I Came By ending explained: Who is the prisoner in [SPOILER]’s basement?

Another week, another tense Netflix thriller for us all to obsess over. Babak Anvari returns with his third feature film, I Came By, starring George MacKay, Hugh Bonneville, Percelle Ascott, and Kelly Macdonald.

Major spoilers ahead for I Came By

I Came By is a dark story rooted in class warfare. MacKay plays Toby, a graffiti artist who targets members of the elite and tags their homes to send them a message about their classism. Toby’s mission is fundamentally altered when he breaks into a retired judge’s basement and discovers a shocking secret that endangers him and everyone he loves.

I Came By ending explained: Who were the prisoners in the basement?

While inside Hector Blake’s house to graffiti the walls, Toby stumbles upon a horrific discovery in Hector’s basement. Toby finds out that the retired judge is holding a prisoner captive in a secret bunker hidden behind a shelf.

Growing up, Hector’s father hired a Parsi man named Ravi to help around the house. Ravi and Hector’s dad grew closer, eventually sleeping together. When Hector’s mother found out what had happened, she committed suicide. Ever since that happened, Hector has resented Ravi for coming into his house and “stealing” his life from him.

Hector uses his status as a prestigious judge known for helping immigrants, often pro bono, to kidnap and murder vulnerable people. He targets immigrants and asylum seekers, takes them captive, and kills them. It’s his sick and twisted way of getting revenge on Ravi. The first victim Toby finds is just one of several people Hector has kidnapped and tormented over the years.

At the end of the movie, Jay finds another captive in Hector’s new house. Even though he moves homes, Hector wastes no time getting back to his sick hobby. Some viewers might have mistakenly thought the prisoner at the beginning of the movie and the one at the end were the same man, but they are two different guys.

Throughout the film, we know Hector kidnaps at least two unnamed prisoners. He lures these men into his house under the guise of helping them, then spikes their drink and takes them captive. Omid almost managed to escape from Hector, but he later tracked him down and blackmailed him before killing him.

I Came By ending explained: What happened to Toby and Lizzie?

Poor Toby tries to save Hector’s victim but becomes one himself. Hector kills Toby off-screen. We see him burn some of Toby’s clothing in the kiln he uses to dispose of bodies. He later flushes his ashes down the toilet. Toby’s mom, Lizzie, tries to find her son and falls into a trap set by Hector. He kills her, too, albeit off-screen. We later see him burning Lizzie’s clothes and her driver’s license, confirming her death.

What happens at the end of I Came By?

With all the disappearances and police intrigue, Hector flees his old home and moves away. Once Jay realizes Hector killed Lizzie, too, he takes matters into his own hands. With some assistance from Naz, Jay finds out where Hector will be next and then follows him to his new home.

Hector might have relocated, but he’s still kidnapping and killing people. Jay attacks Hector, and the two get into a violent scuffle that ends with Jay freeing Hector’s latest captive. He then uses duct tape to tie Hector up, leaving him like a gift to the police. But before he goes, Jay does one final “I Came By” graffiti tag on Hector’s wall.

I Came By is now streaming on Netflix.