The Maze Runner book to film differences

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The following are noted differences between the original The Maze Runner book and The Maze Runner film.  This page contains spoilers from both.

  • In the book, Thomas immediately remembers his name upon arriving in the Glades. In the film, he doesn't remember it until later that night after his arrival.
  • In the book, the Creators' business is called W.I.C.K.E.D. In the film, it's W.C.K.D.
  • In the book, Theresa and Thomas can communicate with each other telepathically.
  • In the book, moments after arriving in the Glade, Theresa goes into a coma for several weeks and triggers The End. In the movie, she's comatose for a few days.
  • In the book, Chuck dies after Gally throws a small dagger which was meant for Thomas until Chuck dives in front of him. In the movie, Chuck dies after getting shot by Gally.
  • In the book, after Chuck dies, Thomas viciously attacks Gally. In the movie, right when Gally fires the gun, Minho throws a spear at Gally, impaling and supposedly killing him.
  • In the book, when the doors to the Maze stay open at nightfall, the Grievers take one Glader at a time each day. In the movie, the Grievers fully attack the Glade and kill many Gladers.
  • In the book, Thomas spends an entire day in the Slammer for going out into the Maze. In the movie, he only spends a night and no food.
  • In the book, the Gladers use hand-drawn maps of the Maze to study it. In the movie, they build a large model.
  • In the book, the serum that is used on the Glader after being stunned by a Griever already exists in the Glade long before Thomas arrived. In the movie, Theresa brings the serum when she is sent up to the Glade.
  • In the book, the Gladers have been in the Glades for two years. In the movie, they've been there for three years.
  • In the book, Beetle Blades are used to spy on the Gladers and report back to the Creators. In the movie, the Beetle Blades don't exist but the Creators spy on them through surveillance cameras in the maze.
  • In the book, the surviving escaping Gladers are ushered into a bus and put into dorm rooms. In the movie, they are ushered into a helicopter outside in the scorching sun.
  • In the book, Gally had been stunned by a Griever long before Thomas had arrived and recognizes him. In the movie, Gally gets stunned at the end when he escapes.
  • In the book, 30 Gladers were sent up in the Box. In the movie, Alby was the first one to arrive in the Glade.
  • In the book, Theresa arrives the day after Thomas did. In the movie, she arrives a few days after Thomas arrives.
  • In the book, the Gladers meet the Creators at the end before they are killed by the rescuers. In the movie, the Creators are already dead when the Gladers escape the Maze.
  • In the book, Alby sacrifices himself so the Gladers can escape the Maze. In the movie, he dies before the Gladers plan their escape.
  • In the book, Gladers were able to figure out the clues through the map by recreating them through a wax paper and putting them on top of the other and they formed words like FLOAT, PUSH ... they need to enter it to a computer to exit. In the movie, they escape the Maze by punching in the number sequences on the Maze's different sections.
  • In the book, the Maze is underground of the headquarters of W.I.C.K.E.D. In the movie, the Maze is outside in the middle of W.C.K.D.'s complex.
  • In the book, the weather in the Glades is always sunny and never changes until Theresa triggers the end after arriving. In the film, the weather changes, including rain.
  • In the book, Thomas intentionally gets stunned by a Griever. In the movie, he intentionally stabs himself with the stinger that Alby chopped off from a Griever.
  • In the book, Thomas and Minho kill a Griever by sending off the Cliff to survive the night. In the film, Thomas kills a Griever by letting it get crushed by a moving wall.
  • In the book, Ava Paige is never mentioned. In the movie, she introduces herself via a video once the Gladers have escaped the Maze before being rescued.
  • In the book, one of the rescuers tells Thomas and Theresa about the solar flares that scorched the planet and the deadly virus known as the Flare that came with it. In the movie, Ava Paige tells the Gladers about the solar flares and the Flare virus.
  • In the book, one of the original Gladers tried to escape the Maze by going down the Box resulting in being bisected. In the movie, the doors of the Box cannot be opened nor can the Box go back down if a person is still inside it.
  • In the book, Thomas usually slept in a corner of the Maze in the forest. In the movie, he sleeps with the other Gladers in the same tent.
  • In the book, Thomas is attacked by Ben after following a Beetle Blade into the forest. In the movie, Thomas is attacked by Ben after Newt sends him into the forest to collect fertilizer.