Hannibal season 3: Are Hannibal and Will still alive after falling off the cliff? Explained

Hannibal season 3 (2025) is an ode to the complicated relationship between FBI agent Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) and Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen). Lecter, formerly a forensic psychologist assigned to diagnose and help Graham, is on the run in Italy after going on a rampage and injuring Graham, FBI Agent Crawford, and Dr. Alana Bloom. They survive and follow him to Italy, where he turns himself in.

The horror crime drama raises several questions - Why does Will grapple with his killing and cannibalistic instincts? Why does Lecter push Will to embrace his true persona? This is deeply explored in the second half of season 3, which is based on Thomas Harris' novel The Red Dragon.

Are Will and Lecter alive after the final battle with the Dragon? The post-credits scene with Bedelia being served her leg by an unknown figure shows two extra place settings, which led fans to believe that the duo survived the fall. Showrunner Bryan Fuller confirms this theory. So yes, Hannibal and Will are still alive after falling off the cliff.

Here's the detailed rundown.

Disclaimer: All opinions in this article belong solely to the writer. Spoilers ahead.

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Showrunner Bryan Fuller confirms Hannibal and Will survive the cliff fall in season 3

Hannibal turns himself in in season 3 (Image via Prime Video)

What are the events that led up to the fall in Hannibal season 3?

The second half of Hannibal season 3 introduces Francis Dolarhyde, the serial killer obsessed with William Blake's The Great Red Dragon and other works. His childhood trauma of having a cleft lip propels his psychological breakdown, introducing a split personality named the Dragon. He believes that by murdering people, he will help them, and in turn, himself, achieve a "becoming".

Dolarhyde has one more obsession: The cannibalistic Hannibal Lecter. He reaches out to Lecter, who is cozied up in prison, and even sends him presents. That is, if one would consider remnants of a pair of human lips a present. Lecter does, and even eats some of it. Will comes out of retirement, and the duo gets the band back together to take Dolarhyde down after he shows no signs of slowing down.

A still from the series (Image via Prime Video)

Will devises a plan using Lecter as bait to lure Dolarhyde out of hiding. The plan works, and they find themselves hiding out in the beach house by the cliff, waiting for Dolarhyde while they discuss life over a glass of wine. When he finds them, a final battle ensues.

Will and Lecter manage to tackle him while being gravely injured. Lecter rips into his throat while Will slashes his stomach open with a knife, killing him. Later, they embrace, and Lecter softly admits that the moment had everything he wanted to show Will.

"It's beautiful," Will Graham responds to Lecter.

Then, in slow motion, Will tips himself and Lecter over the edge of the cliff and into the ocean below. The camera stills on the waters for a long time before fans can see the developments in the post-credits scene with Bedelia.

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Bryan Fuller talks about the ending of Hannibal season 3

Will embraces Lecter before falling off the cliff (Image via YouTube/StudiocanalUK)

Fans of the macabre horror crime (affectionately dubbed "Fannibals") are torn between wanting to believe Will and Lecter lived and not seeing enough proof for their survival. After all, the fall appears pretty steep, and it would've taken a lot for them to live. However, the post-credits scene shows two extra place settings next to Bedelia, suggesting they survived, and Will even embraced his cannibalism.

In an interview with ScreenCrush in December 7, 2015, Bryan Fuller discussed the show's ending with E. Oliver Whitney. When the interviewer jokingly asked Fuller what the recipe for the leg was, he responded with:

"I have to ask Janice Poon [show's food consultant] that because basically, our conversation was, it has to look like the most beautiful dish Hannibal Lector has ever prepared," Fuller added.

Janice Poon, food consultant on Hannibal, during the show's promotions (Image via Getty)

This prompted further questions from the interviewer, who was eager to confirm what he had just heard to be true. Fuller responded and discussed another possible fan theory around the leg, saying with a laugh:

"Oh yeah, yeah. But the fun of it is, people have interpreted it the other way that she cut off her own leg and cooked it herself. And that’s also fun. So I think you can choose your own ending, until you are proven definitely wrong."

During a previous interview with TV Line, published in August 29, 2015, Bryan Fuller threw in the possibility of it being Hannibal's uncle serving Bedelia the leg. David Bowie was supposed to get the part, but it did not come to fruition due to scheduling conflicts. He mentioned:

“Yes, we have told you completion to this story, but who is serving Bedelia that leg? Is it Hannibal? Did he survive? Is it Uncle Robert is, and is David Bowie behind that curtain? Who’s serving her the leg?”

While Hannibal season 3 has showcased a conclusive ending, even with a literal cliffhanger, fans need more proof for Will and Lecter's survival, and the possibility of a season 4. While no confirmation has occurred for over a decade, Fuller expressed enthusiasm to pick the show back up and make more of Thomas Harris' books come to life.

“It’s not over until I’m dead, as far as I’m concerned," Bryan Fuller told TV Line.

Showrunner Bryan Fuller promoting the show (Image via Getty)

Season 3 cleverly toes the line between leaving the ending open while giving fans a poetic full stop to the passionate tango Dancy's and Mikkelsen's characters engaged in for three seasons. By embracing Lecter, Will embraces the version of himself he has fought so long to get rid of. Their plummet to seeming death is an act of resurrection, a way to start over as people who see and understand each other.

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Watch all episodes of Hannibal on Netflix.