Plot Explained Spoilers guaranteed!
Plot Explained

Browse by genre

The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 120 min · English
Loading streaming availability…
Directed by
Robert Schwentke
Starring
Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Jeff Daniels
Budget
$110M

Venturing beyond the walls of Chicago, Tris and Four discover a world vastly different from what they believed. Facing shocking revelations that challenge everything they know, they begin a dangerous search for truth and survival. As they navigate this unfamiliar landscape, they must question who they can trust and make difficult choices that will test their courage, loyalty, and love, all while fighting to protect humanity from a looming threat.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (3)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (3)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Every angle
Loading streaming availability…

3 main characters · contains spoilers

The Divergent Series: Allegiant Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Tris (Shailene Woodley)

    Tris is a brave and determined protagonist who grapples with her identity and the weight of her choices. Throughout the film, she evolves from a faction member to a revolutionary leader, driven by her desire to protect her loved ones and challenge systemic oppression. Her courage and resourcefulness shine as she confronts the dark realities of the Bureau.

    • 👩‍🎤 Hero
    • 🔎 Determination
    • 📜 Leader
  • Four (Theo James)

    Four is a loyal and protective character, embodying strength and vulnerability. His conflicts stem from his deep sense of justice and his complicated feelings toward Tris and the Bureau's authority. He often serves as a moral compass, urging caution and questioning decisions that could lead to greater harm.

    • 🛡️ Protector
    • ❤️ Loyalty
    • 🧠 Strategist
  • Evelyn (Jeff Daniels)

    Evelyn is a complex antagonist with a vision of uniting the factions under her rule. Her ruthless determination to maintain control often leads her to make morally ambiguous decisions. This character reflects the theme of power and the extremes one may go to in order to achieve and retain it.

    • 👑 Authority
    • 🔥 Ambition
    • 🤔 Complexity

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 22:38

Was this helpful?

Setting

Where and When Does The Divergent Series: Allegiant Take Place?

The setting of The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Post-Purity Wars

The movie takes place after the catastrophic Purity Wars, a conflict driven by genetic experimentation. This period is marked by societal upheaval, as factions attempt to reclaim power while grappling with the consequences of the Bureau's unethical practices. The stakes rise as characters challenge the existing order and confront the shadows of their past.

Location

Chicago, Bureau of Genetic Welfare, Wastelands

Chicago serves as the main battleground where the factions vie for power and control amidst chaos. The Bureau of Genetic Welfare is a concealed city, known for its controversial experiments on genetic purity, hidden by an advanced cloaking shield. The wastelands are perilous terrains that the characters traverse, remnants of a world torn apart by conflict and experimentation.

  • 🏙️ City
  • 🏢 Organization
  • 🌍 Wasteland

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 22:38

Was this helpful?

3 major themes

The Divergent Series: Allegiant Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Rebellion

    Rebellion is a central theme in the film, as characters rise against oppressive authority figures. Tris's journey exemplifies the struggle for freedom and the fight against unjust systems. This theme highlights the importance of truth and resistance in the face of tyranny.

  • Genetic Ethics

    The movie delves into themes of genetic ethics, examining the moral implications of creating a 'pure' genome through experimentation. This theme raises questions about identity, humanity, and the lengths to which individuals and societies will go for perceived perfection.

  • Trust and Betrayal

    Trust and betrayal weave throughout the narrative, as characters navigate alliances and deceptions. Tris's relationship with David demonstrates the complexities of believing in a leader who may have ulterior motives, leading to critical choices that impact their mission.

Last updated: October 22, 2024 at 22:38

Was this helpful?

Character & theme questions

The Divergent Series: Allegiant Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

What is the Bureau of Genetic Welfare?

The Bureau of Genetic Welfare is a concealed city hidden behind an advanced cloaking shield. It serves as the headquarters for controversial experiments on genetic purity, where scientists work to create a 'pure' genome through unethical experimentation. The Bureau's existence challenges everything Tris and Four believed about their world.

  • bureau
  • genetic welfare
  • Chicago
  • experiments
  • cloaking shield
Q2

What are the Wastelands?

The Wastelands are perilous terrains that surround Chicago and the Bureau of Genetic Welfare. They are remnants of a world torn apart by conflict and genetic experimentation. The characters must traverse these dangerous lands as they venture beyond the walls of Chicago into the unknown.

  • wastelands
  • danger
  • Chicago
  • post-apocalyptic
Q3

Why is Chicago important in the story?

Chicago serves as the main battleground where factions vie for power and control amidst chaos. It is the walled city from which Tris and Four originate, and it represents the fractured society they are fighting to save or transform.

  • Chicago
  • factions
  • city
  • battleground
Q4

What does 'Post-Purity Wars' mean for the story?

The movie takes place after the catastrophic Purity Wars, a conflict driven by genetic experimentation. This era is marked by societal upheaval as factions attempt to reclaim power while grappling with the consequences of the Bureau's unethical practices, setting the stage for rebellion and discovery.

  • purity wars
  • genetic experiments
  • post-apocalyptic
  • society
Q5

What is the rebellion theme about?

Rebellion is a central theme where characters rise against oppressive authority figures. Tris's journey exemplifies the struggle for freedom and the fight against unjust systems, highlighting the importance of truth and resistance in the face of tyranny.

  • rebellion
  • freedom
  • tyranny
  • resistance
  • oppression
Q6

How does genetic ethics affect the story?

The movie explores genetic ethics through the Bureau's attempts to create a 'pure' genome through experimentation. This theme raises questions about identity, humanity, and the lengths societies will go for perceived perfection, directly challenging the characters' sense of self.

  • genetic ethics
  • purity
  • experiments
  • identity
  • genome
Q7

How does trust and betrayal shape the narrative?

Trust and betrayal weave throughout the narrative as characters navigate alliances and deceptions. Tris's relationship with David exemplifies this, as she must decide whether to believe in a leader who may have ulterior motives, leading to critical choices that impact their mission.

  • trust
  • betrayal
  • David
  • alliances
  • deception
Q8

Who is Tris and what is her role?

Tris is the brave and determined protagonist who grapples with her identity and the weight of her choices. She evolves from a faction member to a revolutionary leader, driven by her desire to protect loved ones and challenge systemic oppression, embodying the film's themes of rebellion and self-discovery.

  • Tris
  • protagonist
  • rebellion
  • leader
  • Divergent
Q9

Who is Four and what does he represent?

Four is a loyal and protective character who embodies strength and vulnerability. He serves as a moral compass, often urging caution and questioning decisions that could lead to greater harm. His deep sense of justice makes him a key support for Tris's journey.

  • Four
  • loyalty
  • moral compass
  • justice
  • protection
Q10

Who is Evelyn and what does she want?

Evelyn is a complex antagonist with a vision of uniting the factions under her rule. Her ruthless determination to maintain control leads her to make morally ambiguous decisions, reflecting the theme of power and the extremes one may go to achieve and retain it.

  • Evelyn
  • antagonist
  • power
  • control
  • factions

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Divergent Series: Allegiant, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Divergent Series: Allegiant tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Dystopian Escape Movies like The Divergent Series: Allegiant

Characters break free from oppressive systems to uncover a devastating reality. Discover movies like The Divergent Series: Allegiant where characters escape a dystopian city to find a shocking new world. If you enjoyed the quest for truth and survival against authoritarian control, you'll find similar tense sci-fi adventures here.

  • urgent
  • rebellious
  • revealing
  • dangerous
  • grim
  • anxious
  • Tone: tense, grim, revealing
  • Pacing: fast, urgent
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Narratives in this thread typically begin with an escape from a confined, controlled society. The protagonists' journey leads them to a hidden, often more powerful, authority whose true intentions challenge their entire worldview. The story revolves around navigating this new, dangerous landscape, facing betrayal, and fighting to expose the truth to save their people.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared premise of a physical and ideological escape from dystopia, the central theme of uncovering a painful truth, and the consistent tone of urgent survival against overwhelming odds. They blend action, mystery, and heavy emotional stakes.

Conspiracy Thrillers with a similar pace to The Divergent Series: Allegiant

Fast-paced stories of uncovering a hidden conspiracy with dire consequences. If you liked the fast pace and tense conspiracy reveals in The Divergent Series: Allegiant, explore these high-stakes thrillers. Find movies with similar urgent pacing, shocking betrayals, and characters fighting against a hidden powerful enemy.

  • tense
  • paranoid
  • urgent
  • suspenseful
  • conspiracy
  • betrayal
  • Tone: tense, paranoid, bleak
  • Pacing: fast, propulsive
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative pattern involves a series of escalating discoveries that point to a large-scale conspiracy. The protagonists are often pursued by a shadowy group and must rely on fragmented clues and uncertain allies. The plot is driven by a sequence of action-packed confrontations and betrayals, building towards a climax that exposes the conspiracy but often at a significant personal cost.

Why they belong together: This thread connects movies through their breakneck pacing, a central mystery involving a powerful hidden faction, and a tense atmosphere filled with paranoia and betrayal. The emotional experience is defined by high tension and the weight of difficult moral choices.

Every angle

The Divergent Series: Allegiant (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Divergent Series: Allegiant in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

Plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Catch up on any movie in minutes, save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private, always.

Learn more about the app