Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Movie Lovers Share Their All-Time Favorite Fan Theories From Popular Films

Outside of a cinema
photography of Cinema
Photo by Myke Simon on Unsplash

Reddit user froggysayshello asked: 'Movie buffs of Reddit, what is your favorite fan theory for any well-loved and popular movie?'

A great movie is one that you can watch over and over again, and can't stop talking about.

Indeed, some people have seen some movies so many times that they've begun to notice minute details that other viewers no doubt overlooked upon their first viewing.

While others have started in-depth analyses of the story and characters, namely what happened to all of them afterward, or what led them to where they are at the start of the film.

Otherwise known as fan theories.

Be it on the internet, or in your local coffee shop, some people simply can't stop talking about their favorite fan theories, from Andy's Mom being Jesse's original owner in the Toy Story films to the possibility that Danny and Sandy are dead at the end of Grease and driving up to heaven (...why else weren't they in Grease 2?...)


Redditor froggysayshello was eager to hear the favorite fan theories from the movie buffs of Reddit, leading them to ask:
"Movie buffs of Reddit, what is your favorite fan theory for any well-loved and popular movie?"

It Makes Sense That He Would Change His Identity...

"'Heavyweights' is a prequel to Dodgeball."

"Tony Perkiss = White Goodman"- drunkpilot2

High Five Ben Stiller GIF Giphy

You'd Think They Would Have At Least Introduced Themselves...

"'Lord of the Rings', Frodo doesn't know Legolas's name."

"He never once says it and in the end scene where everyone runs in to see Frodo in the hospital, Frodo yells out everyone's name in excitement as they come in....except for Legolas, who he just stares at smiling, then Gimli walks in and he's back to it yelling 'Gimli!'."- Grouchy_Cat8054

...But Does The Movies Actually Make Sense?...

"The Machines are the good guys in 'The Matrix'."

"If you watch 'The Animatrix' you see that the Machines tried to be democratic members of society and when the humans wouldn't let them create their own country."

"The humans then wage war against that nation."

"The Machines at any time could make the planet unlivable for humans but they never do."

"The humans actually have the bright idea to block out the sun because the Machines are primarily solar powered."

"The Machines convert to nuclear then win the war against humans."

"THEN start plugging humans into the Matrix, an inferior source of energy to nuclear."

"I believe the Machines put the humans in their to keep them safe from the hellscape they created."

"They never truly eradicate the humans that have escaped the Matrix."

"Just keep them powerless enough to protect themselves."

"When Agent Smith is ranting about how much humans disgust (in part 1) him the other agent is skeeved out, and even says, 'What are you doing?'."

"Agent Smith is an outlier, threatening what the Machines collectively want."

"The Machines even ally with the humans against Agent Smith."

"An alliance the Machines readily accept because they always wanted to get along with humans."

"They call off the attack on Zion, ending the cycle of destruction and rebuilding."

"They have no reason to honor Neo's terms after he dies, but they do because they wanted peace all along."

"Allowing the humans the belief that Neo fostered a peace and they should relegate their conflict with the Machines to inside the Matrix works perfectly for them."

"No human or machine deaths."

"Humans that can sense the Matrix get segregated."

"Zion and the machine nation coexist."

"It's everything they ever wanted."- NucularRobit

"I've always loved the idea that the reason the CGI fight scenes between Neo and Agent Smith in 'Matrix Reloaded' and 'Revelations' looks so weird and 'bad', is that they are moving so fast that the Matrix is having trouble rendering them."- Righteous_Itch

the matrix 90s GIF Giphy

Certainly Opens The Door For Volume 3...

"Bill didn’t die at the end of 'Kill Bill'."

"Both he and Beatrix knew that the 5-point palm exploding heart technique was fake."

"Using it on him was Beatrix’s way of saying 'if you play along and play dead, I’ll just take my daughter and go'.”- Rhodie114

Explains Why He Didn't Attend 'Rushmore'"...

"Napoleon Dynamite is what poor people are like in the Wes Anderson universe."- natelopez53

Still Doesn't Mean it's Watchable...

"The movie 'Batman & Robin' was actually an in-universe movie made by people that live in Gotham City."- Mr--Imp

george clooney batman GIF by Maudit Giphy

Theory, Or Fact?

"The 'Mad Max' movies all tell the same story."

"Max is a mythological figure in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, who in reality was maybe once a cop or something similar as society was breaking down."

"However as subsequent generations have lost more and more of society that was pre-collapse, subsequent generational retellings of the story have verged away more wildly from the truth."

"The bones of the story is that he is a man stricken by grief who adopts a small community in need and fights of a gang of vehicular maniacs but does not remain with them in the end."- WhapXI·

Of All The Names He Could Have Chosen...

"Shrek didn't have a name and made it up on the spot when Donkey asked him."- I_might_be_weasel

"I'll Be Back" makes so much more sense...

"That 'Terminator 1' wasn't the first pass through the timeline and John Connor deliberately chose his own father to give himself a better chance."- Astramancer_

terminator GIF Giphy

Backstory For A Board Game...

"While not a well loved or popular movie, my theory on the 'Battleship' movie is a cheap alien production company is attempting to film some sort of nature documentary or reality tv show on earth and ends up being killed by the humans."

"They have advanced weapon technology, but they don't really know how to use it correctly."

"In fact, much of it is automated."

"Upon losing the communications ship, the system goes into a defensive mode, deploying the isolation dome and neutralizing any potential threats from the locals."

"By the time the aliens deactivate it, they've destroyed a bunch of local population and military."

"The aliens feel that this ruins any potential chance to reach out for help from the humans and decide to just go with maintaining security and securing local resources in order to call for help."

"Eventually the humans wipe them all out, and when news of their demise reaches the alien society it is met with the same contempt as someone petting a Bison at Yellowstone."- BMLortz

What Would Jar Jar say?

"Palpatine used Padme’s life force to keep Vader alive and that’s why she dies."

"Not sadness."- chesterforbes

They're All Connected... Through Violence...

"That Mr. Pink in 'Reservoir Dogs' survives his escape and is on the run living as a waiter at the 50s restaurant in Pulp Fiction."

"Same universe, at least."- Witty_Cost_9917

reservoir dogs GIF Giphy

One of the main reasons people watch movies is to open their imaginations and escape into a world far different from their own.

Making broadening that world all the more fun.

That being said, anyone who wants to stay in the world of Batman and Robin might have too much time on their hands...

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Eric Dane; Eric Dane and Alyssa Milano
Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images; @milano_alyssa/Instagram

Alyssa Milano Pens Touching Tribute To Honor 'Charmed' Co-Star Eric Dane After His Passing

Actor Eric Dane passed away on Thursday, February 19, 2026, after a battle with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He was 53 years old.

Dane shared his diagnosis in April 2025 after a diagnosis in 2024.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Seth Meyers; Donald Trump
Late Night with Seth Meyers/YouTube; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Old Seth Meyers Joke Resurfaces After Trump Announces He'll Release Government Files About Aliens

The liberal outlet Meidas Touch resurfaced late-night host Seth Meyers' joke predicting that President Donald Trump would pivot to talking about the existence of aliens to distract from his role in the Epstein files.

Trump has done everything he can to dismiss or downplay the outrage surrounding the documents, which are said to contain detailed lists of some of his former friend and associate Jeffrey Epstein's most high-profile clients and enablers. The late disgraced financier was a convicted pedophile and sex trafficker.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Abby Phillip; Donald Trump
CNN; Chip Somodevilla

CNN Anchor Calls Out The Brutal Truth About The Countries That Joined Trump's 'Board Of Peace'

CNN anchor Abby Phillip pointed out the brutal truth about the countries that joined President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace," noting that citizens of half the countries that have joined the initiative are considered so "unreliable and risky" that they can't even get a visa to the U.S.

Those who've joined the Board of Peace include Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Keep Reading Show less
Donald Trump
Chen Mengtong/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Donald Trump Says 'Stupid People' Rate 'Make America Great Again' The 'Number One' Political Phrase

President Donald Trump was widely mocked after he declared that "stupid people" would rate his "Make America Great Again" slogan "the number one phrase in the history of politics in America."

Trump made the remark during a press conference while pledging that "together we're going to 'Make America Great Again'—though he didn't have great things to say for the slogan he claims to have come up with.

Keep Reading Show less
Lauren Utter; Tyra Banks
@gutterutterart/Instagram; Darren Gerrish/Franca Fund/Getty Images

Former 'Top Model' Contestant Shocks Fans By Revealing Contract Clause In Event She Was 'Killed' On The Show

The tea about America's Next Top Model just keeps spilling, and apparently, there's a lot of tea.

With the launch of the Netflix docuseries Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model, more people who were involved have started coming forward to share their experiences from the show, including Cycle 10's Lauren Utter.

Keep Reading Show less