Mayday Ending Explained: Why Did Nick Betray Troy?

Mayday turns Nick Ustinov’s apparent betrayal of Troy Kelly into the final test of a friendship built across enemy lines, and the answer has far less to do with Cold War allegiance than wounded trust. Ryan Reynolds plays hotshot U.S. Navy pilot Lieutenant Troy ‘Assassin’ Kelly, whose covert mission over Soviet territory goes disastrously wrong, leaving him dependent on Kenneth Branagh’s eccentric former KGB operative Nikolai ‘Nick’ Ustinov. 

Apple describes John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein’s film as a genre-bending buddy action comedy that “flips the spy thriller on its head,” which fits a story where an American patriot and an America-obsessed Soviet gradually discover that neither country matches the caricature they carried in their heads. Nick spends the film risking everything to get Troy home, making his betrayal hit hard. But Troy has already broken the promise Nick was counting on for his escape.

Nick Helps Troy Because He Wants His Own Escape

Credit: Apple TV

When Nick discovers Troy after the crash, his home immediately gives away his fascination with America. The former KGB operative surrounds himself with American memorabilia, loves Top Gun, and dreams of experiencing the country for himself. Troy initially sees him as another obstacle. Nick warns that reaching Finland would be dangerous with the Red Army and KGB hunting him, but Troy steals his car anyway and heads for a tavern, where speaking English attracts unwanted attention. Nick still comes after him and gets him out. From there, the pair begin working toward the same destination.

Apple’s marketing deliberately builds the film around that odd-couple alliance, asking whether their unlikely partnership can lead to both Troy’s rescue and “a bond neither saw coming.”

Nick has another reason to leave: helping an American fugitive has made remaining in the Soviet Union extremely dangerous. Troy becomes his ticket out, while Nick becomes Troy’s best chance of staying alive. That arrangement starts as mutual necessity, but Anna changes it into something more personal.

Anna Forces Nick to Face the Father He Used to Be

Credit: Apple TV

Nick refuses to abandon the Soviet Union without his daughter Anna, played by Maria Bakalova. Their relationship has fractured partly because Anna believes her father still carries the prejudices and authoritarian instincts associated with his KGB past. Troy discovers a different truth. Nick already knows Anna is queer, and her treatment under the Soviet system contributed to his decision to leave the KGB. His failure was emotional rather than ideological: he never told his daughter any of this. Troy gets Nick and Anna to make peace, but Anna chooses to stay behind. Nick is finally ready to leave until he overhears that the US may not give him asylum.

Why Did Nick Betray Troy?

Credit: Apple TV

Nick betrays Troy because he discovers that the United States has refused to guarantee him asylum and Troy intended to keep that information from him until they reached the embassy. Troy does argue Nick’s case with Consul General Hennessy, but once it becomes apparent that Washington does not want to make promises to a former KGB officer, he continues with the escape plan without telling Nick the truth. Nick realizes that Troy needs him to reach American protection but cannot guarantee protection in return.

That is the betrayal beneath Nick’s betrayal. He contacts Volkov and offers Troy to the KGB, believing Troy has treated him as expendable. When Nick confronts him, Troy admits he feared Nick would refuse to drive him to the embassy if he knew asylum had been denied. Nick’s anger makes sense. He has risked execution for Troy and trusted his promises, only to learn that his future has become collateral damage in Troy’s rescue. Still, Nick never truly chooses Volkov. When Volkov threatens Anna and tries to force both men into signing false confessions, Nick turns on him, stabbing him with the very fountain pen Volkov hands over. The betrayal was an act of desperation, not a return to KGB loyalty.

Mayday Ending Explained: Troy Finally Keeps His Word

Credit: Apple TV

After escaping the KGB facility, stealing a missile vehicle during the May Day parade, and reaching an aircraft, Troy and Nick finally make it toward American forces. Then Troy gets his chance to repair what he broke. Once they approach a U.S. aircraft carrier, Troy refuses to land until Nick receives permanent asylum. Karen Meadows from the State Department eventually gives in, and Nick is granted the status Troy had promised him from the beginning. Troy even admits afterward that he had reserve fuel available, meaning his refusal to land was calculated leverage rather than a suicidal bluff.

That choice brings Troy’s journey full circle. He still loves America, but now he knows patriotism means calling out your own country when it gets things wrong. He later takes on the asbestos issue, while Nick finally gets his American dream, Big Mac and camper van included. The mid-credits scene circles back to Troy’s ‘Assassin’ nickname, giving their friendship a fitting final beat. Nick’s betrayal makes that bond hit harder; Troy doesn’t win him over with words; he puts his own life on the line to prove where he stands.

Did Nick go too far by handing Troy over, or would you have stopped trusting Troy after overhearing that asylum call too? Drop your verdict below, and follow FandomWire for more movie endings worth arguing about.

Watch Mayday on Apple TV.