The character, Teresa Agnes, is introduced as a secondary protagonist in the first Maze Runner book, with the final installment, The Death Cure, proving to be hugely significant as it marked Teresa’s death. In the events preceding her tragic demise, Teresa goes through a lot - from surviving the maze to even being forced to betray her own friends (like the franchise’s lead character and her love interest, Thomas). Even though the films don't stay true to the books, removing her telepathic connection with Thomas, they do add a lot of emotional depth to her character, capturing her moral dilemmas as the Gladers take down the evil corporation WCKD.
As the cast ends their run in The Death Cure, Teresa’s death naturally serves as a major shock given how significant of a character she has been in the trilogy (as well as its prequels, which were penned by James Dashner). Given her actions in The Scorch Trials, it becomes difficult for Gladers, such as Thomas, Newt and Minho to forgive or trust her again. However, despite her questionable allegiances, and situations where she was forced to act against her intentions, Teresa does end up being one of the most heroic characters in The Maze Runner series.
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How Teresa Dies In The Movies
Towards the final scenes of Maze Runner: The Death Cure, Teresa discovers that Thomas’ blood can reduce the impact of the Flare virus and even destroy it. She goes on to broadcast a message through the Last City, asking Thomas to return to WCKD as his blood can be humanity’s last hope. Even though Dylan O’Brien’s maze running protagonist believes Teresa and shows up at the building, the antagonistic Assistant Director Janson plans to use Thomas’ blood for himself as he is also infected by the virus. Teresa steps in, knocking him unconscious, and rescuing Thomas. However, by this time, the resistance unit The Right Arm goes ahead to bomb the WCKD tower.
The subsequent explosion in The Death Cure's ending results in the building caving in, eventually killing Teresa. What makes her death memorable is that she still manages to save Thomas and even hand him the serum that contains his own blood (the titular “Death Cure”). Even though Thomas himself is shot in the stomach by Janson, Teresa still manages to throw him safely to a berg (a WCKD aerial vehicle). The emotional value of the moment is increased with a final kiss between the two. Despite the Gladers feeling betrayed by her in the previous film, Kaya Scodelario's Teresa seems to find her redemption as a martyr.
Guilt seems to be an integral theme around Teresa’s death in The Death Cure. It took her great courage to ensure Thomas’ survival by deciding back to stay in the collapsing tower. Maybe, her heroic death will finally atone her of the guilt she carried when she unwillingly tortured Maze Runner's Minho, Newt, and even Thomas. As for Thomas who is himself dealing with the guilt of killing an infected Newt, the scene also manages to capture his pain as he looks at her one last time from the berg. But given that Teresa managed to give him the serum, her ultimate sacrifice did not go to waste.
How Teresa Dies In The Books
James Dashner's 2011 dystopian novel The Death Cure featured Teresa’s death in its final chapters albeit with other significant developments, such as the Immunes finding a new world, Brenda and Thomas dating, and Ava Paige’s epilogue on the Flare Virus that sheds light on the origins of the Flare Virus. In the events preceding Teresa’s death, the Right Arm set off bombs at the WICKED headquarters. This also sets off the Grievers, one of which attacks Teresa. Thomas manages to save her, but Teresa can still not make it out alive as a chunk of the ceiling fatally falls on her.
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Even as Minho and Brenda pull Thomas to safety, he still gets to apologize to her as he says “I am sorry” while Teresa’s last words are “ Me too…I only ever... cared for…”. She cannot even complete her sentence before taking her last breath, meeting quite a tragic yet arguably abrupt end. Naturally her last words seem to be the subject of mystery. While the much-delayed Death Cure film offered a more romantic goodbye, it is highly probable that “the only thing Teresa ever cared for” might be Thomas himself. Given her intentions of saving the Gladers and fighting the virus, she might have cared for humanity’s survival too.
How Changing Teresa’s Death Became Important In The Story
In the book, the possibilities behind the true meaning of Teresa's final words are endless, but it is highly likely that Dashner didn't end her arc with a romantic kiss given how he was intent on setting up Thomas with Brenda. The novel's ending would have hence come off as a disappointment for all those Maze Runner fans who ardently shipped Thomas and Teresa (even coming up with ship names like "Thomesa"). While The Death Cure film couldn't generate much critical buzz in the final years of the YA dystopian sci-fi craze, it could at least offer a more heartfelt end to one of its chief characters.
While Teresa's death is essentially glossed over in the books, the film could offer a more dramatic and fitting tribute. Even when Teresa is seen falling to her death against the backdrop of the burning WCKD tower, the camera also focuses on an injured and shocked Thomas, tears flowing down his eyes. The emotional intensity is definitely doubled up in the movie, establishing Teresa as a Thomas' one true love interest. Unlike Dashner's original story, the possibility of him dating Brenda is eliminated, and the audiences also get enough time to process the death of a character introduced right from the first movie.
Despite earning brutal reviews, Maze Runner: The Death Cure incorporated an essential creative liberty by changing Teresa's death, just like changing Newt’s last letter to Thomas. The letter originally read out as “Kill me” but in the film, it had a more optimistic tone with Newt writing “your future’s in your hands”. Similarly, Teresa’s death in the film might draw tears due to Kaya Scodelario’s performance, but it also offers hope. With the serum, she ensures her death was really worth it much like how she had earlier said “The world is dying. If we find a cure that's the only way all of this was worth it.”
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