All the fan theories that made us go ‘huh’ this year
2015 was the year of the fan theories. A lot of them were amazing and made us scratch our heads in wonder and think, “huh.” They had us go back at some of our favorite movies, TV shows, and books, and look at them in a brand new light. Tiny details were uncovered and connections were drawn between characters. If you like wild and crazy pop culture theories, this was your year.
But with all the good fan theories, there were the “eh” fan theories that had us scratching our heads for all the wrong reasons. Let’s not talk about those fan theories.
Instead, let’s take a look back at some of the absolutely best theories to come out of the internet this year. Spanning some of our favorite movies, shows, and books, here are the best of the best. We’re going to have to get extra clever if our 2016 theories are going to beat these.
Kevin was left home alone ON PURPOSE, Home Alone
If you find out that your child has been left behind, and is now fending for himself over the holidays, you’d probably freak out. That’s what Kevin McCallister mom does anyway. His dad? Not so much. His dad is super chill about it… because maybe Peter McCallister was the mastermind behind all of this, and Kevin was left home alone intentionally. His dad was trying to get rid of him.
The peddler and Genie are the same person, Aladdin
It’s rare that a fan theory turns out to be true, but this is one of those cases. Know that peddler at the beginning of Aladdin, the one trying to sell us the lamp? Well, he’s actually the Genie. All that hard research into Aladdin paid off, because over the summer the directors confirmed this is the case, and there was even supposed to be a scene explaining they were one in the same. Amazing.
Snow White actually dies because the Prince is death, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Between poisonous apples and jewel mining dwarfs, not all the plot points of Snow White make a ton of sense, especially that one about “true love’s kiss” bringing our princess back from death. Now let’s think about the fact that Prince Charming could be death himself. First time he meets Snow, she’s scared of him. In the end, he takes her away, she waves goodbye to the dwarfs, and they ride off into a bright white light. Suspicious, Prince. Very suspicious.
High School Musical takes place in a society without rules, High School Musical
Just hear this out: HSM takes place “in an alternate history without laws. That is, a world where crime doesn’t exist as we see it. A world where you can murder, steal, and destroy without any legal repercussions…So it’s kinda like The Purge, except with more basketball and better story.” Mull that over for a few minutes.
Darth Vader H-A-T-E-S sand, Star Wars
Minor plot hole aside, why did Anakin-Skywalker-turned-Darth-Vader never think to go looking for his long lost son, Luke? It’s because he hates sand. Like, he really hates it. He told us once how much he hates it, so why spend the time hiding Luke somewhere super hidden and secret, when he can be hidden in plain sight in the middle of the desert? Vader is never, ever going to feel the sand between his toes ever again. As long as Luke is surrounded by sand, he’s safe.
Ross lost custody of Ben, Friends
Ross has a son named Ben with his first wife, Carol. Once a season, if even that, Ben would stop by for a visit. And then the Ben visits stop completely. Why’s that? It’s possible that Ross lost custody of Ben, which is why he stopped hanging around Central Perk. As far as we know, Ben and Ross’ new little one, Emma, never even met on the show.
The Ice Cubiverse exists, Every Ice Cube Movie
There’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s soon going to be the D.C. Comic Universe, there’s already the Star Wars Universe, so how about a universe for Ice Cube, hmmm? According to this idea, Ice Cube has played the same character in every movie he’s ever been in. All his movies form an epic coming of age story. OK, we’ll buy it.
Owen Grady is in Jurassic Park, Jurassic World
Maybe we’re just looking for past movies to insert Chris Pratt into now. Is that so wrong? So yeah, let’s go ahead and believe that kid from the first Jurassic Park, the one who tells Dr. Grant that a velociraptor doesn’t look “very scary” is our current favorite velociraptor trainer today.
Penny and Leonard both suffer from psychological problems, Big Bang Theory
Have you ever wondered what makes Penny and Leonard’s relationship work? It might not be because opposites attraction. It might be because both are suffering from psychological problems. Penny’s going through self-hate and depression, while Leonard is dealing with abandonment issues. I feel kind crummy inside now.
Dumbledore is Death, Harry Potter
There are good fan theories, and then there are great fan theories that J.K. Rowling herself endorses. This is one of those great theories. The theory goes like this: Harry, Snape, and Voldemort all line up with the three Peverell brothers, who received the Invisibility Cloak, the Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand respectively. In this scenario, what does that make Dumbledour? Why, Death, of course, the “old friend” that greets Harry in his dream-like state at King’s Cross. Rowling called this theory “beautiful.”
[Image via Warner Bros]
