‘The First Omen’ Theories: Themes, Meaning, and More

I’ve always loved the universe of The Omen, so when I saw The First Omen (2024) was coming out, I made plans to go see it in the theater — fast.

I wasn’t disappointed. The best horror prequels can stand alone and elevate the existing films in the series. And that’s what The First Omen did.

Admittedly, I saw this months ago, but I wrote down my thoughts at the time and finally got around to writing this article about my theories about The First Omen. Please let me know what you think.

Screenshot from the trailer for “The First Omen.”

‘The First Omen’ (2024) Theories

1. Church Conspiracy and the Rise of the Antichrist

Theory: The film portrays a clandestine group within the Catholic Church orchestrating the birth of the Antichrist to renew the public’s dependence on religious institutions. This suggests that evil doesn’t just invade from the outside; it’s nurtured by those ostensibly meant to oppose it.

• Why It Fits:
  • Figures like Cardinal Lawrence and Abbess Silva manipulate events—from impregnating Margaret to raising Carlita—for their apocalyptic agenda.
  • The Church’s “radicals” see secularism as an existential threat, believing a global crisis (i.e., the Antichrist) will scare people back to faith.
• Key Moments:
  • Fr. Brennan’s insistence that certain officials are collaborating with diabolical forces.
  • Margaret’s discovery of hidden files labeled “Scianna”—literal proof the Church is systematically breeding these marked babies.

2. Margaret as a Symbol of Coerced Faith and Bodily Autonomy

Theory: Margaret’s lack of agency—brought to Rome under false pretenses, drugged, assaulted, and forced to carry a satanic pregnancy—reflects a thematic focus on bodily autonomy versus institutional power. She is both physically and spiritually violated.

• Why It Fits:
  • Margaret arrives intending to serve as a novice in the Church, only to be exploited in a ritual that strips her of choice.
  • The forced pregnancy parallels real-world debates about control over reproductive rights, with Margaret powerless against powerful religious or political conspirators.
• Key Moments:
  • The disco assault (under the guise of a night out) leads to demonic conception, echoing real issues of date-rape or manipulated consent.
  • The final scene: Margaret attempts to fight back (even tries to kill Cardinal Lawrence) but ultimately can’t end the child’s life, reflecting the heartbreak of a mother who never consented to motherhood.

3. The ‘Scianna’ Babies and Twinned Destiny

Theory: Both Carlita and Margaret carry devilish blood, marking them as “twins” in demonic lineage—Carlita is physically younger, while Margaret is older but similarly marked. The film may be emphasizing the idea that multiple potential “vessels” exist, each shaped by the Church’s machinations.

• Why It Fits:
  • Carlita’s forced separation from Margaret suggests parallel “lives” prepared to usher in the Antichrist.
  • The discovery that Margaret and Carlita are half-sisters, both branded with the 666 mark, reveals a long-brewing plan to ensure the Antichrist’s conception—whether with Carlita or with Margaret.
• Key Moments:
  • Carlita’s drawings of pregnant women in distress foresee the same fate that Margaret endures.
  • Margaret’s final rescue by Carlita—two demonic-blood siblings banding together against the conspirators.

4. Political Turmoil and the Apocalyptic Mindset

Theory: Set in 1971 Rome, the film’s backdrop of political protests and social unrest underscores how easily chaos and fear can be harnessed. By weaving the demon-child plot into this era’s real historical upheaval, The First Omen suggests that turbulent times provide ripe ground for apocalypse-driven ideologies.

• Why It Fits:
  • Demonstrations and police crackdowns parallel the Church radicals’ belief that the world is on the brink—an environment in which a dire sign (the Antichrist) might be embraced as “necessary.”
  • The sense of a society at odds with itself reflects the film’s tension: new liberal attitudes collide with old institutional powers clinging to dominance.
• Key Moments:
  • Margaret experiencing demonic hallucinations during a riot, mixing political violence with spiritual dread.
  • The conspirators framing the Antichrist’s birth as a solution to secular “rebellion,” harnessing fear to consolidate religious control.

5. The Jackal Symbol: Animalistic Evil vs. Human Free Will

Theory: The demonic jackal—seen in the flames near the film’s end—revisits a classic Omen motif, representing the primal, feral nature of the evil that spawns Damien. It contrasts with the Church conspirators’ calculated, human evil, implying that no matter how methodical the plan, devilish chaos still reigns.

• Why It Fits:
  • The jackal has historically been associated with Damien’s lineage in the original Omen series.
  • Even Cardinal Lawrence’s elaborate scheme can’t tame the unearthly horror—Margaret glimpses the jackal as a reminder that “true” evil remains beyond human control.
• Key Moments:
  • Carlita’s rescue of Margaret, with the jackal’s presence in the fire, underlines that the final outcome remains uncertain—chaos overshadowing the conspirators’ illusions of order.
  • The film’s last scene shifting focus to Damien and a new chapter suggests the unstoppable nature of this “animalistic” demon-child’s future.

6. Motherhood, Fear, and the Choice Not Taken

Theory: The First Omen underscores the horror of manipulated motherhood—Margaret’s moral agony at being forced to birth twins, one destined for apocalyptic evil. The film leaves lingering questions about a mother’s responsibility when she didn’t choose her fate.

• Why It Fits:
  • Margaret’s journey pivots on attempts to regain bodily autonomy. She contemplates aborting the pregnancy but is thwarted by conspirators.
  • In the end, she cannot kill the newborn son, underscoring the conflict between maternal instinct and the knowledge that her child may doom humanity.
• Key Moments:
  • The moment she stabs Cardinal Lawrence but cannot bring herself to harm her baby boy, simultaneously showing defiance and maternal reluctance.
  • Carlita’s shared sense of maternal empathy for Margaret and the newborn daughter, forging a twisted but genuine family bond at the film’s conclusion.

7. Self-Sacrifice vs. Institutional Hypocrisy

Theory: Father Brennan and a few sympathetic figures attempt to fight the conspiracy from within. Their failure or limited success suggests that large institutions, once corrupted, can overshadow individual heroism—resonating with the notion that the Church’s highest ranks are complicit in birthing ultimate evil.

• Why It Fits:
  • Fr. Brennan’s role is reminiscent of earlier Omen films: a priest aware of the demonic plan, striving to stop it.
  • Cardinal Lawrence’s leadership reveals institutional rot—exploiting the faithful to ensure the Church’s dominance through fear.
• Key Moments:
  • Fr. Brennan’s repeated warnings, culminating in him assisting Margaret in vain.
  • The hospital sequence where conspirators close ranks around Margaret, effectively neutralizing any outside intervention.

8. The Final Twist: Damien’s Placement and the Thorn Family

Theory: The end sets up the original Omen storyline, with Damien surreptitiously adopted by Robert Thorn. Some fans may read this as predestination, showing how everything we witnessed was a prelude orchestrating the “official” birth of cinematic evil.

• Why It Fits:
  • The First Omen explicitly ties the events to the 1976 film: Damien is planted with the Thorns under false pretenses.
  • Margaret’s heartbreak and subsequent seclusion, along with Carlita’s support, reflect how their story is overshadowed by the epic saga to come—Damien’s infiltration into American power structures.
• Key Moments:
  • The conspirators handing the baby boy to Robert Thorn “to replace the child his wife supposedly miscarried,” bridging directly to the original film’s premise.
  • Brennan’s last words that Damien is named, signaling the unstoppable future of the Antichrist’s reign.

Key Themes in ‘The First Omen’

Institutional Corruption and Manipulation

In a world where certain Church officials orchestrate diabolical acts, the film underscores how organizations meant to uphold moral order can become vehicles for darkness when power and fear converge.

Forced Motherhood and Bodily Autonomy

Margaret’s experience spotlights a violation of personal choice, as she is coerced into bearing children in a sinister plot. This tension between free will and enforced destiny raises unsettling questions about ownership of one’s body.

Collision of Faith and Secular Upheaval

Against a backdrop of political protests in 1971 Rome, the film shows an institution struggling to reassert its authority. The rising tide of secular views and societal unrest frames a desperate push to restore religious dominance—at any cost.

Sisterhood and Shared Trauma

Although Margaret and Carlita stand on opposing ends of the plan (one older, one younger), they form a bond rooted in mutual suffering and supernatural lineage. Their ultimate alliance exposes how personal connections can endure beyond dark conspiracies.

Secret Legacies and Lineage

The recurring references to marked babies and hidden birth records emphasize a cyclical design: evil is not an isolated event but a carefully crafted lineage nurtured through generations of complicity.

Harrowing Contrast Between Nurture and Malevolence

While an orphanage might typically symbolize care and shelter, it serves here as a cradle for the Antichrist. This unsettling reversal of a sanctuary into an engine of doom accentuates the film’s core tension between what should protect and what ultimately destroys.

Plot

• Year Released: 2024
• Director: Arkasha Stevenson
• Writer: Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, and Keith Thomas

In The First Omen (2024), a young American novice, Margaret Daino, arrives at the Vizzardeli Orphanage in 1971 Rome. Though she initially hopes to devote herself to the Church, she soon discovers a clandestine plot spearheaded by high-ranking clergy—led by Cardinal Lawrence—to engineer the birth of the Antichrist. A troubled orphan named Carlita, already carrying the devil’s mark, is set to become the satanic mother, yet the conspirators shift their focus to Margaret after secretly drugging and impregnating her.

As ominous deaths and strange occurrences mount, Margaret realizes she shares a demonic bloodline with Carlita. In a final, violent confrontation, Margaret is forced to deliver twin babies: a daughter she saves, and a son the conspirators claim as the prophesied Antichrist. While Margaret flees to raise her daughter in hiding, the boy is placed with American diplomat Robert Thorn, setting the stage for the events leading into The Omen series.

Movies Like ‘The First Omen’

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Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

A young wife realizes she’s been used by a secretive group—possibly for bearing the Antichrist. Its emphasis on hidden cults, forced motherhood, and a woman’s gradual loss of control mirrors Margaret’s ordeal.

—> Watch Rosemary’s Baby online.

The Omen (1976)

The original classic of devilish children infiltrating powerful families. With conspiratorial priests and ominous signs leading to the rise of the Antichrist, it naturally parallels the events leading into The First Omen.

—> Watch The Omen online.

The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Although set in the modern legal world, it involves powerful figures manipulating a chosen individual to further a satanic agenda. Themes of hidden identities and moral corruption echo the clandestine Church plot in The First Omen.

—> Watch The Devil’s Advocate online.

Stigmata (1999)

Centers on Church intrigue and secrets that officials desperately want to keep under wraps. Like The First Omen, it blends corruption within religious ranks with paranormal manifestations.

—> Watch Stigmata online.

The Ninth Gate (1999)

While focused on an ancient book supposedly invoking the devil, it features conspiratorial elites and the quest to facilitate a satanic arrival—akin to Cardinal Lawrence’s orchestrated plan for the Antichrist.

—> Watch The Ninth Gate online.

The House of the Devil (2009)

Follows a college student lured into a satanic ritual. Its slow-burn approach and “chosen womb” scenario echo the manipulations Margaret endures at the orphanage.

—> Watch The House of the Devil online.

Mother! (2017)

Though more allegorical, it deals with a woman’s unraveling under a house’s escalating horrors, outside manipulation, and forced sacrifice. It parallels the sense of betrayal and physical violation Margaret experiences.

—> Watch Mother! online.

A Penny for YOUR Thoughts on ‘The First Omen’

The First Omen may not endure as long as the original The Omen, but honestly, I thought this 2024 installment had even more to say.

I’d love to hear your thoughts — even if you disagree with what I just said. Leave a comment with your thoughts and I promise I’ll respond.

😱