Fountain of Youth Ending Explained: Owen’s fate, Fountain’s Mechanic, and more  

Fountain of Youth, starring Natalie Portman and John Krasinski, is all about finding the mythical fountain that can give eternal youth to the one who drinks from it. The treasure-hunting adventure film has all the tropes such a movie needs- an evil guy and his team who want it for nefarious purposes, a team of good guy protagonists, and a secret cabal of protectors. 

In the film, billionaire Owen Carver wants to find the fountain of youth because he is dying of liver cancer. So, he hires Luke Purdue, whose late father was a treasure hunter. Luke also involves his sister, history expert Charlotte Purdue, and her young son, Thomas. His mission catches the attention of Esme, who protects ancient artifacts and works for Jamal Abbas of the Interpol. 

Luke’s search takes him to the Pyramids of Giza, where they find out the location of the mythical Fountain. But what happens at the end? Do they find the titular fountain? Who drinks from it? And what happens after they drink from it? In this article, we will discuss it all. 

Did they Find the Fountain of Youth?

Yes, Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson), Luke Purdue (John Krasinski), Charlotte Purdue (Natalie Portman), Esme (Eiza González), and others did find the Fountain of Youth.

Was Owen Carver Suffering from Liver Cancer?

No, Owen Carver wasn’t suffering from liver cancer or any ailment. The billionaire initially says that he wants the water from the Fountain to cure his disease and live again. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. First of all, it never feels like he has good intentions regarding the Fountain and its water. 

Also, for a man who is suffering from liver cancer, he can surely fight like a trained fighter. So, he was bluffing to convince Luke to help him out, and later on, confirmed that he was indeed lying. The man probably wanted to sell the magical water at sky-high prices.

Did Owen Carver die in the end?

Yes, he did die at the end of the film. When he drank from the Fountain, he did revert to his younger self briefly. But after that, he began disintegrating, and the Fountain drained his life force. While we didn’t see his corpse because Esme activated the lockdown mechanism of the pyramid, the last sight of him was his body being swallowed up in a tornado of water and electricity. 

So, he most probably died. However, one can’t leave out that if there is a sequel then he may return in some monstrous form. 

How does the Fountain of Youth work?

The Fountain of Youth in the film gives youth to anyone who drinks its water. But there’s a catch. That youth has to come from something, and in this film, it’s from their loved ones. Owen Carver died because the person he loved the most was himself.

So, when he drank the water, he briefly became young as the Fountain pulled his life force from himself. But then he disintegrated because the life force was his after all. On the other hand, if Luke had drunk the water, then his sister and nephew would probably have died as the Fountain would have pulled their life force to make him young.

After all, he loved them the most. But he exercised self-restraint even though he wanted to drink the water. Esme even commends him for this. However, it's also possible that drinking the water would have killed him as well because youth is a superficial aspect of life, and anyone who drinks to rejuvenate himself surely can love no one but himself the most.

But what did you think of the ending? Let us know in the comments below.

Fountain of Youth is streaming on Apple TV+.