Apple TV+’s Foundation finally aired its season 3 finale on September 12, 2025, and it delivered the biggest gut-punch of the season and blew all the popular theories out of the water. Before the Foundation season 3 finale aired, many fans were sure that Magnifico was the Mule and that he was manipulating Bayta and Toran. The biggest twist of the season turned out to be that Bayta was the Mule!
Initially, Bayta came across as a vapid social media influencer-type wife of Toran. She cemented herself as one of the “good guys” when she rescued Magnifico from the Mule. Fans thought that it was Pilou Asbæk’s decoy Mule manipulating her to do all this. Turns out, she was taking her visi-sonar player back from the guy she kept as a placeholder to do the job for her.
Unpacking Foundation Season 3’s Biggest Reveal of Bayta as the Mule
A question that fans were asking since season 3’s episode 1 was finally answered in the finale: Bayta was revealed as the Mule when the psychic showdown happened between Gaal and her on New Terminus. This rewrites a lot of what we have seen and known till now. But how did she control Asbæk’s character first, and why did she choose him as the decoy?
It’s because she is a powerful mentalic and likely saw that he had similar powers. Apart from that, Asbæk’s character was imposing and powerful. No one would have any trouble accepting that a masculine figure like him was a warlord. But the final twist that it was this lithe woman who was conquering galaxies by making someone else do her bidding was a reveal that was well done.
Looking back, there were clues as well that hinted at Bayta’s real identity. For one, she said that she grew up on the planet that was abused by the Foundation, something Asbæk’s decoy mule told AI Hari Seldon of the Vault as part of his backstory in episode 7 of the show. Secondly, watching the decoy fawn over Bayta at the med bay or even Magnifico dropping everything to follow her were clues enough.
How Foundation Season 3 Honored Isaac Asimov’s Books While Updating Them for Modern Times
In Isaac Asimov’s Foundation books, the Mule has a clownish and entertainer-like persona, and for modern times, a social media influencer fits that bill perfectly. This updated the concept from the books and ensured that the show played us (its viewers) just like Bayta played with everyone else.
Moreover, the show flipped the relationship between the Mule and Bayta in the books. In the books, the Mule and Bayta have moments of closeness, and this time, since Bayta is the Mule, the other half of the romantic partnership has been taken over by Toran, who loves her without being under her spell.
It’s a clever way of shifting things around without breaking the thematic pillars created by Asimov that hold this story together. Overall, Foundation season 3 was a triumph over its previous seasons. There were multiple hints for Bayta as the Mule, with Magnifico being a clever red herring for book fans.
It will now be interesting to see what plot the show follows in season 4, since the Empire is not there anymore, and the show has deviated from the books. Showrunner David S. Goyer’s departure will also surely have repercussions for the plotlines and how they are executed.
But what do you think will happen in season 4 of Foundation? And what did you think of the finale of season 3? Let us know in the comments below.
Foundation season 3 is currently airing on Apple TV+.
