The Iron Giant's Perfect Ending Left One Dark Loose End

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The Iron Giant is a beloved animation classic, but an addition made by the Signature Edition may have actually brought attention to a dark plot hole in the film. The movie is a good bit of wholesome family fun, featuring the time-honored formula of «A boy and his...» In a similar vein to the '80s juggernaut that was E.T Extraterrestial, this one features a friend from space, but with a far less innocent origin. Despite learning about the titular Iron Giant's true capabilities around the film's climax, audiences are treated to a feel-good, optimistic ending. Except there's still the question of the giant's origin and why he came to Earth that goes unexplained in the original cut.

When the Signature Edition of the film came out, it added a couple of deleted scenes back to the movie. One of which further elaborated upon the origin of the giant through a dream sequence. In this particular scene, the giant has a flashback that manifests as a nightmare, showing legions of others like him, decimating alien worlds. The scene answered a number of questions about the Iron Giant, where he came from, and what his original objective was.

Related: A Marvel Hero Just Stole The Iron Giant’s Catchphrase

It's the updated information around the Iron Giant's origin, however, that paints a grim picture for the future of Earth. If the Iron Giant really is part of a larger force, what's stopping that army of identical models from coming to wreak havoc? Were that to happen, the charmingly optimistic ending of the first film actually could be spun in a much more ominous direction and likely spell doom for the little blue planet.

The Iron Giant is clear that the title character is only benevolent due to a specific set of circumstances that would