The Assassin ending explained: Who was after Julie and who was Edward’s father?

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*Warning: Contains full spoilers for all six episodes of The Assassin*

The intriguing six-episode series titled “The Assassin” can now be streamed entirely on Amazon Prime Video, with a collection of enigmas unfurling throughout the entire narrative.

This drama originates from the pens of brothers Harry and Jack Williams, with Keeley Hawes portraying a retired assassin named Julie. In contrast, Freddie Highmore takes on the role of her son Edward, who’s unaware of his mother’s past as an assassin and yearns to discover more about the father he never knew.

In the premiere, the pair encounter a challenging situation when Julie’s history returns to haunt her. However, as we reach the series finale, we uncover the truth behind these events and learn about Julie, Edward, and the key characters’ ultimate fates.

Read on for everything you need to know about the ending of The Assassin.

The Assassin ending explained: Who was Edward’s father?

In my perspective as a movie reviewer, let me clarify: I discovered in the opening scenes that the protagonist, Edward, was actually the son of none other than Jean-Luc – a French arms dealer and husband to Marie. An unexpected windfall from a trust fund established by Jean-Luc propelled Edward on his quest for truth.

As a cinephile, discovering that Jean-Luc was my father, I automatically assumed Marie must be my mom. However, she clarified this wasn’t true. Instead, it was Jean-Luc who yearned for offspring, so he opted for a surrogate. Marie had never seen herself as his mother in the first place.

As a passionate cinephile reflecting on past events, I recall that my business partner, Aaron Cross, and his spouse Leila, found themselves in a financial predicament when establishing Cross Global Mining nearly three decades back. In our hour of need, the generous Jean-Luc extended us a loan to help us get off the ground.

After the company became successful, Jean-Luc attempted to demand more funds than he was entitled to. In response, Aaron and Leila engaged a hitman to eliminate him.

This assassin turned out to be none other than – you guessed it – Julie.

Following the fatal act referred to as Operation Chantaines, Leila found it unbearable to continue living, ultimately taking her own life. Notably, Operation Chantaines was also the name of their beloved pet dog.

Who was after Julie?

Throughout the year, Julie and Edward found themselves in a relentless pursuit, as they were being chased due to an assassination attempt on their lives. Unbeknownst to them, this entire ordeal was masterminded by Marie, who sought revenge for the past wrongs inflicted upon her and Jean-Luc.

29 years ago, Julie was employed by Aaron and Leila to assassinate Jean-Luc. She carried out the deed, but Marie unexpectedly intervened, causing Julie to also shoot Marie. Thinking that Marie had perished, it turned out later that she was left in a coma for quite some time instead.

Initially intending to depart, she overheard baby Florent (originally known as Edward) wailing from an adjoining room. Touched by the desire to safeguard him, she picked him up and began to nurture him as if he were her own child. Haunted by the past, this led to her choosing a solitary life on a Greek island, until ultimately, Marie found them both.

In the last episode, Marie kept Edward imprisoned, until Julie arrived to free him. She shared everything with him in a heartfelt moment, however, shortly afterward, he became unwell.

In an unfortunate turn of events, it came to light that Marie had used deadly monkshood, or aconitum, to poison Edward. Desperate, she proposed that if Edward were to shoot and kill Julie while holding a gun, she would disclose the location of the antidote. However, instead of following through with her plan, Edward ended up killing Marie, possibly choosing self-sacrifice in the process.

In a pinch, I’m grateful that my trusted ally, Kayla, was within reach and possessed the keys to her father’s whirlybird. Swiftly, she dispatched the call, ensuring we could transport our wounded comrade, Edward, to the medical sanctuary in the nick of time, thus preserving his life.

What happened to Aaron?

After a disagreement with Ezra in his office, it was discovered that Aaron tragically took his own life by overdosing on Lorazepam and Oxycodone. Ezra speculated that the tension, burden, and remorse connected to their past actions with their mother might have been the reason for this devastating act.

Nevertheless, there seemed to be strong suggestions that Ezra had managed to acquire the drugs, and after their dispute, he allegedly killed his own father.

Or:

It appeared clear from the circumstances that Ezra must have found a way to take those drugs, and following the confrontation, it seemed probable that he ended up killing his dad.

Ezra was left as acting head of his father’s company.

Where did we leave Julie, Edward and Kayla?

At the end of the series, Edward, Julie, and Kayla were spotted aboard a vessel sailing towards some location in Greece, on a quest to find Edward’s biological mother. His intention was that she might turn out to be a more admirable person than either Jean-Luc or Marie.

It was additionally discovered that Edward and Kayla had reconciled their engagement, and they were maintaining a positive rapport with Julie. Interestingly, it was noticed that Julie was exchanging texts with Luka, and the two have recently become a couple.

The Assassin is streaming on Prime Video – you can sign up now for a free 30-day Prime Video trial.

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2025-07-28 20:04