After 25 Years, 'Final Destination Bloodlines' Finally Revealed Tony Todd Character's True Identity
Now we know why William Bludworth knew so much about death cycles and how to break them. Here's the backstory of the franchise's most mysterious character.
Throughout the Final Destination franchise, William Bludworth, played by the late Tony Todd, has been the most mysterious character.
Bludworth appeared in three out of five films and provided a clue to understanding what was happening to the characters. He never seemed surprised by what happened to the characters who tricked death.
Final Destination Bloodlines finally revealed this character's secret.
The following text contains spoilers for Final Destination Bloodlines!
William Was the Boy Iris Saved in the Skyview Tower
According to the plot of Final Destination Bloodlines, in 1968, a pregnant woman named Iris Campbell foresaw a major disaster at the Skyview Tower. Thanks to her vision, she prevented the tragedy and saved many lives.
However, Death began hunting each survivor, taking them in the order they would have died in the tower. The last two on the list were Iris and a boy – the son of a singer from the restaurant.
From Iris's diary, her granddaughter, Stefani, learned about an old friend of her grandmother's. It turned out that he was a morgue worker named William Bludworth. His true identity and connection with the deadly cycles were kept secret by the creators for all 25 years of the franchise's existence.
William was the same boy Iris had saved in 1968. This explains his awareness of the death cycles and how to break them.
William Is Probably Already Dead
After learning of Iris's death, William realized that he could die at any moment because he was terminally ill.
After the events of Final Destination Bloodlines, William will die or has already died off-screen, which is more likely, as Tony Todd passed away in 2024.
In 'Final Destination Bloodlines', Tony Todd Went Off-Script to Say Goodbye to Viewers
Tony Todd was suffering from cancer. In an interview with USA Today directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein revealed that they knew this would most likely be the actor's last film and wanted to give him the opportunity to say goodbye his way:
“We asked Tony to put aside the script and just speak from the heart about what all this is about. [...] And the take that's in the film is him speaking from the heart, speaking right to the fans.”
William's farewell also marked the end of Tony Todd's path in cinema. In the movie, he said:
“I intend to enjoy the time I have left. And I suggest you do the same. Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. You never know when… Good luck.”
Despite his poor health, Tony Todd asked the directors to include his character in the sixth film and was enthusiastic and joyful on set.
