Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Hid Its Biggest Twist in Plain Sight

Warning: MAJOR Spoilers for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Ahead!!!The biggest twist in Scott Pilgrim Takes Off was actually hiding in plain sight the entire time. The latest adaptation in Bryan Lee O’Malley’s hit Scott Pilgrim franchise has finally arrived on Netflix. It’s been highly anticipated by fans for not just utilizing the comic’s iconic art style but also bringing back the entire cast from the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. However, there’s one moment that has been discussed more than any other in this series, and it’s a gamechanger that completely altered the story.

In the very first episode, titled Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Life, the show seems to follow the story beat-for-beat. Scott is in a low spot after being dumped by Envy Adams, dating Knives Chau as a way to forget about her. When he meets Ramona Flowers and begins to date her, he’s suddenly ambushed by Matthew Patel, the first member of the League of Evil Exes, in a challenge to fight for Ramona’s heart. However, things play out far differently than fans imagined as the series deviates from the original story when Matthew Patel supposedly beats Scott, rather than the other way around.

It’s a shocking moment that completely caught fans off-guard. One could argue that this wasn’t what the series was suggesting would happen based on the promotional material hinting at a new adaptation of the same Scott Pilgrim story. The thing is, this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off‘s Title Essentially Foreshadows the Big Twist

What’s fascinating about the secret behind Scott Pilgrim Takes Off‘s big break in the story is that it actually hinted at the anime’s biggest changes from the very beginning with its title. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off seems like a normal, inconspicuous title to give the series a defining name different from the adaptations that came before. However, after watching the series, it’s actually telling fans exactly what’s to come: Scott Pilgrim has literally taken off. He’s vanished, and it’s created an alternate reality where Scott’s story never happened. It’s such a small detail that actually pays off after knowing what’s coming. However, the title alone isn’t the only thing that the series foreshadowed regarding Scott’s fate.

Matthew Patel’s Cast Billing Hints at a Bigger Role

Before the show officially debuted, Netflix shared the anime’s official opening to get fans hyped for it. However, what fans didn’t expect was a genius clue lying within its celebratory casting list. Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead understandably have top billing because they play Scott and Ramona, but Matthew Patel’s voice actor Satya Bhabha follows them as the third credited actor. This is a huge hint at what’s to come because usually the higher someone is on a cast list, the more prevalent they are in the story.

When looking back at Scott Pilgrim vs. the World‘s opening credits, Bhabha is placed fairly low on the billing, next to the Katayangi Twins (played by Keita and Shota Saito) since he only appears in one scene. In Takes Off though, he plays a much larger role since he not only believes to have defeated Scott but also uses his confidence to become the new leader of the League of Evil Exes.

These small details were a genius way for the anime to hint that the series wouldn’t be what most viewers were expecting from a Scott Pilgrim adaptation. They seem fairly inconsequential at first, but eagle-eyed fans of the franchise will be quick to recognize how it was going to tell this type of story all along. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off might not have been what fans were hoping for when it was first revealed, but the fact it hid its twist in plain sight shows it wasn’t as out-of-left-field as people thought.

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