‘Descendants: The Rise of Red’ Ending Explained: Is the Queen of Hearts No Longer a Villain?

Can a villain truly be stopped from becoming a villain? That’s the question “Descendants: The Rise of Red” tries to answer, specifically in regards to the Queen of Hearts. And, in the end, the answer could go a few ways.

The fourth installment of Disney’s series centers on Red (Kylie Cantrall), the princess of Wonderland and rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora). When Red gets invited to Auradon Prep — courtesy of Principal Uma (China Anne McClain returning in the role) — her mother uses it as an opportunity to lead a coup.

In doing so, she sentences Cinderella (Brandy, reprising her role from the 1997 film) to death for “treason” — can you guess her method of choice? And, yes, getting the Queen’s iconic “Off with her head” catchphrase right was a challenge for Rita Ora. The actress and singer admits she definitely started to “overanalyze it.”

“I had to be like, ‘OK, I need to step away from this,’ because I was taking it so seriously, because of the history of the ‘Off with her head!’” Ora told TheWrap. “But I think it helps that I’m English, and it helped that I just sort of like, elevated my English accent.”

May be an image of 1 person

She continued, “I feel like in Disney movies, and with villains, they have this English kind of accent, but it’s not English. It’s almost a bit like universal English, where you don’t really know where they’re from, but they have this regal accent, you know? So I just enjoyed playing that, really, and I did my own version. I’ve got this like husky voice, so I just sort of like, amplified it, really.”

Red’s not totally onboard with her mother’s plans though, so she uses a pocket watch gifted to her by Maddox Hatter (Leonardo Nam) to go back in time with Cinderella’s daughter, Chloe (Malia Baker).

Together, they learn that the Queen of Hearts — known then as just Bridget — was actually best friends with Cinderella, before a cruel prank was played on her at “castlecoming.” Ella wasn’t responsible for the prank, but she didn’t help Bridget, because she was off falling in love with Prince Charming.

So, Red and Chloe’s plan is simple: stop Ulyana (Dara Reneé) and her villainous cohort from playing the prank the turns Bridget into a murderous queen.

And in the end, they manage to do just that. When Red and Chloe return to the present, the Queen of Hearts now wears a white and red dress, and her favorite card game is Hearts, not War. She appears to be reformed, but it’s hard to say for sure, considering the plot relies on Red being a villain kid (VK) who gets invited to Auradon.

May be an image of 2 people

It’s never made explicitly clear, and the queen herself, isn’t saying. In fact, she likes that there are a few different options with this ending.

“I think she definitely rediscovers her soft side for her daughter, you know, I think this film is about friendship and family. And sometimes you need family to sort of like, snap you back into this realm of love and happiness and appreciation,” Ora explained. “But I love the idea of the door being left open. I think that’s really cool. The ‘Rise of Red’ writers made a really great move on that.”

She added that, particularly for future sequel purposes, “It’s good that you know, you can go a few different ways.”

A fifth film hasn’t officially been announced as of yet, but it’s worth noting that Uma’s voiceover does give the classic “You didn’t think this was the end of the story, did you?” line at the end of the movie. So, another film is certainly possible.

May be an image of 1 person

Related articles

Inside Adele’s journey to becoming a record-breaking worldwide smash

We thought Ed Sheeran was a record-breaking machine until we took a closer look at all the titles held by Adele. While Ed has a sweet 16…

MTV VMAs announce nominees for Most Iconic Performance: It’s a Britney-Madonna kiss vs. a bloody Lady Gaga

EW exclusively unveils the 2024 VMAs social categories nominees, including all-new awards for VMAs Most Iconic Performance and Best Trending Video. From that Britney Spears and Madonna…

“Love that camaraderie” – Fans react to Jenna Ortega telling Winona Ryder to ignore photographers demanding her to take off her sunglasses

Fans raved about the bond between Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder after a video of them went viral on the internet. The 13-second clip shows Ortega trying…

The Real A$AP Rocky: The Harlem Rap Star on Fatherhood, Drake, German Expressionism & Why Rihanna Is His ‘Perfect Person’

In the back room of an industrial art space in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, A$AP Rocky is venting. Not about the muddled reaction his first official AWGE clothing…

Solotech Powers Adele’s GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS® Largest Temporary Outdoor LED Screen

Adele’s highly anticipated residency in Munich, Germany, has not only pushed the boundaries of live entertainment but has also officially broken records. Solotech is proud to have…

The 2024 VMAs performers include Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and more

The 2024 VMAs are fast approaching, which means some incredible live performances are headed our way soon. Throughout the year, the MTV VMAs have become the perfect…