The Old Guard 2
From Mythic Resonance to Fading Lore
EST v ACT domestic box office revenue
$14 – 27MM/NA
Mythosis universal quests used
5
Audience appeal
~0.37%
Hidden potential
NA
Netflix’s The Old Guard franchise sought to deepen its impact with a sequel, The Old Guard 2. Both the films delve into the world of immortal mercenaries, based on Greg Rucka’s comic book series. For the sequel to The Old Guard (2020), the streaming giant did a casting coup by bringing two powerhouses into a face-off. The algorithm at Netflix likely suggested that the most beloved female action characters were Uma Thurman from Kill Bill and Charlize Theron from Mad Max: Fury Road.
The Old Guard 2 has more immortals, more locations, more star power. But despite its ambition, the sequel struggled to recapture the magic of its predecessor. The first film garnered critical acclaim for its innovative take on the superhero genre. Instead of evolving the franchise’s deeper themes, the sequel offered a muddled storyline that left fans and critics underwhelmed.
1. The Old Guard 2 has greater Star Power
1A. The Old Guard (2020)
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, who made history as the first Black woman to helm a big-budget comic book film. The film had a production budget of $70 million. Charlize Theron starred as Andy and also served as a producer. Filming took place across Europe, including Morocco and the UK. The cast featured KiKi Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Matthias Schoenaerts, Harry Melling, Veronica Ngo (Quynh), and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
1B. The Old Guard 2 (2025)
Netflix didn’t hold back on assembling an A-list ensemble. Both The Old Guard films boast impressive casts and significant production efforts.
Victoria Mahoney took over directorial duties from Prince-Bythewood, who was unavailable due to other commitments. While a specific budget for the sequel isn’t provided in the sources, the original’s success likely allowed for a comparable investment. Principal photography commenced in June 2022 in Italy, including Cinecittà Studios where a fire caused temporary disruptions, and also in the UK. The core cast, including Theron, Layne, Schoenaerts, Kenzari, Marinelli, Ngo, and Ejiofor, all reprised their roles. Notably, Uma Thurman and Henry Golding joined the ensemble, with Thurman cast as the new antagonist, Discord, and Golding as Tuah.
2. Shift in Narrative Foundation of The Old Guard 2
At the heart of every unforgettable story lies a structure—an invisible architecture that shapes character, conflict, and catharsis. Yet plot structure remains one of the most misunderstood elements in storytelling.
The most significant divergence between the two films lies in their approach to plot and character motivation, a difference highlighted by the Mythosis Code analysis.
2A. The Old Guard (2020)
The first film was praised for its sophisticated vision of the superhero genre. Its narrative reimagined the Hindu epic Ramayan, with characters mirroring mythological figures and their universal quests.
Andy’s quest was driven by the desire for social stability and order, mirroring Ram, who decimates “demons” threatening social order to recover loved ones.
Nile’s quest was for honour and loyalty, akin to Hanuman, demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice for friends.
Booker’s quest began with selfishness and accumulation, reflecting Valmiki or Scrooge, though he eventually experienced a change of heart.
Merrick’s quest was for power and domination, like Ravan, taking what he wanted without concern for consequences.
2B. The Old Guard 2 (2025)
Set six months after the first film, the sequel introduces Discord as the primary antagonist. Discord, revealed as the “first immortal,” aims to regain her lost powers using Nile, the “last immortal”. Quynh, who abducted Booker, re-enters the narrative, initially blaming Andy for abandoning her. During a climactic conflict at a nuclear facility, Booker sacrifices himself, and Nile removes Quynh’s immortality before being captured by Discord. The film concludes with Andy and Quynh reconciling and vowing to rescue their teammates.
In contrast to the clear mythological mirroring of the first film, the sequel’s character motivations are unclear and inconsistent.
Andy’s quest is now driven by both social stability and acceptance, drawing from both Ram and the Greek hero Theseus.
Discord’s quest is for domination (like Ravan), but it is complicated by her desire to regain her own lost immortality.
Booker’s continuation of his quest of sacrifice from the original and Quynh’s quest for reclaiming her honour are severely under-developed.
2C. Half-baked Story Structure of The Old Guard 2
In The Old Guard the plot structure relied on the quests of Andy and Nile. The character quests of Merrick & Booker were shallow. Andy borrows 36% events from the quest for Order. Nile borrows 30% events from the quest for Honour. Merrick borrows 12% events from the quest of Power and Booker 16% from Accumulation.
By contrast, the plot structure of The Old Guard 2 relies on only Andy’s inconsistent quest with Andy borrowing only 21% of events from the quest for Acceptance. Compared to its predecessor the story is quite weak.
3. Steep Decline in Audience Appeal for The Old Guard 2
3A. Potential of The Old Guard 2’s plot structure: $14 – 27MM
The Mythosis Code analysis reveals a stark difference in structural integrity and predicted audience appeal between the two films.
The Old Guard (2020): Achieved a Script Score of 0.13. This score correlated with an estimated audience appeal of 3.80% to 4.64%. While below par for typical blockbusters which usually have a score of at least 0.64 and appeal to 20% of audiences, it would have generated $115 – 141 million in domestic revenues alone. It also garnered significant viewership on Netflix, being viewed by 78 million households in its first four weeks.
The Old Guard 2 (2025): The sequel scored a Script Score of just 0.01 indicating a dramatic drop in its structural strength. This translates to a significantly narrower estimated audience appeal of only 0.37% and an estimated domestic revenue of only $14 – 27 million. This substantial decline is due to lesser number of universal quests, inconsistent character arc and weak interweaving of quests.
3B. Reception of The Old Guard 2: Acclaim to Apathy
The critical reception mirrors the structural analysis, showing a significant drop in the sequel’s perceived quality.
The Old Guard (2020) holds an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 6.5/10. Metacritic assigned it a score of 70 out of 100, indicating generally favourable reviews. Critics praised its action sequences, Charlize Theron’s performance, and its progressive portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters. It was a cultural success for Netflix, winning the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, and the Critics’ Choice Super Award for Best Superhero Movie.
The Old Guard 2 (2025) Rotten Tomatoes score dropped sharply to a mere 23% positive reviews based on 83 critics, with a consensus describing it as “Bogged down by tedious lore and lackluster execution” and that the “budding franchise already long in the tooth”. Metacritic’s score for the sequel was 44 out of 100, also indicating mixed or average reviews.
3C. Lessons for part two of The Old Guard 2
In conclusion, while The Old Guard laid a promising foundation with its unique premise, strong action, and a narrative underpinned by clear, mythologically resonant character quests, The Old Guard 2 appears to have stumbled in its execution.
The Old Guard 2 seemingly copied the surface elements—the action, the cast, the immortal premise—but failed to maintain the clear character motivations and integrated plot structure that gave the original its emotional depth and appeal.
The significant drop in critical reception and the predicted low audience appeal highlights that spectacle alone, without a strong, well-structured story built on clear universal quests, is often insufficient to carry a blockbuster franchise.
Tags: Theseus, Acceptance, Duryodhan, Vengeance, Valmiki, Accumulation, Ravan, Power, Ram, Order, Victoria Mahoney, Greg Rucka, Sarah L. Walker, Skydance Media, Denver and Delilah Productions, Netflix, 2025