What Happens To The Roys After The Succession Series Finale

The Succession series finale ended as we all should have expected, with no Roy in the driver’s seat, so now the question is, what happens to everyone afterward? In the Succession series finale, despite the efforts of Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), Waystar RoyCo ends up being sold to GoJo and Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård). The Roy dynasty is over, brought down by the feuding children who would rather blow everything up than allow one another to have a victory over each other. It’s a fantastic ending that appropriately capped off one of the best shows in the last 15 years.

The Roy family tree is a surprisingly closely cropped one, a result of three of Logan’s (Brian Cox) children not having any kids of their own. When it comes down to it, there are few remaining actual bloodline Roys at all. Kendall, Siobhan (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin), and Connor (Alan Ruck) are Logan’s only children. Then Logan has one brother, Ewan (James Cromwell), who has a grandson, Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun). Even the paternity of Kendall’s two children is called into question. What happens to the Roy family after the finale is a question of six individuals.

6. Kendall Roy

Lost His Chance To Run Waystar RoyCo

Kendall is arguably the main character of Succession, and while everyone has their moment, Kendall’s story always seemed to take slightly more precedence. The series even ends on Kendall, staring out onto the Hudson River, considering everything he’s lost in just a few short hours. What happens next is up to anyone’s interpretation. There’s an argument that Kendall throws himself into the river, deciding to kill himself, as he’s often contemplated before. Strong even attempted to climb the railing and head towards the water in an improvised shot (via Variety).

There’s also the possibility that Kendall struggles forward, a shadow of who he once was. Director Mark Mylod says that this is definitely an option, and it would be an even more tragic fate for Kendall (via THR),

“So we don’t necessarily need to go to that kind of literal, physical move toward that railing. By not implicitly doing that, we keep open another and perhaps even more likely but equally tragic future for the character, and that is that he would just have to live out his life in that purposeful emptiness of unfulfilled destiny. A purgatory of unfulfilled ambition for the character.”

Having Kendall sit with his failure would be the ultimate punishment, and for a man who constantly needs to be doing “something” to be fulfilled, the prospect that he would never amount to anything does feel like an appropriately tragic arc. I imagine Kendall does not kill himself, but leads an opulent, wealthy life that he finds unfulfilling and meaningless.

5. Siobhan “Shiv” Roy

Stays Married To Tom Wambsgans

At the end of Succession, Shiv can’t overcome the disgust that comes with seeing one of her brothers on top, lording over her as they so often have, and she casts the vote that ends Kendall’s dream of being CEO. Then she takes her place at Tom’s (Matthew Macfadyen) side, once again putting herself under the thumb of another powerful, striving man. It’s almost poetic that for all of Shiv’s angling to be on top and take control of her life, she basically surrenders to Tom, someone she thinks she’s too good for.

Mylod thinks their marriage will survive, but with some caveats, “But I do think there is a future for them, I’m just not sure how happy it is“. Shiv’s best hope for the future is to be a better version of Caroline Collingwood (Harriet Walter). I imagine she will likely divorce Tom in the future, probably after they have a few kids. While Tom seemed to have actually loved her, that link may have permanently ruptured, and there’s no going back. She’ll live a guided, lonely life, but I could see Shiv being a tad warmer than her own mother.

4. Roman Roy

Sips A Martini Alone

Roman ends Succession, maybe having learned and changed the least of all three main siblings. That’s fitting, as he’s the most self-aware among himself, Shiv, and Kendall. There’s a tragedy to the idea that after four seasons, Roman has learned nothing more than to enjoy martinis as his drink of choice, but it’s possible that Roman has the greatest chance for success out of anyone. He knows the siblings are “bullshit“. They’re playing with toy soldiers and never should have been in the game for Waystar.

He’s also the one who actually seemed interested in pursuing something on his own. When the siblings left Waystar, he wanted to do The 100 more than either of them. Roman is a character who does have an interest in “making his own pile”, as his father once put it. For that, I imagine Roman will land on his feet, or at least land as well as someone like Roman can, which means he’ll probably cut his own legs out from under himself at the worst moment.

3. Ewan Roy

Votes Against The GoJo Deal

After Ewan makes his impressive speech at his brother’s funeral in Succession season 4, episode 9, “Church and State”, you would think that he would want the Roy family name washed from Waystar. However, he ends up voting against the GoJo deal, effectively a vote for Kendall. Evidently, he sees a massive media conglomerate being absorbed by an even bigger entity as a worse course than Kendall taking over the company.

Ewan’s fate is easy to predict. He probably returns home to Canada, and likely cuts his ties completely with his grandson, Gregory. He’s never liked Greg working at Waystar, and he’s probably even less enthused about him working for an arguably more destructive company. Ewan still has plenty of stock with Waystar and probably received a massive payout from the sale. He’s free to do what he wants with all that money, but if his old threats still stand, Ewan will probably donate it all to Greenpeace.

2. Greg Hirsch

Saved By Tom Wambsga

Greg Hirsch is the parasite of the Roy family who has been hanging on to power by his fingernails through all four seasons. Despite the abuse he receives, the congressional hearings he’s put in front of, and the mistakes he’s made, his craftiness, legitimate work ethic, and willingness to keep a low profile served him greatly. He nearly blew everything up in the finale, but Tom saves him in the final moments of the show. He’s a pariah and a sneak, but at the end of the day, he’s still Tom’s friend.

Greg tried to make a savvy move by taking out Tom, and as much as that made Tom angry, it’s also what he’s been teaching him all series long. These two are bonded by something more than work, and where Tom goes, Greg follows. It’s very likely that Greg will keep rising in the ranks after the show. He knows where his bread is buttered now, and as much as Greg and Tom fight, insult, and betray one another, they are inseparable.

1. Connor Roy

“Happily” Married To Willa And Living In Logan’s Old Apartment

Connor Roy may not be one of the top three Roy siblings, but the forgotten eldest boy has one of the most fascinating arcs in Succession. More than even Roman, Connor knows who he is, as much as a Roy can. Connor ends Succesion married to Willa (Justine Lupe), and while there are still a lot of questions regarding that marriage, both parties seem to have come to an understanding with one another about what their love means.

Connor now lives in his father’s home, appears to have had the best relationship with Logan out of any Roy sibling, and he seems mildly content and satisfied with where he’s landed in life. I highly doubt Connor and Willa will stay married for long, but if and when they do break up, I imagine it will be a fairly amicable affair. Connor will dabble in fringe politics, collect Napoleonic body parts, and do what few other characters in Succession ever do, actually enjoy being unfathomably wealthy and avoid overthinking it.