Do you have an analysis or thoughts about why Will pulled them off the cliff at the end? I love the contrast of him saying "it's beautiful" and embracing Hannibal, just to immediately throw them off the edge after.

The Fall: A Complete Analysis of Both Scenarios. Death or Rebirth?

I don’t think Will truly pushed them off, though there are two versions of that finale that resonate with me.

In a previous episode, Will tells Jack and Alana that Dolarhyde wouldn’t kill himself to stop his killings, stating, “how could he be sure that what’s inside of him would die too?” Throughout season three B, we see recurring references to suicide—lines that hint at Will’s own internal struggle. One of the final scenes has Hannibal telling Francis, while looking at Will, “suicide is the enemy,” just moments after Francis says, “suicide is a sad way to go.” (on the script). These lines subtly discourage Will from following that path. Hannibal is aware of Will’s thoughts, and when Will admits he’s “not sure he can save himself,” there’s a long, unspoken moment between them. It’s close to this silence that Hannibal delivers the line about the greatest love of man being to lay down his life for a friend. He wasn’t referring to Will, but to himself, this is before his declaration, “my compassion for you is inconvenient, Will.” Hannibal knew what Will was planning and, in a way, he supported it.

In one version, the post-credit scenes is the deleted mind palace sequence, and Will dies while Hannibal survives. This is symbolized by Will’s face being unscarred, and the scene conveys an almost spiritual connection between them. Though this would’ve been an intriguing direction, the official ending is the scene with Bedelia, which confirms both Will and Hannibal are alive. The script contains a time lapse, with Jack searching the chapel for someone, implying that at least one of them survived. It’s been confirmed in interviews that they both made it. The final scene, though ambiguous, doesn’t suggest a literal fall off the cliff but rather a metaphorical one. Bryan Fuller himself described this as a “metaphorical fall.” Given Will’s state of mind throughout season three, especially with his hallucinations, I believe the fall represents his internal collapse. He loved Hannibal so much that he couldn’t live without him, yet couldn’t let him go either. He tried to free them both from this cycle of destruction, but it wasn’t real. If we had seen a continuation, I imagine it would’ve revealed Will waking from a dream where they were merging underwater, then realizing the fall was symbolic. He’d be lying in a bed, recovering from blood loss, and understanding that what seemed like death wasn’t actually the end.

But if we interpret the ending as their deaths, I believe Will’s decision stems from his deep depression, which had plagued him since his time in prison, a point Hugh mentioned in interviews. Will had been carrying an unbearable weight: his desire for Hannibal and what that represented: a craving for violence. He couldn’t reconcile that with his guilt over what happened to Molly, and he believed ending his life was the only way to stop the cycle of harm. However, Will’s possessiveness would prevent him from leaving Hannibal behind.

But I still don’t think Will “pulled them off”, either. Instead, I think they had an unspoken pact to go down together. Their connection had been communicated silently for a long time. The altar in Hannibal’s mind palace at the end mirrors Francis’ shrine burning, signaling a kind of funeral. Both men, regardless of how Hannibal viewed his actions, were ready to sacrifice everything. Hannibal’s willingness to face death was evident in his actions, refusing the insanity plea that would have led to his retrial and probable death sentence. He’d been reckless with his life, perhaps due to the rejection he felt after experiencing love with Will. Will, too, was on the brink of a breakdown by the end of season three. He knew he couldn’t survive without Hannibal, and he understood that death might be the only way for them to truly rest together. Will was so tired. He just wanted to rest with his soulmate.

In that deleted scene, they did rest, peacefully, together. And that’s all Will truly wanted: to be with Hannibal at peace, even if that meant in death.