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Will Javier Bardem's Max Cady die on Apple TV’s ‘Cape Fear’? How Martin Scorsese's '91 flick ended

Considering there are three iterations of 'Cape Fear', the end for Max Cady is different in each version.

Apple TV's 'Cape Fear' didn't waste time in introducing Javier Bardem as Max Cady, a convicted criminal seeking revenge on the lawyer who imprisoned him for a murder he seemingly did not commit. The streamer dropped the first two episodes of the highly-anticipated psychological thriller, starring Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson in lead roles alongside Bardem. Inspired by the novel, 'The Executioners' by John D. MacDonald, and the 1991 film of the same name by Martin Scorsese, the thriller is the latest offering from Apple TV. Bardem's impressive performances has already earned rave reviews, and has inevitably drawn comparisons to Robert De Niro, who played the character in the film. At the same time, there have also been questions about Cady's fate in the TV series, and whether he dies in the end.

Considering there are three iterations of 'Cape Fear', the end for Cady is different in each version. In Scorsese's 1991 film, the character dies in the climax. De Niro's Cady is caught in a rough storm on a sinking boat, and is dragged down the surging waters of the Cape Fear River. He dies with a hymn on his lips. The 1962 film sees Robert Mitchum's Cady survive. A final tussle between the antagonist and Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) sees the latter let him live after incapacitating him, and puts him in prison for life. In the 1957 novel, Cady is shot by Bowden as he attempts to run  from attacking the family's home, but dies from signifcant blood loss. However, with creator Nick Antosca's TV series might see a different end even if it is inspired the movies and the novel. With enough creative liberties already, Cady's fate remains to be seen. 

In related news, Antosca told THR how he found his perfect Cady in Bardem: "You have Robert Mitchum, you have Robert De Niro, two of the most iconic villain roles ever — how do you match that? It’s got to be somebody who is worthy of that legacy, and who out there can bring the magnetism and the menace and the intensity and all of that?" He further added, "I couldn’t imagine anyone but Javier playing this role. It’s got to be one-of-a-kind and it’s got to be something different too,” Antosca continued. “What De Niro did was so different than what Mitchum did; I knew Javier wasn’t going to do an imitation, he was going to bring something new to it."  A new episodes of 'Cape Fear' drops Friday weekly on Apple TV+.