Did Dembe Zuma Die in The Blacklist Finale? Did Hudson Kill Him ...

The Blacklist surely went out with a bang. After unpacking the action-packed two-hour finale, you might be wondering: Did Dembe Zuma die in The Blacklist finale? We have the answer below.

The Blacklist, NBC’s long-running crime thriller, follows the story of Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington, played by James Spader. Red is a former US Naval Intelligence officer who becomes a high-profile criminal. After escaping capture for decades, Reddington surrenders to the FBI and gives them the “Blacklist,” a compilation of the most dangerous criminals in the world. He collaborates with FBI special agent Elizabeth Keen, played by Megan Boone (who exited ahead of Season 9), to help catch the criminals in exchange for immunity from prosecution. NBC announced in February 2023 that The Blacklist was canceled after Season 10.

Hisham Tawfiq played Dembe Zuma on The Blacklist. We were first introduced to Dembe as Red’s bodyguard and a former freedom fighter from South Sudan. It’s later revealed in Season 2 that Dembe was found by Red after the Mombasa Cartel of Sierra Leone killed Dembe’s entire family. We also met Dembe’s adult daughter, Isabella, in Season 5. Things got tough in Season 9 when Red partially blamed Dembe for Elizabeth Keen’s death, but the pair – like they always do – forgave each other. Over 10 years, we watched Red and Dembe’s friendship grow even stronger as they faced more obstacles together.

In an interview with NBC Insider ahead of the finale, Tawfiq reflected on his time on the NBC drama. “For me, it’s, you know, it’s a sad time, but it’s also a grateful time. So I go back and forth between both. I have a tremendous amount of gratitude, and I’m just humbled about the journey, getting to be a part of this historic show,” he explained. 

The actor also shared one of his favorite memories from the show. “Some that stand out is just the conversations that Dembe had with his mom on the show. Other moments are just traveling and seeing how wide the fan base is. I got a chance to go to Ghana in 2019. Just seeing how much love the people of Ghana had for the show. There’s been moments where the whole cast was together on the set… Moments like that stand out to me. They were great.”

As for Dembe and Red’s relationship, Tawfiq said that it stayed the same over the years. “For Red and Dembe, I don’t know. I think that relationship, it never really changed. The amount of time that they spent with each other changed. But at the end of the day, we both knew in times of emergency, that we both could pick up the phone and call on each other, even though it might involve some hesitancy or embarrassment,” Tawfiq described. “At the end of the day, we were bonded for life. So there was this constant ebb and flow. I think the biggest change is Dembe joining the Task Force. This is a unit that I hardly had any interaction with. [Laughs].” 

When asked how he would describe the Season 10 finale in one word, he responded: “Epic.” So, did Dembe Zuma die in The Blacklist finale? Keep reading to find out what happened to the beloved character. 

Did Dembe Zuma die in The Blacklist finale? The answer is no, Dembe did not die in The Blacklist Season 10 finale – but it was a close call. When the FBI had a hunch that one of their agents was helping Red on the run, they tracked back a phone call to Dembe who warned Red at the airfield. The Task Force arrested Dembe and planned on transporting him to HQ for further questioning. That is until Red T-boned the FBI’s vehicle with Dembe, Huston, Ressler and other FBI agents.

Red appears and he pulls Dembe from the wreckage. Hudson grabs an FBI agent’s gun and shoots Dembe in the neck. In response, Red fatally shoots Hudson in the head and gets Ressler three times in his bulletproof vest. Red rushes away with a dying Dembe to get him urgent medical attention at a nursing home close by. Because Dembe is losing so much blood, he is in dire need of a blood transfusion. Red quickly volunteers to donate his blood knowing they’re a match and does an impromptu transfusion. 

Dembe is in the middle of surgery when Copper and Ressler arrive. The nurse reveals to the FBI agents that although Red was a blood match, he shouldn’t have been a donor because he was displaying symptoms of shortness of breath and oxygenation. Red flees to Spain, and he later calls Dembe to check in on him. On the phone call, Dembe thanks Red for saving his life. Dembe asks Red how he is doing but Red pretends that the call was lost and hangs up.

Later in the episode, we learn that the FBI decided not to file charges against Dembe for Red’s escape, but in return, he is fired from the FBI. Dembe admits that even when he was dying, he was content with his life thanks to Red. “More than anyone I’ve ever known he’s always been at peace with death. He says, ‘Death is inevitable. It will come for us all. And that inevitability robs death entirely of its significance,” Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) said about Red. “What matters are the things that are not inevitable. The things we create, the things we find, the left we take when everything in our life is leading us right. How we live.’ I’ve always loved him for that. For his remarkable refusal to go quietly into that goodnight.” 

At the end of the episode, Ressler finds an unresponsive, bloodied Red after he was attacked and killed by a bull in an open field in Spain. Ressler informed the task force that Red passed on and placed his signature fedora on his body as a final goodbye. Although The Blacklist had to say farewell James Spader’s iconic character, Dembe lived to see another day.

The Blacklist is available to stream on Peacock.

For more on heartbreaking character deaths, check out our gallery below of the Chicago Fire characters that we lost too soon.