Major Grom: Plague Doctor Plot Synopsis
Major Grom: Plague Doctor is a Russian action film that takes tried and tested tropes from different superhero pictures and blends them together. The result is a refreshingly original and wholly familiar take on the genre. At the center of this is police detective Igor Grom who’s synonymous with managing to prevent crimes through any means necessary. Unfortunately this also causes Igor to become shunned by his own police force after some rather heavy-handed methods. Contrasting this though is the rise of a mystery masked vigilante known as the plague doctor. As this vigilante starts killing, society turns to his side given his promise to take out the upper echelons of society. This leaves Igor and his new sidekick Dima to try and put a stop to him before it’s too late.
What is the Plague Doctor’s motivation?
The Plague Doctor plays on the crooked judicial system to turn society over to his side. After a string of killings to various powerful players around Russia, the Plague Doctor’s popularity skyrockets online via the social network Zmeste. Late on during the final skirmish, the Plague Doctor convinces a whole host of rioters outside to pick up where he left off. He’s at the end of his ropes and about to be stopped but is determined to go down as a martyr. He convinces them this is the right thing to do, as they too don plague doctor masks before hitting the streets. The Plague Doctor is actually manipulating all these people, intent on killing two birds with one stone given his disdain for “lowlifes” as well as the rich.
Who is the plague doctor?
Throughout the movie we’re led to believe that Sergei is the right-hand man to murderous Oleg. In reality, Oleg is actually just a hallucination. Sergei has been imagining his childhood friend all this time as the masked vigilante. Oleg died back in the Syrian War and it has certainly affected him quite badly. In reality, Sergei seems to be suffering from Schizophrenia. He sees himself, complete with blackened eyes, pulling the strings. This is a physical manifestation of his own dark persona, which for too long has been projected across into this idyllic version of his friend. When he dons the plague doctor outfit himself, Sergei becomes the darker, more irrational form of himself.
Is Sergey captured in the end?
With Oleg off the police force and the Plague Doctor descending on the city, St Petersburg erupts into riots and flames. The Plague Doctor pulls the strings from up high but with some help from Grom and his merry band of misfits, they manage to capture him. There’s a moment where Grom imagines pushing Sergei out the top of this high-rise but thinks twice when guerilla blogger-reporter Yulia Pchelkina records Sergei’s confession. With Sergei locked up behind bars, the authorities promise big changes and to overhaul the judicial system to make things fairer. While they do, Grom and Yulia hang out on a rooftop and discuss what it really means to be a hero. Here, the film’s motif about stopping villains being the true act of heroism is showcased. It’s a nice moment, and one that reinforces that you don’t always need superpowers to do the right thing.
Is there a post-credit scene?
Yes! Stick around after the credits as Plague Doctor: Major Grom teases a sequel. During this epilogue, Sergei is being kept in an insane asylum. The nasty persona of Sergei manifests itself behind him, complete with brilliant black wings and a maniacal grin. He whispers in Sergei’s ear and promises that they’ll be released soon. If he is, could it set up another showdown between Grom and Sergei? Thanks for reading our Ending Explained article! What did you think of the ending? Do you think there will be a sequel? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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