What really happened to Nick Blaine in that plane scene in The Handmaid’s Tale

The actor behind Nick Blaine has officially confirmed his fate

So, the final episode of The Handmaid’s Tale just dropped. There’s so much happening, but I’m still recovering from that plane scene. One of the show’s most complicated and beloved characters, Nick Blaine, met a shocking fate in the penultimate episode of The Handmaid’s Tale’s final season.

So, what happened to Nick?

After years of walking the line between rebellion and duty, Nick finally made his choice and paid the ultimate price. In season six, episode nine, he boards a plane to D.C. alongside the remaining Gilead commanders, trying to show loyalty to his wife, Rose, and their child.

The plane that he boards is rigged. Commander Lawrence, in a final act of resistance, joins the flight with a hidden bomb to take out Gilead’s leadership. Nick is caught in the blast. June watches from afar as the plane explodes mid-air knowing exactly who she just lost.

Max Minghella, who played Nick from the very beginning, explained the moment just before Nick boards the plane, “It’s built to do what, hopefully, it achieved… It’s supposed to have that kind of insinuation,” he said, suggesting Nick might have sensed June’s presence nearby. “That way that lovers from afar can feel one another.”

So, is Nick actually dead?

Well, yes. This wasn’t a fake-out. Nick is gone. Max Minghella confirmed to Elle that it was his final day on set, and the moment was meant to be a definitive ending. It’s a brutal but fitting conclusion for a character who’s been torn between two worlds since season one.

As for Nick’s final words on the plane, “I guess you decided to join the winners”, Minghella said the line was intentional but uncertain, “I think that he’s trying on a suit. I don’t think it’s one that fits very well.” It’s a glimpse of who Nick might have been, had he lived long enough to choose a side fully.

But could he still be alive?

No. While we don’t see a body, this isn’t one of those fake-out TV deaths. There’s no plausible way Nick could’ve survived a mid-air explosion, and this show isn’t interested in pulling punches like that. His death wasn’t just physical, it was symbolic.

Minghella described the show’s final stretch as “bittersweet,” saying, “I’m really happy that we got to finish up in a way we can all feel really proud of.”