His Life, Death and Aftermath Revealed

Below are spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice currently playing in theatersBeetlejuice Beetlejuice It reveals Betelgeuse's origins and how he died, elucidates the lore of the universe, and explains his proudly anti-social personality. Played by Michael Keaton in the original film and inspiring everything from an animated show to a Broadway musical, Betelgeuse was an instantly iconic horror/comedy combination. Betelgeuse, the undead destroyer devoted to helping ghosts drive people from their homes, actually has a relatively small presence in the original film compared to the film's focus on the Deets and Maitlands. This left many subtle mysteries about the character, including the origin of the character.

This aspect of the character ends up playing an important role in the plot and ending Beetlejuice Beetlejuicethe character's history comes back to haunt him, quite literally. Throughout the film, Betelgeuse explores his fatal fate and discovers what happened centuries before the modern day. These statements also do a lot of work to silently explain the nature of the title Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and he justifies why he acts as he does, his heartless approach to the afterlife, by revealing how it stems from the cruel conditions of his life and death.

Who Was Beetlejuice When He Lived and Lived

Betelgeuse's Origins Takes Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Back to the 14th century

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Tells more about Betelgeuse's origins, including its fate on the mortal plane and how it came to the afterlife. After learning that his ex-wife, Delores, has regrouped and is looking for him, Betelgeuse tells his employees at his live exorcism business the specifics of his life and death. It turns out like this Betelgeuse was alive in the 14th century and was apparently born in Spain, given the switch to Spanish for the story. It turns out that Betelgeuse survived the Black Plague that ravaged Europe and killed millions.

While others struggle to survive or work to protect others, Betelgeuse was content with his life as a grave robberdigging up piles of corpses used to store many dead people in rural areas. This actually highlights a good reason why Betelgeuse is so hostile to others, as his morality was set in a time when almost half of all humans died from disease. Death was a common thing, and he probably had no connections. Survival at this age required Betelgeuse to be heartless, with no respect for the dead or anyone she crossed paths with.

Beetlejuice's Marriage to Delores Explained

Delores and Betelgeuse Fall in Love Amidst the Black Plague

Beetlejuice Betelgeuse implied that he had married at some point in his life, with the immortal figure even removing his ex-wife's ring (and finger) when trying to marry the teenage Lydia. This backstory tease ends with a key element of inspiration Beetlejuice Beetlejuicebecause Betelgeuse's ex-wife Delores is the main threat to him throughout the film. In an extended flashback to Betelgeuse's origins, he discovers Betelgeuse's grave robbery. eventually introduced him to DeloresAt the same time, he encountered a vile grave robber who haunted the fields of the dead.

Delores and Betelgeuse initially seemed drawn to each other by the magnetism of the beasts, which Betelgeuse was completely engulfed by. Delores and Betelgeuse, seemingly wealthier than her new husband, went through a supernatural wedding ceremony in which a goat was sacrificed and chickens were killed to celebrate their union. This reveals that Delores is actually the leader of a cult trying to unlock the secrets of immortality. The wedding is a dark gothic affairHe hugged Betelgeuse. Although Betelgeuse thinks the wedding is legitimate, the film reveals that there is actually a deadly ulterior motive behind Delores' desire to marry Betelgeuse.

How did Beetlejuice die and when did it happen?

Betelgeuse's Wedding Night Shortened

What was supposed to be the beginning of Betelgeuse's life with Delores turned out to be the last night of his life, as the character's flashback reveals that his new wife has darker plans for him. As the leader of the cult, Delores married Betelgeuse specifically to sacrifice her to gain new supernatural power. After spending the night together, Delores tricks Betelgeuse into drinking poison instead of wine. Although his actual death is not shown on screen, this confirms how Betelgeuse died. He gives the film new explanations for the often poisonous-looking fluids that often seep from his body.

It also justifies his costume by revealing that he was well dressed when he died. However, Delores' overconfidence backfires on her as a flashback reveals that she taunted her husband with the truth. Since the poison was fairly slow moving, this gave Betelgeuse a chance to get revenge by taking an ax and cutting Delores. Cut him to pieces, Betelgeuse accidentally redeemed herself from him for centuries in the afterlife, he arrived in pieces and was kept in separate crates for hundreds of years, until a chance freed him, allowing him to reunite his body and hunt him down.

Why Beetlejuice Became a Civil Servant in the Afterlife

One of the most consistent Fates in the Hereafter is to Work in Bureaucracy

afterlife Beetlejuice it's a uniquely weird, but weirdly grounded place. While some souls are taken on the Soul Train to reach the Great Beyond, others are trapped as ghosts on Earth unless they can find a space to move through (this Beetlejuice Beetlejuice The final fate of the Maitlands from the previous film is revealed). It seems so for everyone the spirits of the deceased are assigned to perform tasks in the civil service bureaucracy governs the afterlife. For Betelgeuse, this meant being a “destroyer” who could help drive living people out of their abodes.

Beetlejuice Betelgeuse hinted that he took too much serious and dangerous pleasure in this work, forcing him to start an “independent” business. This makes it uniquely dangerous and with few rules. Betelgeuse is clearly expanding over time Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceWith a cast of shrunken men like Bob. This seems to be the fate of anyone who can't continue public service but isn't trapped on Earth, as other characters (like Lydia's ex Richard) share a similar fate. Betelgeuse firing everyone makes more sense after his origins are revealed, and highlights why he embraces chaos so happily. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.