‘Devotion’ Ending Explained: What Caused Brown’s Death In The End?

Sunny Anderson
Jan 10, 2023
Jan 10, 2023

Adapted from Adam Makos’ book Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice, ‘Devotion’ tells a civil rights story centered on Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), a groundbreaking Black naval pilot and Korean War hero. But Brown isn’t your prototypical changemaker, and “Devotion” isn’t your usual anti-racism film. People who watch the movie left a question about Brown's death in the end. What led to his death?

What cause Brown’s death devotion Source: Slash Film

The marine officer and Brown in Cannes when cursed Brown for interrupting his conversation with actor Elizabeth Taylor. Tom interrupted them after noticing the heated discussion, and the mariner took the opportunity to push Brown. Tom punched him in the face, and it all resulted in a massive commotion. While it was good to have Tom’s support, he was not ready for anyone else to fight his fights. He had always been self-sufficient, and Tom’s friendly presence was extremely new for him, so he might have feared getting too comfortable around him. When Carol Mohring died during the practice session, Jesse expressed his reason for insecurity. While Tom blamed Mohring for making a technical error to cope with his death, Brown explained that doing what one is asked to do is not enough in his case. During flight school, he was forced to take the swimming tests ten times because the authorities conspired against him to make him fail. While Tom believed that he would be alive if he simply followed the instructions and manuals, for Brown, it was not that simple. He could not trust the source of instructions because he was aware that the ones supposed to keep them alive would conspire to kill him. Tom, a white man, gradually started to realize that things that he did not think twice about were extremely difficult for Brown to trust.

What cause Brown’s death devotion Source: Comic Book

In the Sinuiju mission, the squadron was tasked with destroying a pair of bridges on the Yalu River between China and North Korea. With thorough coordination, Brown and Hudner successfully tackled a Mi-15 fighter jet, and in the meantime, the rest of the team focused on destroying the bridges. In the end, one bridge remained standing, and Brown was determined to destroy it single-handedly. He went ahead and successfully attacked the bridge against Hudner’s order. Hudner was asked to write a report on the entire mission, and he mentioned how Brown disobeyed his order to tackle the bridge.
What Hudner believed would be an honest mention of what had occurred, Brown explained how it had cost him with insubordination in his fitness report, and as a result, he would be denied any promotion. Hudner tried to gather the testimony of the other teammates who spoke for Brown’s action, but it was not enough. Hudner failed to realize at that moment that he could not treat Brown like any other white teammate because the entire system was against him. He could not get away with anything, even if he did it in the best interest of the mission. He requested that Tom stop playing it safe if he truly wanted to help and uplift him. Just when Brown doubted himself, a group of black sailors gifted him a watch with “Above all others” inscribed in it. They were proud of Brown and wanted to show their appreciation for him. He was an inspiration to every Black kid who dared to dream and fly one day. Even though it was often a lonely fight, they reminded him of the importance of his presence. He represented them all, and by holding his place, he was teaching every white racist man a lesson.

What cause Brown’s death devotion Source: IMDb

Tom and his team were sent on another mission to help the marines who were overpowered by the Chinese and North Korean armies at Chosin Reservoir. The sudden arrival of the aviators gave the marines an added advantage. But during the mission, Brown’s Corsair was attacked, and it was leaking oil. He could not fly any longer, and Tom advised him to crash land at a clearing on a mountaintop. While Tom noticed that Brown was making movement, he was not leaving his Corsair. Hudner risked his life and crash-landed to save Brown. Even though it was not an advisable decision, he was not in a position to make a logical choice. He walked up to Brown and realized that his legs were crushed inside. No matter how hard he tried to pull Brown out of the aircraft, he could not. He waited for emergency help, and even though they tried their best to rescue him, it seemed impossible. Brown realized that he would not survive, given the conditions. As he was gradually losing consciousness, he asked Tom to tell Daisy how much he loved her. Tom hoped for help to reach Brown and bring his remains back, but reaching that site was risky and could expose others to danger.
One of the most memorable scenes in “Devotion” is when Jesse Brown reads from his little book the verbal waves of abuse he was subjected to from a young age. The words brought tears to his eyes and a determination in his heart to prove every racist wrong. He was carrying a heavy weight on his shoulder, and the journey was extremely lonely, but there was a fire in him to reach the sky and silently protest against all those who had wronged him and looked down upon him.
Related: Devotion: Who Were Jesse Brown And Tom Hudner? What Led To Tom Hudson And Jesse Brown’s Friendship?
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