You Season 5 originally had a different ending with a supernatural twist to Joe Goldberg's story

You Season 5 finally saw a conclusive end to Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and his serial killing ways in a befitting finale, which also concluded Netflix's thriller series after a successful five-season run.

Joe was finally put behind bars by his new love interest of the season, Bronte (Madeline Brewer), who lied about her identity from the start. After a long chase and confrontation sequence with Bronte, Joe is finally arrested by the cops for the countless murders he has committed throughout the seasons.

While You showrunners always wanted Joe to go down for his crimes in the season finale, there were many alternate endings. As they discussed in an interview with the New York Post, they initially even brainstormed on a supernatural ending, where Joe would become a ghost.

More on You Season 5's alternate supernatural ending in our story.

Showrunner reveals an alternate supernatural ending for Joe in You Season 5

While the audience has mixed reviews about the You Season 5 finale, showrunners Michael Foley and Justin Lo brainstormed many alternate endings for Joe Goldberg. Throughout the five seasons of Netflix's thriller series, Joe has killed, tortured, manipulated and lied to many (rather all) women in his life and thus deciding on a justifying end for him was challenging.

While the showrunners initially wanted to kill Joe at the hands of his new love interest, Bronte/Louise, death did not seem enough for what he had done throughout the show.

In an interview with the New York Post, the showrunners revealed that in a very early iteration of the You Season 5 finale, they planned for Bronte to kill him and for Joe to realize that he is a ghost:

“We went through many different options, one of which being that he did die at the hands of Bronte''

Justin Lo added:

“I was even remembering a version where he was shot. And [the audience] didn’t realize that he [got] shot until the very last episode, and then he realizes he’s a ghost.”

While the writers and showrunners did not ultimately go with this storyline, the supernatural twist would surely have been a first for the show.

You Season 5 star Penn Badgley thinks Joe Goldberg's end was justified

While the world gushed over Joe Goldberg since You Season 1, Penn Badgley has been vocal about censuring fans for idolizing the killer protagonist, as he is a dangerous serial killer and should not be celebrated.

In the You Season 5 finale, while it looked like Joe would die at the hands of Bronte, she calls the cops and he is arrested in the final moments of the show. But before that, she also makes him redact parts of Beck's book that he rewrote and shoots him down there, a justified end for Joe.

Talking to Deadline, Badgley talks about the satisfactory end for his character:

''If somebody was to kill him — and it would be a woman, right — well then actually now what you’ve burdened her with is having committed murder, like that’s not just, I don’t think. Torture? Uh OK, same thing. Prison? Eh, feels a bit not enough. So what do you do? Take. His. Balls.”

You showrunners also think that it is quite poetic justice to imprison Joe in a prison in the You Season 5 finale, as he did to countless other people (in his glass cage) throughout the seasons:

“We liked putting him in a veritable cage [in prison]. We liked him not knowing the touch of a lover.''

You Season 5 is available to stream on Netflix.

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