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 Damien’s origin story, tracing his birth back to his biological mother and the church’s true intentions for the Antichrist. The First Omen’s reviews have praised the movie for its scares and story, which admittedly retcons certain aspects of the original 1976’s 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 isn’t 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 doesn’t have a post-credits scene teasing any further connection to the franchise, it not only reveals Damien’s mother, but hints at a sequel thanks to a couple major twists.
In The First Omen’s ending, Margaret’s fate is revealed as Damien’s 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 Antichrist’s birth to follow Margaret on her journey.
Despite being Margaret’s 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 “666” mark on her head. Margaret being revealed as Damien’s mother is a game-changer for the franchise, especially considering the film’s ending. Margaret being Damien’s mother somewhat changes The Omen’s Damien origin story, which posited the Antichrist’s biological mother was a female jackal. It’s 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 Damien’s mother is dead, but The First Omen’s ending, which takes place several years after Damien’s birth, reveals Margaret is alive and living with Carlita and her daughter in seclusion. Father Brennan finds Margaret, warning her that the church knows she’s alive. With that in mind, it’s possible Margaret is alive during the events of The Omen. While she’s 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 didn’t, 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 Margaret’s story could connect to Damien’s in a bigger way, coming full circle. One would imagine she’s curious about the son she couldn’t bring herself to kill despite knowing his fate.
One of the biggest surprises of The First Omen comes at the end, when it’s 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 isn’t included in The Omen film franchise. While Margaret ran away with her baby girl, the twist indicates Damien’s sister — who remains unnamed — could reappear in the future. The filmmakers wouldn’t have kept her alive otherwise.
By The First Omen’s conclusion, Margaret’s daughter is the same age as Damien is in The Omen. The original film doesn’t mention Damien has a sister, but The First Omen twist works within the scope of the story because the Vizzardeli wouldn’t have acknowledged Damien’s sister’s 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 didn’t immediately realize they hadn’t died in the fire in 1971. And it’s likely Margaret didn’t 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 what’s coming. However, The First Omen’s 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 Damien’s twin sister also possesses the same powers as he does, a sequel to The First Omen could explore the twin sister’s side of the story. What’s more, with the church knowing of Margaret and her baby daughter’s survival, it’s 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 Damien’s birth has proven to be brutal and relentless, so they won’t stop searching for Margaret now that they know she’s alive.
Crucially, the church may see Damien’s twin sister as a potential threat to his rise and power. There’s 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 prequel’s ending seems to take place during the original film. There’s a chance Margaret may want to confront Damien, or at least attempt to reveal the circumstances of his birth. After all, Damien doesn’t 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 it’s set immediately after the prequel’s ending, then The First Omen sequel could follow Margaret, Carlita, and Damien’s twin sister without upsetting the timeline of the overall franchise. It’s possible The First Omen’s ending is setting up a reunion with Damien’s family, or it’s 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 there’s plenty left to tell with the ending being more open-ended.