The plotlines of movies, TV shows, and even video games can go some interesting places — some zig where others zag , and big reveals are just part of the viewing experience.
Still, at the end of the day, these are not choose-your-own adventure books. At a certain point, the writer and director has to commit to a certain plotline.
But what if these shows and movies had gone in a different direction? Here are some fun fan theories that actually hang together.
‘Star Wars’: Luke intentionally hid somewhere obvious.
If Yoda really wanted to hide Luke Skywalker from Darth Vader, he probably would have changed his name and found a better hiding place. But he didn’t. Is this because he wanted Vader to be able to find his son someday?
‘Groundhog Day’: Phil just needed to buy insurance.
Remember how Bill Murray’s character, Phil, keeps ducking an insurance salesman? Eventually he buys insurance, and the curse of Phil being trapped on the same day comes to an end. Maybe it’s the insurance purchase that finally did it.
‘Eraserhead’: it was all a dream.
This is a weird, mind-bending movie that’s not for the faint of heart. Maybe the reason it’s so weird is that it’s the dying thoughts of Henry Spencer as he sits in an electric chair.
‘John Wick’: it’s just The Matrix.
Both franchises star Keanu Reeves playing a total badass. With all the lore established in The Matrix , it’s totally plausible that Neo would have his consciousness plugged into a machine once more and participate in another simulation.
‘Toy Story’: Woody is an imposter.
It’s weird that Andy, a kid of the ’90s, would have Woody, a toy of the ’50s. Maybe Woody isn’t actually a toy from the ’50s and is instead a cheap off-brand toy built to represent a more vintage piece.
‘Harry Potter’: Dumbledore is death.
Remember, Dumbledore gifted Harry an invisibility cloak and has had a hand — albeit inadvertently — in the deaths of Snape and Voldemort. One theory says that Dumbledore isn’t just one of the mythical three brothers, he’s death himself.
‘Cast Away’: basically The Truman Show on a desert island.
Why was there so much product placement in a movie that mostly takes place on a desert island? Why wasn’t Chuck found? What’s with the weird camera angles? The whole thing being a TV show setup would certainly explain a lot.
‘Titanic’: Jack is a time traveler.
Jack tells Rose with some certainty how she’ll die. It’s kind of a weird move. Maybe this is because he literally knows that she’ll die. If he hadn’t stopped her from jumping off the ship, there would have been a delay to search for her and the iceberg wouldn’t have been hit, destroying the whole timeline.
‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’: nothing is the way you see it.
Always Sunny will do almost anything in the name of comedy, but the whole series might be a figment of the main characters’ imaginations. Mac sees himself as strong, but he’s weak. Dee and Dennis have confidence, but have trouble finding dates. Perhaps they’re unreliable narrators.
‘Star Wars Episode 1’: Qui-Gon Jinn was working the other side.
Was Qui-Gon really a Jedi master? It might make more sense if he was actually a Sith Lord. He made all kinds of questionable decisions when he brought Anakin on board, and seemed to throw his fight against Darth Maul.
‘WALL-E’: the robot is the devil.
How could this cute little robot on a dying Earth be evil? Well, he gave a seedling to a female robot which eventually wound up destroying all humans. It has eerie parallels to the story of Satan tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden.
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‘The Big Bang Theory’: Penny’s in the CIA.
It sounds crazy, but not when you consider the fact that Leonard used to date a North Korean spy. That’s the kind of thing that might attract the attention of the CIA, and this theory posits that Penny was sent by the agency to spy on Leonard.
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’: Freddy Krueger gets stronger and stronger.
Freddy’s already a supernatural monster who can attack people in their dreams, but he gets undeniably stronger and gains more power as he kills more people. Maybe this is because he racks up new abilities with each new kill.
‘King of the Hill’: Dale knows about his wife’s affair.
One of the running gags on the animated series is that the character of Dale Gribble is seemingly oblivious to the fact that his wife, Nancy, has been carrying on a long-running affair. One theory says that Dale is happy with his cushy life and doesn’t mind.
‘Harry Potter’: Harry’s immortal.
We’ve seen Harry risk life and limb repeatedly throughout the series, but what if he’s risking nothing at all. Sybill Trelawney tells Harry that he and Voldemort can only kill each other. Well, when Harry kills Voldemort, that eliminates the one person who had the power to kill him.
‘The Shawshank Redemption’: Andy did it.
The audience is invited to sympathize with Andy Dufresne and believe he’s innocent. But the movie shows a flashback of Andy drunkenly loading a gun outside his wife’s house the night she was murdered. Are we just going to ignore this part?
‘The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask’ takes place in the United States.
Okay, okay, we all know it takes place in the land of Termina. But the south is full of palm trees, the north is cold and snowy, the west has deserts and beaches and the east has big cities. Sound like anywhere you know?
‘The Simpsons’: Homer’s in a coma.
If you go all the way back to 1992, there’s an episode of The Simpsons where God tells Homer that he’ll be dead in six months . Six months later, a clip show episode had Homer fall into a coma. What if he’s been in a coma this whole time? It would explain how weird the show has gotten.
‘X-Men’: Magneto’s machine had unintended side effects.
It’s established by Professor X that the machine won’t mess with mutants. If that’s the case then, why did mutants in its field suddenly see a big uptick in how powerful they were? This theory posits that the machine did, in fact, affect every mutant it touched.
‘How I Met Your Mother’: Barney wasn’t a lady’s man.
We’ve seen it suggested on multiple forums that the portrayal of Barney in HIMYM was, in hindsight, exaggerated. Perhaps Ted played up Barney’s womanizing in his retelling of the story in order to make his side of things more sympathetic.
