Why Does Valak Want Maurice? The Nun II’s Darkest Connection, Explained

Spoiler Warning: This article reveals major plot details from The Nun (2018), The Nun II (2023), and The Conjuring.

Maurice seems like one of the nicest people in The Nun II. He has a job, cares about the people around him, and wants a peaceful life. So why does the terrifying demon Valak keep targeting him?

Here’s the disturbing truth: Valak doesn’t simply want to kill Maurice. It wants to use his body as a doorway into the human world. And Maurice’s connection to Sister Irene makes his fate even more painful.

How Did Valak Get Inside Maurice?

To understand their connection, we must return to the ending of The Nun (2018).

During the final battle at the Romanian abbey, Sister Irene helps stop Valak from escaping through a gateway to Hell. However, while Irene believes the danger has passed, Valak secretly possesses Maurice, also known as Frenchie.

Maurice had helped Irene and Father Burke throughout their investigation. In the final moments, he saves Irene, but the demon takes advantage of the situation to enter his body.

The frightening part? Maurice has no idea what has happened to him.

The first film’s final reveal shows that Irene may have stopped Valak at the abbey, but she hasn’t stopped the demon from entering the wider world.

Why Does Valak Need Maurice?

Valak uses Maurice as a living vessel. Instead of appearing openly all the time, the demon can hide inside an ordinary human being and take control when it wants to attack.

That makes Maurice the perfect disguise. People see a friendly handyman, not a supernatural threat.

In The Nun II, set in 1956, Maurice works at a boarding school in France. Meanwhile, mysterious deaths across Europe point to Valak’s return. The demon has been using Maurice while pursuing its real objective: the Eyes of Saint Lucy, a powerful religious relic.

Valak believes the relic will increase its power. Its victims are connected to Saint Lucy’s bloodline, and the school stands on the site where the relic was hidden.

Maurice is therefore both Valak’s vessel and an unwitting part of its search for greater power. The film doesn’t establish that the demon chose him because of some special supernatural ability. His importance comes from what happened at the end of the first movie.

Why Doesn’t Maurice Remember Being Possessed?

This is one of the most unsettling parts of the story.

When Valak isn’t controlling him, Maurice behaves like his usual self. He develops a bond with Kate and her daughter, Sophie, and appears to be building a happier life.

But the demon can take control without Maurice fully understanding what is happening. That means the people closest to him may be in danger while he remains unaware of the threat inside him.

It also makes his situation tragic rather than simply frightening. Maurice isn’t willingly helping Valak. He is a victim of possession, and the demon uses his body to commit terrible acts.

Did Sister Irene Really Save Maurice at the End?

Not completely—or at least, the film leaves that question open.

During the climax, Irene and Sister Debra use their faith to defeat Valak. The demon appears to be destroyed, and Maurice seems to return to normal.

For a moment, it looks as though Irene has finally saved her friend.

Then comes the unsettling final scene. Maurice walks away with Kate and Sophie, but Irene watches him with a worried expression. That small reaction suggests she isn’t convinced the danger has truly passed.

Director Michael Chaves has discussed the deliberately ambiguous ending, including the possibility that Valak may still be connected to Maurice.

How Maurice Connects The Nun II to The Conjuring

Fans of the wider franchise already know why Maurice’s story is so disturbing.

The events of The Nun II take place years before The Conjuring (2013). In that film, Ed and Lorraine Warren show footage involving a possessed Maurice during a lecture about their investigations.

That later scene confirms that Maurice’s struggle with possession doesn’t simply end in 1956. His story eventually brings Valak into the Warrens’ world, helping connect the Nun films to the main Conjuring storyline.

The cruelest part is that Maurice deserves a normal life. He helps Irene, tries to protect others, and finds people he cares about—yet Valak turns his kindness into an opportunity to survive.

That’s why Maurice matters so much: he isn’t merely a character the demon uses. He is the human cost of Valak’s escape, and his uncertain future makes the ending far more frightening than another jump scare.