Warning: This post contains major spoilers for The First Omen
The First Omen has a major Damien connection, and introduces a franchise twist that could lead to future movies. Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, The First Omen follows Damienโs origin story, tracing his birth back to his biological mother and the churchโs true intentions for the Antichrist. The First Omenโs reviews have praised the movie for its scares and story, which admittedly retcons certain aspects of the original 1976โs The Omen.
The horror film takes a different approach to the story, but ultimately connects it to Damien, all while introducing new twists along the way. In The First Omen, Damien isnโt born until the very end, and we witness how it all happened. The First Omen is set in 1971, and sees the arrival of Margaret, a novitiate who works at the Italian orphanage before taking the veil. Although The First Omen doesnโt have a post-credits scene teasing any further connection to the franchise, it not only reveals Damienโs mother, but hints at a sequel thanks to a couple major twists.
In The First Omenโs ending, Margaretโs fate is revealed as Damienโs mother. Margaret spent the majority of the horror film trying to protect Carlita from a terrible fate, unknowing that it was she who was being prepped all along to deliver Damien. While The Omen had confirmed Damien had a biological mother, her actual identity had never been revealed to the audience. The First Omen returns to the days before the Antichristโs birth to follow Margaret on her journey.
Despite being Margaretโs biological son, Damien was forced into existence by the Catholic Church. And although Margaret herself was born under unnatural circumstances, she, like Damien, looks human save for the โ666โ mark on her head. Margaret being revealed as Damienโs mother is a game-changer for the franchise, especially considering the filmโs ending. Margaret being Damienโs mother somewhat changes The Omenโs Damien origin story, which posited the Antichristโs biological mother was a female jackal. Itโs possible the remains of the jackal shown in the first film were actually that of the male jackal that was burned in the prequel.
The Omen suggests Damienโs mother is dead, but The First Omenโs ending, which takes place several years after Damienโs birth, reveals Margaret is alive and living with Carlita and her daughter in seclusion. Father Brennan finds Margaret, warning her that the church knows sheโs alive. With that in mind, itโs possible Margaret is alive during the events of The Omen. While sheโs said to be dead, it could be the church lied about her fate (highly probable considering how they lied to Margaret), or that the Vizzardeli managed to find and kill her before the events of The Omen.
Considering the Vizzardeli could have killed her at the end of The First Omen and didnโt, Margaret staying alive must mean something for the future of the franchise. Her story seems far from over, and there is plenty left to explore of her journey. Will Margaret ever meet Damien? How would he respond to knowing his biological mother is still alive? These are questions another film could answer, and Margaretโs story could connect to Damienโs in a bigger way, coming full circle. One would imagine sheโs curious about the son she couldnโt bring herself to kill despite knowing his fate.
One of the biggest surprises of The First Omen comes at the end, when itโs revealed that Margaret gave birth to a boy and a girl. While the church only needed the boy for their Antichrist plans, they were going to kill Margaret and her baby girl in one fell swoop, leaving no evidence behind. Damien having a sister is a new reveal that isnโt included in The Omen film franchise. While Margaret ran away with her baby girl, the twist indicates Damienโs sister โ who remains unnamed โ could reappear in the future. The filmmakers wouldnโt have kept her alive otherwise.
By The First Omenโs conclusion, Margaretโs daughter is the same age as Damien is in The Omen. The original film doesnโt mention Damien has a sister, but The First Omen twist works within the scope of the story because the Vizzardeli wouldnโt have acknowledged Damienโs sisterโs existence to begin with. To be sure, the only reason Margaret and her daughter are even still alive by the end of The First Omen is because the church didnโt immediately realize they hadnโt died in the fire in 1971. And itโs likely Margaret didnโt tell her daughter about her brother or his fate.
The First Omen ends with the tease that Damien has been taken in by Robert Thorn, so that he can grow up with all the privileges life can offer. The ending is ominous despite the audience already knowing whatโs coming. However, The First Omenโs ending sets up a sequel to the prequel film, one that could follow Margaret and her daughter, who seems to be presented as a contrast to Damien as the Antichrist.
With the possibility that Damienโs twin sister also possesses the same powers as he does, a sequel to The First Omen could explore the twin sisterโs side of the story. Whatโs more, with the church knowing of Margaret and her baby daughterโs survival, itโs possible a prequel sequel could see them, along with Carlita, leaving their place of hiding and going on the run. The faction of the church who forced Damienโs birth has proven to be brutal and relentless, so they wonโt stop searching for Margaret now that they know sheโs alive.
Crucially, the church may see Damienโs twin sister as a potential threat to his rise and power. Thereโs no doubt they will want to get rid of her before Damien learns of her existence. The First Omen sequel could potentially be set during the same time frame as The Omen; it makes sense considering the prequelโs ending seems to take place during the original film. Thereโs a chance Margaret may want to confront Damien, or at least attempt to reveal the circumstances of his birth. After all, Damien doesnโt learn of his destiny as the Antichrist until Damien – Omen II.
A sequel to The First Omen could still fit into the franchise despite certain alterations to the story. If itโs set immediately after the prequelโs ending, then The First Omen sequel could follow Margaret, Carlita, and Damienโs twin sister without upsetting the timeline of the overall franchise. Itโs possible The First Omenโs ending is setting up a reunion with Damienโs family, or itโs going to pit Margaret against the church once more. Either way, the possibilities are endless in terms of where the story could go, especially since thereโs plenty left to tell with the ending being more open-ended.