Spoilers ahead for Heads of State (Prime Video). The movie starts as an odd-couple political action comedy, U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena) and U.K. Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) can barely stand each other, then turns into a full-blown conspiracy once they’re targeted and forced to go off-grid.
Why There’s An “Insider” In The First Place
The villains aren’t just trying to cause chaos for fun. Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine) wants to blow up NATO unity by leaking high-level intelligence and humiliating Western leadership at the exact moment the alliance is supposed to show strength. A plan that precise only works if someone inside the White House can quietly steer events, keep tabs on security, and help Gradov anticipate moves before anyone else does.
The White House Insider Is Vice President Elizabeth Kirk
The movie plays a deliberate misdirection game, pushing suspicion toward staff and aides—most notably the president’s chief of staff, Simone Bradshaw (Sarah Niles), before finally revealing the real mole: Vice President Elizabeth Kirk (Carla Gugino).
Kirk is the kind of suspect who makes sense in hindsight because she’s positioned high enough to know sensitive details, influence decisions, and move quietly without immediate scrutiny. According to the film’s ending breakdown, her agenda aligns with the broader destabilization Gradov is aiming for, turning the “who can they trust?” problem into something much uglier than a staff leak.
How The Heroes Figure It Out
Once Derringer and Clarke survive the attack and realize the “official story” isn’t adding up, they treat everyone as a potential threat and follow the breadcrumbs back to the source of the leak. The key shift is when they stop focusing on who seems suspicious in the moment and instead focus on who would actually have the access and the leverage, to make the conspiracy work at the highest level. That logic leads them to Kirk.
What Happens To Kirk
Kirk’s betrayal doesn’t end with a neat arrest and a speech. In the chaos of the final moves around the NATO summit, she’s ultimately killed by Gradov, which underlines a brutal reality of these plots: the “partner” is disposable once they’re no longer useful.
Does Gradov Get Away With It?
No. The last stretch is a full action finale where Gradov tries to escape, but Clarke and Derringer stop him—his getaway is destroyed and he’s killed in the process. The movie closes with the two leaders alive, publicly back in control, and their relationship flipped from rivalry to mutual respect after surviving the same nightmare.
The Post-Credits Tease
If you stick around after the credits, the film reveals that CIA agent Marty Comer (Jack Quaid), who appeared to be dead earlier, actually survived, which is a pretty loud signal that the story could continue if the studio wants a sequel.
