Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' Writer Reveals Scrapped, Bleaker Ending

With Netflix and Studio Trigger set to reveal the second season of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on June 29, the creative team is looking back at the first season's development. While the show is remembered for its emotional conclusion, writer Bartosz Sztybor recently revealed that the team considered—and rejected—a significantly more horrific fate for protagonist David Martinez.

A Darker Fate for David

In an upcoming interview with Anime Corner, Sztybor confirmed that there was never a plan for a “happy ending” to the series. However, the final cut, which sees David killed by the iconic Cyberpunk antagonist Adam Smasher, was actually considered a more poetic outcome compared to the alternatives discussed in the writers' room.

According to Sztybor, there was a draft where David survives his final confrontation, only to be captured by Arasaka. In this discarded version of the story, David would have been deployed as a tool for the corporation, fighting in the Corporate Wars throughout Africa or South America.

“There was never a happy ending,” Sztybor told Anime Corner. “There were even worse endings. There was one ending in which David doesn’t die entirely. Arasaka gets him and he ends up fighting in Africa or South America in Corporate Wars.”

The final version of the story emphasizes the harsh reality of Night City, where David’s sacrifice serves as the catalyst for Lucy to finally reach her dream of visiting the moon. While tragic, it allows David to die on his own terms. The alternate ending would have forced him to spend his life serving the very corporate machine he spent the series fighting against—a fate that aligns with the grim tone of the Cyberpunk universe but lacks the finality of the aired version.

Moving Toward Season 2

As fans prepare for the reveal of the next chapter in the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners saga, it is clear the series will continue to explore the dangers of corporate greed. While the specific plot details for the upcoming season remain under wraps, recent previews from the Annecy Animation Festival have already teased the inclusion of at least one new character, who appears to be a Media.

For those interested in the broader Cyberpunk universe, Cyberpunk 2077 continues to be a staple of the franchise. Further information on the future of the anime will be available following the official reveal scheduled for June 29.