U.N.C.L.E.’s beginning made a point to highlight how little freedom Illya and Solo had.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.is available to stream on Netflix from July 10, 2025.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Based on the television series of the same name, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. Set during the height of the Cold War, the film follows a CIA operative and a KGB agent who are forced to work together to stop an international criminal conspiracy. Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, and Hugh Grant star alongside Cavill and Hammer.
