At the climax of BioShock Infinite, Booker DeWitt's journey concludes with his sacrificial drowning by alternate versions of Elizabeth. This pivotal event serves as the ultimate resolution to the game's complex narrative, severing the infinite parallel realities where Zachary Hale Comstock, Booker's alternate self, could rise to power and create the oppressive city of Columbia.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Booker's fate is intrinsically linked to the game's core theme of choices and their ripple effects across countless realities. The culmination of the story reveals a profound truth: Booker DeWitt is, in fact, Zachary Hale Comstock in a different reality. The divergent path for both men stemmed from a single event: a baptism offered to Booker following his participation in the Wounded Knee Massacre.
- Choice 1: Rejecting Baptism: This path leads to the creation of Booker DeWitt, a private investigator burdened by guilt, who eventually comes to Columbia to "bring us the girl and wipe away the debt."
- Choice 2: Accepting Baptism: This path leads to the creation of Zachary Hale Comstock, a zealous prophet who establishes Columbia and becomes the antagonist.
To prevent Comstock from ever existing in any reality, Elizabeth (and countless alternate versions of herself) escorts Booker back to the moment of his baptism. By drowning him at this critical juncture, they ensure that neither Booker DeWitt nor Zachary Hale Comstock emerge from that moment, effectively erasing the possibility of Columbia and its tyrannical future.
| Character Name | Key Identity in Infinite | Fate at End of Infinite |
|---|---|---|
| Booker DeWitt | Protagonist; Future Comstock | Drowned by Elizabeths |
Booker's Past and Its Connection
Prior to his life as a private investigator, Booker DeWitt had a notable military career. He was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army and was ultimately awarded a Medal of Honor for his service. However, the atrocities he witnessed and participated in, particularly the Wounded Knee Massacre, left him deeply traumatized and led to the crisis of conscience that prompted his original baptism. This past guilt directly fed into the branching paths that defined his existence and ultimately, his demise. The weight of his actions at Wounded Knee significantly shaped the man he became, influencing both his heroic and villainous manifestations.
The Aftermath and Ambiguity
Booker's drowning creates a temporal paradox that unravels the realities tied to Columbia. While the main story concludes with his definitive sacrifice, the Burial at Sea downloadable content adds an ambiguous post-credits scene that hints at Booker perhaps existing in a different, more stable reality where Anna (his daughter, who is also Elizabeth) might still be with him, implying that some version of him potentially survived the eradication of the infinite Comstock timelines. However, as far as the core narrative of BioShock Infinite is concerned, Booker DeWitt's story ends with his selfless act to save all realities from Comstock's tyranny.
