The article contains Spoilers for Manifest Season 4 Part 1!
The sign of a great show is when a streaming service swoops up and picks it up after a network cancellation. This is precisely what happened with Manifest, which was brought back by Netflix for a fourth and final season, delivered in two parts. With part one already released, fans are excited to see how the story concludes with the upcoming final 10 episodes, which have yet to receive an official launch date.
While the show focuses on the passengers of Flight 828 trying desperately to cheat their Death Date, some characters, both passengers and others, have already perished.
James Griffin
James’ death wasn’t necessarily sad for fans since he was more of a villain than a hero. But seeing the man drown from the inside was heartbreaking, despite what he had done. It remains a big question mark as to how James managed to survive the car crash in the water and why he began to have Callings.
What was saddest about his death, however, was that it further helped drive Ben, Michaela, and Saanvi to figure out more about the Death Date. They realized they all might die on a predetermined date, five years after the date of their return.
The Major
She was the architect of the plan to test passengers from Flight 828. She also might have been behind what happened to the aircraft in the first place: some of the best fan theories about Manifest believe the show has to do with time travel. She posed as a psychiatrist to not only get close to Saanvi but learn about her most intimate thoughts. She was seemingly evil.
However, in her dying scene, fans couldn’t help but feel bad for The Major, who seemed to have had good intentions despite going about them the wrong way. She provided Saanvi with useful information in her last breath: confirming that the U.S. Army did not find a cure for the DNA mutation and that they were looking to intentionally infect people with it and use it as a weapon. Fans were sad to see The Major go, even though she was an enemy of the passengers, believing there could have been more to her story.
Kenneth Meyer
Kenneth Meyer came out of nowhere as the surprise Flight 828 serial killer, hunting and killing all the passengers who helped his daughter Angelina, believing they set her on the wrong path, away from salvation. In the end, it was revealed that he was after Eden, believing her to be a demon baby rather than the guardian angel Angelina was convinced she was.
While fans were happy to see him killed before he could get to poor, innocent Eden, it was the nature of his death that was particularly sad. Protecting her little sister, Olive knocked him over the head with her jewelry box, then violently pushed him out of the window to his demise. She understood that she was simply doing what had to be done to protect herself and Eden. Nonetheless, the young woman was left to live with the fact that she killed someone and saw them die.
Anna Ross
Anna Ross didn’t exactly win the hearts of fans when it was discovered that she had been harboring and protecting Angelina and Eden for an unknown period of time. (Interestingly, one of the weirdest fans’ theories about Manifest is that Angelina is actually somehow a younger version of The Major from another timeline and Eden is her daughter Sarah). She later told Ben that she was manipulated by Angelina into believing that Ben was a bad person. It was only when she met him face to face and saw the anguish in his eyes at being unable to find his daughter that she realized she had been duped.
Fans quickly warmed to Anna who even visited the house to help convince Eden that her dad was not at all bad and truly loved her. So, when it was confirmed that she had become the serial killer’s second victim, fans were heartbroken. They felt especially bad for Eden who would have yet another person to whom she had grown close ripped from her life.
Sam Wile
Fans might not have remembered Sam had it not been for the flashback scene reminding them of the incident with Jared that got him demoted. He defended a Flight 828er and, in the process, punched a police officer. That 828er was Sam Wile, a sweet and kind man whose ex-wife declared was simply “too nice.” He wanted desperately to help anyone and everyone he could. Among those individuals was Angelina.
It was sad to see not only another Flight 828 passenger murdered but also someone who was a genuine, kind soul simply living his life and trying to do good for the world.
Pete Baylor
Pete was clearly under his brother’s thumb, and while he did some heinous things, he clearly did not feel good about them. He was looking for a way out without fracturing the relationship he had with his role model. He was a bad guy but wouldn’t rank among the low-key villains on Manifest. Pete did not have the skills or courage to leave his brother and go out on his own.
Realizing his connection with Angelina, however, and the fact that he might have been able to sway her in a different direction makes his death all the more tragic. He was a sweet, kind man who was simply led astray by a bad influence. Fans wished Pete had more time to redeem himself.
Violet Wheeler
Marking the first semblance of normalcy for a now older Cal – one of the best flight 828 passengers from Manifest – Violet was also a Flight 828 passenger. She was introduced as one of many living at Adrian’s compound, and Cal took a liking to her. They met up for her to return his jacket only for the two to embark on an adorable date. They drank, they sang karaoke, they shared tender kisses and great conversation, and Cal sent her home with the very same jacket to keep her warm for the walk.
When it was discovered that she became a victim of the Flight 828 serial killer, fans were gutted that the young man wasn’t able to have at least one win. What made it worse was that Cal was a suspect since he was the last person to see Violet alive. She was sweet, kind, and could have been a wonderful first girlfriend for the young man simply looking to live what little he believed was left of his life to the fullest.
Grace Stone
Up until season 4, Grace’s death was the saddest on the show. It came as a complete shock when Angelina stabbed her and ran away with Eden. She was left bleeding out on the floor only to be comforted by a returned and five years older Cal.
Somehow, her death made sense to drive the story forward. Appearing through visions and Callings in season 4, fans still got to see Grace. Nonetheless, the fact that season 3 ended with such a huge loss had fans’ jaws dropping to the floor and mourning for Ben, the kids, and the rest of the family.
Zeke Landon
Zeke’s place in the story was always in question, especially since fans felt for so long that Michaela belonged with Jared. He was not a Flight 828 passenger yet developed similar abilities. He lived a troubled adult life and was constantly struggling with his sobriety.
In the first-half season 4 cliffhanger, however, it’s revealed that Zeke finally came to terms with his purpose. It was to be there for Michaela and the family in any way he could. That included one final grand gesture: using his empath abilities to consume all of Cal’s pain and sickness, so the young man could survive. In doing so, Zeke seemingly perished. Him dying in Mick’s arms, the agony on her face, and the combination of confusion, sadness, and relief among the rest of the family, made the moment bittersweet.
