His Dark Materials Season 3 Finale Ending Explained (In Detail)

WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for His Dark Materials season 3’s finale.

The His Dark Materials season 3 ending comes with an emotional, almost one-on-one adaptation of Philip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass. 15 years after the theatrical The Golden Compass movie, audiences got to see a far more faithful version of His Dark Materials, which was made easier by the TV format. Now, Lyra’s journey reaches its bittersweet ending with an episode almost entirely focused on Lyra and Will following Lord Asriel’s action-packed war in episode 7.

HBO’s His Dark Materials season 3 released two episodes a week, meaning that the experience of the finale involves not only episode 8 but also episode 7. “The Clouded Mountain” and “The Botanic Garden” play out like an epic finale followed by a more calm epilogue, yet most of the emotional weight of the His Dark Materials season 3 ending comes from episode 8’s final minutes. From the decision Lyra and Will make to what happens to Lyra after His Dark Materials, the His Dark Materials season 3 ending provides a series of intense narrative payoffs.

Why Lyra & Will’s His Dark Materials Ending Had To Happen

Lyra and Will had to say goodbye to each other at the end of His Dark Materials season 3. After finally realizing they had feelings for each other following the strong bond they developed throughout His Dark Materials’ seasons 2 and 3, Lyra and Will discovered they could not be together. That is because Lyra and Will are from different worlds, and every time the Subtle Knife was used, more Dust escaped from the living worlds. Using the Subtle Knife comes with a price, and even if Will had closed every portal he ever opened, several other unclosed portals created by former Subtle Knife bearers still existed across all worlds.

Will had to break the Subtle Knife to guarantee that Dust would no longer leak and that Specters would no longer be created. At first, the destruction of the Subtle Knife itself didn’t seem like a reason for Will and Lyra not to be together – they could choose a world to settle in, after all. However, as Will recalled it, a person cannot live outside of their original world for too long. If they do, their daemon dies. Lyra and Will would have to return to their home worlds at some point, meaning that the Subtle Knife was the only way they could be together.

With the Subtle Knife having to be destroyed in order to prevent Dust from leaking, Lyra and Will’s ending was settled. They would have to return to their worlds, and they would never be able to see each other again. In a tragic twist, Lyra and Will’s love in His Dark Materials season 3 helped stopped Dust from leaking, yet this same relationship had to end to save all worlds. That said, Lyra and Will proved that being separated for all eternity will not be enough to end their love. This is exemplified by His Dark Materials’ bittersweet final scene, with Lyra and Will remembering each other every year.

Why Lyra & Will’s Kiss Brought Dust Back

Ever since HBO’s His Dark Materials season 1, it seemed like Dust had more to do with creativity than with emotions. Mary, who had been studying Dust for years, even mentioned during His Dark Materials season 3’s finale that perhaps only a new invention could help bring Dust back. However, Lyra and Will’s kiss proved that Dust was essentially tied to love. That doesn’t mean everything they knew about Dust was wrong, only that Mary had been looking at it through the wrong lenses. If His Dark Materials‘ Dust is about creativity, then it also had to be about love.

What perhaps best defines Lyra and Will’s journey in His Dark Materials season 3 is how their coming-of-age story concluded with them realizing they were in love. Lyra and Will’s kiss symbolizes their feelings for each other as well as their growth. Lyra and Will were now free to decide what they would want for their lives, which also ties in with the idea of creativity. Lyra and Will chose to be together, not necessarily because of fate or a prophecy, and that is why their kiss brought Dust back. Essentially, Lyra finding love was never meant to be a sin as it had been foretold in the HBO show.

How Mary Malone Played The Serpent In His Dark Materials’ Ending

Whereas Lyra was said to be the new Eve, Mary Malone was destined to be the serpent. In a way, Mary did play the serpent in His Dark Materials. Mary introduced Lyra to Will back in His Dark Materials season 2, a moment that redefined the lives of Lyra and Will and essentially settled the fate of all worlds. In addition, much of what Lyra knows about Dust was because of Mary. In the His Dark Materials season 3 finale, it was thanks to Mary’s story about her first love that Lyra and Will realized they had feelings for each other after all, and that they wanted to be together.

Why Lord Asriel’s War Ended So Quickly

Lord Asriel’s His Dark Materials war on the Authority had been a key plot point since season 1. Lyra’s entire life was defined by the fact that her father had a mission – a mission he valued more than Mrs. Coulter or Lyra. With season 2 skipping Lord Asriel entirely, it was up to His Dark Materials season 3 to cover Lord Asriel’s ultimate attack against Metatron and the Kingdom of Heaven. The actual war, however, was limited to His Dark Materials season 3, episode 7, “The Clouded Mountain”. With only eight episodes, it made sense for Lord Asriel’s war to end so quickly.

Not only that, but Lord Asriel’s ultimate battle itself does not last too long in The Amber Spyglass either. Though it may have seemed like Lord Asriel’s war on the Authority was going to be His Dark Materials’ endgame, His Dark Materials isn’t about Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel or Metatron. Instead, it is about Lyra and Will’s journey into realizing they loved each other, and that they would have to be separated for all eternity. That is why His Dark Materials season 3’s penultimate episode ends with the deaths of Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter.

Why Mrs. Coulter & Lord Asriel Sacrificed Themselves For Lyra

Lord Asriel may say he does not believe in prophecies, but he always saw himself as someone who was destined to free and save all worlds. Asriel believed he had a purpose, and that he was the one who would bring down the Authority. However, Lord Asriel finally understood that it was Lyra, his daughter, who really had the chance of saving all worlds. That is why Lord Asriel sacrificed himself to save Lyra. As for Mrs. Coulter and her daemon, after repressing her true feelings for years, Lyra’s mother accepted that Lyra mattered most to her and sacrificed herself for her daughter.

Who Did Will Free From The Box With The Subtle Knife

In His Dark Materials season 2, episode 2, “The Captured Angel”, Lord Asriel’s camp was visited by two angels – Baruch and Alarbus, the latter being an archangel. Alarbus killed Baruch and was then captured by Lord Asriel, who tortured and interrogated the archangel in order to find Metatron’s location. Alarbus is not a character from His Dark Materials books, but the archangel’s scenes with Lord Asriel helped flesh out James McAvoys’ character’s intentions ahead of the final season. It was Alarbus who Lyra and Will freed from the box with the Subtle Knife in the His Dark Materials season 3 ending.

Why Pan Settles As A Pine Marten

It is established that His Dark Materials’ daemons settle once their respective humans have also found their identity – that is, once they have grown up and discovered who they are. That is why Pan settles after Lyra kisses Will, as that moment symbolizes Lyra’s growth. Lyra had now found her identity after prophecies and lies, leading to Pan also finding his. A daemon’s final form also has to do with their respective humans, meaning that Pan’s final form would have to reflect Lyra in some way. Pine martens can be shy but also explorers and adventurers; a description that suits Lyra.

Why Lyra Can’t Read The Alethiometer In His Dark Materials’ Ending

It takes years of studying for someone to be able to read the Alethiomether, also known as the Golden Compass. However, Lyra was able to read it “by grace” as said by Stelmaria. Essentially, Lyra had been able to read the alethiometer during this whole time more with her heart than with her eyes. Still, by the end of His Dark Materials season 3, Lyra no longer has the childlike perception of the world she had in season 1. Lyra has grown up and has a more practical view of the world now, which is why she cannot read the alethiometer. Lyra can, however, relearn how to read it.

How His Dark Materials’ Ending Is Different In The Book

His Dark Materials season 3 was relatively fast-paced, and it tried to follow His Dark Materials’ third book, The Amber Spyglass, relatively closely. Some small elements were different, though. In His Dark Materials’ final book, Lee Scoresby and John Parry, who made their comeback in His Dark Materials season 3, episode 5, returned to help Lyra and Will in the final battle against the Authority instead of becoming Dust right after leaving the land of the dead. In the finale, Stelmaria had a more kind relationship with Lyra than in the books, almost serving as a mother figure following Mrs. Coulter’s death.

Perhaps the biggest difference between HBO’s His Dark Materials’ ending and The Amber Spyglass is that the latter spent a bit more time with Lyra following her goodbye to Will. Lyra’s return to her world is more detailed in The Amber Spyglass, with Lyra learning how the aftermath of the war affected the Magisterium and everything else she knew. The Amber Spyglass’ ending also sees Lyra beginning to study how to read the alethiometer, which for HBO’s His Dark Materials season 3 ending was limited to a title card at the end. Still, His Dark Materials’ ending was a rather faithful The Amber Spyglass adaptation.

Will There Be A His Dark Materials Season 4?

There will not be a His Dark Materials season 4. HBO’s His Dark Materials was designed in a way that each season would cover one of three books in the Northern Lights/His Dark Materials trilogy. Therefore, His Dark Materials season 1 covered The Golden Compass, His Dark Materials season 2 adapted The Subtle Knife, and His Dark Materials season 3 adapted The Amber Spyglasses. As such, His Dark Materials season 3 is the show’s last. While Lyra’s story continues past The Amber Spyglasses, there are currently no plans for those stories to be adapted into a His Dark Materials season 4.

What Happens To Lyra After His Dark Materials

His Dark Materials’ Lyra was revisited in Lyra’s Oxford, a novella first published three years after The Amber Spyglass. Lyra’s Oxford sees Lyra three years after the events of His Dark Materials, with her daemon involved in a relatively small-stakes adventure set in Lyra’s world The same happens in Serpentine, a 2020 novella focused on Lyra’s return to the Northern Pole where she once met Iorek and Lee. 2019’s The Secret Commonwealth, which takes place seven years after The Amber Spyglass, is currently the most recent look at Lyra’s life following the events of His Dark Materials, and it sees Lyra as a college student as she makes new friends.

Do Lyra & Will Ever Meet Again In The Books?

Lyra and Will do not meet again in any of the His Dark Materials book sequels. It’s important to remember that Lyra’s story is not over, as The Secret Commonwealth is expected to receive a sequel. The Secret Commonwealth is the second and most recent entry in The Book of Dust’s trilogy, with the first book La Belle Sauvage working as a prequel to His Dark Materials. Still, there is no indication that Will and Lyra will meet again, especially because that would lessen the impact of His Dark Materials’ ending. There is also the possibility that Lyra will end up with Michael, a new character featured in The Secret Commonwealth.

The Real Meaning Of His Dark Materials’ Ending

James McAvoys’ Lord Asriel and his quest against the Authority in His Dark Materials was ultimately about a person’s right to make their own choices. Whereas Lord Asriel took that fight to a personal level, Lyra and Will were the ones who won the war by being free. It was said that Lyra would lead the world to a new original sin; a prophecy that was essentially removing Lyra’s right to be free. By allowing herself to fall in love with Will, Lyra ignored whatever the prophecy said about her, thus defeating the forces that wanted to control humanity.