MacGyver's Fate Is up in the Air — Here's What We Think Will Happen to Him

There are only a few episodes left of CBS's action-packed mystery thriller MacGyver, which follows Angus “Mac” MacGyver as he solves problems with his wit and savvy dexterity. Now, it looks like MacGyver may start to lose the use of his hands, forcing him to rely on his friends more than ever. Is this foreshadowing his death too?

Although many of us are hoping that Season 5 isn’t truly the end of MacGyver, the studio officially announced it earlier in April of 2021. If MacGyver does die at the end of the series, then there would really be no chance of it coming back. So, many of us are still worried for MacGyver’s life and wondering if he dies in the last season.

If we want to base the current MacGyver’s fate off the original, then we’re in the clear! The original MacGyver from the 1985 series did not die when the show was canceled after seven seasons. However, even though the current MacGyver started out as a reboot, it’s become more of a reimagining.

The biggest main difference is, of course, the absence of Jack Dalton. In 2018, George Eads, who portrayed the modern-day Jack Dalton, famously stormed off the set and ended his time on MacGyver. In many ways, the plot had to move on from him, although we’ve since learned that Jack likely died. This is a major departure from the original MacGyver, so we can’t rely too much on the original’s plot to predict Mac’s future.

In the original MacGyver, the series intended to end with Mac learning he has a son and going off to travel with him, which he learned in the penultimate episode. The last episode that actually aired showed Mac finding the Mountain of Youth, so maybe instead of dying, he will live forever.

While it’s definitely possible that MacGyver could die, it seems unlikely. For one, he didn’t die in the original series, so this would be too big of a departure. Plus, showrunners often like to leave open the chance to sell to another production company or produce spinoffs and specials, which the original MacGyver did with Lost Treasure of Atlantis.

The other big reason it seems unlikely is that it was only announced publicly that the fifth season would be MacGyver’s last season after shooting the fifth season had already wrapped. Plus, between COVID-19 network scheduling mishaps, much of the pre-written fourth season had gotten pushed to the fifth season.

While anything is possible, if there was any chance that MacGyver could have been renewed, it would be highly unlikely for the writers to kill off the show’s namesake. Plus, if he lives, that always leaves the chance for a streaming service like Hulu or Peacock to pick up the show — and that would be the best outcome of all the possibilities for MacGyver’s fate. 

Find out what happens to MacGyver in the last episode of the series on April 30 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. Until then, new episodes air Fridays.