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| “ | There's no such thing as bad people, we’re all just people who sometimes do bad things. | „ |
| ~ Ryle Kincaid |
Ryle Kincaid is the main antagonist of the 2016 young adult romance novel It Ends With Us and its 2024 film adaptation of the same name. He is an accomplished neurosurgeon who falls in love with a young woman named Lily Bloom. However, despite their relationship initially seeming ideal, he soon becomes extremely aggressive and abusive towards Lily, replicating the abuse she experienced from her father as a child.
In the film, he is portrayed by Justin Baldoni, who also directed the film, in his first villainous role.
Appearance[]
Ryle is a tall and muscular young adult man with dark brown hair and light facial hair.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Born into an upper-class family, Ryle was the middle child with Emerson being the oldest, and Allysa being the youngest.
When Ryle was 6 years old, he found a gun his parents kept for safety and accidentally shot and killed his brother, Emerson.
Adult life[]
At some point Ryle attended medical school and graduated. Years later, now a surgical resident, he encountered Lily Bloom on a rooftop one day. The couple felt chemistry between them immediately, but Ryle only wanted a casual fling, while Lily was looking for a relationship. The two part ways but met again six months later when Lily hired Ryle’s sister, Allysa, to work at a flower shop she had recently opened. Lily and Ryle’s attraction to each other only increased the more they see each other, until Ryle decided to explore a relationship with Lily, despite his earlier reluctance.
The romance between Lily and Ryle appeared perfect, their feelings only intensifying as they spend more time together and become embedded in each other’s lives. Ryle even met Lily’s mother. However, Lily and Ryle’s happiness came to an end when during an evening she and Ryle spent together, Ryle lashed out in a rage, hurting Lily. Afterward, Ryle was apologetic and Lily allowed him to comfort her, feeling confused and hurt about the incident. Ryle swore that he wasn’t like Lily’s father, who Lily had told him about. Lily threatened to leave him if it happened again.
Later, Lily, Ryle, Allysa, and Marshall were eating at the restaurant where Lily originally saw Atlas. Atlas saw Lily’s wounded eye and Ryle’s bandaged hand and comes to the correct conclusion that Ryle had assaulted Lily.
Ryle found Lily and Atlas talking in the restroom and Atlas attacked him, eventually throwing him out of the restaurant. Ryle asked Lily for reassurance that she wasn’t being unfaithful to him with Atlas. Lily stressed to him that she only has feelings for Ryle.
Lily met Ryle’s parents, and she and Ryle decided to get married. One night, Ryle found Atlas’s number in Lily’s phone. Jealous and upset, Ryle left. When Lily went after him to try to explain, Ryle pushed her down the stairs. In the aftermath, Ryle at first refused responsibility for his actions and said that she [Lily] had fallen down the stairs. Later, he asked Lily to tell him that she wasn’t being unfaithful. Lily explained how Atlas came to her shop only wanting to talk, and then proceeded to throw Ryle out of her apartment. Ryle again pleaded for forgiveness, and even approached his sister, who interceded for Ryle. Ryle told Lily the story of how his brother died when 6-year-old Ryle accidentally shot him. Since then, Ryle confessed, he had suffered from rages. Lily was torn between her feelings for Ryle and the resemblances between her situation, and the abusive situation between her father and mother. Lily told him that she was willing to help Ryle.
After the incident, Ryle appeared to be improving, but one night he again confronted Lily over her relationship with Atlas, threatening her, almost raping her, and hurting her when she tried to defend herself. He headbutted her and refused to listen when she asked him to stop. Lily later found out she was pregnant.
Distraught, Lily went to stay with Atlas for several days. Ryle found her at her shop after, but told her that he was leaving for England for three months.
Ryle eventually returned and learned about Lily’s pregnancy. He wanted her forgiveness, but Lily kept him at a distance. Eventually, she let him participate as a father, helping her during the final months of the pregnancy. Despite accepting his help, Lily refused to make a decision about their relationship before she gave birth. After giving birth to a girl, she realized that she didn’t want her baby to grow up witnessing abuse, thus deciding to divorce Ryle. In the end, they both share custody of their daughter.
In the sequel, Lily has their daughter most of the time; Ryle has her at most one or two days a week due to his busy schedule.
Trivia[]
- Ryle and his sister, Allysa, have the same eyes. He claims they both look like their mother.
- In the film adaptation, Ryle works at Boston Grace Hospital instead of Massachusetts General Hospital.