Marty Supreme's Secret Vampire Ending Was Cut - But It Still Makes a Lot of Sense
It was one of the best movies of 2025. In fact, Marty Supreme would have been pretty much perfect in any year. And yet, it could have been better – it could have had vampires in it.
The A24 film was almost the antithesis of an underdog story, with Timothée Chalamet’s Marty Mauser knowing full well that he was already good enough to make it to the top. However, there were many, many different obstacles standing in his way.
One of the main adversaries he had to duck, dive, and hide from – even taking a literal spanking – was Milton Rockwell. Not only was Milton a very wealthy, powerful, and spiteful man, but he was also – in one version of this story, at least – an actual vampire.
The Vampire Twist in Marty Supreme, Explained
Remember when Marty is backstage in Tokyo, preparing to risk it all by playing Koto Endo, and Rockwell threatens him? It’s a blistering monologue delivered by Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, which includes one throwaway line that got many of us intrigued.
Rockwell says, “I was born in 1601. I'm a vampire. I've been around forever. I've met many Marty Mausers over the centuries. Some of them crossed me, some of them weren't straight. They weren't honest. And those are the ones that are still here. You go out and win that game, you're gonna be here forever, too. And you'll never be happy. You will never be happy.”
There was no foreshadowing of this vampiric reference. No mention of it afterwards, either. Many suspected it was more of a metaphor on Rockwell’s behalf; a way of asserting to Marty just how ruthless and dangerous he was. Turns out, that’s not the case.
In an episode of the A24 podcast, director Josh Safdie revealed that an alternate ending to Marty Supreme would have seen Rockwell reappear years into the future to exact his revenge by biting Marty’s neck and turning him into a vampire like him.
Safdie said: “You’re on his eyes, we built the prosthetics for Timmy and everything, and [O’Leary] shows up behind him and takes a bite out of his neck, and that was the last image. And he hasn’t aged.”
A24 chiefs heard about this and thought it was a “mistake,” urging Safdie to ditch it and go for the ending we saw in the cinema. O’Leary was gutted about the decision, insisting the vampire route would have been the “right punishment” for Marty. And to be honest, he has a point.
Actually, Vampires Would Totally Work in Marty Supreme
First things first, vampires make everything better. Does it matter if taking that kind of turn would be unusual or shocking? It would be cool – just look at the likes of Sinners and From Dusk Till Dawn if you need proof.
Beyond that, the vampire subplot would actually make a lot of sense in Marty Supreme. Let’s not forget, this is a film rich with religious allegories. The pursuit of the dog named Moses is the most obvious reference to biblical characters, while themes of sacrifice, servitude, and Jewish identity are prevalent throughout.
Then, there’s the whole hero’s quest Marty goes on. I’m not about to claim him to be a proud and virtuous protagonist by any means, but the way he chases greatness and glory is certainly akin to something you’d find in an Arthurian holy grail tale.
The only thing missing, really, was a truly evil entity to play the villain of the story. Milton Rockwell took on that part with vigour, but if he had been given the freedom to take things to the next level as a bloodsucking vampire, Marty Supreme would have captured all the best elements of the most chaotic mythological story imaginable.
