Similar to many films, Marty Supreme was an incredibly memorable experience. Even though I may not watch it again, certain scenes are stuck in my head: the bathtub shot, Rachel in the phone booth, the honey story, and the final song. However, one moment stands out the most: a seemingly random line delivered to Marty during a climactic argument.
Director Safdie recently explained on a podcast that this line was not initially intended to be a mere oddity. According to him, the film could have had a radically different conclusion.
In the final act of Marty Supreme, Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) breaks his agreement with Milton Rockwell (Kevin O’Leary) to intentionally lose a match to his rival, Koto Endo (Koto Kawaguchi). Rockwell attempts to reassert his dominance, stating, “I was born in 1601. I’m a vampire. I’ve been around forever. I’ve met many Marty Mausers over the centuries. Some of them crossed me, some of them weren’t straight. They weren’t honest. And those are the ones that are still here.”
Although this sounds like a metaphor for his influence, it was apparently conceived as a literal threat to condemn Marty to an immortal existence. O’Leary, famous as Mr. Wonderful from Shark Tank, has maintained that he improvised the dialogue. A report on December 31, 2025, stated that O’Leary invented this character history, saying, “I have to be a vampire in this movie, and I have to give him eternity in misery.” He also said he had molds made for custom vampire fangs before the scene was altered. Shortly after, another outlet reported seeing a video from O’Leary to Safdie detailing Rockwell’s vampire nature.
Safdie has now provided his account. While appearing on a podcast with Sean Baker, director of Anora, Safdie disclosed the original plan for O’Leary’s improvised backstory. He said an early concept for the ending featured an epilogue with an elderly Marty taking his granddaughter to a concert in the 1980s, where he meets a completely unchanged Rockwell, who then bites him.
“We built the prosthetic for Timmy and everything,” Safdie stated. “And Mr. Wonderful shows up behind him and takes a bite out of his neck, and that was the last thing in the movie.”
It is startling to consider such a blatant supernatural turn in this film, though Marty Supreme is not known for its subtlety. Ultimately, the version that reached theaters provides a fitting conclusion to Marty’s chaotic journey, without requiring any fangs.