Road House (2024) Ending Explained: Dalton’s Fate, Knox’s Return, and What That Post-Credit Scene Might Mean

This time around, the character Dalton is presented as a former UFC fighter with a troubled history, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. He arrives at an underground fighting ring for about, but his opponent backs out immediately after recognizing who he is.

With the fight off, Dalton still collects the prize money and continues on his way. After one of these canceled fights, a woman named Frankie approaches him. She owns a roadhouse bar in the Florida Keys that’s been experiencing some dangerous trouble and needs someone capable of helping set things right.

Even though Dalton doesn’t immediately accept the job offer, he later agrees and heads to the Florida Keys to evaluate the situation. Soon after his arrival, he steps in to stop a group of violent bikers from causing chaos.

He ends up in a confrontation with the group’s leader, Dell (played by JD Pardo), who tries to shoot him on a boat where Dalton is temporarily staying. Their fight ends with Dell getting eaten by an alligator, which then brings unwanted attention from the crooked police officers in the area.

Dalton starts uncovering that the chaos at the roadhouse is tied to something bigger—a criminal plot by Ben Brandt (played by Billy Magnussen), a local businessman who’s trying to take over the property to develop a fancy resort.

Ben’s father, currently serving time in prison, recruits a ruthless fighter named Knox (played by Conor McGregor) to come down to the Keys and serve as a physical match for Dalton.

How does Road House end?

Things reach a boiling point during a brutal fight at the roadhouse where Knox leaves Dalton badly wounded, pushing him to leave the area. While on his way out of the Florida Keys, Dalton sees that Charlie’s bookstore has been set on fire.

This stirs up deep anger in him, especially since he had become close to Charlie (played by Hannah Love Lanier) and her father. Fueled by rage, Dalton hunts down and kills Vince (played by Beau Knapp), one of Brandt’s men, and also takes Ben’s stash of money.

Ben, in retaliation, kidnaps Dalton’s love interest Ellie (played by Daniela Melchior), and her father, the corrupt sheriff (played by Joaquim de Almeida). Surprisingly, the sheriff seeks Dalton’s help. Although Dalton is suspicious of the sheriff’s intentions, he still agrees to assist.

Rather than return the stolen money, Dalton confronts Ben aboard his extravagant boat. The situation escalates into a fight that ends with Dalton triggering an explosion. As the boat begins to sink, Dalton manages to save Ellie. Meanwhile, Brandt heads off on another boat, aiming to destroy the roadhouse.

Dalton gives chase and boards the boat just before it crashes into the establishment, badly damaging the building. The two men then engage in an intense fistfight right inside the damaged roadhouse. Knox arrives soon after and challenges Dalton to a vicious battle.

During the fight, Knox uses a sharp wooden object to stab Dalton in the same spot where he had earlier injured him, causing heavy bleeding. Brandt then commands Knox to finish Dalton off, but Knox turns against him instead, killing Brandt.

Afterward, Knox moves towards Dalton again, seemingly intending to finish what he started, but Dalton musters enough strength to fight back and repeatedly stabs him. When the sheriff arrives, he tells Dalton to quietly leave the area and assures him that he’ll cover up what happened.

Back in town, Frankie (played by Jessica Williams) is doing her best to repair the roadhouse and keep business going. At the same time, Charlie and her father begin work on rebuilding their bookstore after the fire.

Before Dalton leaves town by Greyhound bus, Charlie tries to convince him to stay, but he politely turns her down. Before his departure, Dalton secretly leaves a bag of cash in the bookstore for Charlie and her dad.

Does Road House have a post-credits scene?

Even though Dalton caused Knox some serious injuries during their brutal encounter, the post-credits scene reveals that Knox is still alive and recovering in a hospital. As doctors and nurses try to treat him, Knox causes a disturbance and eventually walks out wearing just a hospital gown.

His reaction in that scene strongly hints that he’s not done yet, and might be preparing to go after Dalton in the future, setting the tone for a possible sequel.