Warning: This post contains major spoilers for The Bikeriders

The Bikeriders ends with a bit less seriousness than that of the rest of the film. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, The Bikeriders is based on a true story and serves as an adaptation of Danny Lyon’s book of the same name. The film itself has received mostly positive reviews from critics and has been slowly gaining momentum since premiering at the 2023 Telluride Film Festival. The film ends with Benny and Kathy having moved to Florida after the original Vandals motorcycle club was dismantled.

The Kid, angry he wasn’t included in the Vandals, shoots and kills Johnny (Tom Hardy) in a parking lot. For a long while after Mike Faist’s Danny left, it was a fight between the old and new members of the Vandals. With Johnny dead, the rest of the original motorcyclists disbursed and moved away or joined up with the new version of the Vandals. And while Johnny and Kathy agreed that neither of them got Benny, he at least returned to Kathy after some time away, having ridden off into the sunset after Johnny asked him to step up.

Why Benny & Kathy Smile At The End Of The Bikeriders

Benny doesn’t smile at all until the very end

Benny was a man of very few words. Kathy was the chatty one, feeding Danny information about the Vandals, their rules and their way of life. Benny didn’t smile at all throughout The Bikeriders, but his smile at the end of the film is for a much different reason than Kathy’s. Kathy explains to Danny that she and Benny are finally happy, and this happiness leaves a smile on her face, a secret smile that indicates Kathy’s joy at leaving the Vandals behind and starting fresh. She’s finally got the idyllic life she always dreamed of having.

Benny’s smile, on the other hand, comes at a very distinct time. The Bikeriders suggests that his smile is in reply to Kathy’s and the line about being happy. However, it’s likely Benny’s smile is due to hearing motorcycle engines revving in the background. Nichols doesn’t show the motorcycles driving by or anything, but simply hearing them, especially after so long, would make Benny happy. Kathy may think his smile is thanks to their new life, but just the sound of motorcycles — his first love — is the only thing in the world that would bring him that much joy.

Johnny’s Death In The Bikeriders Explained & What Happens To The Vandals

Johnny is killed by The Kid, a ruthless 20-year-old

Johnny was the tough leader of the Vandals, and he believed in camaraderie above all else. Unfortunately, the new members of the club didn’t feel the same way. The Kid was keen on joining the Vandals — so much so that he returned again despite being embarrassed by Johnny the first time he asked to join.

Once the Milwaukee chapter opened, Johnny didn’t really have that much control over membership, or in what the new Vandals did. The Kid wanted nothing more than to retaliate, killing Johnny out of anger and to assert his power over him and the club. In some way, Johnny died because there was no one else there (like Benny) to defend him, and he was losing his grip on the Vandals’ purpose. Johnny’s death and The Kid becoming the Vandals’ leader created a shift between the way things used to be done and the amoral path of the new guard.

The Kid killing Johnny altered the Vandals forever. Instead of a motorcycle club built on friendship and shared interests, the Vandals Chicago turned to violence, killing people when they didn’t get what they wanted, and trafficking drugs and weapons, among other things. The motorcycle club turned into a stereotypical gang that ran on fear and crime above all else. The Kid was no Johnny, and despite local townspeople being scared of the original Vandals, the new version of the club was far more disobedient and brutal than Johnny and his friends ever were.

The Reason Benny Refuses Johnny’s Offer To Lead The Vandals

Benny walks away from Johnny instead of accepting

Johnny was growing tired of leading the Vandals and knew there would come a day when he could no longer do it. The founder wanted someone who cared about the Vandals as much as he did, and who had a commanding presence — the leader needed to be someone the other guys respected and trusted. Johnny knew no one could do a better job than Benny. But Benny wasn’t so sure. He likely refused Johnny’s offer because he wasn’t ready to shoulder such an immense responsibility. Benny told Johnny that he didn’t ask anything from anyone, and he probably expected the same.

Crucially, Benny witnessed the lengths Johnny went to protect the Vandals, including burning down a bar where Benny was beaten up and shooting Cockroach in the leg to give him an out. It’s possible Benny wasn’t willing to go that far to protect his friends; it always seemed he was more interested in the freedom of riding a motorcycle over the interpersonal relationships it offered. The level of accountability would be immense, and Benny was more of a free spirit who rejected any order. This could be why Benny fled — to return to the simple joy of riding.

What Happens To The Original Members Of The Vandals Chicago

After Johnny is killed by The Kid, the rest of the original Vandals go their separate ways. Wahoo and Corky, who witnessed Johnny’s murder, stay on with the Vandals under The Kid’s leadership, likely because they were too scared to give up their colors. Cal fell down a ladder and broke his neck; Cockroach, after being shot in the leg by Johnny to escape the new members, became a motorcycle cop; Funny Sonny was paid to sit outside a movie theater; and Zipco moved to Texas to work on a shrimping boat.

Everything The Bikeriders Changes From Danny Lyon’s Book

Lyon’s photo book is the reality, but The Bikeriders fictionalizes some things for the story

Though The Bikeriders is based on Lyon’s book, the film changes the name of the motorcycle club the photographer followed. Instead of the Vandals, they were called the Chicago Outlaws Motorcycle Club. Every character in the film is a fictional version of the real-life members. And while The Bikeriders purported the Vandals were founded by Johnny after he got the idea for it from a James Dean movie, the Outlaws were started in 1935 (via Biography) in McCook, Illinois.

Lyon himself became a member of the motorcycle club to document them, and that only lasted through the late 1960s, since Lyon’s photo book was published. In the film adaptation, Lyon returned to interview Kathy in 1973 to find out what he had missed in the years he was away, but after his book was published, Lyon moved on to other things. But just like in the film, the motorcycle club expanded to include many more members than it started with, though the events that transpired in The Bikeriders are fictionalized for the sake of its story.

The Real Meaning Of The Bikeriders’ Ending

The Bikeriders captures a very specific time and place, one that is born out of circumstances. But the film’s ending implies that, though things can change, the core of them may not. Take Benny, as an example, who decided to leave the life of a motorcycle rider behind for a more conventional lifestyle. Despite becoming a mechanic, though, the sound of the motorcycle still makes him feel at home.

The Vandals, too, changed over time, including its very ethos, but it didn’t remove the bikeriding aspect, or the tendency to live outside of societal norms and rules. What’s more, The Bikeriders showcases that, though Benny can leave his environment behind, one can’t take his love of motorcycles and riding from him. It lives within him no matter where he goes or what he does next in his life.