Why Lucy Lawless Still Resents the Somber Finale of *Xena: Warrior Princess*
If you think you appreciate a dark and gritty TV ending, wait until you hear about the conclusion of Xena: Warrior Princess—it’s one of the bleakest finales in television history. The show, which starred Lucy Lawless as the fierce and complex warrior princess, followed Xena’s journey toward redemption after a violent and ruthless past. Originally introduced as a villain on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena’s character was compelling enough to earn her own spin-off series. She was an early example of what we now call an anti-hero: a deeply flawed protagonist wrestling with her past misdeeds. But here’s where it gets controversial—did she really deserve such a harsh and tragic ending, comparable to the brutal finales of acclaimed dramas like Breaking Bad or The Sopranos?
Xena: Warrior Princess was a wild ride, tonally all over the map. It blended soap opera drama, epic fantasy quests, and even the campy thrills of a Roger Corman monster movie. With executive producer Sam Raimi at the helm, the show pushed the limits of gore and horror for network television. Yet, the writing team didn’t hesitate to break fans’ hearts just as easily as Xena dispatched her mythological foes.
In the final episode, Xena doesn’t just die—she sacrifices herself again as a ghost. This double death devastated fans, and it turns out Lucy Lawless herself was deeply unhappy with how the story wrapped up.
Fans Were Heartbroken, and So Was Lucy Lawless
In an oral history of the series for Entertainment Weekly, Ted Raimi—Sam Raimi’s brother and the actor who played Joker—expressed his love for the finale. But Lawless’s feelings were quite the opposite. Over time, she grew to regret the ending profoundly:
"I always regretted the ending. It seemed kind of amusing to us at the time. You know, in a sort of Tarantino-esque way, like, 'Oh yeah, that's crazy. Cut her head off.' But what it did to the fans was just awful. So I keep going, 'It never happened, never happened...'"
The finale pits Xena against a supernatural villain named Yodoshi, the eater of souls, who carries the spirits of 40,000 villagers Xena had killed in her darker days. Xena meets a grisly fate—shot with arrows and decapitated—in a death scene reminiscent of Game of Thrones. But the real heartbreak comes after: Xena descends to the underworld, defeats Yodoshi’s undead forces, and then sacrifices herself so those 40,000 souls can finally find peace.
Thematically, this ending fits the idea that Xena’s past was beyond redemption. But for many fans, especially those who grew up in the 1990s when the show aired, it felt like a cruel twist. After six seasons of watching Xena strive to better herself and help others, many simply wanted a happier conclusion for their beloved warrior princess.
The Ending Left a Lasting Sting, But Not a Fatal One
Though Lucy Lawless isn’t a huge fan of the fantasy genre overall, she seemed to wish the show had given fans a more satisfying farewell. While Xena shares a touching final moment with her loyal companion Gabrielle (played by Renée O’Connor)—who is widely interpreted as her romantic partner—the fact that Xena’s ghost simply fades away while Gabrielle continues on feels underwhelming and somewhat hollow.
Series co-creator R.J. Stewart, who developed the show alongside Lawless’s husband Rob Tapert, admitted to Entertainment Weekly that he wouldn’t have chosen that ending if he’d known it would alienate so many fans and cause some to abandon the series entirely. Still, he acknowledged that unpopular endings are part of the territory for long-running shows. Despite the backlash, Stewart has no regrets, pointing out that Xena conventions still draw passionate fans decades later.
More Than Just the Official Ending
Like many cult classics with divisive finales, Xena lives on beyond its official conclusion. There’s a wealth of fanfiction that imagines alternative endings and new adventures, plus the Xena comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, which continues the story in a different medium. While these don’t feature Lucy Lawless’s iconic battle cry or the stunning New Zealand landscapes that defined the show’s look, they offer fans more chances to spend time with their favorite warrior princess.
So, what do you think? Was the Xena finale a bold, fitting end to a complex character’s journey, or did it betray the fans who had invested years in her redemption? Could a happier ending have been just as meaningful, or does true storytelling sometimes demand sacrifice and sorrow? Share your thoughts below—let’s get the conversation started!
