Uncharted's first post-credits scene reveals that Nate's brother, Sam Drake, survived after being presumed dead in the movie - but how is he alive?
Warning! SPOILERS for Uncharted.
The first post-credits scene attached to Sony's Uncharted revealed that Nathan Drake's (Tom Holland) brother, Sam Drake (Rudy Pankow), is still alive after the film's events misled audiences to believe that he is dead. Sam only appeared in the Uncharted film during a brief flashback sequence that highlighted the two brothers' love for treasure hunting and unique artifacts. Even though Sam left Nate at a young age, his influence on his younger brother was apparent throughout the film. Mark Wahlberg's Sully used Nate's attachment to his older brother to convince him to join his crusade for the lost Moncada treasure, on the pretense that he could see Sam again.
Later in the film, Sully reveals that Sam was shot and killed over a year ago by Jo Braddock (Tati Gabrielle). Sam is rarely mentioned again throughout the remainder of Uncharted, even though it was the clues that he left in his postcards that led Nate to discover the actual location of the treasure. However, the first post-credits stinger, which immediately follows the last main scene of the film, shows Sam in a gloomy prison cell writing more postcards for Nathan, asking him to watch his back.
The fact that Sam survived a gunshot wound only to get locked up in a prison cell mirrors his arc in the last mainline Uncharted game, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. In the game, Sam goes through a very similar journey where he is wounded during one of his and Nate's adventures, with Nate being forced to leave him behind on the assumption that he is dead. Sam's arc is one of the many plot points the Uncharted film borrowed from the video games, especially the last one, and it sets up a return for Sam in the yet-to-be-confirmed Uncharted sequel.
In Uncharted 4, Nate finds out that Sam is alive after spending years thinking his older brother was gone. The game then cuts to a flashback sequence, which provides further context. It is revealed that Nate, Sam, and their partner, Rafe Adler, got themselves intentionally locked up in a Panamanian prison to find a clue that would lead them to a long-lost pirate fortune. After acquiring said clue, the trio attempts a prison escape where Sam is wounded and falls off a high ledge. Adler forces Nate to leave Uncharted's Sam behind, stating that there is no way he would have survived. Later in the game, Nate discovers that Sam did in fact survive, and that he was taken back to finish an extended sentence in the Panamanian jail.
If the film is following a similar storyline as the games, that would mean that Sam survived the altercation with Braddock and is currently doing time in Panama. The short scene even hinted towards that by briefly showing the occupant of Sam's neighboring cell, who looked similar to Hector Alcázar. Alcázar is a Panamanian drug lord from the games who, according to Sam's initial lies, helped him escape from prison. In reality, the two characters never met and Sam was released on bail, which was paid by none other than Rafe Adler. However, the film could retcon this, like it retconned many other plot points from the games, by having Sam escape prison with the help of Alcázar.
The reveal of Sam's survival is bound to play a huge role in Uncharted 2, if the sequel does happen. The teams behind both the games and the film made it very clear that Nathan's bond with his older brother is near-unbreakable. This could allow the potential sequel to explore a more personal and emotional story, rather than solely relying on bombastic action set-pieces and quippy dialogue. It would be interesting to see where Sony and PlayStation Productions take the Uncharted film franchise in the future if they decide to continue it, especially with the first Uncharted's post-credits scenes setting up multiple storylines for the sequel to explore.
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