Dr. Strangelove ending explained

What happens

Major Kong rides the bomb down onto its target, which sets off the Doomsday Machine. In the War Room, Strangelove rises from his wheelchair, and nuclear explosions fill the screen, so the world ends despite everyone's efforts to prevent it.

The last image

Mushroom clouds bloom across the screen, one after another, while a wartime love song plays over the end of the world.

What it says

The ending shows that the system built to prevent nuclear war fails through ordinary human flaws and rigid procedure, not villainy. The sentimental song makes you laugh and then feel uneasy, which is exactly how the film wants you to feel.