Infinite (2021) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Evan was diagnosed with schizophrenia because the memories of his past life (as Heinrich Treadway) began surfacing at a young age. The Infinites explain that this phenomenon typically begins in childhood, but without understanding what's happening, doctors misdiagnose it as schizophrenia. In reality, Evan wasn't mentally ill, he was remembering his previous lives.

• schizophrenia
• past-life memories
• diagnosis
• reincarnation

The Egg is a mysterious device stolen by Heinrich Treadway from Bathurst in 1985. It's designed to annihilate all life on Earth by targeting DNA. Bathurst wants to use it to end the cycle of reincarnation, believing that preventing new life from forming will stop the suffering of those forced to live repeatedly.

Foreshadowing: Treadway mentions the Egg in 1985, warning Abel to 'look inside' before his death.

• the Egg
• device
• destroy humanity
• DNA
• reincarnation

Bathurst is a Nihilist, one of the Infinites who believes that remembering past lives is a curse, not a gift. He's been alive for centuries, witnessing the apocalypse repeatedly, and views existence as endless suffering. Using the Egg to eliminate all life is his way of ending this cycle permanently, even if it means destroying humanity.

• Bathurst
• Nihilists
• destroy world
• end cycle
• apocalypse

Before dying in 1985, Treadway told Abel to 'look inside.' This was a cryptic instruction about the Egg, it's hidden inside Treadway's own body. When the Believers later recover his remains, they discover the Egg was concealed within his corpse all along.

Foreshadowing: The warning appears in the 1985 Mexico City scene before Treadway's death.

• look inside
• Treadway
• Egg
• warning
• hidden

Evan survives being shot because he has a steel plate in his skull from a previous traumatic brain injury. When Bathurst shoots him, the bullet strikes the steel plate instead of penetrating his brain, allowing Evan to recover and eventually defeat Bathurst.

• steel plate
• shot
• survive
• Bathurst
• injury

After escaping in 1985, Treadway was murdered shortly thereafter by the Believers themselves, who hid his body to protect the Egg's location. They believed keeping the Egg safe was more important than letting anyone find it, even Treadway's reincarnation. His body was concealed until Bathurst discovers it in the present day.

• Treadway death
• murdered
• Believers
• body hidden

The Infinites are divided into two factions: Believers and Nihilists. Believers, like Nora, view the ability to remember past lives as a gift, a higher calling to improve humanity. Nihilists, like Bathurst, see it as a curse, believing they're condemned to witness repeated suffering and apocalypse, leading them to want to end the cycle entirely.

• Believers
• Nihilists
• factions
• reincarnation
• conflict

Bathurst drowns with the Egg in the ocean to prevent Evan from stopping him. Rather than let Evan destroy the Egg and continue the cycle of reincarnation, Bathurst chooses to take it with him, believing this ends the suffering of all Infinites permanently.

• Bathurst sacrifice
• Egg
• drown
• ocean
• cycle

After defeating Bathurst, Evan is reborn in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Artisan approaches him with a Katana, the same type Evan forged at the beginning of the film, which triggers fragments of his past life memories. This suggests the cycle of reincarnation continues for Evan as well.

• Evan
• Jakarta
• rebirth
• Katana
• reincarnation

Years after the main events, Nora and Abel are both reincarnated and destined to meet again, just as the cycle of reincarnation continues for all Infinites. Their souls are freed when the Artisan and Nora release the trapped Believers after Bathurst's defeat.

• Nora
• Abel
• reincarnation
• meet again
• cycle

The Artisan runs a specialized facility with a machine that helps Infinites access their past-life memories. Due to Evan's traumatic brain injury, his memories were buried deeper than most, making it difficult for them to surface naturally. The machine sessions allow him to finally access the truth about Treadway's death and the Egg's location.

• Artisan
• machine
• memories
• brain injury
• recover

Bathurst has been alive for centuries, having been an Infinite for a very long time. This explains why he's played by different actors in 1985 (Rupert Friend) and 2020 (Chiwetel Ejiofor), he's been reincarnated multiple times while maintaining his memories and mission to end the cycle of reincarnation.

• Bathurst
• centuries
• immortal
• multiple lives
• reincarnation