Need a refresher before you see Maze Runner: The Death Cure? Here’s everything you need to remember.
It feels like it’s been forever since the last Maze Runner was released, so it’s understandable that you might forget a thing or two. That’s why we’ve put together this guide to highlight the important things that you should know before The Death Cure comes out! Here are the things you should know.
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Thomas and the Gladers were rescued from WCKD’s maze by…WCKD
When the Gladers escaped from the maze in Maze Runner, they thought they were finally free. Unfortunately, their saviors ended up being the very same as their captors. At first glance, the facility that they and the participants from the other maze trials were housed in looked like a safe haven, but it was just a front so that WCKD could keep them under their control! WCKD believes that these kids are the key to the world’s salvation, and they’ll do anything to keep them caged.
The world has been decimated by the Flare virus
The world that Maze Runner is set in looks very different from our world today. Huge cities and popular landmarks have been reduced to desert waste lands thanks to the Flare epidemic. The virus was made by WCKD in attempt to control the population. That doesn’t sound like a great idea to begin with, but it turned out even worse than they’d planned. The Flare doesn’t kill people, it reduces them to zombie-like creatures that are referred to as “Cranks.”
Not all of the Gladers are immune to the Flare
The Gladers were assembled in the hopes of finding a cure, but that doesn’t mean they’re all immune to the virus. When the Gladers escaped from WCKD, Winston contracted the virus. It didn’t take long for him to succumb to the illness, and he chose to take his own life rather than become a Crank.
There’s a rebel group called ‘The Right Arm’
After escaping, the Gladers sought refuge at an alleged safe haven, said to be held by “The Right Arm.” When they met Jorge and Brenda, the pair decided to use their contact, Marcus, to help them all gain safety with the rebel group. They managed to find a small tribe of members, but there could still be a safe haven waiting for them.
The blood of the immune Gladers acts as a medication
When Brenda was bitten by a Crank, she thought she was a goner. Fortunately, one member of the Right Arm worked for WCKD, and knew that Thomas’ blood held the key to her survival. Their blood contains an enzyme which considerably slows the Flare virus. However, the enzyme can’t be manufactured, it can only be harvested, which is why WCKD is desperate to hold on to the Gladers.
Brenda’s brother was also taken by WCKD
Brenda told Thomas in Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials that her brother was taken into one of the “kids camps,” but that she was rejected. This could mean that we’ll get to meet him in The Death Cure.
Thomas betrayed WCKD before he entered the maze
Thomas meets Mary with the Right Arm, and she sheds some light on his past with WCKD. He was initially involved in the maze trials, but he eventually grew tired of watching his friends die. Before he entered the maze himself, leaked the coordinates of every WCKD facility to Mary and the Right Arm.
Teresa watched her mom suffer from the Flare virus
Or at least that’s what she told Thomas. We can’t believe a word that girl says!
Teresa betrayed the Gladers
Unwilling to turn her back on the people suffering from the Flare, Teresa contacted WCKD and informed them of the whereabouts of the Gladers and the Right Arm. WCKD came to reclaim as many Gladers as they could get their hands on, and they didn’t hesitate to kill anyone who got in their way, including Mary.
Fortunately, most of our favorite Gladers got away, thanks to Jorge, but Minho was taken. Thomas and the other Gladers have now vowed to get their friend back and kill Ava Paige, the head of WCKD.