The Exorcist: Believer’s Surprise Movie Cameo Explained

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Exorcist: Believer!

Linda Blair has a major cameo in The Exorcist: Believer, setting up Regan to be a bigger part of the franchise’s future. The original star of The Exorcist is not part of the main story or cast of the long-awaited sequel. The Exorcist: Believer retcons the franchise by ignoring previous prequels and sequels, such as the original The Exorcist II: The Heretic, which did include Linda Blair again. The 2023 horror movie instead shifts the focus to a new set of families but still has ties to the original franchise and Regan’s storyline through the return of Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil.

The presence of Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist: Believer means that Regan looms large over the main story. There are multiple references to Linda Blair’s character throughout the movie, but that appears to be the only way that she will factor in for the longest time. However, the questions about whether Regan is still alive and details about what became of her and Chris’ relationship after the original movie proved to be too big to completely ignore. In true franchise fashion, Linda Blair’s Regan returns in The Exorcist: Believer to provide some answers and create questions about the future.

How Linda Blair Returns As Regan In The Exorcist: Believer

Those waiting for a Linda Blair cameo in the new movie have to wait all the way until The Exorcist: Believer‘s ending. Her appearance in the movie comes during one of the final scenes. Chris is in the hospital recovering from her eye injuries after being stabbed with a crucifix multiple times by Katherine when she is possessed by the demon. Ellen Burstyn’s character is shown sitting in her room and hears the door open. She assumes that it is Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) coming to visit her again. However, this is where the movie finally decides to give Regan her cameo.

Regan’s appearance in The Exorcist: Believer is meaningful on a number of levels. For longtime fans of the franchise, it marks the first time in 50 years that Regan and Chris MacNeil have been shown together. This also means it is a long-awaited on-screen reunion for Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn. The Exorcist: Believer does not spend much time with Regan and Chris as the daughter and mother reunite. Director David Gordon Green revealed Linda Blair’s The Exorcist: Believer cameo was done in a single take that was a surprise for the crew (via Comicbook), making the emotional reunion between Blair and Burstyn that much more effective.

What The Exorcist: Believer Reveals About Regan’s Life After The Exorcist

Linda Blair might not appear until the very end of the movie, but The Exorcist: Believer provides plenty of information about what happened to her after The Exorcist. Since the previous entries in the franchise are no longer considered canon, what other movies revealed no longer necessarily apply. Instead, the movie reveals that Regan’s life became quite unpleasant in the years after the original movie. This was because Chris wrote a book about Regan’s possession, which became incredibly popular. Regan chose to stop talking to her mom as a result of the book and essentially went into hiding after its release.

These details about Regan’s life after The Exorcist make her presence that much more impactful. In addition to working as a narrative explanation for why Regan is not part of the main storyline with Chris, it adds more meaning to the hospital visit. Whatever grievances Regan had with her mom, she is now willing to set them aside due to Chris’ current state. This leaves room for any potential future storylines involving the two characters to provide more insight into what happened. After all, there are 50 years of Regan’s life in the Exorcist timeline that have been skipped over thanks to The Exorcist: Believer.

Will Linda Blair Return As Regan In The Exorcist: Deceiver?

There is no official confirmation that Linda Blair will return as Regan MacNeil in the upcoming sequel The Exorcist: Deceiver. Director David Gordon Green has teased interest in continuing Regan’s storyline, but there has not been a true announcement to this point. This leaves open a small chance that The Exorcist: Believer will be the last time that audiences see Linda Blair’s character. The movie could work as a final appearance for Regan that gives Chris’ story a bit of a happier ending. However, many would understandably feel cheated by this conclusion and bringing Linda Blair back only to have her cameo.

Considering the nature of Regan’s return and how it might as well act as The Exorcist: Believer‘s post-credits scene, the likelihood of Linda Blair’s return is high. Now that Regan and Chris are reunited, they could both play a much bigger role in The Exorcist: Deceiver. While Chris is knowledgeable about possessions and exorcisms, Regan is the one who actually experienced it and had to deal with the likely trauma afterward. For that reason, not having Linda Blair return after her The Exorcist: Believer cameo as Regan would be a surprise.