Netflix Series DARK Season 3 ending explained

Want the DARK Season 3 ending explained? We’ve tried to answer the most asked questions regarding the final season of the Netflix sci-fi series. Here’s our take on the Netflix Dark series ending. *SPOILERS*

Want the Netflix series Dark season 3 ending explained? We’ve got you covered. We’ve been huge fans of the series from the very beginning and simply devoured the final season when we received screeners for all episodes in season 3.

Already before the final season of this brilliant German sci-fi series was released on Netflix, we knew there would be questions. Since its release, we’ve seen even more questions than we anticipated regarding the Dark season 3 ending and plot.

Obviously, this post will be full of spoilers regarding key plot elements from the entire Dark series – including the actual series ending.

If you’re looking for a spoiler-free Season 3 review of Dark, just click here to read it >

Netflix series Dark season 3 ending explained

Let’s get into the Dark season 3 (and series) ending by answering some of the most asked questions. Maybe we’ll answer a few of yours along the way, as well.

Will there be a season 4 of Dark?

No! The Dark series was always meant to be a trilogy, so forget about getting a season 4 of Dark.

Everything about this series revolves around the number three (three time periods at first and three worlds in the end). Season 3 of Dark is the final season.

What is the origin of time travel and the loop?

Well, the apocalypse is the origin of the time loop. And while we always thought that the apocalypse was due to an accident at the nuclear power plant, we learn something new in season 3.

Towards the very end of season 3, we learn that the apocalypse happens because H.G. Tannhaus attempts to build a time machine.

He succeeds (obviously) to some degree. However, what also happens is that he essentially splits the natural world into two new worlds. One world is the world we’ve come to know during the first two seasons. The other world is B World that we’ve become very familiar with in season 3.

Neither of these two worlds is the real natural world. Instead, there is a third world. I mean, of course, there is. Everything in Dark is all about the number three!

Is Agnes Nielsen the beginning and the end?

Agnes Nielsen seems like she’s the beginning according to the mirrored family tree we see over and over again.

Or rather, the infinity symbol is the beginning of both family trees. We also see from this dual (or mirrored) family tree that Tronte Nielsen is the son of Agnes Nielsen and whoever hides behind the infinity symbol.

So, what does that mean?

Who is Tronte Nielsen’s father?

Agnes Nielsen is the mother of Tronte Nielsen while the infinity symbol is the father. That’s clue number 1.

Clue number 2 is the fact that Jonas and Martha’s child is the origin of the infinity loop (the beginning and the end).

So, what do these two clues tell us? That the father of Trone Nielsen is the child of Martha and Jonas.

The child of Martha and Jonas has no name (according to himself), but he is the male character with the cleft palate.

He always travels as all three versions (boy, adult, and old man) and keeps the loop going.

He is the beginning because he is the origin of the family tree that cannot exist.

And he is the end because his only purpose is to keep everyone on their assigned track so that the loop can continue.

We do not, however, know the how and why of Tronte Nielsen’s conception.

It’s hard to believe Agnes was married to this man, which leaves a much more sinister answer (such as rape). Something very much in line with this character doing only what he was brought into this world to do; Keep the loop going.

Who is Helge Doppler’s father?

Helge Doppler’s biological father is Anatol Veliev. Probably a USSR soldier since Helge was born during World War 2 (around 1943/1944) and Helge’s mother, Gerda Doppler, did indicate that she was raped.

Bernd Doppler is his adoptive father and loves him as his own. In fact, he tends to show much more love and affection than Gerda Doppler, who probably associates her son with the rape she endured.

Who is Peter Doppler’s mother?

Peter Doppler’s mother is Ulla Schmidt. This is not someone we know, so you don’t need to rack your brain for more information. From the Dark series, we simply know that Peter Doppler arrived in Winden after his mother died.

Before passing away, she told him that his father was Helge Doppler and that he lived in Winden. Naturally, Peter goes to live with his father after the death of his mother.

This is true for all three worlds since it’s a natural event and not related to time travel. Essentially, we only know that Peter Doppler’s mother is Ulla Schmidt because she is listed as such on the official Dark family tree.

Who is Regina’s father?

Well, it’s certainly not Tronte Nielsen which is why she is sitting at the table in the very final scene in the natural world.

Tronte Nielsen did believe himself to be the father of Regina, which is why it was very difficult for him to kill her when she was sick with cancer and struggling to stay alive after the apocalypse. She was only still alive because Claudia Tiedemann thought she could save her daughter.

Claudia tells Tronte the truth as they stand by Regina’s grave.

Regina’s father is Bernd Doppler, which should make Helge her brother on their father’s side. However, as covered above, Helge isn’t the biological son of Bernd, so there’s no blood relation there after all.

Why did Noah do experiments on children in the bunker in Dark?

When Noah experiments on kids in the bunker, he is trying to get a time machine working. Just as Jonas is when trapped in the past during season 3, where he slowly turns into the scarred man who will be Adam.

What happened to Wöller’s eye?

In every world (season 1’s original world, B world and, finally, the natural world), Wöller has some sort of physical injury.

It’s almost a running joke that we never find out how or why he obtains these serious injuries. That’s also why the power goes out when he is just about to answer this question during the final scene.

Remember; What we know is a drop. What we don’t know is an ocean!

Oh, we do, however, know that Wöller’s first name is Torben, making his full name Torben Wöller.

What’s the explanation behind the moving scars?

You’ve probably noticed that the scar on Martha’s cheek (below her eye) moves a few times. It changes sides, to be precise. The same goes for the trio (boy, adult, and old man) that walk around together. They are one and the same person, which is revealed upon the introduction of this character due to their matching cleft palate scars.

This person is, as covered in the previous answer, the son of Jonas Kahnwald and Martha Nielsen. Not the Martha Nielsen from season 1 and 2, but the B World Martha. Essentially, this makes the person a product of two people from different worlds.

Could the scars simply switch sides depending on whether the person is in the original world from the first two seasons or in B World? Or maybe it has to do with whether they are on the inside or the outside of the time loop?

Yes, there are even more worlds/realities, since you can move in two worlds and on two sides of the times loop.

These two theories certainly seem to be the prevalent theories and they do make the most sense.

How does Jonas become Adam?

In terms of visual appearance, the one line “Time traveling has taken its toll on Jonas” is pretty much meant to explain how Jonas turns into the badly scarred Adam.

When it comes to ideology and beliefs, it is literally a lifetime worth of lessons and trying to figure out how it’s all connected.

This just might be the weakest of the “reveals” in the Dark season 3 ending.

How many worlds are there in Dark?

As already covered in the above answer about the origin of the time loop, there are three worlds.

Of course, most fans of the German sci-fi series on Netflix will already have guessed that there are three worlds.

To be more specific, there was one world that was split into two unnatural alternatives. This happened when H.G. Tannhaus tried to make a time machine to save his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild from dying in a car accident.

Why can’t Jonas and Martha survive?

After realizing that both his own and B World are unnatural products of H.G. Tannhaus’ time machine experiment, the answer becomes obvious to Jonas.

Jonas finally realizes that neither he nor Martha are supposed to exist since they are not of the natural and original world.

Martha and Jonas manage to travel to the natural world through the caves. Once there, they prevent H.G. Tannhaus’ family from dying in the car accident. Thus preventing him from ever attempting to build a time machine to save them.

By doing this, they remove the origin from existence since their son will never be born to begin the crazy family tree of the Dark universe.

Where is season 2’s Detective Clausen long lost brother?

This is just one of those unsolved mysteries. We never get an actual answer to this. Once again, there are theories and hints here and there. However, an actual and definitive answer is not given.

Just like in real life, there are things (crimes, especially) that will always remain unsolved.

Who is Boris Niewald in Dark?

Well, that really is the question, isn’t it?!  The name Niewald could easily be a combination of the names Nielsen and Kahnwald.

The simple answer is that Boris Niewald is the real name of Aleksander Tiedemann (Regina’s husband).

Boris Niewald took on a new identity after he took the life of another man in an accidental killing and needed to disappear.

Who is Hannah sitting next to in the Dark series final scene?

Hannah appears to be married to (and certainly very pregnant with) Torben Wöller. We’ve only seen him in the 2019-2020 time frame and he is a police officer who seems very decent and righteous. Well, he did help Aleksander Tiedemann (aka Boris Niewald) but never seemed happy to do so.

Just as it was the case in the original Dark world, where he was wearing an eye-patch, and in B World, where he is missing an arm, he also has an eye injury in this natural world. We still do not find out how he got injured, which is one of the only things we never get an answer to in the entire Dark universe.

Also, we know he is the brother of Benni (Bernadette).

Who is Peter Doppler with in the Dark season 3 ending final scene?

Peter Doppler is finally with the character Benni, who was a trans woman, he had an affair with during season 1.

In this natural world, the two appear to be a very happy couple.

Who survives in Dark season 3?

Survival is definitely the wrong word to use since it’s more about who naturally exists. All the people/characters, who only exist due to time travel, will cease to exist.

During the final scene, we see the six characters who actually exist in the natural world.

This means the following remain:

Katharina – but not Ulrich or their kids: Magnus, Martha or Mikkel

Regina – who does not get cancer in this world

Hannah – but not Jonas since his father Mikkel never exists

Peter Doppler – but not his wife Charlotte nor their children Elisabeth and Franziska.

Torben Wöller – the police officer with the eye patch (or missing arm in B World)

Benni – the trans woman we knew as living a miserable life in a trailer and having an affair with Peter Doppler

That’s it really… obviously, their parents exist as well, but that’s it.

Is Jonas dead?

Actually, by changing the events that opened up the portal, Jonas and Martha didn’t exactly die. Instead, they changed circumstances so much that they never came into existence.

The final line in the Dark season 3 ending is Hannah saying she always liked the name Jonas when asked if they’ve decided on a name for the child.

Yes, this does mean that a child named Jonas will come into existence. However, since Mikkel is never born and therefore cannot father the Jonas we know, this child will be a different Jonas.

Why does Martha cease to exist?

In the remaining natural world, only those who are a natural part of it can exist. Martha cannot exist because her father Ulrich doesn’t exist.

Just like Jonas couldn’t exist in B World because Mikkel was never transported back to 1986 in that world. When he didn’t grow up as Michael Kahnwald to become Jonas’s father, then Jonas was never born.

Why isn’t Ulrich in the final scene?

Hold on to your seat, because now you’re asking the question that leads you right down the rabbit hole.

The unnatural part of Jonas and Martha’s existence did not begin with Mikkel traveling back in time from 2019 to 1986. It began with Mikkel’s father, Ulrich Nielsen, who is also the father of Martha and Magnus.

And we have to go further back to explain why Ulrich Nielsen cannot exist.

Ulrich is the son of Tronte Nielsen. And Tronte Nielsen is the son of Agnes Nielsen and the Unknown man (the origin).

Also, both Agnes and Noah are actually the children of Bartosz Tiedemann and Silja Kahnwald. They had the two kids while being trapped in the 1920s.

Who is Silja Kahnwald?

Silja was the daughter of Hannah Kahnwald and Egon Tiedemann. Yes, Hannah, the mother of Jonas. And Egon, the father of Claudia Tiedemann. Key characters to the whole Dark universe.

This makes Silja the halfsister of Jonas and Claudia. It also means that Noah is the nephew of Jonas and Claudia. Plus, it means they’re both directly related to Charlotte and Elizabeth.

In any case, Hannah would never have had Silja if it wasn’t for time-traveling herself. Egon Tiedemann stayed in his own timeline, so he isn’t the issue, but Hannah is.

Everything that comes after Silja ceases to exist.

If Silja doesn’t exist, then she cannot give birth to Agnes and Noah, which means both Tronte and Charlotte respectively cannot exist, since they are the offspring of the siblings.

This, in turn, means Tronte doesn’t live to father Ulrich who then cannot have his three kids: Magnus, Martha, and Mikkel (who cannot become Michael and father Jonas).

Also, since Charlotte cannot exist, she cannot give birth to Elisabeth, who will grow up to be her own mother. I know, it’s crazy, but we went through this with the Dark season 2 ending explained;

Yes, Charlotte is born by Elisabeth who she will herself grow up to give birth to. The most literal circle of life!

Want the Dark mindf*ck to continue?

In the B World of Season 3, Charlotte and Ulrich have an affair.

Ulrich’s grandmother is Agnes Nielsen.

Charlotte’s father (and great grandfather due to the above “circle of life” conundrum) is Noah.

Agnes and Noah are brother and sister.

There is a lot of cousin-banging going on in the small town of Winden in B World.

The ultimate love story of Dark

While the focus has been on the Jonas & Martha love story, this isn’t actually the main love story of Dark, when you look back.

Jonas and Martha were never naturally meant to exist since they were the product of a time machine experiment by H.G. Tannhaus that went terribly wrong.

Instead, the two people who are together in every one of the three worlds (regardless of consequence) are Peter Doppler and Bernadette/Benjamin Wöller.

In the original world from season 1 (aka Adam’s world), Peter Doppler is married to Charlotte but has an affair with the trans sex worker, Bernadette. We come to know that Bernadette is the sister of police officer Torben Wöller.

After the apocalypse, Bernadette’s picture is seen among those who died. Peter moves into Bernadette’s caravan with his daughter, Elisabeth, who is the only surviving member of Peter Doppler’s family in this world and timeline.

In B world (aka Eva’s world), Peter Doppler is once again married to Charlotte. She now has an affair with Ulrich Nielsen (who is a real bastard in every world) while Peter Doppler seems to be having a romantic relationship of some kind with Benjamin Wöller.

Charlotte walks in on the two of them sitting close and having an intimate moment in church, where Peter is a Priest. In this world, Benjamin has not transitioned which is why we don’t see Bernadette.

Finally, in the real and natural world, we see Peter Doppler and Bernadette Wöller being together at the dinner table with Katharina, Regina, Hannah, and Torben Wöller.

This makes Peter and Bernadette the original and only “real” couple of the series. They are the only two people who naturally exist in all three worlds and end up together every single time.

The ultimate love story of endurance and choice!

Can the Dark ending actually work?

Some are wondering about the Dark season 3 ending by asking if it isn’t itself a problem due to the rules laid out over three seasons.

Shouldn’t the natural world be impacted by the fact that the clockmaker, H.G. Tannhaus, doesn’t lose his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild? After all, this one event changes his actions and will lead to events that would not have otherwise occurred.

These three people now only exist in the natural world due to time (and alternative world) traveling Jonas and Martha preventing the car accident.

Essentially, three people, who should be dead, continue to live. Can this really be okay?

Sure, it stops the world from being split into two alternative worlds with time travel, loops, and a lot of strangely incestuous relationships, but still… it’s not the natural destiny.

Could this in itself be part of the Dark universe mystery?!

What about all the unanswered questions in Dark?

To quote the show itself: “What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean”.

We will never know everything. We simply can’t. Such is the nature of life itself.

For everything else, however, there is the most extensive and 100% accurate source (because the people who created Dark made it) right here: https://darknetflix.io/

Have fun going down that rabbit hole!

That’s it. We hope the above little Q&A helped explain any questions you had about the Dark series ending or plot.