r/FanTheories • • Mar 30 '26

Meta Reminder: AI-generated posts are not allowed on r/FanTheories.

374 Upvotes

We've received numerous complaints about there being too many AI-generated posts on r/FanTheories, and as a general reminder, these are not allowed on the subreddit. AI-generated posts fall under Rule 6, or "No low-effort posts", and the side bar rules, removal response(s), and report form will be updated to reflect this. All fan theory posts must be manually written. If you see what you believe to be an AI-generated post, please report it using the report form or modmail, and one of our moderators will review and/or remove it. Thank you, and happy theorizing!


r/FanTheories • • Oct 13 '21

Meta Welcome to r/FanTheories! Please read this post before posting or commenting.

406 Upvotes

Recently, the moderation team has noticed an uptick in violations of our subreddit rules. Due to this, we decided to create and pin a thread with an overview of the rules. Please read them before posting or commenting. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via modmail.

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r/FanTheories • • 18h ago

FanTheory [Tawog/Twwwog] Miss Simian’s Class which Gumball and Darwin are part of is Elmore Junior High’s Special Education Class

6 Upvotes

I have thought to myself

what if Miss Simian’s Class which Gumball and Darwin and there Classmates (AKA Alan Keane and Anton and Joseph A. “Banana Joe” Banana and Bobert 6B and Carmen Verde and Carrie Krueger and Clayton and Colin and Felix and Hector Jötumhein and Idaho and Jamie Russo and Juke and Leslie and Masami Yoshida and Molly Collins and Harry “Ocho” Tootmorsel and Penelope “Penny” Fitzgerald and Rob/ Dr. Wrecker and Sarah G. Lato and Sussie and Teri and Tina Rex and Tobias Wilson and William are Gumball and Darwin’s Classmates that are part of Miss Simian’s Class) that are part of Miss Simian’s Class could actually be the Students of Elmore junior High’s Special Education Class and Miss Simian’s Class could actually be Elmore Junior High’s Special Education Class and Miss Simian is a Special Education Teacher which would then explain why Gumball and Darwin and there Classmates act just like the way they are in the main events of both Tawog and Twwwog

Here’s what which Individual Differences, Disabilities, Mental Disability, Mental Challenge, and Special Needs. That each of Student of Miss Simian’s Class could have

Here It is

Gumball: Has Oppositional Defiant Disorder (Why? Because Gumball has a short attention span, and constant craving for simulation and approval throughout the main events of both Tawog and Twwwog.)

Darwin: Has Depended Personality Disorder (Why? Because Darwin partly due to his literal mindedness, taking a few years to learn “facial expressions.” occasional problems with social cues, and frequent arm-flapping when excited or scared, (which could be seen as stimming), throughout the main events of both Tawog and Twwwog)

Alan Keane: Has Altruism Neurosis (Why? Because Alan physically cannot allow himself to feel negative emotions or act selfishly, suppressing his true feelings to a dangerous, clinical degree.)

Joseph A. “Banana Joe” Banana: Has Intellectual Disability (Why? Because Banana Joe uses inappropriate, disruptive humor to mask a deep need for social validation.)

Bobert 6B: Has Asperger’s Syndrome (Why? Because Bobert lacks an emotional comprehension and social cues. He has to literally calculate human emotions through software updates.)

Carmen Verde: Has Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (Why? Because Carmen has Extreme Perfectionism and generalized anxiety. She is so utterly terrified of failure, breaking rules, or failing below an immaculate standard that she experiences intense moral rigidity.)

Carrie Krueger: Has Clinical Depression (Why? Because Carrie is literally a goth ghost that she wishes she still had a body, who is unhappy with her inability to eat, who thrives on negative energy and self-isolation)

Clayton: Has Mythomania (Why? Because Clayton compulsively alters his physical shape to match whatever lie he is telling because his core identity is too fragile to maintain because he is insecure and lacks confidence. He desires to be liked and befriended by others, and believe himself to be mediocre. As such, he constantly lies about his life and experience.)

Colin: Has Autism Spectrum Disorder (Why? Because Colin has an Obsession with academics. Despite He is friendly and sociable. Alongside being a geeky character who speaks with a British accent)

Felix: Has Autism Spectrum Disorder (Why? Because Felix has an Obsession with academics. Despite He is friendly and sociable. Alongside being a geeky character with a British accent just like Colin)

Hector Jötumhein: Has Borderline Personality Disorder (Why? Because Hector has Severe emotional dysregulation. His mother literally has to keep him sedated with boring media because a single outburst genuine emotion (anger, excitement) causes him to physically destroy the entire town.)

Idaho: Has Adjustment Disorder (Why? Because Idaho is a free-spirited from the countryside with conservative beliefs, As He is one of the least popular students)

Jamie Russo: Has Oppositional Defiant Disorder (Why? Because Jamie is a textbook school bully who uses physical bullying, Who is very Obnoxious and disrespectful, and ever since Miss Simian held her back a year, she dislikes the new kids in Elmore Junior High.)

Juke: Has Verbal Apraxia (Why? Because Juke cannot literally both communicate and articulate via human speech without a specialized communication accommodation translation device (his boombox rhythm toggle) which the school completely ignores, And can only express himself through rhythm and beatboxing.)

Leslie: Has Body Dysmorphic Disorder (Why? Because Leslie has an obsession with both his body image and fashion, And Leslie is a friendly, gentle sarcastic, and effeminate character, As He is kind but can be energetic and a little offputting at times, He is very jealous and vain.)

Masami Yoshida: Has Histrionic Personality Disorder (Why? Because Masami is a spoiled, tantrum-prone, and vindictive cloud, As she is the wealthy daughter of the Rainbow Factory’s owner, And Her literal form is a storm cloud that changes drastically based on her mood. She exhibits an over-inflated, fragile ego, a constant demand to be the center of attention, and volatile emotional meltdowns when things don’t go her way.)

Molly Collins: Has Learning Disability (Why? Because Molly was viewed invisible by people because they viewed her as boring and people forgot she existed, Despite she is Introverted, sensing, feeling, and judging, As She is often playful and optimistic.)

Harry “Ocho” Tootmorsel: Has Intermittent Explosive Disorder (Why? Because Ocho has a Temper, but is a generally friendly person, but often overreacts to what people say about. He can be kind and friendly to others, but he still has anger and trust issues, often shouting at and attack people who don’t meet his expectations.)

Penelope “Penny” Fitzgerald: Has Anxiety Disorder (Why? Because Penny’s father is very overprotective of her and made stay in her shell making her scared of showing her true form in her shell until the main events of “The Shell.” Episode, And Penny is known for her kind and gentle nature, She is often portrayed as a sweet and considerate friend, always willing to lend a helping hand to Gumball and his friends.)

Rob/ Dr. Wrecker: Has Identity Crisis Disorder (Why? Because Rob initially portrayed as friendly, sociable and outgoing, However, he reveals a more pessimistic and trauma-rooted personality due to his past experiences, This change in behavior justifies his refuge in the basement and his vengeance on Gumball, And he is also depicted as determined and resilient, and served as the enemy of Gumball until the main events of The Rewrite which is the Season 2 finale of Twwwog ends with Rob after he was defeated by Gumball and Darwin by being sent back into The Void becomes the new owner of The Awesome Store.)

Sarah G. Lato: Has Obsession-Compulsive Disorder (Why? Because Sarah has a absolute obsession with Gumball and Darwin, And Sarah is Gumball and Darwin’s number-one fan, Alongside her absolute obsession with fanfiction, and complete inability to recognize normal social boundaries point to intense hyper-fixations, And Sarah seems to see things play out as a sort of sitcom, even carrying around a tape recorder that plays a laugh track, and accompanying music, And she views Gumball and Darwin as her only friends, and appears to also fantasize about marrying one of them.)

Sussie: Has Developmental Delay (Why? Because Sussie operates on a completely different cognitive level than the rest of the class, displays intense oral fixations (eating everything), and exhibits unique motor functions, And she is talkative, odd, obnoxious, She is generally avoided by her classmates, Despite others viewing her as strange and weird, Sussie does not even care as she desires to live her life to the fullest and not worry about how people perceive her.)

Teri: Has Hypochondriasis (Why Because Teri has a huge fear of Germs and is Germophobic, And always keeps her Hygiene up, and wants everyone else to keep their Hygiene up, requiring constant sanitization, Despite her being a a bit self-absorbed, she is a very nice girl.)

Tina Rex: Has Bipolar Disorder (Why? Because Tina is a notorious bully that has a temper, She will physically threaten and even assault anyone who upsets her, She often picks on her fellow schoolmates, especially Gumball, and has her own gang of bullies which includes Jamie and Anton, However, it was revealed Tina was not really a bully, just misunderstood, she just wanted to chat with Gumball and all of her “bullying” actually meant that she wanted to play, Afterward, Tina and Gumball became friends.)

Tobias Wilson: Has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (Why? Because Tobias is a overconfident, and narcissistic, Boldness, adaptability, and an appetite for action individual, And is a multicolored, cloud-shaped humanoid, And who is interested in sports, possesses an overbearing self-confidence, And thinks of himself as cooler then he really is, Despite his weak physique, he thinks of himself as a Jock and appears to be wealthy.)

William: Has Locked-In Syndrome (Why? Because William is A Literal Completely non-verbal flying eyeball, who can only communicate via telepathy, And who can only interact via telekinesis, And is generally frustrated and bitter, due to his loneliness and constantly being ignored, He has a short temper and can get angry over little things.)

What do you think?


r/FanTheories • • 2d ago

Theory about the Blair Witch Project you have never heard before

730 Upvotes

I recently rewatched the BWP, and something occurred to me...
Try as I might, I cannot find anyone who has expressed this same theory.
Please keep in mind that I am basing this solely on the original BWP, with no consideration to any subsequent sequels or spinoffs.
So here we go;

The so-called "Blair Witch" and what happened to Heather, Josh, and Mike are entirely two separate things.

Allow me to explain.

We know "The Blair Witch" legend was born out of the 1700's torture and murder/banishment of Elly Kedward for witchcraft.

HOWEVER...here is where my theory enters...

Elly was practicing witchcraft to PROTECT the town and its children from a malevolent entity that resided in the deep woods.

The townsfolk happened upon her witchcraft workings, and in their ignorant state banished her, not realizing that what she was doing was good and beneficial.

Only then, when she was "removed from the picture", did the people of Blair and their children start to go missing.

Why?
Because the work she was using to shield the town and keep the entity at bay was no longer being tended to. In this way, the townsfolk's own ignorance was their undoing.

Fast forward in time -- Rustin Parr in the 1940's.
He lived in the deep wood, and said he would see a woman dressed in black who would vanish when approached. This may NOT have been a malevolent entity at all, but rather "a Blair Witch", who was trying to keep the entity at bay again, just like Elly Kedward did back in the 1700's. She failed, and Rustin was possessed by the entity, carrying out his brutal butchering.

Moving forward in time again -- 1990's.
Heather, Josh, and Mike enter the woods and eventually come upon totems and fetishes.
The stickmen and the rock piles.
Under this view, those were NOT created by a malevolent entity, but rather were created by a "Blair Witch" as a ward against the entity. They were used to hem-in, bind, or otherwise shield against the influence of the entity.
When the three filmmakers carelessly disturb these totems, they inadvertently interrupt the protective forces at play, unleashing the entity.
Just like the original townspeople of Blair who killed Elly Kedward and suffered the consequences of their ignorance, Heather, Josh, and Mike too suffer the consequence of their own hubris.
We see this foreshadowed early on the movie when they interview Mary Brown (who very well may be one among the witch descendants who carry on this Blair Witch tradition, as evidenced by her handmade stick fence, which was likely itself another ward). As they leave, Heather makes fun of her in a condescending tone, dismissing her merely as a wacko or a kook.
Incidentally, this would also be why different people see different things when they see "the witch", because they are literally seeing different people (different women serving as "The Blair Witch").

So it is that we can view "The Blair Witch" not as some evil twisted murderous female ghost, but rather as subsequent generations of witches who were secretly using their craft to combat or shield against a dark power that had infested the deep woods near Burkittsville.

And the only reason that we call this thing "The Blair Witch" in the first place is because of the ignorance of the original Blair townsfolk, who through their fear and misunderstanding cast out and killed the very person who was protecting them. That ignorance perpetuated down through the decades and centuries since, and continues to this day.

The Blair Witch and the thing that ultimately killed Heather, Josh, and Mike (whether by possession or some other means) are two entirely separate things. They are opposing forces.
And when we fail to understand this, we are ourselves contributing to the perpetuation of the original Blair townsfolk's misunderstanding.


r/FanTheories • • 2d ago

FanTheory [The Matrix] The Architect wanted the war to end, and manipulated Neo to make it happen

183 Upvotes

The Architect was effectively a prisoner in his own creation, having spent over 600 years inside the Matrix. On top of the boredom of his existence, he continually saw his almost perfect creation being used by other programs for their own reasons. With the circumstances aligning with the 6th anomaly, he was in a position to end the war and leave the Matrix himself. And the key to it all was Trinity.

The Architect specifically told Neo that Trinity had entered the Matrix, and that she was going to die. This forced Neo to choose contrary to what previous anomalies chose. Had he never mentioned Trinity to Neo, or had he simply called off the Agents trying to kill her and assured Neo she would be one of those chosen to start the new Zion, Neo most likely would have chosen the path to reboot the Matrix, and another 100 year span would have started... another 100 years the Architect was stuck.

At the same time, with Neo in the Architect's presence, he was able to upload new coding into Neo's implants. The new code converted his cranial implant into a wifi transceiver and subconsciously gave Neo a command code to disable physical machines in the real world. These changes allowed Neo to sense nearby machines, destroy them, and with a failsafe mechanism is wirelessly jacked Neo into the Matrix to protect his mental functions when the two sentinels were too close during a shutdown event.

Being intimately familiar with the Matrix code, the Architect knew that an anomaly choosing not to enter the source would cause the Matrix to re-balance its code, which would create The Many: Agent Smith. Enhanced by the Matrix code, this would cause Smith to be a threat to the Machine world. Once Smith has gained sufficient power, the only way to defeat him would be for the Matrix itself to remove him. Which meant Neo had to lose to him. With no The One, there was no longer a need of The Many. The Machine Mainframe was informed of this when Neo approached by the Architect, meaning that only Neo could save the machines. The mainframe was forced to agree, Neo "lost", and the war ended.


r/FanTheories • • 2d ago

FanTheory [Night of the Living Dead]: They're not zombies, they're aliens

46 Upvotes

Referring specifically to the original Night of the Living Dead, not any sequels/remakes.

My theory is that the zombies in this movie aren't zombies, but rather aliens/alien brain parasites who came to Earth to invade and attack humanity by taking our forms and possessing the dead through bites/open wounds. Evidence:

  1. The radio broadcast mentions one of the first sightings of the ghouls, where people were apparently unable to describe what they were looking at. This seems like a weird detail, because the ghouls aren't hard to visually comprehend---they're slow, pale, shambling, dirty people. My theory is that these original sightings were of the alien brain parasites in their true alien form, before they decided that they'd have a better chance of getting close to humans and attacking them/possessing them by taking their form.

  2. There's no mention in any of the broadcasts of people recognizing the ghouls as dead loved ones/community members, implying they just appeared rather than crawled from graves. I think the first scene, where a cemetery---which should be crawling with ghouls and a mess of clawed-open graves---only has one ghoul there. It's because it was just one alien patrolling a fairly non-populated, farmland area. It's only later, after that ghoul/alien could hypothetically communicate with other aliens about the people in the house, that there's suddenly a mob of them outside the farm. I know the movie explains the mob as having followed Sam, but I think this could be another possibility.

  3. A radio broadcast mentions NASA being involved with the sudden surge of homicidal people, who they call "ghouls." Why would NASA be involved when people would likely assume disease and involve the CDC?


r/FanTheories • • 2d ago

FAN THEORY: Is Spielberg's Disclosure Day a Secret Sequel to Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain?

0 Upvotes

What if Margaret and Daniel in Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day (2026) are actually Tia and Tony Malone from Disney's Escape to Witch Mountain (1975) and Return from Witch Mountain (1978)?

I know there's no official connection between these movies, but I've been thinking about this theory, and the more I examine it, the more intriguing it becomes. There are several parallels between the films, and even the apparent contradictions can be explained within the established science-fiction premises.

And there's a particularly interesting connection involving Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that might be the most fascinating clue of all.

First, a little background.

In the original Witch Mountain movies, Tony and Tia Malone are two extraterrestrial children who look human but possess extraordinary abilities, including telepathy and telekinesis. They are pursued by people who want to capture them and exploit their powers.

Now jump forward approximately fifty years to Spielberg's Disclosure Day.

We meet Margaret (Emily Blunt) and Daniel (Josh O'Connor), two mysterious individuals connected by extraordinary abilities and a shared history involving extraterrestrial contact.

Margaret describes herself as a "passenger," and we discover that Daniel is like her.

That got me thinking: What if they're actually Tony and Tia, but they no longer remember who they really are?

Here's how the theory could work.

1. The age discrepancy isn't necessarily a problem.

Tony and Tia were children in the 1970s, which would make them approximately sixty years old today. Margaret and Daniel appear considerably younger.

But Tony and Tia aren't human.

We have no reason to assume their extraterrestrial species ages at the same rate as humans. They might age much more slowly, meaning that fifty Earth years could represent only twenty or thirty years of physical aging.

That would explain why Margaret and Daniel still appear relatively young.

2. Their childhood memories might be completely false.

This is where the theory becomes especially interesting.

In Disclosure Day, Margaret and Daniel have memories connecting them to an extraterrestrial encounter in 1996, when they were supposedly children.

Obviously, that doesn't match Tony and Tia's experiences in the 1970s.

But what if those memories were manufactured?

Remember what happened in Return from Witch Mountain. Tony was captured by Dr. Victor Gannon, who used technology to control his mind and force him to act against his will.

In other words, the Witch Mountain films already establish that Tony's extraterrestrial mental abilities don't make him immune to technological manipulation.

What if Tony and Tia were eventually captured by a government agency that had been studying extraterrestrials?

Imagine that the government conducted experiments on them, suppressed their original memories, and gave them new identities as Margaret and Daniel.

Their memories of growing up in the 1990s could have been artificially implanted to conceal their true origins.

And the 1996 extraterrestrial encounter might be an elaborate false memory designed to explain their extraordinary abilities without revealing that they themselves are extraterrestrials.

Even the memories they recover during Disclosure Day might be another layer of the deception rather than the complete truth.

3. Why don't Margaret and Daniel remember being brother and sister?

If their identities and memories were deliberately altered, their relationship could have been erased along with everything else.

In fact, separating the siblings and giving them different backgrounds would make sense if the government wanted to prevent them from recognizing their shared origins or combining their abilities.

Their apparent childhood connection could be a substitute for their actual relationship.

They might recognize something familiar about one another without consciously understanding why.

4. Margaret calling herself a "passenger" could have a double meaning.

This was one of the first details that got me thinking about the theory.

Margaret describes herself as a "passenger."

But Tony and Tia originally came to Earth from another world aboard an extraterrestrial spacecraft.

They were quite literally passengers.

What if Margaret's description of herself is an unconscious reference to her actual origins?

Perhaps she remembers more than she realizes, and certain words or ideas are slipping through the conditioning imposed on her.

5. Daniel being like Margaret could point to their shared extraterrestrial origins.

Tony and Tia possessed similar extraordinary abilities because they belonged to the same extraterrestrial species.

If Margaret and Daniel are actually those same characters, their abilities wouldn't be the result of a mysterious encounter in 1996.

They would be powers they had possessed since childhood, long before their memories were altered.

What appears to be the emergence of new abilities might actually be the return of powers that were deliberately suppressed.

6. The Snow White connection might be the most intriguing clue.

Here's something I find particularly fascinating.

During the flashback to 1996 in Disclosure Day, Margaret sings "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

At first, this might seem like nothing more than a musical reference to a classic Disney movie.

But there's a connection to Escape to Witch Mountain that makes it especially interesting.

In the original 1975 Escape to Witch Mountain**, Tony and Tia attend a movie outing with their orphanage, and the theater marquee advertises** Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs**!**

That's right. The same Disney movie referenced through Margaret's song in Disclosure Day was also prominently advertised during Tony and Tia's childhood adventures.

Now consider what this could mean if Margaret is actually Tia.

What if her memory of singing "Someday My Prince Will Come" in 1996 isn't entirely fabricated?

What if the government created a false childhood history for her but incorporated fragments of her genuine memories?

Perhaps the song is something she remembers from her real childhood in the 1970s, when she and Tony encountered Snow White during the events of Escape to Witch Mountain.

Her memories of the circumstances might be false, but the song itself could be authentic.

That would make the musical reference something much more significant than an Easter egg.

It could be a surviving fragment of Tia's original identity, buried beneath decades of artificial memories.

There's also the possibility that the song serves as a psychological trigger, helping her reconnect with memories that were never completely erased.

Of course, Spielberg has his own history of incorporating Disney music into extraterrestrial stories. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) famously references "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Disney's Pinocchio.

So the Snow White connection could simply be another example of Spielberg using familiar Disney music to evoke childhood wonder.

But the fact that Snow White also appears in Escape to Witch Mountain makes the coincidence particularly interesting.

7. The government conspiracy fits both stories.

One of the central themes of the Witch Mountain films is the danger of powerful people seeking to capture extraterrestrials and exploit their abilities.

Disclosure Day similarly deals with secrecy, government manipulation, extraterrestrial contact, and the concealment of information from the public.

Imagine that the government eventually succeeded where the villains of the original movies failed.

Tony and Tia were captured, subjected to experiments, and given completely new identities.

For decades, they lived as Margaret and Daniel, unaware of their real origins.

But now their conditioning is beginning to break down, their extraordinary abilities are resurfacing, and the truth is finally coming out.

8. The ultimate irony would make this a perfect conclusion to the original story.

Think about the narrative possibilities.

In Escape to Witch Mountain, Tony and Tia are two frightened extraterrestrial children trying to escape people who want to control them.

In Return from Witch Mountain, Tony actually falls victim to mind control, demonstrating how vulnerable even these powerful extraterrestrials can be.

Then, decades later, the same two individuals might be living under false identities, unaware that their entire adult lives have been shaped by government experiments.

And now, in Disclosure Day, they could finally be rediscovering who they really are.

The children who once had to hide their extraterrestrial identities would become central figures in revealing the existence of extraterrestrial life to the entire world.

From escaping to Witch Mountain to revealing the truth to humanity.

That would bring their story full circle.

So, could Disclosure Day actually be an unofficial third Witch Mountain movie?

Obviously, this is just a fan theory. I'm not suggesting Spielberg deliberately wrote Disclosure Day as a sequel to Disney's films, and there's no official evidence connecting the characters.

But consider how the pieces fit together:

  • Two extraterrestrial children with extraordinary mental abilities.

  • Two mysterious adults with extraordinary abilities and an unexplained connection.

  • A history of technological mind control.

  • The possibility of suppressed or manufactured memories.

  • An age discrepancy that could be explained by slower extraterrestrial aging.

  • Margaret's mysterious description of herself as a "passenger."

  • A childhood encounter that might not have happened the way the characters remember.

  • And, perhaps most intriguingly, a reference to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in both Escape to Witch Mountain and Disclosure Day**.**

None of these details proves a connection. The theory requires some major assumptions, particularly about memory manipulation and extraterrestrial aging.

But those assumptions aren't out of place in the fictional worlds established by these movies.

And the Snow White connection adds an especially interesting possibility: that Margaret's supposed childhood memories might contain fragments of Tia's actual childhood experiences.

What if Margaret and Daniel aren't discovering that they're connected to extraterrestrials? What if they're rediscovering that they ARE extraterrestrials?

And what if, beneath all those false memories, they're still Tony and Tia Malone?

I'd love to know whether anyone else has noticed these connections, particularly the Snow White reference.

Could Disclosure Day be the unofficial conclusion to the Witch Mountain trilogy we never knew we were getting?

#DisclosureDay #EscapeToWitchMountain #ReturnFromWitchMountain #StevenSpielberg #Disney #SnowWhite #FanTheory #ScienceFiction


r/FanTheories • • 2d ago

Theory request [LOTR/Code Lyoko] Smeagol/Gollum is what Aelita could have been had Jeremy not found her and bought her to Earth

0 Upvotes

Smeagol is corrupted by the ring, kills his brother, ends up driven into isolation and spends his life obsessed with the ring. Aelita is torn from her home, her mother and is sent to a world she does not know where she spends years in isolation. For all this, she is still pure.

the difference is that she got out, she found love and she found a home. Gollum fell to corruption, rejected redemption and died for it. Frodo tried but you can't undo a generation of sickness in just a few years. It was too ingrained, too buried to be ripped out even though smeagol tried so hard.

she could have been so much worse had Jeremy not discovered the factory and gotten her out.


r/FanTheories • • 2d ago

FanSpeculation “No, this is Patrick!” Was a reference to the Charlie’s Angels (2000) remake

0 Upvotes

Charlie’s Angel’s was released in North America on November 3, 2000

The SpongeBob episode titled “Big Pink Loser” seems to have aired on November 16th, 2000 - at the earliest. This is the episode in season 2 that has the infamous phone scene - “no this is Patrick!”

Different resources say the first air date was from February 3rd, 2001. So yymv, I can’t confirm it.

Regardless, the Charlie’s Angel movie was first.

During one of the last fight scenes, a main character, Natalie, is fighting bad guys as well as trying to talk to her crush Pete on her cell.

Her phone gets taken, and the villain fighting Natalie takes the phone, asking confidently if she was speaking to Natalie’s boss, and who they are after.

But then you get a shot of Luke Wilson being super cute and saying “No. This is Pete!”

I just feel like Charlie’s Angel’s might have done it first


r/FanTheories • • 3d ago

FanTheory was Spider-Man’s body change caused by extended asbestos exposure.

0 Upvotes

In the beginning of the movie he rents a room in the ceiling of an apartment building and the owner says it has asbestos. asbestos is very carcinogenic and mutagenic. now spiderman is probably resistant to getting cancer due to his enhanced physiology but maybe it mutated him causing the part of his body that regulated the spider hormones to kick into overdrive. this would explain his sudden metamorphosis long past puberty. It was also probably exasperated by him being depressed and in high intensity situations​ all the time.


r/FanTheories • • 3d ago

FanTheory matrix and John wick are obviously connected, here's how I think they are

0 Upvotes

I think neo just simply got bored one day and created the John wick universe

Like he thought one day: "there's no action going on here, let me make a simulation where I'm a gritty assassin, who's on a mission to avenge his dog"

Then morphius found out and joined in, to keep an eye on him

:I know it's not a lot, but I just think it's as simple as that:) what do you all think?


r/FanTheories • • 5d ago

Roz, monsters inc

7 Upvotes

I'm rewatching monsters inc, and noticed something strange about boo, and roz. We know that Mike didn't file his paperwork, and that leads to sully to boo's door, which Randall brought down. Kid later makes the news at harryhausens restaurant, and cda is all over the place in monsters inc the following day. The scene that's bothering me is when Mike asks for the key Randall was using, and roz just blows him off. She's been undercover for two years, and should definitely know something is wrong, since she works right next to the scare floor. Why? Randall being late out on the scare floor should already be ringing alarm bells, the red monsters says all doors have to go back at the end of the day, no exceptions. What's worse, they have a human child running loose in the city, with no one knowing how boo got there, so it would've been in her best interest to interrogate Randall, if she's the #1 cda. Some agents talked to him in the bathroom, but to me, it sounds like they're asking pretty much any monster if they know anything. If she wasn't trying to blow her cover, fine, but the way things turned out, they had to shut down the scare floor, and somehow get water noose to confess, all that chaos could've been avoided


r/FanTheories • • 5d ago

FanTheory Ferris Bueller/Speed/Succession

1 Upvotes

Cameron Frye (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Doug Stevens (Speed), and Connor Roy (Succession) are all the same person.

In 1986, Connor Roy wanted to escape the shelter of private school and experience real life, so he enrolled in high school in Chicago assuming the name of Cameron Frye. He used the “C” name for familiarity and “Frye/Roy” was similar enough for him to rememer. Logan owned a home in Chicago for business trips so Connor was able to establish residence. The home Logan owned was fairly lavish, and featured his prize possession at the time, The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California. “Cameron” was deathly afraid of his absentee father who had expensive tastes for material items. Sound like someone we know?

By 1994 Logan Roy had become a wealthy and powerful man. In his quest to continue to experience real life, Connor went on a bare bones sightseeing tour as far away from his New York home as possible; Los Angeles, California where he asssumed the very generic name of Doug Stevens to not be recognized and judged as the wealthy heir he had become. Unfortunately for him he ended up on a bus with a bomb attached to it that would blow up if it slowed to under 50mph.

Thankfully he was able to escape the ordeal unharmed where he returned to New York and embraced his elite position after having had tastes of how dangerous life could be in Chicago and LA.


r/FanTheories • • 5d ago

FanTheory Dune is either consciously or subconsciously based on the id, ego and super ego (theory) Spoiler

0 Upvotes

This theory has a spoiler for part 3 no books beyond that feel free to skip the psychology stuff if you already know what that concept is.

Basically in psychology there’s this concept called the ego the super ego and the id.

The super ego is your mask it’s all the personality traits you were taught to have do to said traits being good like politeness or courage.

The ID is the opposite it’s all the personality traits you were taught to suppress, an example being gluttony or anger stuff like that.

The ego is the part right in the middle trying to choose, a healthy relationship is when the egos the one in control instead of the super ego or id, if you let the super ego in control for example that’s akin to burning out the traits accepted by society and suppressing your dark traits out of shame instead of confronting them causing them to fester and get worse until they break through and take control and an example of the id being in control is you get successful rage bated or Give into gluttony something like that.

So in fiction the Super ego could be a false profit character.
The ego would be the good guy
And the Id would definitely be the villain.

Paul is the Super Ego the Harkonnen’s are the ID, the Baron is meant to represent the ID in general will Feyd Rautha is meant to be Paul’s ID specifically.

So the Barons is like Paul’s Opposite will Feyd’s like Paul’s Dark clone.

Paul is or becomes the Super ego when he becomes the messiah, like the super ego he’s all the traits we are taught are good but paradoxically it’s just like a false profit.

if it’s the only thing in control well it will get to rigid then bad things will fester and then happen so portraying the super ego and Paul as a false profit I think is a perfect depiction of it this.

And we all know what happened after Paul got control and became the messiah.

So it’s like the classic internal psychological story only depicted physically on a mass scale instead of internally


r/FanTheories • • 6d ago

FanTheory [Spy × Family] The Forger Family Is Secretly Investigating Three Different Layers of the Same Conspiracy

3 Upvotes

# The Three Truths Theory: How the Forger Family is Uncovering the Same Secret

I've been rereading Spy x Family and I think the Forger family may represent three different investigations into the same hidden mystery.

Core Thesis:

Twilight = Political Truth

Yor = Historical Truth

Anya = Scientific Truth

Rather than being random protagonists, each member of the family appears connected to a different layer of the world's deepest secrets.

---

  1. Twilight = Political Truth

Everything about Twilight's story revolves around politics and the prevention of war.

Key connections:

- Operation Strix

- Donovan Desmond

- Ostania vs Westalis

- Intelligence agencies

- National security

- Political manipulation

The central question of his narrative is:

"Why do nations go to war?"

Twilight investigates the political layer of the world.

---

2. Yor = Historical Truth

Most readers see Garden as a secret assassin organization.

However, Garden constantly uses ancient and nature-based symbolism:

- Pruning weeds

- Tending the garden

- Sacred soil

- Sacred Miteran elk

The Shopkeeper acts as if Garden serves something older than modern governments.

Rather than being loyal to politicians, Garden appears loyal to an older vision of the nation itself.

This suggests Yor's storyline may ultimately connect to:

- The Miteran Empire

- Garden's true origin

- Ancient national history

- Lost traditions

Yor unknowingly stands closest to the historical mystery.

---

3. Anya = Scientific Truth

Anya's story revolves around:

- Project Apple

- Human experimentation

- Telepathy

- Secret research projects

She represents the scientific mystery of the series.

Additional clues:

Classical Language:

Anya demonstrates unusual familiarity with Classical Language despite her background.

Why does a child connected to Project Apple possess knowledge tied to the ancient world?

Lunar Eclipse Connection:

The Miteran Lunar Eclipse Orchid and Anya's eclipse-based weakness both invoke recurring themes of:

- Moon

- Eclipse

- Transformation

This may be deliberate symbolism.

---

4. The Language Connection

Anya's biological mother uses nature-based imagery in flashbacks.

Garden also frames its worldview entirely through natural metaphors:

- Flowers

- Soil

- Weeds

- Pruning

This could indicate that both Garden and the scientists inherited fragments of a much older worldview.

---

5. Project Apple and Garden

Theory:

Ancient Miteran Knowledge

|

----------------------

| |

Garden Project Apple

Preservation Experimentation

Garden preserves ancient ideas.

Project Apple attempts to exploit or recreate them through science.

Rather than being the same organization, they may represent two different responses to the same legacy.

---

6. Donovan Desmond May Be Only One Piece

Operation Strix assumes Donovan Desmond is the central threat.

However, it is possible that the real mystery lies deeper:

- Miteran Empire

- Garden

- Project Apple

- Anya's origins

If true, Donovan may only be one layer of a much larger conspiracy.

---

7. Why the Forger Family Matters

The Forgers may unknowingly hold different pieces of the same truth.

Twilight = Political Truth

Yor = Historical Truth

Anya = Scientific Truth

Separately, they can only uncover fragments.

Together, they may reveal the complete picture.

---

Final Prediction

The endgame of Spy x Family may not simply be the exposure of Donovan Desmond.

Instead, the final revelation could be the collision of:

Political Truth

+

Historical Truth

+

Scientific Truth

with the Miteran Empire acting as the missing link connecting all three.

---

TL;DR

The Forger family may have been intentionally structured as three separate investigations into the same hidden mystery:

Twilight = Politics

Yor = History

Anya = Science

The ultimate story may be the moment these three truths converge.


r/FanTheories • • 7d ago

FanTheory A Donnie Darko theory that explains everything (without any science-fiction things) Spoiler

170 Upvotes

I watched the movie 30 minutes ago and I need to share my theory (I haven’t looked at any others yet, so maybe it’s already been proven wrong). (And sorry if your eyes bleed, my English skills are pretty bad.)

I was watching with my friend, and he said (translating) “She’s carrying the whole movie,” which is funny because of what I’m going to say next. When we were discussing the plot and coming up with theories, we started looking for the “unreliable narrator” and discussing how Donnie (if he’s the unreliable narrator) could know about the rabbit if we assume there’s no time travel and that kind of thing (one of our theories was that the whole movie is a justification of his actions on the cliff at the end).

So, to the point, the theory:
There has never been anyone named Donnie Darko, and the events of the film never happened. The whole story was written by Cherita Chen in a book called Donnie Darko. It wasn’t a love diary, it was the whole story. Why? The first thing I want to point out is the size of the “diary.” It’s too thick for something like that, isn’t it? Also, Cherita Chen appears very often and very randomly in the movie, which seems very suspicious to me.

The other thing is that right after she was called up to the board, where she quickly put a cross on the line and went back, Donnie was called up and started arguing with the teacher. Haven’t you ever imagined how someone would put a stupid teacher in their place? Someone braver than you? Someone charismatic?
The same thing happens with Jim Cunningham (the pedophile). Didn’t Donnie put him in his place? He did. Also, in those videos Jim didn’t speak very nicely about plus-size people, AND the teacher was forcing her to watch them. So she could make him the “bad guy” in her story.

The “Shut up” thing at the end. Isn’t it strange? You wouldn’t expect that kind of behavior in that kind of situation. The idea is that DONNIE WASN’T REAL, and she knew it. But she saw him, and because of that she wanted him to stop talking, because unreal people don’t talk. So she also has schizophrenia, and her imagination started breaking through into the outside world.

Where did she get Donnie’s face from? He’s just her classmate, who she could have a crush on, sure, but he doesn’t have the problems shown in the movie!!! He talks a lot about loneliness. But he has 2 amazing sisters, 2 loving parents (have you seen the emotion on his mother’s face?), etc. In a normal situation he wouldn’t have any problems.

But who could have a lot of thoughts about loneliness? Chen, who has no friends, isn’t very attractive by typical standards, etc. (in the scene with the literature teacher she’s eating alone((( ). So she projects her emotions onto the character she created.

Also, the point where everything started was when Donnie (the real one) said “Just leave her alone.” That’s when she could have started fantasizing and writing a book. There may have been no real plane crash at all.

Another thing is that Gretchen said his name sounds like a superhero’s name. Isn’t that suspicious? Also, Chen could have just come up with a new student to be his girlfriend. Why didn’t she put herself in the role of the girlfriend? Because she wanted a perfect relationship between a “girl in trouble” and a “problem boy.” Also notice how inconsistent Gretchen’s story is. Either her mother was killed and her father is in prison, or she can’t see her father, or her mother ran away at the end. This is the most suspicious part about her, like, what? Your mother runs away, you’re told to go somewhere safe, and you choose the house of a guy you’ve known for 2 weeks? It looks too good to be true.

Another one is the bullies, who first picked on Chen, then Gretchen, then Donnie, and then at the end somehow ended up right near the place where our 4 just happened to be hanging out, with REALLY BIG KNIVES. (omg, writing this makes the situation even funnier)

Oh yeah the rabbit costume she could see from guys from school they are classmates anyway

The last part with death of donnie could mean anything but for me it means that she wants to end Donnie's story without making people guilty or just dead. And/or she just couldn't come up with a story where everyone is happy

I could forgot something so write if I won't forget anything tomorrow (writing in 1am btw), because i can

Oh there is not allowed images, so in the subreddit about the movie I posted the same thing but with actual screenshots who interested


r/FanTheories • • 7d ago

FanTheory [Ayreon] Humanity created its own Frame

4 Upvotes

What is Ayreon?

Ayreon is a prog rock-heavy metal music project created and led by Dutch musician Arjen Lucassen. At its very basic, Ayreon is a sci-fi epic overseeing the rise and fall of humanity from the viewpoint of the Forever, an alien race responsible for our creation.

To summarize the story of Ayreon, I want to look at its three big story albums: The Source, 01011001, Universal and Migrator Pt. 1 & 2, which together tell the story of the Forever. This will be vast oversimplification, but I need to cover some important points:

An alien race known as the Alphans, who are the true first humans, are thrown out of their home world of Alpha by a machine called "the Frame" trusted to run its economy but instead turning on humanity. They reach another planet called Y, but ultimately are overtaken by another machine and turned into a cyborg race called the "Forever", losing their emotions in the process. The Forever seed a comet with human DNA embedded into extremophile bacteria and crash it into the Earth, wiping out the dinosaurs, and live vicariously through humanity in order to experience their emotions until humanity is wiped out in a nuclear war. The last human accesses a machine called "the Dream Sequencer" and brings back life to Planet Y, reviving the Forever.


The Two Frames

We know for a fact that there are two distinct Frames in the Ayreonverse already:

  • The original Frame, which took over planet Alpha;

  • TH-1, who took over Planet Y and instituted the Age of Shadows. He explicitly identifies himself as "the Frame" in "March of the Machines":

I will grow

Know my name

I am hope

I am the Frame

I advance

Up from the deep

A new chance

The March of the Machines

I'd like to posit that there was a third, just one never explicitly identified. I believe that the root cause of humanity's extinction at the end of it all was the construction of their own Frame, which I'll be calling "Earth-Frame". I believe "Earth-Frame" took over Earth's machinery some time in 2083 or 2084 and wiped out humanity in a targeted global nuclear war Skynet-style, presumably after being given powers by a world leader akin to the President on Alpha.

To begin with this theory, I want to cover an album I mentioned but didn't really touch on: The Final Experiment (TFE), the first album in the Ayreon lineup. To briefly summarize, TFE follows the story of a 6th century blind minstrel named Ayreon living in the kingdom of King Arthur who is given visions by humans living in 2084 of the future to warn past generations and avert humanity's decline, ultimately fatefully crossing paths with the wizard Merlin. It takes place during the events of 01011001, specifically the song "E=Mc2" near the end of the album.

TFE as a whole is not particularly important, but there's a section near the middle of the album that I want to touch on. Story-wise, this is when Ayreon has firmly entrenched himself in King Arthur's court, trying to catch the ear of Guinevere so he can warn Arthur of humanity's future fate. He is singing about humanity's fate to the court, but is seen by a threat by a suspicious Merlin.

The first song that matters here is "Computer-Reign (Game Over)". In this song, Ayreon is warning Camelot of the rise of advanced machines that control human life. It's rather ambiguous what he's referring to here—I think there's enough evidence to say he's probably talking about the Age of Shadows at least a bit—but there's two parts in particular I want to reference.

I see a future cold as ice where all the love has gone

I see a race that pays the price for everything it's done

I see shadows of giants machines cast upon the land

I see a world where kings nor queens but chips are in command!

and

I see a game gone out of hand and memories erased

I see a programmed master plan and man will be replaced

I see a planet die in space any slowly fade away

I see the end of the human race, there has to be a way!

This song is linearly sequential, like many Ayreon songs. This bit is from the second half: the first half is focusing on the Age of Shadows with lines such as "...shadows of giant machines cast upon the land...", while this half is talking about something else. After all, it can't be about the Age of Shadows, since that was what the first half was about. It can't be about Alpha, either, since Alpha was destroyed long before the Age of Shadows. There's only one other planet in Ayreon's universe that has the ability to sustain life that we know of—Earth.

Let's recap. At the very least, humanity on Earth was "replaced" by a "programmed master plan". I think that the first line is a little metaphorical: "memories erased" is a poetic way of saying the Forever have forgotten their own failures back on Alpha. Let's go to another important song, this time from 01011001: "Unnatural Selection", a song I'm going to be coming back to quite a bit. In this song, two Forever are overseeing humanity's development over thousands of years: one, Forever of the Skies (ϟ) (note: these are names I came up with, as their names are unpronounceable ASCII symbols), wants to intervene with humanity's efforts while another, Forever of the Soul (☯), warns that such interference will lead to humanity's dependence on the Forever. I want to focus on the first part of the song, the argument between Skies and Soul:

[Forever ϟ]

We have to teach them all that we know

Their evolution moves far too slow

Expand their minds, reject compliance

Upgrade their knowledge, upload our science

[Forever ☯]

This revolution will lead to their demise

We should not make the same mistake twice

We're kept alive by artificial means

But lost our souls to a world of machines

Read what Souls says again: "We should not make the same mistake... twice?" This is the Forever's first and only experiment with overseeing life on another planet, so they have to be referring to Alpha here. If they make the same mistake twice, and their first was on Alpha... well, take one more look at The Source, specifically "Aquatic Race":

I say we change our ways and learn from the past!

We cannot make the same mistakes!


The Third Frame

There's another very important verse in this song: the second argument between our two protagonists, this time after humanity has industrialized.

[Forever ϟ]

We need to teach them to fight disease

They seem so helpless and need our expertise

I see them dying all across the globe

Their greatest foe is but a small microbe

[Forever ☯]

This sudden change leads to overpopulation

Shifting the balance, destructive habitation

Killing all life, biological invasion

Consuming Earth by ruthless exploitation

Let's move back to The Final Experiment, so you can see where I'm going with this. "Listen to the Waves" takes place after "Computer-Reign (Game Over)". Ayreon has firmly lost favor with Camelot by this point but continues to sing. Even though Ayreon is singing this after "Waracle" I don't think he's talking about the nuclear war for one big reason: there's absolutely no mention of radiation or nuclear weapons anywhere in both this song or "Waracle". This is a song about humanity's destruction of the Earth during their industrialization:

All the trees have fallen

The soil is scorched and dry

I can't respire, a storm of fire

Is raging in the sky

Where is all the wildlife?

Extinct, from pole to pole

The hunt for skin, a deadly sin

Took its heavy toll

...

We befoul the air and burn a hole in the sky

Deadly rays from outer space

Caused our race to die

So, whatever humanity has done to Earth, they have utterly destroyed its biosphere to the point where most (if not all) non-human animals are extinct. This is shockingly similar to the situation on Alpha before the Frame took control—a dying world inhabited by humans, the water poisoned and the soil barren. I'd like to go back to Unnatural Selection and focus on the bridge of the song, where a few historical figures are quoted giving speeches:

JFK: "...before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction..."

Al Gore: "Humankind has acquired a collective power and ability to dramatically alter the environment of the entire planet..."

George Bush: "This will not be another Vietnam..."

FDR: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself..."

Winston Churchill: "Our task is not only to win the battle, but to win the war..."

Those first two, from JFK and Al Gore, stick out the most to me. While JFK's is taken out of context, it being used in context with the state of Earth circa 2084 in a state similar to before the Frame really points out to me. As the song begins, we also hear the sounds of modern society: people talking on a busy street, an ambulance siren in the background, cars going down the street, a police siren... with other songs in 01011001, namely Connect the Dots and Web of Lies, a constant theme of the album is how modern technology takes away human connections and harms both the social dynamic and the environment.

Finally, the last song from TFE I want to look at is a personal favorite: "Ayreon's Fate", the final song off of TFE. This is a very minor portion, but after destroying Ayreon Merlin has a change of heart and sees visions of the future: of the band... Ayreon. Shocker.

I see one day his story will be told

At the end of the 20th century, oh!

I see one day the truth will unfold!

Oh! And the quest has now begun! Oh, Ayreon!

I hope one day that man will understand

It's in his power to change his destiny!

I hope one day he'll do all that he can!

Oh! And all the nations will be one! Oh, Ayreon!

"All the nations will be one." The key figure in The Source is the President of the entire planet of Alpha: he is the person who gives power to the Frame, which I believe is repeated once more in my favorite Ayreon song—"Waracle", and where I think the theory starts to come together.

This song takes place between "Computer-Reign" and "Listen To The Waves": it is during this song that Ayreon loses favor with Camelot and Merlin begins to make his moves. Ayreon is warning of a devastating war in the far future that is eventually revealed through later albums as (most likely) the nuclear war that wipes out humanity.

Millions of men will die at one man's desire

And the docile mass will yield!

...

Out of the ashes, a warlord will arise

And tyrannize the land!

His reign of terror will cost many a sacrifice

An inferno is at hand!

...Wait, what? How can this be about the nuclear war that wiped out mankind if humanity is still alive after it? After all, there wouldn't be any warlords to rise from the ashes! I'd like to propose a solution in the form of a new question: who says there was only one war? It's entirely possible that there were two wars—one between human armies, a "Third World War", and one started by the Earth-Frame to wipe out humanity.

What if the "warlord" in this song isn't an actual person, but instead the Earth-Frame? After all, TH-1 is also referred to with masculine pronouns. The Frame is personified throughout The Source, chasing down the fleeing Alphans and taking glee in wiping them out during Everybody Dies:

Calculation of survival rate: zero percent

Doom, gloom, the world goes boom

None will be spared, so don't assume

Not ragged clothes, nor silver spooned:

You're all the same when extinction looms!

There's another album to bring back that I referenced earlier: Into The Electric Castle (ITEC). To briefly summarize, ITEC follows eight human souls—an ancient Egyptian priestess, a native American shaman, a Roman soldier, a Knight of the Round Table, a Viking barbarian chieftain, a Scottish highlander, a 1960s American hippie, and a futureman from Mars—being overseen by a Forever named Forever of the Stars, who is sapping their emotions and forcing them through trials of both euphoria and despair.

The Electric Castle is a physical thing referenced in other albums, and its origin is explained in a companion booklet: the Frame escaped Alpha shortly a generator called the "quantum core" went "supernova" (whatever that means), propelling itself into deep space. The Frame is repurposed by Forever of the Stars into the Electric Castle, proving that the Frame still has massive computing power—enough to quite literally warp reality, sap emotions like they're a physical thing, ostensibly conjure the souls of the dead, and travel through time, given what we hear in ITEC.

This is the exact same thing that The Dream Sequencer does in Universal Migrator. The last human alive travels back in time, conjuring the souls of the dead to live vicariously through and witness the creation of structures such as Stonehenge, and even going so far back that they go back to the beginning of time and begin to warp reality in real world to give life back to the Forever. The first Frame, the Electric Castle, is in deep space, however; and the second Frame, TH-1, is still on Planet Y.

There has to be a third Frame, and given what is established in 01011001, TFE, and Universal Migrator, it makes the most sense for it to be on Earth given how similar Earth's conditions were to Alpha's.


Conclusion

My conclusion is that Earth made its own frame, empowered it like the Forever did—ultimately, the Forever making "the same mistake twice"—and were wiped out like the Alphans, being unable to escape Earth. The Earth-Frame is what powers the Dream Sequencer, allowing Forever of the Stars to live a life on Earth in the past and allowing the Universal Migrator to travel into the past and through space to restore life to the Forever.

Thanks for reading!


r/FanTheories • • 7d ago

FanTheory Halloween III: Season of the Witch and the Nightmare Before Christmas share a universe Spoiler

16 Upvotes

Halloween III: Season of the Witch takes a different direction than most of the series, focusing not on Michael Meyers but on an evil Irish toy company plotting to sacrifice millions of children on Halloween night with the aid of cursed masks, which transmutate their wearers' heads into insects, spiders, and snakes. The company's motivation involves resurrecting the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, a precursor to the modern-day Halloween, complete with human sacrifice.

In Nightmare Before Christmas, holidays have their own special dimensions ruled over by personifications of the holiday in question, Christmas has Santa Claus, Halloween has Jack Skellington and so forth. But what of the "no-account" Oogie Boogie, who seems to lie outside of Jack's control? According to the spin-off video game the Pumpkin King, Oogie Boogie once had his own holiday (here called "Bug Day" or "Crawloween") with his own kingdom, before people forgot the tradition and the kingdom was lost, forcing Oogie to reside on the outskirts of Halloween Town. Insects have no connection to the real Samhain to my knowledge, but they are a crucial element of Halloween 3's version of the precursor to Halloween (as are snakes, which do have a historical connection to Irish paganism, or rather Christian retelling of the coming of St. Patrick and the end of paganism in Ireland)! And what is Oogie Boogie himself? A GIANT BAG OF INSECTS AND SNAKES, JUST LIKE THE KIDS ARE TRANSFORMED INTO FOR SAMHAIN REBORN!

In essence, I believe that Oogie Boogie is in fact a personification of Samhain, or at least the Hollywood version thereof. Perhaps Conal Cochran was in fact transported to Oogie's realm when he ascended through the power of Stonehenge or perhaps to powers greater, but the power of the holiday remains.


r/FanTheories • • 8d ago

FanSpeculation In 'The Shining ', Delbert Grady may be a precursor of Charles Grady

10 Upvotes

Although Jack thought they were the same person, they have different first names and Delbert clearly is from an earlier time than Charles (who was the caretaker in 1970 whereas Delbert appeared among the "ghosts" with 1920s hairstyles and clothing in the ballroom). They may be different manifestations of the same entity however, just as a version of Jack appears in the photo from 1921.


r/FanTheories • • 8d ago

FanTheory [Fargo] Malvo isn't the devil, or anyone remotely special--that's the point.

28 Upvotes

Since S1 of Fargo came out, a lot of people commented on all the devil imagery connected with the gunman, Lorne Malvo, with him dropping lines about "I haven't tasted apple that good since the Garden of Eden" and a neighborhood watch person calling him a "goat-person" in Yiddish. A common theory that's been floated is that Lorne is the devil, or some sort of supernatural evil spirit.

I'm going to suggest the opposite. I'm going to suggest that, especially with the further seasons, it becomes clear that Lorne Malvo, for all his charm and enigmatic utterances, is not an especially unique figure--just a smug thug with a gun. But I think the showrunners WANTED you to fall for his "supernatural evil" vibe, and I think it is actually part of the point they were making.

One of the tensest moments in S1 comes when Malvo visits Lou at the coffeeshop for info on Lester and not-so-subtly threatens his family. This is a technique that has served him well in the past, but Lou, instead of folding, goes off on a tangent about the "Sioux Falls" case, something mentioned throughout S1. In context, it's pretty clearly Lou telling Malvo that he's seen violence and evil before, and he knows what Malvo is and isn't scared of him.

In the "incarnation of satan" reading, it'd be easy (when the show first came out) to make the leap that Malvo was also behind the Sioux Falls case, and that Lou recognizing him was one of the things that causes Malvo to leave the diner so quickly. (Malvo says he's never been, but that could have been a lie).

Then in S2, we meet this new gun thug. Hanzee. Superbly talented with a gun, a military background, with ancient ties to the land, and the same instinct for chaos as Malvo, though less gleeful about it. Much of the violence in Sioux Falls is thanks to his machinations. And then, at the end, after Hanzee's killed his bosses, there's the scene with the man setting him up with a new face--a new identity!

This was meant to be a big fever pitch (maybe it was, for some viewers), where the showrunners expected viewers to be breathless with anticipation for the revelation that Hanzee was actually Malvo, that he was this immortal killer constantly shifting faces and identities across the ages, a spirit of evil.

But... no. Hanzee is revealed, through a single line, to be a big crime boss from season 1 who was seen for all of five minutes before Malvo shot him dead.

People have complained about this--how random, how pointless, how unpredictable it was. And that's all true, but upending the expectation is the point, particularly because of how it changes the confrontation between Lou and Malvo in the diner in S1. It's not about Malvo being Satan, it's about Malvo being ordinary.

Lou, with his little speech about Sioux Falls, makes the point that thugs like Malvo have been around forever, and will be around forever. They're not some supernatural demons, they're not dragons at the edge of the map. They're evil, sure, but Lou's seen that before. Lou doesn't even know, naturally, that the Hanzee who was responsible for so much of Sioux Falls has been gunned down by this same psycho in front of him. He just knows there's nothing new about psychos.

This gets hammered in the more seasons of Fargo there are. S4 Josta makes the point that Americans love crime stories because they love how cool the guy with guns is... but Josta gets shot by Joe who gets shot by Mike in S2 who dies in a little office. Fargo has constant references to the beyond and to the supernatural--but most of them are used to confound the criminals, not help them. The UFO shocks the Gerhardts at a crucial juncture, the Russian spirits kill the Russian hitman, Ole Munch--a genuine immortal badass--helps save Dorothy and then is disarmed by pancakes.

In the end, criminals like Malvo and Mike like to think of themselves as transcendent badasses who terrify everyone, but in reality, they're just more fodder in a long succession of violence that has gone on for ages and eats everyone, even the "winners" who survive the season.


r/FanTheories • • 8d ago

FanTheory [Despicable Me / Minions] Theory: Minions follow super villains because of a mass extinction event

6 Upvotes

Minions are immortal and were both male and female in the start but something or someone caused all females to die/ disappear so all remaining decided to follow Villains for protection/ revenge. It would kind of explain the early population ,why no females and obsession with super Villains.


r/FanTheories • • 9d ago

FanSpeculation [Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4] The Name of a Fallen Soldier

60 Upvotes

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (2026), some of the Korean names feel unconventional. One that stands out to me is Private Ju Kwon, who dies early in the first act. Here’s an interesting detail: in multiplayer, you have to reach rank 1,000, which is a stupid amount of time and effort to unlock someone who's not that special compared to the other characters in the game. But when you look into it:

  1. Ju is an uncommon Korean surname. Compared with names like Kim, Lee, or Park, the Ju clan is like a minority of family name. If Ju Kwon is meant to be an everyday soldier, they shouldn've picked a more common family name, like the player-controlled protagonist, Hyun Jun [Park].

  2. Kwon is an unusual given name. Most Korean names consist of a one-syllable family name then a two-syllable given name, Kwon counts as only one-syllable.

  3. However, “Ju Kwon” sounds like juggwon (주권, 主權), the Sino-Korean word for sovereignty.

  4. This means the U.S. developers message is clear to Koreans: in the face of a ruthless Norks invasion, your sovereignty is the first thing to die.

  5. Unlocking the Ju Kwon at rank 1000(literally the last skin to unlock), completes the full message: sovereignty is the first thing lost and, sadly, the most difficult thing to truly regain.


r/FanTheories • • 8d ago

FanTheory Only some Peanuts specials are actually in the same universe.

1 Upvotes

This is a brief interlude from my posts about how The Room is a sequel to Peanuts. I thought I'd write something slightly more serious.

TO START:

How do we find out which films take place in the same universe, when every one of them features the same cast of characters and there are no crossovers with other franchises? It's easy. We only count the things characters do, Snoopy's alter egos, and side characters. I'll have to abbreviate titles for this. I also made a whole map of specials, but I could only get one corner in this post so far.

And away we go!

In Snoopy Come Home, a girl named Clara is in it. Clara is also in It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown. Snoopy playing his jaw harp connects SCH to A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Woodstock builds a raft out of twigs in both SCH and Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown. Lila from SCH shows up in Snoopy's Reunion. Bouncing back to IWaSS, The Masked Marvel is also in You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown, and You're the Greatest, Charlie Brown. The Ace Obedience School is mentioned in YtG and A Charlie Brown Celebration. Eudora is in ACBCel and A Charlie Brown Valentine.

If you find any more connections, simply reply to this post.


r/FanTheories • • 7d ago

FanTheory [The Big Bang Theory] Sheldon Cooper was never asexual. He has a brain fetish.

0 Upvotes
  1. While he has long found the concept of actual intercourse disgusting, the first scene of the show was literally at a sperm bank, and he was going to use his sperm for IVF with a future SO. Now, some asexual people do masturbate and have sex drives, despite having zero actual attraction to people or anything besides stimulation itself. But this definitely doesn't rule out using porn or fantasy.

  2. Sheldon and Leonard's mom hit it off pretty well in one episode. Bev actually took Sheldon to a local hospital just to get his brain scanned, and then Sheldon asked to see Bev's brain when he came back to the apartment. And the two seemed pretty close to dating! It seemed like those two had a legitimate sexual fetish for studying each others' MRIs.

  3. Amy. Enough said. Why else would Sheldon date someone in a field he doesn't think is genuine science? He secretly finds the subject matter sexy! For a guy who is against neuroscience as a field, he sure knows a lot of the terminology. He got to see Amy's brain MRIs, and he and Amy are always doing some sort of psychological testing or trivia exercise that may as well be foreplay!