5 alternate endings to "Gone Girl" (Warning, major spoilers ahead)

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For those of us who have read Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel, conversation regarding the book always leads to one topic: the ending. We loved it. We hated it. But we all certainly talked about it. Acclaimed director David Fincher slyly suggested in interviews that the ending would be changed in the movie. Reviews have since exposed those comments as exaggerated, and although we now know that the movie's ending is similar to that of the book, it is fun to think about other scenarios. Here are a few possibilities for how everything could be different for the Dunnes.

"Gone Girl" promotional photo

5. The classic ending -- justice for all

Amy Dunne is more than a spurned wife. Over the course of the narrative, she evolves from jealous spouse to criminal mastermind. Nick, however, does not seem to grow at quite the same pace, so it may be difficult to imagine a scenario in which Nick gains the upper hand on his "better" half. But let's not forget that Amy is going at this alone, while Nick has slowly gained the support of some integral individuals such as Detective Boney and attorney Tanner Bolt. Maybe, with a few tweaks to the narrative, Nick could find a way to turn the tables on Amy with a little help from his friends.

4. Nobody wins

There's another, darker scenario the story could fit. When Amy is trapped by Desi, she is not in the best condition. Perhaps she doesn't escape. Initially this may seem like good news for Team Nick, but with no Amy to exonerate him, it would be possible to end up with a version in which Nick is put away for a crime he didn't commit. This ending would surely appeal to Fincher's dark side.

3. Devil's in the details

"Gone Girl" consistently challenged our expectations. In fact, expectation versus outcome was a heavy thread throughout the story. At the novel's end, we are left with perhaps the greatest of expectations, Baby Dunne. This was Amy's finishing move that ensured Nick was under her control. This also may be Amy's undoing. Will the movie touch on what the book failed to mention? What about the doctor who assisted Amy in the process of impregnation? There must be a paper trail that proves the source of the child, and that could create some fascinating scenarios to a new ending. The details of the pregnancy may just be a chip in Amy's façade, but with someone as obsessive over appearances as Amy, a chip goes a long way.

2. Amy finishes the job

At first Amy thinks she will destroy Nick. Then she believes she can repair him. But the final lines of the book leave us with the looming feeling that she will never be satisfied with the man she married. We also see that despite all of the manipulations by Amy, Nick cannot help himself but offer her a stabbing line. It's easy to imagine a scenario in which Amy can't even make it to the story's conclusion before she exacts some ultimate revenge on Nick.

1. Nick finishes Amy's story

This would complete a story of how, given enough time and pressure, all things change. Amy works diligently to create a scenario in which Nick appears to be a murderer. In doing so she pushes Nick to the point of turning him into one. Nick may have not been responsible for Amy's disappearance, but what if this time around he fulfilled Amy's vision for him? Sometimes the most dangerous monsters are the ones of our own creation. Most of us were surprised by Gillian Flynn's ending. Perhaps the most darkly satisfying ending would be one in which Nick Dunne finally becomes the man Amy so masterfully painted him to be.

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