The Maze Runner Movies Changed More Than You Remember – 10 Biggest Book Differences

Even more than ten years after the first movie came out, The Maze Runner trilogy doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. However, the films take considerable liberties with the source material by James Dashner. The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure follow Thomas (Dylan O’Brien), Teresa (Kaya Scodelario), and a group of others, known as “Gladers,” as they try to escape a dangerous and puzzling maze, having all woken up with no recollection of their pasts. The book series also includes two earlier stories: The Kill Order and The Fever Code.

After a decade, The Maze Runner series is gaining popularity once more, boosted by the announcement of a fourth film. While a new movie is confirmed, it’s still unknown if it will be based on one of James Dashner’s earlier stories. The Maze Runner films are exciting, full of action, and keep you on the edge of your seat. However, the movies take significant liberties with the plot of the original books.

The Maze’s Characteristics Differ Between Book and Movie

As a film fan, I was really struck by the look of the Maze in ‘The Gladers’. It’s a beautiful, yet unsettling place. What I found particularly clever was how the filmmakers used the sound of the walls shifting – it wasn’t just for atmosphere, but actually helped the Gladers figure out the layout. It’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention, but it’s established that they’ve only been trapped there a couple of weeks, especially after Thomas shows up. And the weather is constantly changing too, going from bright sunshine to pouring rain, which adds to the sense of unpredictability.

The Glade and its maze are slightly different in the first book compared to the rest of the series. For example, the original Glade doesn’t have weather, and the maze walls move predictably without making any sound. Runners mapping the maze in the book had to carefully watch the time to avoid being trapped, which was made more difficult by the silent walls. These changes were likely added for the movie, and are noticeable to readers familiar with the books.

WICKED’s Mind Control Is Mostly Absent From the Movies

In James Dashner’s Maze Runner series, the organization WICKED has considerable control over Thomas and the other Gladers, who were specifically chosen for testing. They maintain this control, in part, through a brain implant called the Swipe. This chip allows WICKED to manipulate the Gladers from a distance, as seen with characters like Gally, who intentionally attacks Thomas, and Chuck, who is put in harm’s way under WICKED’s influence.

The Maze Runner films touch on WICKED’s ability to control minds, but it’s not as important to the story as it is in the books. For example, in the first movie, Gally attacks Thomas while under WICKED’s influence, but it’s never directly confirmed, and he uses a gun. A key moment in The Death Cure book is when most of the remaining survivors agree to have the control chips removed from their brains, but this doesn’t happen in the movie version.

Gally’s Motivations and Character Arc Are Different

As a huge fan of The Maze Runner, I always thought Gally’s character was the most changed from the books to the movies. In the novels, Gally is just… intense! He’s the most hot-headed, selfish, and honestly, unpredictable person in the Glade. From the moment Thomas and Teresa show up, Gally is instantly against them, and things just get worse as the story goes on. It’s later revealed there’s a reason for all of this – WICKED was manipulating him, and he actually remembered things from before the Maze, including recognizing Thomas. It really adds a whole other layer to his character in the books!

The movie version of Gally in The Maze Runner isn’t as cruel or aggressive as he is in the books. While he’s still quick to anger, the films show a more sensitive and understanding side to his personality as the story unfolds. He also takes on a stronger leadership role in the movies and, even though he can be difficult, he’s able to have genuine conversations with others.

The Maze Runner Movies Never Mention That Sonya Is Newt’s Sister

In The Scorch Trials, Sonya (played by Katherine McNamara) is the second-in-command of Group B, while Thomas, Teresa, and the Gladers make up Group A. The books describe Sonya as having dark hair and pale skin, and she has strong bonds with the leader of Group B, Harriet (Nathalie Emmanuel), and Aris (Jacob Lofland), who shares similarities with Teresa. Throughout the book series, Sonya plays a significant part in the story, interacting closely with both Group B and the Gladers.

Sonya doesn’t have much power or say in what happens. The movie also leaves out a lot of her past. Throughout the film, Sonya and Newt become friends, but a key part of Sonya’s history is missing: she was originally named Lizzie. When Sonya and her siblings were captured by WICKED for experiments before the events of The Maze Runner, they were separated and put into different test groups.

Brenda and Jorge Are Ultimately Aligned With WICKED

I remember being a little confused by Brenda and Jorge when I first saw The Scorch Trials. They seemed like allies to Thomas and the others, and that’s how it played out in the book, but then The Death Cure dropped this big reveal – they were working with WICKED the whole time! It turns out they didn’t really want to be with WICKED, it was more like they were forced into it, but they kept it a secret until the very end. It was a pretty big change from the books, but it definitely added some interesting twists to the story.

The Maze Runner movies portray Brenda and Jorge as initially having unclear motives, but by the end of The Death Cure, they are firmly opposed to WICKED. For example, the films add a storyline where Brenda and Jorge assist Thomas and his friends in finding Minho. They also become full members of the Right Arm, a group working against WICKED.

The Scorch Trials Are a Deliberate Test in the Book

The movie and the book portray the Scorch Trials quite differently. In James Dashner’s novel, the Scorch Trials are the second part of WICKED’s experiment, designed to observe the Gladers, other immune individuals, and the impact of the Flare virus. Following the events of The Maze Runner, Thomas and the others are informed in the book that they have two weeks to cross the Scorch and reach a safe zone, as they are all infected with the Flare.

In the book Maze Runner, the characters intentionally enter the Scorch. However, the movie Scorch Trials changes this. Instead of choosing to go, Thomas and the other survivors accidentally end up in the Scorch after escaping a WICKED facility. They aren’t looking for a safe place; they’re trying to stay hidden from WICKED.

Several Deaths in the Maze Runner Series Are Changed

James Dashner’s Maze Runner series includes a lot of intense violence, but the way some characters’ stories ended was altered in the movie adaptations—changes that many fans found frustrating. A prime example is Newt (played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster). In the book The Death Cure, Newt, after being infected with the Flare, asks Thomas to shoot him. However, the movie shows Newt taking his own life by stabbing himself.

The Maze Runner books and movies differ in how characters die. For example, in The Death Cure, Janson is killed by infected individuals called Cranks, but in the book, Thomas kills him. Overall, a larger number of Gladers—more than 20—survive the maze in the books compared to the films.

The Maze Runner’s “Safe Haven” Plot Is Removed

The movie adaptations of the story left out key details, most notably the Gladers’ quest for a safe place. After escaping the maze, Thomas and his friends learn about a hidden paradise accessible through a portal called the Flat Trans, meant as a last hope for humanity. Throughout The Scorch Trials and The Death Cure, finding this Flat Trans is Thomas’s primary focus and a recurring element of the plot.

The movies significantly changed the safe haven established in the Maze Runner books. While the island is eventually revealed as important, it doesn’t happen until the climax of The Death Cure. Because Thomas doesn’t learn about the island and its technology before entering the Scorch Trials, his main reason for acting is lost, leading to a major change in the story.

The Flare Virus Presents Differently in the Movies

In the Maze Runner movies, the Flare is a deadly disease spread through direct physical contact or injuries, like a bite from someone already infected (called a Crank). Once infected, people quickly become zombie-like, with their condition worsening rapidly. In The Death Cure, Thomas learns his blood holds a cure for the Flare, which was originally developed as a way to control the world’s population following a series of solar flares.

Both the books and the movies share a similar backstory for the Flare: it was deliberately engineered by a group called the Post-Flare Coalition. However, the books present a more intricate version of the virus. Unlike the films, the Flare in the books is spread through the air, not by physical contact. It also develops much more gradually, allowing those infected to notice the changes occurring within themselves. Importantly, the books establish that there is no cure for the Flare, which is a key element of Thomas’s story.

Thomas and Teresa Can Communicate Telepathically

In The Maze Runner, Thomas and Teresa quickly discover they share a unique connection with each other. Throughout the series, they communicate telepathically, sometimes casually and other times to share crucial information – like when Teresa tells Thomas that WICKED has good intentions at the end of The Scorch Trials. Thomas first reveals the nature of his and Teresa’s connection to the other Gladers in the initial Maze Runner book.

As a fan, I always felt like the way Thomas and Teresa interacted just felt…normal, and it really changed things up in the story. I get why the writers might have wanted to keep things simple and focus on what the characters were going through, but honestly, losing that unique connection between them felt like a missed opportunity. It was a detail that could have really added something special!

2025-11-03 06:41