The Omen's short-lived TV sequel series, entitled Damien, didn't have a happy ending, instead allowing the Antichrist to ascend to his throne. Released in 1976, director Richard Donner's film The Omen is the most celebrated tale of Satan's offspring this side of Rosemary's Baby. The Omen stars Gregory Peck as a powerful politician who agrees to adopt an orphan after he's led to believe his own newborn child died. This boy is Damien (Harvey Stephens), ultimately revealed to be the son of Satan, and destined to bring about the apocalypse.
A critical and commercial hit, The Omen received two theatrical sequels, which charted Damien's rise. A teenage Damien struggled with his true nature in 1978's Damien: Omen 2 and an adult Damien (played by future star Sam Neill) fully embraced his dark destiny in 1981's Omen 3: The Final Conflict. There was also a made-for-TV sequel concerning Damien's own daughter in 1991, but Omen 4: The Awakening is a follow-up best left resigned to the trash bin of horror history.
After the 2006 Omen remake earned mostly shrugs of indifference, The Omen franchise took a decade off, before returning with the 2016 premiere of Damien. Originally planned for Lifetime of all places, Damien ultimately aired on A&E for one 10-episode season, and starred Bradley James as an adult Damien. While the show never took off, its ending is notable for cementing Damien's rise to infernal power.
Damien is sort of the Halloween (2018) of The Omen franchise, ignoring all prior sequels and only following the 1976 original. Now a 30-year-old man, Damien Thorn has forgotten his evil deeds as a child, but is soon forced to reckon with his Satanic heritage. Damien spends the season battling his own duality, as he's a good person at heart, but sometimes feels himself slipping over to the dark side. It's an interesting dynamic, because the audience can't help but root for Damien, experiencing as we do events from his perspective. This is despite any Omen fan knowing who he's destined to become.
Over the course of the season, Damien has grown romantically attached to Simone (Megalyn Echikunwoke), the sister of his now deceased ex-girlfriend Kelly. She comes to reciprocate his feelings, even taking a bullet for him in the season (and ultimately series) finale. Angered at her death, Damien finally gives in, declaring his soul to his father Satan if Simone can be resurrected. She's brought back, rises to her feet, and the pair is then surrounded by kneeling worshipers. A now entirely evil Damien smiles at this, what would become the final image of the series following its cancellation. Damien has ascended to his infernal throne, and the apocalypse will soon be at hand. Whether this would've been undone in season 2 is unclear, but as it is, The Omen TV show lets the Antichrist win.
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