The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Season 1 begins with Navy SEAL Ben Edwards and his team on a mission to track down an ISIS leader responsible for targeting Ben's Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) interpreter. They discover that this terrorist has powerful and unexpected connections, complicating their operation.

Ben Edwards is abruptly discharged from the military and soon takes a new job working with a mysterious CIA operative. This transition marks the start of his journey into the morally gray world of CIA black ops, where he struggles with his inner conflict between light and dark impulses.

In the early episodes, Ben and his CIA team, including operatives Farooq and Landry, attend a conference in Geneva concerning the Iranian nuclear agreement. They meet with Iranian minister Yousef Saedi and later engage in covert operations involving a nuclear physics professor, Balaz Molnar, in Budapest. Farooq impersonates Danawi, a key figure in the nuclear deal, to purchase proof of concept for proprietary bearings that Iran plans to use to enrich uranium with fewer centrifuges than allowed by the deal.

During this Budapest operation, a third-party team tails Farooq after the meeting. One of the tailing operatives kills CIA officer Ish Reinhart, and Ben has Varon cut the CCTV footage before gunning down the attacker on the Budapest Metro. Ben takes a photo of the dead man for identification and is then extracted from the scene.

Meanwhile, Ben's relationship with his wife back home becomes increasingly strained as he becomes more estranged due to the emotional toll of his covert work. His bond with Perash, another operative, grows stronger, but the darkness of his missions weighs heavily on him.

Ben's disillusionment with warfare deepens as he witnesses how rules, regulations, and intelligence manipulations hinder the effectiveness of the military and cause more harm than good. This loss of faith in the institutions he once swore to defend pushes him down a darker path, where he begins to act outside the bounds of honor and official protocol.

A key turning point occurs when Ben and Reece attempt to expose an asset by letting ISIS deal with him, but the plan fails disastrously. Ben ends up killing the asset himself when they finally confront each other. Reece tries to clean up the aftermath to preserve Ben's honor, but this moment marks the beginning of Ben's descent into a more ruthless and self-driven approach to justice.

Throughout the season, Ben confronts various enemies and navigates complex espionage plots involving nuclear proliferation, terrorist networks, and intelligence betrayals. His decisions to kill enemies directly, bypass official channels, and pursue personal justice drive the story forward, highlighting his transformation from a disciplined SEAL to a man fighting for himself in a shadowy world.

The season ends with Ben fully immersed in this darker role, having severed many ties to his former life and embracing the duality within him--the "dark wolf" that fights for a greater good on his own terms.

At the end of The Terminal List: Dark Wolf Season 1, Ben Edwards confronts the full extent of the conspiracy that led to his discharge from the Navy SEALs and his forced recruitment into the CIA's covert operations. The season closes with Ben making critical decisions that set him on a darker path, solidifying his transformation from a loyal SEAL to a conflicted CIA operative entangled in betrayal and shadow warfare.

Expanding on the ending scene by scene:

The final episodes open with Ben Edwards deep in the CIA's clandestine world, grappling with the moral and personal costs of his new role. He uncovers layers of deception involving his former teammates and the agency's hidden agendas. The tension escalates as Ben faces off against operatives who were once allies, revealing the fractures in his relationships, especially with James Reece, his former SEAL teammate.

In a pivotal scene, Ben confronts a high-ranking CIA spymaster, Jed Haverford, played by Robert Wisdom, in a dimly lit safe house. The conversation is terse and charged, with Ben demanding answers about the mission that led to his discharge and the betrayal of his platoon. This confrontation exposes the shadowy manipulation behind the scenes, implicating figures within the agency and setting the stage for Ben's internal conflict.

Simultaneously, James Reece, portrayed by Chris Pratt, appears intermittently, providing a narrative link to the original The Terminal List series. Reece's presence underscores the looming fallout of the conspiracy and hints at the future reckoning between the two men.

The climax unfolds in a tense operation where Ben must choose between loyalty to his country and his own sense of justice. The mission goes awry, resulting in casualties among key characters, including Raife Hastings (Tom Hopper), whose fate is sealed in a firefight that underscores the brutal cost of their covert world.

The season finale closes with Ben standing alone, physically and emotionally isolated, having severed ties with his past and fully embraced the darker path of a CIA operative. His transformation is complete, setting up the narrative bridge to the original The Terminal List series.

Regarding the fates of main characters at the end:

• Ben Edwards: Survives but is deeply changed, now fully embedded in CIA operations with a conflicted conscience.
• James Reece: Remains active, his storyline poised to continue in the original series.
• Raife Hastings: Dies in the final mission, marking a significant loss for Ben and the team.
• Jed Haverford: Remains a shadowy figure within the CIA, his true motives ambiguous but clearly influential.

This detailed ending highlights the show's focus on the personal costs of covert warfare, the erosion of trust among comrades, and the moral ambiguity faced by operatives caught between duty and betrayal.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Season 1 (2025), does have a post-credit scene. It shows a symbolic moment where Reece, the main character from the original series, tosses his kill list into the ocean while holding a drawing by his daughter Lucy of their family. This scene follows a moment of resolution where Reece finds peace despite the bloodshed and loss he endured, symbolizing closure and acceptance of the events that transpired.

This post-credit scene connects emotionally to the main storyline of The Terminal List and serves as a reflective coda rather than setting up a direct sequel. It emphasizes Reece's internal journey after the violent events of Season 1.

The series explores Ben Edwards' transformation into a traitor from his own perspective, detailing the twists and turns that led to his betrayal of James Reece, including his involvement in sabotaging the Syria mission that resulted in the death of most of Reece's platoon.

Dark Wolf serves as an origin story for Ben Edwards, revealing his journey from Navy SEAL to CIA operative and providing insight into his complex character and motivations that were less developed in the original series and books.

The series portrays Ben Edwards as a man fading into obscurity, living a solitary and vigilant existence marked by self-imposed exile and a gradual withdrawal from his former life, highlighting his transformation into a figure neither hero nor villain but a fractured remnant of his past.

Ben Edwards is shown as a pivotal character whose actions and decisions, including his betrayal and sabotage of the Syria mission, set the stage for the events of The Terminal List season 1, enriching the narrative by providing context to his complex relationship with James Reece.

Taylor Kitsch's portrayal of Ben Edwards in Dark Wolf adds more depth and nuance compared to the original books, where the character had a more obvious darkness. The showrunners allowed Kitsch to reinvent Ben, making him a fan-favorite with a more complex and layered personality.

The TV show The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (Season 1, 2025) is an action thriller centered on military and espionage themes, featuring intense combat and the darker aspects of warfare. It is not family friendly due to its mature content.

Potentially objectionable or upsetting aspects for children or sensitive viewers include:

• Graphic violence and combat scenes typical of military action thrillers.
• Intense and suspenseful situations involving warfare and covert operations.
• Themes exploring the psychological and human costs of warfare.
• Possible depiction of injury, death, and trauma related to military conflict.

No detailed plot spoilers are available, but the tone and content align with adult-oriented action drama, making it unsuitable for children or viewers sensitive to violence and intense themes.