WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Black Crab, now streaming on Netflix.
Centering on a war breaking out in Sweden, Netflix’s Black Crab follows a small team tasked with transporting two canisters across a frozen lake. The film took a more sinister turn when Noomi Rapace’s Caroline Edh found out what they were really carrying. After losing key members, young Gavnik opened the mysterious canisters en route to Odo, revealing they were carrying two vials of a virus meant to kill attacking forces.
However, Nylund didn’t want to enact mass genocide against his enemies because he knew it’d spread over to Sweden, and also, refugees would transport the virus to other countries. In short, chemical warfare would become a global disaster, so he stole the canisters and fled to destroy them. This created a bleak ending for Black Crab that showed how brutal choices can be in times of war.
What Happened With the Canisters in Black Crab?
Gavnik and Caroline came under fire just after Nylund escaped. They ended up sniping out most of the opposition, but Gavnik had to jump on a grenade to save Caroline. She grew angrier over his death, skating out to catch Nylund because if she didn’t get the virus to Odo, she wouldn’t see her daughter, Vanja, who got kidnapped during a raid.
She sniped Nylund out but didn’t kill him, understanding his humanity. Still, she couldn’t ruin the chance at reuniting with her girl, which led to her almost passing out in the cold. The military base found her and healed her, taking the canisters to the lab for mass production.
What Happened With Caroline and Vanja?
Unfortunately, after Caroline got medals of honor and courage, the commander in charge, Nordt, was forced to admit the military lied. Vanja was never recovered — they faked it to motivate Caroline because she was their best chance to get the virus across the lake. Caroline attacked her superior, but Nylund pulled her off. He was rescued and healed too, bartering for Caroline’s safety because he sympathized with her loss and how she was manipulated. Caroline would later ask him to help her destroy the virus, although he reamed her for not letting him dump it in the ocean when he stole the canisters. She was repentant and believed that with no hope of her child surviving, she could at least prevent a pandemic.
What Happened to the Virus in Black Crab?
In Black Crab‘s finale, Nylund and a scalpel-toting Caroline used their credentials and heroic status to infiltrate the lab, killing colleagues along the way. However, after getting the vials, they had to blow them up away from the base, or else they’d infect people and cause a spread. They pushed the alarm and started an evacuation, but things went south quickly. Disguised in hazmat suits, Nylund tried to get them on a chopper, but a wounded Caroline realized her time was up.
She strapped the vials to a stolen grenade, leaving Nordt and the guards nervous. Nylund saw what was happening and was left with no choice but to depart. Nordt asked her to think of her daughter, which inspired Caroline to jump off the cliff and blow herself up. It broke Nylund, who knew that while a pandemic was averted, the war would continue with Nordt and co. still alive. As for Caroline, Black Crab ended with her and Vanja under the cold lake, swimming and embracing. It suggested Caroline met her in the afterlife, although Vanja’s fate was never confirmed.
See the grim ending to Black Crab, now streaming on Netflix.
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