The end of Yellowjackets Season 2 killed a central character off in the present-day timeline, leaving fans reeling. As one of the main surviving ladies and the catalyst for getting them all together again, Natalie Scatorccio was a tortured soul who was just trying to do right by her old friend Travis. While she used unorthodox methods and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty, Natalie always prioritized protecting others over saving herself.
Natalie’s final valiant act in the Season 2 finale helped save a young woman she saw so much of herself in. She died a hero, which is more than can be said for some of the other Yellowjackets. Despite the shock value the death caused, fans were sad to see Natalie go and wondered why Juliette Lewis, who played adult Natalie, left the series.
Updated on June 9, 2025, by Ajay Aravind: The conclusion of Yellowjackets Season 3 was an even bigger upheaval than Natalie’s death, as fans had to grapple with the loss of the series’ fan-favorite queer character. Van survived so many near-death encounters, including terminal cancer, that viewers thought she was somehow immune to the Wilderness. Still, Van’s younger self promised that death wasn’t necessarily the end, a mysterious statement that could also apply to Natalie. Taking this into account, this article was updated with more relevant information and to reflect CBR’s current style guide.
How Did Natalie Die in Yellowjackets?
Misty Accidentally Killed Natalie with Phenobarbital
Natalie’s death ended what was set to be the fatal reunion among the Yellowjackets who survived the Wilderness. She was the unlikely victim. After all the ladies congregated at Lottie’s compound, things came to a head when Lottie insisted that the Wilderness was calling for a sacrifice. She organized drinks for everyone, one of which was poisoned. The ladies pretend to go along with Lottie’s plan but suggest they do things the old-fashioned way, with the Queen of Hearts being the short straw. Lottie goes along, and the others aim to stall as long as possible while they call a psych team for Lottie.
Unbeknownst to them, however, Van has called off the team. She has nothing to lose, dying of terminal cancer. And deep down, Van thinks perhaps the sacrifice of another woman might somehow save her. Shauna draws the Queen of Hearts, and everything comes to a head. While she’s chased into the woods, Callie arrives with a gun and shoots Lottie in the shoulder to save her mother. Lisa shows up and threatens to kill Natalie. While Natalie tries to talk Lisa down from doing something she will regret, Misty charges at Lisa to poke her with a syringe filled with the deadly drug phenobarbital.
In a final valiant move, Natalie jumps in front of Lisa to save her, but this causes Misty to accidentally drive the needle into Natalie. The life slowly drains out of Natalie’s body as she dies in Misty’s arms. In a final moment, she sees a vision of herself in the Wilderness with Javi and Lottie, suggesting that she has never let go of the guilt of letting Javi die to save her own life, one of the many times the girls on Yellowjackets went too far. Natalie is finally at peace, although the same can’t be said for her teenage version still trapped in the Wilderness.
Misty Was Devastated by the Loss of Natalie
When authorities arrive on the scene, they rule Natalie’s death as an overdose, saving Misty from any charges. However, as evidenced in season three, Misty is overcome with the grief of the loss of her friend and the pivotal role she played in her death. Christina Ricci, who plays the present-day Misty, says the scene was «tough to shoot» and «very emotional,» according to Variety. She notes that Misty’s impulsive decision to kill Lisa was consistent with the character’s traits. «Not wanting her friends taken away,» she explains, «it’s about keeping what she wants…another characteristically immature, impulsive, selfish choice where she was going to kill the person who was going to hurt her friend.»
Natalie Died to Show That There Are Consequences
Are the Consequences Delivered by the Wilderness?
Despite how the loss of Natalie has left the women gutted and viewers missing Lewis’ portrayal of the rebellious woman, co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco told GamesRadar that the reason for the death was simple: actions have consequences. “There can’t be consequences if you’re not going to have what they went through affect some of our seminal characters,” he explains in defending the major character death in season 2 of Yellowjackets. “For better or worse, we hope that that’s understandable to our very dear audience, because if the impact doesn’t have an effect on them emotionally or psychologically, then what are we doing? Because that’s the conceit of the show.”
“What we’re trying to do with the present-day story is to show that that force is not one that ends when they get rescued,” showrunners Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson told The Hollywood Reporter. Natalie’s death was just another example of that, albeit one of the most harrowing to date. Weirdly enough, Natalie’s death was foreshadowed from the beginning, confirms executive producer Karyn Kusama to The Hollywood Reporter in the same interview. One such instance is when Natalie has a vision of Misty as an “angel of death.” Her subconscious knew, in some shape or form, that Misty would be the one to end, and likely free, her.
Natalie’s death is also proof that despite the women being rescued from the Wilderness, the darkness they encountered there may very well have followed them home. In fact, Natalie once told adult Travis that they weren’t alone and the darkness was still with them. From the strange happenings, secret gifts and messages, and even Tai’s constant hallucinations and her odd sacrificial altar, it’s clear there is indeed a dark cloud that hangs over the women. Tai starts to see this even more clearly in season three when the waiter who chased her and Van down in the streets after a dine-and-dash incident drops dead immediately after. As such, the Wilderness remains as relevant as ever.
Why Did Juliette Lewis Leave the Show?
Lewis Prefers Cinema to Television
The timing was right for both the character of Natalie as well as Lewis, who was ready to depart the show anyway. While Lewis has had plenty of main and guest-starring roles on TV shows throughout her decades-long career, she got her start as a movie actor, and it appears this is still where her heart lies. “I very much knew,” she said of her character’s pending death when speaking with Variety. “I think I’m good for a series for two seasons. It’s a different kind of work.” While her exit wasn’t necessarily pre-planned, she claimed to have “worked stuff out” to ensure she could leave when she was ready.
Lewis added that her “creative DNA” works much better in movies. “I like moviemaking. It’s something I thoroughly understand with a single director, a finite period of time and knowing beginning, middle, and an end. And I really relish those confines.” Lewis moved on from Yellowjackets to film the movie The Thicket, which fit right into her schedule and her preferences, shooting in 24 days, she noted. That Western thriller, which also stars Peter Dinklage, has been met with generally positive reviews. She then appeared in the drama By Design, and the horror thriller Opus, which also stars Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, and Murray Bartlett.
Season 3 Shows Teen Natalie Transforming Into Her Older Self
Sophie Thatcher, who plays the younger teenage version of Natalie, told Variety that the death was «so heartbreaking» but adds that it «creates more levels for younger Natalie because the viewers will have that in mind.» Calling Lewis her «mentor,» Thatcher says that «to lose her on the show felt really like losing a part of yourself.» The vision that adult Natalie sees in her final moments, as she sits with her younger self, is the first time the two appear in a scene together. However, fans are also interested to know what teen Natalie meant when she told her older self that «this is where we belong.»
Thankfully for Yellowjackets fans, Thatcher does a wonderful job of portraying the teenage version of Natalie, capturing the same essence of the character, right down to Lewis’ manner of speech, tomboyish swagger, and inflated confidence that masks insecurity. Fans even noticed how younger Natalie began acting more like older Natalie in Yellowjackets Season 3, bridging the gap between the two versions of her character. As long as she lives on through her past in the Wilderness, it’s clear there’s still a lot more story to tell about Natalie.
What Van's Death Says About the Dead Yellowjackets
The Series' Supernatural Elements Remain Mysterious
Natalie’s tragic death doesn’t completely rule out Lewis’ return in some fashion, through visions, dreams, or even hallucinations of the other women. While her funeral scene and the burning of her body confirm with certainty that she’s dead, she could also appear in present-day flashbacks to a time when she was still alive, if there’s a way for it to fit with the current story thematically. For now, there is no confirmation of a return in any form. On the other hand, the matter of the Wilderness and its supernatural role remains, which Yellowjackets Season 4 could explore more.
Fans have long wondered if the Wilderness (also known as It) is a real entity or a mass hallucination caused by endless trauma. However, Jackie’s spontaneous funeral confirmed the existence of the paranormal, during which a gust of wind causes snow to pile up on her pyre. Even if this event was natural, it’s not possible for dying embers to suddenly become a blaze, especially with snow dripping through the pyre. There is something strangely spooky about the Wilderness, and It seems to have latched on to the surviving Yellowjackets. That said, whether the Wilderness is good or evil is left open to interpretation.
We hear the Wilderness; and It hears us.
— the Yellowjackets’ mantra
Although younger Natalie’s final words to her dying self are still ambiguous, Van’s death sheds some more light on how the supernatural operates in the show. The same airplane ending is offered to both Natalie and Van, although Van’s teen version cryptically claims that «surviving this was never the reward.» When adult Van probes further, young Van states that knowing the presumably true ending wouldn’t be any «fun.» This scene doesn’t necessarily mean that either Van or Natalie has a chance of coming back, but it certainly expands the possibilities for them. The Wildnerness could have something else in store for them, a fate that’s yet to be decided. Death may not be the end for the Yellowjackets; it might just be a door leading somewhere else.
