Could A Third 28 Years Later Movie Resurrect [SPOILER]? An Investigation

This article contains spoilers for "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple."

The "28" movies haven't had a consistent villain other than the Rage Virus dating back to the zombie classic that started it all, "28 Days Later." Humanity, broadly speaking, has arguably been the biggest threat. That's never been more true than it is in "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple," with Jack O'Connell's Jimmy Crystal serving up a truly despicable bad guy. But have we seen the last of him? Maybe. Maybe not.

We first met Jimmy Crystal during the bonkers ending of last year's "28 Years Later." Jimmy and his gang saved Spike (Alfie Williams) from certain death at the hands of several infected. "The Bone Temple" picks up with Spike after his encounter with the Jimmys, which quickly devolves into an ultra-violent nightmare he can't escape. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) makes a discovery about the nature of the Rage Virus through his work with Samson (Chi Lewis-Parry) that changes the nature of our understanding of the infected. These stories converge in the wild third act.

Jimmy and his gang, who are modeled after the infamous real-life British figure Jimmy Savile, are convinced by Mr. Crystal that Kelson is actually Satan, leading to a crazy climax. By the end of it, Spike turns on Jimmy Crystal and the last we see, he's crucified upside-down and attacked by the infected. But, we never see him turn and we never see him ripped to shreds. This leaves the door open for a possible return in the forthcoming third movie, one way or another. What transpires in "The Bone Temple" very much paves the way for the return of this character. 

"28 Years Later" showed us that the infected are deeper than we previously understood, even capable of starting a family. What we learn through Samson, in this movie, is that the Rage Virus is like any other virus: its symptoms can be treated. Once Samson is treated by Kelson, he regains his humanity.

If we reverse engineer that idea as it relates to Jimmy, even if he becomes infected, might he retain some of his hatred for Spike and Jimmy Ink (Erin Kellyman)? Could that part of his humanity reside underneath his infected skin? Given Jimmy Crystal's assertion that he's literally the son of Satan in the movie, the notion of him being resurrected after being crucified would be on-point thematically.

The likelihood of a more literal resurrection seems out of bounds but in light of how crazy this movie gets, it would be hard to rule out entirely. More likely, any sort of return scenario for Jimmy Crystal would only further his evil, God-like complex. If he could become an Alpha himself and command an army of infected? That's a scary idea. 

Cillian Murphy will finally be returning as Jim in the next "28 Years Later" movie, which is in the works. We saw him briefly at the end of this installment, with Spike and Jimmy Ink running his way for safety. It's possible that worlds will collide in the third entry in this trilogy, with Jim coming face-to-face with a zombie version of Jimmy Crystal. It's by no means a certainty that director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland will bring him back, but it wouldn't be out of bounds with everything that's been established.

"28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" is in theaters now.