Scott Ward, Dave Bautista’s Army of the Dead character, appears in the Army of Thieves’ closing scene for a reason. The safe-cracking character Ludwig Dieter emerges from the humdrum life of a bank teller to participate in worldwide bank thefts in the film Army of Thieves. Gwendoline Starr, Interpol’s most sought woman, hires him to enter famed locksmith Hans Wagner’s Ring Cycle safes. Dieter accepts the task despite his lack of experience, seeing it as an opportunity to see the historic works he has spent his life studying.
Scott and Maria Make Cameo Appearance
Years after successfully opening three of the four Wagner safes, Dieter is shown living in America and managing Gwendoline’s Safe & Lock Co. in the Army of Thieves‘ conclusion. Scott and Maria Cruz from Army of the Dead make cameo appearances in the film’s concluding sequence. They pay a visit to Dieter in order to enlist him as the safecracker for their reformed group, Las Vengeance.
This Cameo Makes Us Wonder, What if Both The Films Share Same Universe
Because the genres of Army of Thieves and Army of the Dead are so unlike, Dave Bautista’s character being in both films solidifies the assumption that they are a part of a shared universe. It relates to how Dieter becomes a useful asset in the Vegas robbery, and it is another obvious link between the two events. Scott also serves as the courier who confirms the location of Götterdämmerung. He provides Dieter with the opportunity to realise his ambition of one day opening all of Wagner’s safes, as promised to Gwendoline after they were separated by Interpol. By using it as a coda for Army of Thieves, it’s an elegant way to touch on Dieter’s storey, which was initially hinted at in Army of the Dead.
It Expands The Franchise
The appearance of Bautista in that Zack Snyder-directed moment enhances the series by allowing characters from both films to cross paths and interact in the future. When Scott became a zombie, he may have been slain by his daughter Kate. That isn’t to say he can’t return and take part in flashback scenes in the future, especially given his character is so important to the entire franchise. Furthermore, while Dieter appears to die in Army of the Dead, the film teases a possible time loop hypothesis, implying that the prequel Army of Thieves may not be the final appearance of Dieter and Scott.
