Universal PicturesIf there’s anyone who comes up to par with Bridget Jones, it’s Mark Darcy. The pair finally got hitched in Bridget Jones’ Baby, but the dream might be over all too soon.
Has anyone deserved a Mr. Darcy more than our Bridge? Yes, it’s a play on the famous Jane Austen character – also once played by Colin Firth – but the 21st-century version really is the hero of our dreams.
In fact, we wouldn’t have one of the best feel-good movies of all time without him. Mark’s calm yet standoffish exterior perfectly balances out Bridget’s chaotic and naive energy, and we waited far too long to see them get wed.
24 years after the original, a new movie is out in the form of Bridget Jones 4 (aka Mad About the Boy). Hooray! But even though Bridget hasn’t changed, something huge has – and it involves Mark. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Is Mark Darcy dead in Bridget Jones 4?
Yes. It’s revealed at the beginning of Bridget Jones 4 that Mark Darcy was killed while on a humanitarian trip to Sudan four years before the movie takes place.
Universal PicturesThis shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to anyone who has read the original Helen Fielding books given exactly the same thing happened. In fact, her decision to kill Darcy off was so controversial that it made headlines across the world back in 2013.
During an interview with CBC at the time, it was suggested Fielding killed him off because “she wanted to write about Bridget as a single mom, and Darcy, to be true to his character, would never have left Bridget of his own volition.”
“I couldn’t walk out in the street without some bloke coming out of a restaurant and saying: ‘You’ve murdered Colin Firth,'” she continued. “It was literally like making that call to tell someone that someone’s died. I had to ask if he was sitting down and if he had someone with him.
“We were both really upset but at the same time he’s really funny and gorgeous and we were laughing as well, because of course no one has died. It’s not a real person. I think it’s a tribute to him, to Colin, that he created this character the people cared about so much.”
In the novel, it was specified Darcy died in a landmine accident, though this isn’t expanded in the movie.
He’s still in plenty of the movie – but you’ll cry
Mark might be dead, but he’s not out. As Bridget sees his presence in her mind’s eye, we see Colin Firth on film at the same time.
As you can see, this is totally given away in the trailer. When Bridget turns up to her friend’s townhouse for yet another round of forced polite dinner she absolutely hates, she sees Mark waiting on the street for her. They tell each other they’ve scrubbed up well before somebody opens the door – to find Bridget, alone.
This isn’t the only time it happens, though. Usually when we see Mark pop up, it’s something to do with the kids. The second time we see him is when son William wants a song to help him sleep, seeing Mark sing ‘I’d Do Anything’ from Oliver! Yes, that’s just as emotional as it sounds.
But this kicks up a gear when we see him again at the end of the movie. For their Christmas show, William decides to sing ‘I’d Do Anything’ as a solo, with Bridget seeing Mark applaud from the hall sidelines as he finishes (yes, you will definitely cry here).
Bridget’s handle on her grief over Mark is something explored in different ways through the fourquel. Alongside restarting her diary after the fourth anniversary of Mark’s death, she gets the kids to draw him pictures on his birthday – and writes him a letter herself. On the big day, they each take a balloon to his grave, tie what they’ve made to it, and send it up to him in heaven. Still sobbing.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is in UK cinemas and streaming on Peacock in the US from February 13, 2025. For more, check out the best rom-coms, best Hallmark movies, and more new movies streaming this month.
