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Under The Banner Of Heaven Ending Explained (In Detail)

WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Under the Banner of Heaven‘s finale.

Under the Banner of Heaven’s ending sees the truth of the Lafferty brothers’ murders explained, leading the main detective to explore the real meaning of unyielding faith. Based on the nonfiction true-crime novel by Jon Krakauer, Under the Banner of Heaven explores the true story of Brenda Lafferty’s murder at the hands of her brothers-in-law Ron and Dan Lafferty. Like the book, the Under the Banner of Heaven series explores the influences of buried Mormon history and dangerous teachings on the brutal murders that were fueled by religious delusions of grandeur.

Throughout Under the Banner of Heaven, Andrew Garfield’s fictional Detective Jeb Pyre is attempting to understand the motivations behind Brenda and her infant daughter Erica’s gruesome murders. He slowly understands the crimes to be based on rhetoric from the early days of Mormonism, a religion he has devoutly followed for his entire life. As Pyre speaks with the rest of the Lafferty brothers and understands the domestic violence, narcissistic delusions, and strict traditional upbringings of Dan and Ron, the detective realizes that Brenda and Erica were just the beginning of their path to disillusioned glory.

The ending of Under the Banner of Heaven sees Dan and Ron Lafferty apprehended for their crimes as they continue to spout their delusional rhetoric, leaving many of the other characters questioning their own faith. As Jeb Pyre grapples with his personal dilemma to uphold the church’s reputation or reveal the truth of the dangers of the fundamentalist LDS teachings, Under the Banner of Heaven’s main character reevaluates his life’s compass. With both sympathetic and antagonistic figures of faith in Under the Banner of Heaven, the series’ ending leaves a chilling message about the dangers associated with unyielding religious devotion.

What Happens In Under The Banner Of Heaven’s Ending

The end of Under the Banner of Heaven follows Detectives Jeb Pyre and Bill Taba tracking down Dan and Ron Lafferty at a casino in Nevada. Jeb realizes that they likely won’t find both brothers alive, as the prophecy of the One Mighty and Strong specifically indicates that only one of them was chosen by God. Proving himself right, Jeb finds the brothers in a bathroom where Ron is choking Dan to death with a belt, declaring that he must remove Dan as a false prophet. Andrew Garfield’s Under the Banner of Heaven character stops Ron before Dan can be killed, with both brothers being arrested for the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty.

Meanwhile, Ron’s ex-wife Dianna Lafferty had been on the run from Ron, with the police realizing she and her children would have been next on his murder list. When the police reach Dianna and the children safely, Dianna discovers that Brenda has been murdered. Dianna drives across the country back to Utah to save Matilda, Dan’s wife who has also been captive in the Lafferty brothers’ abusive sect. Dianna rescues Matilda at a gas station where she also tries to recruit Sam’s wife to come along, but Sam drives off before Sarah can make a decision. Once the Lafferty family’s brothers are apprehended and their wives are found safe, Jeb Pyre returns home to his own family where they join in prayer, though Pyre keeps his eyes open. As Under the Banner of Heaven ends, Jeb takes his mother to a river nearby where the two soak in the natural beauty.

Were The Murders Really About Religious Delusions?

Dan and Ron claim that the murders are of no personal account; they are simply obeying the commands of God to “remove” these individuals that came to Ron in a revelation. Since Ron now sees himself as the “One Mighty and Strong,” anything that he claims is the word of God will be considered as such by his brother as well. However, Ron himself knows this is not true, and that he’s using his delusions of religious grandeur to enact a personal, rageful vendetta against those who he blames for ending his marriage. Under the Banner of Heaven‘s Dan and Ron are narcissists who seek power above others and the will to do whatever they desire, which they conveniently find validation for in fundamentalist Latter-day Saint scriptures.

Ron and Dan were both found competent to stand trial for the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, with the prosecution and psychologists declaring that they knew exactly what they were doing when they murdered their sister-in-law and infant niece. Ron and Dan’s descent into religious extremism was fueled by their narcissistic pursuit of power and justification for their domestic abuse and violent rages. The religious scriptures enabled and fueled their brutalities, but their delusions of grandeur as “prophets” weren’t the cause of these murders.

What Matilda & Dianna’s Escapes Really Mean

After being assisted by the police, Dianna reads a letter from Under the Banner of Heaven‘s Brenda dated the day she died, which revealed how proud she was to have gotten Dianna to safety as part of her true calling. This inspires Dianna to go save Matilda, who is now in the same situation she was until Brenda helped get her out. This storyline in Under the Banner of Heaven’s ending was about the women being survivors of domestic abuse that was institutionalized and even supported by aspects of the LDS religion. Matilda and Dianna were subject to extreme violence and abuse at the hands of their husbands, where death was threatened whether they stayed or left.

Dan takes such threats directly from fundamentalist LDS teachings, but Under the Banner of Heaven also makes a point of how sexist and abusive such beliefs still were in 1984. Women were taught to be obedient to men, be perfect housewives, and bear children, with Allen pointing out to Jeb how the LDS Church would look down on and punish women who were independent and prioritized their free agency. Matilda and Dianna were soon subject to the abuse of women described in early LDS practices, with it seeming impossible to leave such situations without a network of outside assistance. Matilda couldn’t leave without fear that she would be killed or her daughters taken from her, while Dianna couldn’t have left without the encouragement from Brenda and financial assistance from the Lows and Stowes. These women knew they couldn’t rely on the church to get out either, as Brenda was simply told to stay in an abusive situation and bring the brothers back into the LDS Church.

While the men were aiding their brothers in the abuse of their wives, the wives worked together to get each other out of these horrible situations, with Dianna even risking her own life to help Matilda escape – just as Brenda did for her in Under the Banner of Heaven episode 4. When Dianna is finally able to get Matilda away from Sam Lafferty at the end of Under the Banner of Heaven, she berates the bystanders at the gas station who watched this abuse occur and did absolutely nothing to stop it. Sadly, this can often be the case for survivors of domestic abuse, as others will watch the abuse and understand the signs of danger, but simply look the other way and do nothing to help get them out.

Is Jeb Still An LDS Church Member In UTBOH’s Ending?

After questioning his faith in the LDS Church throughout Under the Banner of Heaven’s true crime story, Jeb Pyre finally comes to terms with the corruption of the institution he once pledged his life to. Jeb was condemned by one of the church’s bishops for refusing to lie about the FLDS associations with the murders, with Andrew Garfield’s character even admitting that he no longer believed in the words that were being preached. Becca had told Jeb that she married a man of faith, and would continue raising their daughters with one, whether that be him or another man.

In the end, after listening to Allen’s own words, Jeb appears to have decided that he will, in fact, remain a man of faith, just not to the Mormon church depicted in Under the Banner of Heaven. Rather, Jeb is putting his faith in his family and the miracles of everyday life, with his own intuition and dedication to his mother, wife, and children now being his moral compass in life. It’s unclear whether he’ll still give his testimony and continue to be a member of the LDS Church, but he won’t be as unyielding in his faith when Under the Banner of Heaven began.

What Happened To Dan & Ron Lafferty After Under The Banner Of Heaven’s Ending

Under the Banner of Heaven’s ending sees Dan and Ron Lafferty arrested for the murders of Brenda and Erica, but the series leaves their futures ambiguous. In real life, Under the Banner of Heaven’s characters were tried and convicted for the murders, with Dan receiving two life sentences while Ron was given the death sentence. Under the Banner of Heaven’s finale shows Ron attempting to kill the scripture-bearing Dan Lafferty before they’re arrested, but this actually happened while the two were awaiting trial in jail a few months later. Ron would try to appeal his death sentence several times over the years, with the murderer eventually dying of natural causes in November 2019. Dan Lafferty is still serving his life sentence in Utah State Prison today, with seemingly no remorse for the brutal killings.

What Under The Banner Of Heaven’s Ending Really Means

As has been hinted throughout the series, Under the Banner of Heaven’s ending is meant as a warning of unyielding faith, especially when such institutions continually demonstrate individuals’ abuse of religion for cruel actions and personal gain. Under the Banner of Heaven’s ending suggests that having faith is not the problem, but being unable to criticize any aspect of the leaders, practices, or teachings as a zealot is dangerous – not just for oneself, but for others as well. Under the Banner of Heaven frequently referenced instances of violence in Mormon history and abuse on behalf of the church’s leaders that they claimed as the will of God, with nobody stopping them for fear of betraying their faith. One’s own judgment must also be a guide in life, as Under the Banner of Heaven demonstrates that the truth of a religion’s history and patterns of abuse that are buried may undermine the rest of the words that are preached. Corruption can be found in such institutions that may preach otherwise, with unyielding faith even being used to justify the slaughter of innocents.

The meaning of Under the Banner of Heaven’s ending also preaches that faith doesn’t necessarily mean an organized religion or unbending devotion to God, as faith can be found in the belief of one’s own family or the miracles in the beauty of nature. Rather than only living for the entrance to an eternal afterlife with God, Under the Banner of Heaven’s true story ending emphasizes the importance of living and being in the moment. Jeb Pyre learns to look around at his family in every mundane moment and appreciates the fact that he’s able to observe the mountains and rivers with his mother, thus putting much of his faith in the secular aspects of life. Ron and Dan’s actions were of their own doings, not at the will of God. All the while, Jeb learns to appreciate life and family with a separation of them as a gift from God, as Under the Banner of Heaven’s ending sees him living in the present rather than waiting for eternity.