Nick Blaine's fate in Margaret Atwood's novel The Testaments differs significantly from his storyline in the television adaptation of The Handmaid's Tale. In the novel, Nick is alive and actively working with June Osborne to undermine the regime of Gilead through the resistance group Mayday. The pair are described as being deeply involved in the fight, and Nick eventually reunites with his daughter Holly at the novel's conclusion.
However, the television series took a different path. In the sixth season of The Handmaid's Tale, Nick was killed off after boarding a plane that was destroyed by an altitude bomb planted by Commander Lawrence. This decision was made by the show's writers, who chose to diverge from the source material after the first season had closely followed Atwood's original novel.
Eric Tuchman, co-showrunner for the sixth season, explained to The Hollywood Reporter that Nick's death was planned from the start of the season, following his betrayal of Mayday and June. The character's actions, which led to a massacre at Jezebel's, sealed his fate in the eyes of the writers.
Elisabeth Moss, who plays June and serves as an executive producer on The Testaments, commented on Nick's legacy, stating that June will tell their daughter about Nick's love for her and his potential for redemption. The television adaptation of The Testaments is set to premiere on Hulu in the USA and Disney+ in the UK, but Nick's death in the show means he will not appear in the sequel series.
