Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Saw X!The ending of Saw X mostly wrapped up its main story, but what happened to Cecilia after John Kramer’s final trap remained a lingering question. The Saw movies are known for giving audiences plenty of deaths and bloody traps as a result of Jigsaw’s games, and Saw X‘s ending is no different in that regard. The movie focuses on Tobin Bell’s John getting revenge on the people who tricked him into thinking he was cured of his cancer through an experimental procedure, a plot that was led by Dr. Cecilia Pederson (Synnøve Macody Lund). The entire ending builds to her being part of John’s final surprise twist.
As satisfying as it was to see the good guys finally walk away scot-free, John Kramer’s final twist gave no clear-cut explanation as to what happens to Cecilia. Considering Saw X takes place near the beginning of the Saw timeline, specifically between Saw 1 and Saw 2, the lack of clarity about her fate is rather surprising. This ambiguous ending leaves plenty of room for speculation regarding Cecilia’s future in the Saw franchise, such as the possibility of her returning in Saw 11. However, where the movie leaves the villainous doctor is a good sign of what likely happens to her after Saw X.
Cecilia Is Trapped By John Kramer In Saw X’s Ending
Saw X sees Cecilia and her crew taken out by traps one by one, saving Cecilia for last. Just as it seems like Cecilia and her partner Parker Sears outfox Kramer at his own game, a timer goes off, locking her and Sears inside a gas chamber with poisonous gas pouring in. This clever twist was John Kramer’s way of giving Cecilia and her partner a taste of their own medicine. Luring them into a trap with a false sense of security is the ultimate payback for selling people false hope.
The trap is set up to only have room for one survivor, playing up Cecilia’s selfish tendencies. In the end, Cecilia kills her partner, just as Amanda Young predicted, and saves herself. Saw X shows that she manages to survive the test, and although the timer counts down to zero and the poisonous gas rescinds, Cecilia is left inside the locked room. Unlike many of Jigsaw’s other traps from the franchise, her ability to survive the game does not grant her freedom it seems.
Does Cecilia Die After Saw X?
There is a common saying in movies that if a character doesn’t die on camera, then they haven’t met their end, and that seems to be the case here. Cecilia likely lives after Saw X, just not for much longer. Due to her last known situation and being locked in a room with no means of escaping, it is likely that she’ll die from something as simple as starvation or natural causes. Considering that Cecilia knows Jigsaw’s true identity, it would be foolish to let her live. Also, given the magnitude of her selfish, conniving ways, Cecilia couldn’t possibly escape John’s most personal game unscathed.
The likelihood that Cecilia died after Saw X does not guarantee that audiences have seen the last of her. Saw 11 could open up to Cecilia’s trap and see her finally answering for the heinous crimes she committed. It’s possible that Saw 11 will explain that this inescapable trap was the creation of Amanda, building to her defiance in Saw III. In that way, Saw X leaving Cecilia alive and her fate a bit of a mystery could be for the betterment of the franchise.
