The clue to Succession’s grand finale that was there from the first episode

After four seasons of gripping sibling rivalry, all was revealed in the series finale of Succession on Monday night.

While rumours swirled among fans as to who would take over as head of Waystar RoyCo, a simple clue appears to have offered the key to the show’s ending – and it was in plain sight from the very start.

If you are yet to watch the final episode of Succession, you may wish to stop reading now.

The show’s dramatic finale culminated in Tom Wambsgans, played by Matthew Macfadyen, defeating the three Roy siblings and succeeding their father, Logan Roy, as the chief executive of the family’s global media empire.

Ahead of the final episode, a theory was posted to social media that Tom’s rare German surname may have been a clue from the show’s creators that he would be the one to finally claim the contested seat at the head of the company.

“Do the names in Succession reveal the show’s ending?”, was the question pondered by Sophie Kihm, the editor of the Nameberry website, in a video on TikTok.

She noted that the names featured throughout the programme are “very, very intentional” and worth paying attention to.

For example, Siobhan Roy’s nickname, Shiv, can refer to a knife, while the family’s surname means King.

‘It is no coincidence’

The significance of Tom’s surname, she explained, is that he shares it with a professional baseball player from the early 20th century – Bill Wambsganss.

Ms Kihm believes Wambsganss’ sporting success story around 100 years ago provides the answer as to why Tom would be the character to take over Waystar RoyCo.

Wambsganss, who played baseball for the Cleveland Indians from 1914 to 1923, went down in history for completing the only unassisted triple play ever in the World Series.

An unassisted triple play occurs when one player eliminates three opposing players on their own – an apt analogy for Tom’s victory over his siblings in the show’s final episode.

“He took out three players at once in what is essentially the finale of baseball,” Ms Kihm said.

“It is no coincidence that Tom shares a surname with Bill Wambsganss, so you have to wonder if Tom will complete an unassisted triple play and take out all three of the Roy siblings to become the leader of Waystar RoyCo in the Succession finale.”