The Protégé (2021) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Moody encountered young Anna during a gang massacre in Da Nang, Vietnam in 1991. After witnessing her survival instinct and potential, he decided to transform her into his protégé and eventually his adopted daughter. This decision stemmed from seeing potential in her as a future assassin, but also from a paternal desire to save her from the life she would have otherwise faced.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene in Da Nang establishes their bond as one born from violence and survival.

• moody
• anna
• protégé
• adopted daughter
• da nang
• assassin training

Moody asked Anna to find Lucas because Lucas is the son of Edward Hayes, a man Moody killed in Da Nang decades earlier. Moody wanted Anna to locate Lucas before his enemies could find him, offering her the opportunity to either seek revenge for her own traumatic past or to protect the son of a man he had killed.

Foreshadowing: Moody's 70th birthday marks the moment he entrusts this dangerous mission to Anna.

• lucas hayes
• edward hayes
• Moody
• search
• mission

Lucas's father, Edward Hayes, was an American businessman in Da Nang who was targeted for assassination by Moody in 1991. Moody killed Edward as part of his work as an international assassin, though the specific reasons for the contract were never fully explained. This past action comes back to haunt Moody when Edward's associates seek revenge decades later.

Foreshadowing: Moody's hidden files reveal the truth about Edward Hayes to Anna.

• edward hayes
• lucas hayes
• da nang
• murder
• past

Moody faked his death to draw out his enemies and protect Anna. By letting everyone believe he was dead, he could operate in the shadows and gather intelligence on who was really behind the attacks. This also allowed him to confront Edward Hayes directly at the charity gala rather than being hunted.

Foreshadowing: Moody's illness appeared deliberate, setting up his disappearance.

• moody
• faked death
• edward hayes
• trap
• revenge

Rembrandt works for Edward Hayes, the man whose son Lucas Moody had killed decades earlier. Edward orchestrates the attacks on Moody and Anna from behind the scenes, using Rembrandt as his primary agent. However, Rembrandt develops genuine feelings for Anna, which complicates his loyalty to his employer.

Foreshadowing: Rembrandt warns Anna about dangerous forces pursuing her before his true employer is revealed.

• rembrandt
• michael rembrandt
• edward hayes
• employer
• boss

Lucas Hayes was left severely disabled, likely as a result of the violent events surrounding his father's death decades earlier. He has been cared for by mysterious benefactors, though the film does not specify exactly who has been caring for him or the exact circumstances that left him in this condition.

Foreshadowing: Anna discovers Lucas's condition after escaping captivity.

• lucas hayes
• disabled
• care
• benefactor

Moody dies in the final confrontation with Edward Hayes at the fortified mansion. During their showdown in the bunker, Moody detonates a bomb that kills both himself and Edward Hayes. This act represents his attempt at redemption, eliminating the man who orchestrated the attacks on his family while accepting his own mortality.

Foreshadowing: Moody's declaration that Hayes embodies true evil sets up their deadly confrontation.

• moody
• death
• explosion
• edward hayes
• bomb
• bunker

After Moody kills Edward Hayes in the bunker explosion, Anna returns to Da Nang to confront the gang leader who killed her family in 1991. She kills him using skills Moody taught her. Meanwhile, Rembrandt arrives, leading to a tense standoff. A gunshot rings out, and Anna emerges from the building alone, her fate left ambiguous, whether she killed Rembrandt, he killed himself, or someone else fired remains unclear.

Foreshadowing: The final standoff mirrors their complex relationship: attraction and trust warring with betrayal and loyalty.

• ending
• final scene
• da nang
• rembrandt
• gunshot
• ambiguous

Yes, Anna achieves multiple acts of revenge throughout the film. She kills Duquet, the man who tortured her, as well as several of Edward Hayes's henchmen. Most importantly, she returns to Da Nang and kills the gang leader who was responsible for murdering her family when she was a child. However, her revenge comes at a great cost, losing Moody and facing an uncertain future with Rembrandt.

Foreshadowing: The film foreshadows Anna's return to Da Nang as the place where her story began and must end.

• anna
• revenge
• kill
• da nang
• gang leader

Moody and Anna share a complex mentor-father-daughter relationship. Moody saved Anna from the Da Nang massacre when she was a child and trained her to become an assassin. Over 30 years, they developed a deep bond, living together in London where Anna ran a rare bookshop as a front for their operations. Moody treated her as both student and adopted daughter, while Anna saw him as both mentor and father figure.

Foreshadowing: The guitar gift symbolizes their emotional connection beyond just professional mentor and student.

• moody
• anna
• relationship
• mentor
• father
• daughter

Duquet tortures Anna to extract information about her search for Lucas Hayes. As Edward Hayes's lawyer and enforcer, Duquet wants to know why Anna is so determined to find Lucas and what she knows about the past connection between Moody and Edward. Anna's refusal to stop her quest leads to her brutal captivity until she manages to escape.

Foreshadowing: Anna's meeting with Vohl was a trap set by Duquet.

• duquet
• torture
• vietnam
• kidnap
• interrogation
• lucas hayes