Major spoilers for Lucifer on Netflix are ahead. “Oh my… Me.” Three words. Six letters. The most epic sentence in all of Lucifer. The shocked announcement arrives at the very end of the Netflix fantasy procedural’s fifth season finale, “A Chance at a Happy Ending.” After a series of events line up perfectly for Team Lucifer to win season 5B’s mounting celestial civil war, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) is left on the edge of ultimate greatness. Because Lucifer is probably God.
This is a twist that Lucifer begins telegraphing from the end of season 5B’s fifth episode “A Little Harmless Stalking.” However, it’s Lucifer’s last conversation with his father, God himself (Dennis Haysbert), that suggests the Devil’s very complicated ascension to deity-dom was all a part of his father’s master plan.
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The key to Lucifer seemingly becoming God comes down to his decision to make the ultimate sacrifice for his girlfriend, Chloe Decker (Lauren German). Many, many things have to fall into place for this to happen exactly as it does. Towards the end of the finale, Lucifer battles his awful brother Michael (Tom Ellis, again) for the title of God at USC’s massive stadium. As Lucifer and Michael hit a stalemate, the former’s plan with Chloe for this fight is revealed: Chloe’s entire job is pulling the key out of the Flaming Sword, which would disassemble the weapon. As Chloe runs away with the key, Lucifer is meant to get the Blade of Death and, likely, kill Michael with that.
There is an obvious glaring issue here: Chloe, a human, is tasked with taking on Michael without any form of protection. Chloe could be wearing Lilith's ring of immortality — Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt) coincidentally turned it over to Lucifer earlier this season — but she’s not. Lucifer has it on, and no one thought that maybe he should turn the accessory over to Chloe for a war with celestial beings (who had murdered a human minutes earlier).
Naturally, vulnerable Chloe is killed by Michael. Chloe’s death forces Lucifer to choose between fighting his brother over this latest tragedy or releasing his immediate need to punish in order to bring Chloe back from Heaven. Lucifer chooses the latter, which is assumed to be a sucide mission — Lucifer was banned from Heaven eons ago as punishment for his first rebellion. By chance, Lilith’s ring maintains Lucifer’s immorality long enough for him to find Chloe in Heaven. Lucifer realizes the ring can only bring one of them back to Earth, and he tells Chloe he “chooses” her: It’s not her time, her daughter (Scarlett Estevez) just lost one parent (Kevin Alejandro), due to celestial politicking, and Lucifer loves her. With that, Lucifer bursts into flames, and Chloe is sent back to her body on Earth.
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Chloe, now powered by the ring, nearly kills Michael for the many losses he has inflicted upon her. Before she can finish the job, Lucifer comes down from the heavens and tells her to stop. Lucifer cuts off Michaels wing’s — seemingly forever, considering the efficacy of the Flaming Sword — and spouts the importance of second chances. Every celestial being bends the knee, recognizing Lucifer as their new God.
This all harkens back to Lucifer’s conversation with his father in “Nothing Lasts Forever.” As God leaves our reality for his ex-wife’s (Tricia Helfer) universe, Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) points out the fact that his dad never named a successor. ““It’s not up to me anymore,” God says. “You’ll figure it out.” For some reason, Lucifer and Amenadiel decide that their father’s parting words mean the decision about the new God is “up to” every single angel, leading to a Politician-style rush to curry votes. This explains Lucifer’s eventual belief that he is God now that his siblings all support him after the finale battle.
Except God never said that. The “you” God speaks to about “figuring out” the next steps of Godliness is specifically Lucifer and Ammendial — and only Lucifer and Ammendial. Similarly, God only tells Lucifer and Amenadiel that he loves them before leaving our reality. God wasn’t worried about any of the other angels — just his two favorite sons. In fact, all-knowing God siloed Michael in Heaven at the beginning of season 5B, giving him a plum opportunity to set a doomed war against Lucifer in motion. That war flawlessly leads to Lucifer’s assumed upgrade to New God.
All of this puppet mastering suggests that God hoped Lucifer would “figure out” his reasons — and necessary sacrifices — for Godliness through a battle with his brother. Lucifer chooses defense manuevers over all-out murder, returns to Heaven despite assuming it’s a death sentence, and hands over the final token that could save him for the good of humans like Chloe and her child. It’s those decisions that send Lucifer back to earth with the kind of booming voice that harkens back to God’s season 5A entrance. The opinions of the other angels never had anything to do with it.
When Lucifer asks his father in “Nothing Lasts Forever” how much of his roller coaster life was a part of God’s “plan,” all his father can do is laugh. Now we know God’s ultimate dream was seeing his lost troublesome son holding a flaming sword with a kingly mural above him. Now we need Lucifer season 6 to tell us if God came up with a plan for Lucifer and Chloe’s bi-dimmensional relationship — or if Lucifer has to figure that one out. He is God now.