‘Uncharted’ Post-Credits Scene, Easter Eggs and That Game Cameo Explained

Does the new Uncharted movie have a post-credits scene? Of course! Is it an affectionate tribute to the original game series while also setting up a potential sequel with more of Tom Holland as treasure hunter Nathan Drake? You know it!

Uncharted is in theaters now. Based on the series of Sony PlayStation games from Naughty Dog, the new flick is directed by Ruben Fleischer (Venom, Zombieland). Holland stars alongside Mark Wahlberg as Sully and Sophia Ali as Chloe Fraser, with Tati Gabrielle and Antonio Banderas as the villains. It isn’t a direct adaptation of any of the games, instead telling a new origin story for Drake. But it does borrow some of Nathan Drake’s most memorable moments and throws in a few Easter eggs for fans and one big cameo — let’s take a look, with spoilers!

Before we get to the credits, the film ends with a quick little scene that teases a sequel. We get a glimpse of an unseen man rotting in a jail that, despite its general unpleasantness, apparently has a surprisingly decent mail service: The mystery figure is writing a postcard to Nathan, and we’re clearly meant to think it’s his missing brother Sam. That’s a nod to the Drake family’s backstory in the games, in which Sam is believed to have died breaking out of just such a jail.

The mid-credits scene

Then the credits roll and a more substantial tease comes our way. Eagle-eyed viewers will spot Game of Thrones and Borgen actor Pilou Asbæk listed in the credits alongside Holland and Wahlberg, even though we haven’t seen the Danish actor in the film. That’s explained moments later when the mid-credits scene sees Holland encounter Asbæk in a seamy bar.

With an eye patch and gold-plated pistol, Asbæk plays a villain apparently named Gage. Gage is after the ring Drake wears around his neck, on behalf of someone named Roman. The conversation takes a turn, guns are brandished, and Drake is only able to leave with the ring thanks to his nimble fingers and the belated arrival of his mentor, Sully (complete with cat, mustache and pistol).

The pair hotfoot it from the bar, only to be confronted by… well, we’ll have to wait for the sequel to find out, but judging by their reactions, it ain’t good. That’s if Sony ever makes a sequel, of course.

Nathan Drake and Sully in the games.

Naughty Dog

What we do know is that this little mini-adventure has something to do with an old Nazi map, and Sully says it’s “the big one.” So it’s pretty clearly a reference to the game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, in which crime boss Gabriel Roman tangles with Drake over a WWII German U-boat that offers clues to the lost riches of El Dorado.

That said, Asbæk’s character is less clear cut. His eye patch and scarred face may be a nod to Zoran Lazarević, chief bad guy from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, but a different character tries to buy the ring in a pub in the game Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception.

Basically, the mid-credits scene leaves plenty of room for game fans to ponder which elements of the games could be picked out by further Uncharted movies.

Uncharted Easter eggs and game references

In the meantime, this first Uncharted film also contains a bunch of other Uncharted Easter eggs and references to the Naughty Dog games.

There’s that first-person POV shot when Nathan picks up the gunpowder. And there’s also a cameo by Nolan North, the guy who voices Nathan Drake in the games. When Holland and co-star Sophia Ali emerge from the surf, a stunned sunbather greets them with a voice that game fans will recognize. That’s North — which must mean he changed his mind from a few years ago when he said fans didn’t want an Uncharted movie. Yikes.

When North’s sunbathing character says something similar happened to him once, he’s referring to one of the biggest things the film lifts from the games: the spectacular cargo plane sequence. That scene is based on an epic action scene in Uncharted 3.

For more on the Uncharted games, check out our sister site GameSpot.