Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Den of Thieves 2: Pantera!Gerard Butler’s “Big Nick” O’Brien returns with a twist inDen of Thieves 2: Pantera, and his plan with Donnie (O’Shea Jackson Jr.) is filled with surprising developments until the film’s conclusion. Years afterDen of Thieves' ending, Nick’s life is not in the best spot when the sequel begins. He’s been officially divorced and is struggling professionally, as he can’t let go of the fact that Donnie outsmarted him and the entire federal community. That makes finding Donnie and finally arresting him Nick’s primary mission from the time thatDen of Thieves 2begins.
The set up for another cat-and-mouse style game between Nick and Donnie is subverted throughoutDen of Thieves 2, as the characters go from enemies to partners with what seems to be a blossoming friendship. However, considering the Donnie-related reveals that changed the perception of the first film’s plot, there was a sense that not everything would play out as expected in the sequel.Den of Thieves 2: Pantera’s endingproves that Nick’s plan changes on more than one occasion, twisting his story and relationship with Donnie and other characters in the process.
The Cop Goes Gangster
From the outset ofDen of Thieves 2, Nick has a very clear objective: find Donnie and arrest him. He pieces together that Donnie was involved in a Belgium plane robbery and charts off to Europe in search of his arch-enemy. While working with local officials, Nick finds the evidence he needs that Donnie is once again active and likely plotting a heist centered around the World Diamond Center. However, this is where Nick’s mindset changes for the first time. He switches up his objective from arresting Donnie to wanting to join his crew and get rich.
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This leads Nick to find where Donnie lives and break into his apartment, which goes unexplained. But that still allows him to surprise Donnie and coerce him into introducing the cop to the Panthers, a highly skilled group of thieves Donnie works with that is run by Jovanna (Evin Ahmad). It is from this moment on that Nick is fully committed to working with the crew and getting a cut of a potential €850 million worth of diamonds and other belongings they can steal. Nick never wavers from this stance and consistently proves his loyalty to the group.
The result is Nick playing a pivotal role in the World Diamond Center heist. He’s tasked with communicating with Jovanna to call out when the group should move through different areas to avoid detection by the security system and guards. Nick is even the only one who knows about Donnie’s secret objective to reclaim the diamond he stole that belonged to the Italian mafia. He isn’t acting as an undercover cop hoping to get in the good graces of top-tier criminals. He’s fully engrained in the lifestyle and wants the riches that come with it.
Nick Betrays Donnie & The Panthers In Den Of Thieves 2’s Ending
Nick Helps The French Police Arrest The Panthers
After getting away with the World Diamond Heist and making good with the Italian mafia, Nick, Donnie, Jovanna, and the rest of the Panthers are set up to enjoy a life of luxury. However, it is at their final meet-up to get their cuts that the next Nick twist comes. The Pantera task force raids the scene and arrests everyone present. It’s only after everyone is in handcuffs that Hugo (Yasen Zates Atour inDen of Thieves 2’s cast) lets Nick go free. It’s confirmed that Nick called Hugo and turned on the Panthers, setting up the ambush.
Nick’s betrayal is a change of heart for the character, not something that was planned from the beginning of his time in France. It’s unclear exactly when Nick decided to turn on the Panthers. However, it would appear that him seeing Hugo at the church may have been a defining moment. He relates to Hugo as a divorced husband and father of two, and Hugo even warns Nick about his new friends - the Panthers. In any case, Nick helps arrange for all the Panthers to be arrested, and they become aware of his betrayal as they are taken away.
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Despite the first movie’s success, it’s taken seven years for Den of Thieves 2: Pantera to come to the screen. Why did it take so long?
The reason for Nick’s betrayal is explained inDen of Thieves 2’s final scene between him and Donnie. Nick pays Donnie a visit at prison and confirms that he was not playing him the entire time. He ultimately decided that he could not go against everything he’s known as a cop and working on the right side of the law. As Nick says, a tiger can’t change its stripes. He’s a cop through and through, so he stops short of fully embracing the criminal lifestyle by betraying Donnie, Jovanna, and the Panthers.
Nick Helps The Italian Mafia Break Donnie Out Of Prison
Nick Surprises Donnie Once Again
Nick’s betrayal came as a shock for Donnie and the Panthers, but Butler’s character has one final surprise for the characters and audienceswatchingDen of Thieves 2in the end. Donnie is broken out of prison during a transfer thanks to the Italian mafia he previously stole from. They were so impressed with his ability to steal and recover the diamond that they wanted him to work for them, so they orchestrated a plan to do so. This involves two helicopters stopping Donnie’s transfer and breaking him out of the car. But the Italians didn’t do it all alone.
Den of Thieves 2’s ending reveals that Nick is in on the plan to break Donnie out of prison. This is confirmed with his final line to Donnie:“Sit back left.“While that doesn’t mean much to Donnie at first, it starts to click as the helicopters approach the transport. One of the Italian mafia soldiers even directly tells Donnie to move to the back left of the vehicle so they can safely cut through the metal. So, it appears that Nick was involved with the Italian mafia’s plan to break Donnie out. Perhaps that was even the real reason behind the prison visit.
Why Nick Helps Free Donnie After Betraying Him
Nick’s Decisions Overall Are A Bit Confusing
Nick’s involvement in helping Donnie break free from prison is the final surprising development for the character, and it’s a bit confusing, too. There are only a few reasons why he would do this. Nick could have felt guilty for betraying Donnie and worked with the Italians because he wanted to make things right. However, it’s also possible that the Italians forced Nick to help them, similar to how they have now essentially forced Donnie to work for them.
Nick’s smile at the end ofDen of Thieves 2confirms that he’s happy to know that Donnie is now free, complicating things more. He never would have been in a position where Donnie would need to be rescued if it wasn’t for his betrayal. Nick created this mess for himself and Donnie. If he was going to have guilt about his actions and break Donnie free so they can commit more crimes and heists together, they would have been better off if Nick had gone full criminal.
What Nick’s Den Of Thieves 2 Twists Mean For Future Sequels
Nick & Donnie’s Relationship Will Have More Distrust
The multiple twists that come with Nick’s plan inDen of Thieves 2have a direct impact on the future of the franchise. He now appears to be straddling the line between working with the law and being a criminal. It’s clear in the final shot that he has not returned to America, so it seems Nick is setting up shop abroad in some fashion. There’s the potential for him to join Hugo and be part of the Pantera task force, but he also could be involved with the Italian mafia.
In any case, there’s no doubt that Nick and Donnie will cross paths again inDen of Thieves 3and beyond. That’s where Nick’s plan - or lack thereof - could really change things. The firstDen of Thieveshad Donnie betray and trick Nick, and he returns the favor in the sequel. Nick’s betrayal comes after there’s a greater level of trust and friendship established between them. This is likely to hurt their relationship moving forward, leaving both not fully trusting the other if another team-up happens.
Nick and Donnie working together in some form is inherent to theDen of Thievesmovies, so that will not change afterDen of Thieves 2: Panteraand its various twists. The question will be whether they are allies working for or against the law. That is left open forDen of Thieves 3to explore either way.
