Quick Scoop

If you choose Deathwish (Option C) at the end of GTA 5 , Michael, Trevor, and Franklin all survive , team up, and wipe out their shared enemies. After the final mission, the game continues as normal: you can roam Los Santos, do side missions, and grind for 100% completion with all three characters still available.

What actually happens after Deathwish?

The final sequence in “The Third Way”

After the Union Depository heist, Franklin is pressured by:

  • Steve Haines (FIB) – wants Trevor dead
  • Devin Weston – wants Michael dead

Choosing Deathwish means Franklin says no to both and calls Lester , who gives the trio a literal “death wish” plan: kill everyone who’s been trying to kill them.

The mission unfolds in stages:

  1. Foundry showdown – Michael, Trevor, and Franklin fight together against:

    • FIB agents

    • Merryweather mercenaries
      After clearing this, they split up to hunt personal targets:

    • Michael → Stretch

    • Trevor → Steve Haines

    • Franklin → Wei Cheng.

  1. Devin Weston’s end – Trevor kidnaps Devin, brings him to a cliff, and the three push his car off. It explodes, and the credits roll as the trio drives away.

That’s the narrative end of the main story.

What can you do after the credits?

Game continues normally

Once the credits finish:

  • You drop back into free roam in Los Santos and Blaine County.
  • All three protagonists are still alive and usable:
    • Michael – can still do his activities, hobbies, and random events.
    • Trevor – still has his airstrip, side missions, and chaos.
    • Franklin – still has his car business, Chop missions, and more.

You can:

  • Finish side missions (random events, stranger missions, heist prep variants, etc.).
  • Hunt collectibles (e.g., dinosaur bones, NANDs if modded, etc.).
  • Complete activities (golf, tennis, darts, shooting range, stunt jumps, random races).
  • Work toward 100% completion – which includes a lot more than just story missions.

There is no special “post-Deathwish story DLC” in the base game; the story is considered complete, and the rest is player-driven.

Character-specific notes after Deathwish

Michael

  • Continues living in his house with his family.
  • Still accessible for his hobbies and random events.
  • No major new story cutscenes after Deathwish in the original game.

Trevor

  • Still runs his airstrip and sees Ron and Wade.
  • In GTA Online’s later updates (like The Contract), there are hints about the trio’s fate, but Michael never directly appears in an official update as of now.

Franklin

  • Keeps his automobile enterprise and relationship with Chop.
  • Later in The Contract (GTA Online DLC), Franklin reappears and subtly references Michael, suggesting they’re still alive off-screen.

Why Deathwish is often called the “real” ending

Many players and guides treat Deathwish as the canonical ending because:

  • It keeps the core trio intact , matching the game’s theme of brotherhood and betrayal.
  • It gives justice to all the antagonists who tried to destroy them.
  • It avoids the emotional fallout of killing either Michael or Trevor, which breaks the story’s core dynamic.

Forum discussions and YouTube breakdowns often frame Deathwish as the “best” or “true” ending for that reason.

TL;DR

  • After Deathwish, the trio kills all their enemies and the credits roll.
  • The game does not end permanently ; you keep playing with Michael, Trevor, and Franklin.
  • You can continue doing side content, activities, and push for 100% completion exactly as before.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.