Novocaine ending explained: Nathan succumbs to his injuries

Jack Quaid's latest film, Novocaine, doesn't simply have twisted body parts, but something to twist viewers' minds too. The film follows Nathan Caine, who has congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), which makes him immune to pain in the body.

The film is already shining among the critics, with 81% approval on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans have enjoyed the way the lead actors have promoted the film. It was finally released on March 14, 2025, and is expected to earn between $10 million and $12 million in its opening weekend.

Let's see how Nathan Caine finally succumbs to his injuries and what the mystery about his love interest, Sherry, is.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the film

Who is Sherry in Novocaine?

This movie is something of a dream for people we usually call introverts. We are the Nathan Caines of the world who never got to live a similar life except for in our minds.

Caine works in a credit union, a bit of a regular Joe. Somehow, he gets involved romantically with Sherry, who also works there. Everything seems to be going fine; they spend time together and this one time, they even fend off this guy who used to bully Nathan during his childhood.

However, things take a turn when robbers enter the scene and take away Sherry in a heist. Now comes the second part of this introverted dream. Nathan needs to save her from the evil; little does he know, Sherry is a part of it. That’s the first spoiler for you; she is with the robbers and all of this was planned.

But here's another Novocaine twist: she actually falls in love with Nathan.

How did Nathan succumb to his injuries?

The only confirmed thing we know since day one of Novocaine's announcement is that Nathan Caine cannot feel pain. Even in the trailers, we saw how (not really) painful this journey was going to be for him.

He has splashed his hand in searing hot oil, tried unsuccessfully catching a knife, and whatnot. It seems like this guy is a superhero with a condition he is living with.

His final fight in Novocaine leads to a broken arm, courtesy of Simon. Nathan manages to kill him, however, that's all his body can take and he finally succumbs to his injuries, falling into a coma. It's still something of a miracle that he is still alive at the end.

Sherry is arrested for her involvement in robbery, which Nathan learns after recovering from his coma.