'Marty Supreme' Ending Explained: Does Marty Win In The Final Scene? Who Is Rachel's Baby's Father?

Timothy Chalamet’s latest acting venture, Marty Supreme, hit theatres on Christmas Day 2025, and it is already in talks for an Oscar nomination, with a strong possibility that Chalamet could be positioned as a Best Actor frontrunner. Directed by Josh Safdie, the high-energy satire takes the actor into 1950s New York as ‘Marty Mauser’, a self-mythologising ping-pong prodigy who’s convinced that greatness is his birthright. What follows is a two-hour run of frantic hustling, bruised egos, and a very public obsession with winning.

When the movie ends, its emotional heaviness leaves audiences split on the most important question: Does Marty actually win in the final scene? Well, the answer depends on how you define “winning”. (Beware of major spoilers ahead!)

Why Marty refuses to throw the final match

Timothee Chalamet’s character, ‘Marty Mauser’, is a self-idealising guy who strongly believes that success isn’t something you earn, but something you take. He is the definition of the undaunting American Spirit, albeit in its most exaggerated contradictions. On the surface, he is pure ambition: he sells his own mythology to anyone who listens. Hell-bent on becoming the first ping-pong star of America, he doesn’t hesitate to lie, manipulate, steal, and humiliate. 

When ‘Milton Rockwell’ (Kevin O'Leary), a wealthy power broker, offers Marty money and a trip to Japan in exchange for throwing an exhibition match against ping pong up-and-comer ‘Endo’ (Koto Kawaguchi), it seems like just another compromise, which shouldn’t be a problem for Marty.

However, Marty can’t do it. Even when he is warned that he will be stranded overseas if he wins, he refuses to throw the final match. Instead, he plays the match straight and beats Endo. For the first time in the film, viewers see Marty choosing pride over profit. Yes, he doesn’t win status, money, or a championship, but with that one decision, he wins self-respect. For someone obsessed with hustling and shortcuts, that choice makes all the difference.

Did Marty really beat his rival?

In a word, yes, but surely not in the way he ever imagined. After humiliating himself for Rockwell and agreeing to lose an exhibition match against Endo, his pride takes over; Marty plays to win and defeats Endo. That one decision speaks highly of his reality: despite his ruthless ambition, Marty still has personal lines he refuses to cross. 

Besides avenging his earlier humiliation, for the first time, Marty treats his opponent as an equal rather than as an obstacle. The brief handshake between him and Endo after the match is one of the film’s few sincere moments, where viewers see genuine mutual respect. It’s also the moment that Marty stops chasing validation from the likes of Milton Rockwell, who never saw him as anything more than disposable entertainment.

Who is the father of Rachel’s baby?

Another turning point of the film was when Marty Mauser discovers that his childhood lover, ‘Rachel’ (Odessa A'zion), is pregnant. Rachel is married, and Marty is an unreliable partner, but the circumstances strongly suggest that Marty is the father. However, the film deliberately keeps this ambiguous. Though the timeline fits, nothing is confirmed. 

Biological father or not, what matters is Marty’s reaction when he finally sees Rachel’s baby in the hospital nursery after returning to America with the help of soldiers who saw his ping pong match. For the first time in the film, his bravado breaks. He sobs and then steadies himself. From that moment on, Marty chooses responsibility, and biology becomes irrelevant. In that poignant moment, the same Marty, the one who abandoned everyone to get ahead, deliberately commits to something he can’t sell, manipulate, or escape. He sees the baby as his own.

Why Milton Rockwell’s character plays a central role in Marty Supreme

At one point in the film, Milton claims that he’s a “demon”. While not literal, his character does represent it thematically. He becomes the embodiment of what Marty’s character would have become if his ambition had gone unchecked. Unlike Marty, who still has empathy, Milton’s ambition has made him nothing more than a shell of a man. In the end, Marty has a child, but Milton loses his son to war and never recovers from the loss. 

So, does Marty win? Professionally or financially, no. But emotionally? Definitely yes. Marty Supreme premiered in global theaters on December 25, 2025, and the initial reactions are largely positive.

Read Next: Who Is 'Anaconda' Actress, Daniela Melchior? All About Her And Rumoured Romance With Kylian Mbappe

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Get App

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Choose your device Android or IOS (Apple)