Spoilers throughout. The film’s explicit reveal is that James Lasombra is a tulpa created by the Pontifex Institute to serve as a vessel for the entity it seeks. But the ending leaves room for a second reading: James may accept Amanda’s explanation because grief makes it easier to believe than face his loss. Writer-director David Prior intended those possibilities to coexist, though the supernatural explanation is the plot’s foregrounded reveal.
What happens at the end of The Empty Man?
James’s investigation leads him to the Pontifex Institute’s records, where his identity appears assembled from details belonging to other people. Amanda tells him that he is the group’s tulpa: a person brought into being as an “empty” vessel for the presence the Institute wants to reach.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
The Empty Man (Movie Tie-In Edition) | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Empty man [DVD] (DVD) JAPANESE EDITION](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41up7nbjvTL._SL160_.jpg)
|
Empty man [DVD] (DVD) JAPANESE EDITION | $44.61 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
The Empty Man | $12.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
The Empty Man (2018) #1 | $3.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
The Empty Man: Recurrence | $8.99 | Buy on Amazon |
That explanation reframes James’s life, including his memories and relationships. Under the supernatural reading, his traumatic past is not simply a history he happened to acquire; it is part of the identity designed for him. The film does not, however, provide an independent confirmation that eliminates every doubt about Amanda’s account.
Is James real, or is he a tulpa?
Within the film’s supernatural explanation, James is real as a person who has been created by the Institute, rather than someone who has merely imagined the investigation. “Tulpa” here does not mean a generic hallucination: it is the group’s proposed created person, shaped to function as a vessel.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches#1 Best Overall
Prior described the twist as making trauma part of James’s “programming.” That idea connects the constructed identity to the painful life James believes he has lived. It does not establish that every earlier event was fabricated, or provide a definitive scene-by-scene account of what was objectively real.
Two readings of the final reveal
| Reading | How it interprets the ending | What it emphasizes |
|---|---|---|
| Supernatural | Amanda’s explanation describes the reality of the plot: the Pontifex Institute created James as a tulpa and intended him to be a vessel. | The records, the Institute’s project, and the film’s explicit reveal. |
| Psychological | James may accept Amanda’s story because grief and denial make it something he desperately wants to believe. | His loss and the possibility that the final explanation is subjective rather than externally verified. |
Prior said he wanted the readings to exist side by side. In a 2021 interview with MUBI Notebook, he described the possibility that James’s grief is so poorly processed that he believes what Amanda tells him in the hospital because it reinforces his denial. This makes the psychological reading intentional, not a reason to treat the supernatural reveal as absent. The two interpretations are not presented with identical plot support: the tulpa explanation is the story’s explicit account, while grief and denial preserve uncertainty around James’s acceptance of it.
What the ending means for James’s grief
The reveal ties James’s trauma to the Institute’s purpose: a damaged identity is suited to the vessel the group wants. In the supernatural reading, that turns his suffering into part of a design. In the psychological reading, the same suffering helps explain why he might grasp Amanda’s account as a way to avoid confronting loss. The ambiguity is about how to understand the final explanation, not a clear declaration that the entire film was a delusion.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the film relates to the graphic novel
20th Century Studios identifies the film as drawn from Boom! Studios graphic material. Prior described the source as a larger, apocalypse-centered story and the movie as taking a different approach. The graphic novel is a companion for readers interested in the source, not a decoder key that settles the film’s James-specific ending.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Rank #4
Rank #3
Film details
- Written and directed by: David Prior.
- Release date: October 23, 2020.
- Runtime: 2 hours 17 minutes.
These details are listed by 20th Century Studios.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
