the twilight zone the entrance to hell in the hunt wasn't actually the entrance to hell. the whole thing was a test of character.
the twilight zone episode the hunt tells the story of a hunter and his dog who drown and come back as ghosts. towards the end of the episode, they reach the supposed entrance to heaven. however, upon learning that the dog isn't allowed in, the hunter refuses to go. however, they then meet an angel who informs them that the entrance that they just encountered was actually the entrance to hell and that the demons of hell are always trying to trick innocent souls into entering.
while the episode ends with the hunter and the dog going to heaven, many have been unsettled at the idea that innocent souls have been tricked into entering hell. well, i have a person theory. the entrance to hell wasn't actually hell and it was actually a secret test of character to determine whether or not the hunter was worthy of going to heaven.
basically, when the hunter is told that the dog can't come with him, the hunter is faced with the choice of going in without his dog or staying. a selfish choice and a selfless choice. by opting out of heaven if it meant that the dog couldn't go with him, the hunter proved that he is selfless and thus, worthy of his eternal reward.
https://redd.it/1iljrzp
@r_fantheories
What if The Ghost Writer (2018) by Roman Polanski is about French subversion of global politics by engaging a French director to make a movie about the the USA incepting a CIA agent in the British parliament?
In the ending credits of the movie, if you follow the plot of the movie's final scene where the main character unveils the chronological pattern of the first word of each chapter, it says - A French, German and British coproduction.
Just sounds thought provoking to me.
https://redd.it/1ildxr8
@r_fantheories
The Interstellar Paradox: Cooper and TARS Were “They” All Along
In Interstellar, "they" are initially thought to be advanced beings guiding humanity. However, Cooper’s realization—"They didn't bring us here, we brought ourselves."—suggests something far more mind-bending: Cooper and TARS are “they.”
The Theory (mine)
1. Timeline 1 - The Origin
Cooper-1 and TARS-1 enter the black hole.
Due to extreme time dilation, they remain trapped for millennia. Over time, they evolve or discover how to manipulate higher dimensions. They create the Tesseract, allowing their past selves to escape.
2. Timeline 2 - The Intervention
Cooper-1 and TARS-1 place the Tesseract inside Gargantua. They interact with their past selves (Cooper-2 and TARS-2), guiding them out. This sacrifices Timeline 1, ensuring the loop continues.
3. A Self-Sustaining Time Loop
Every version of Cooper and TARS relies on a previous iteration to survive. There were never any “higher beings” helping—just future versions of themselves ensuring the cycle perpetuates.
Why This Makes Sense
It resolves the bootstrap paradox: The knowledge comes from a past Cooper who spent eons inside the black hole.
It aligns with the movie’s core theme: time is a physical dimension that humans can manipulate.
The quote supports it: “We brought ourselves” suggests no divine intervention—just humanity guiding itself.
In essence, Cooper and TARS aren’t just surviving the loop—they ARE the loop.
It could either be a time loop or multiple parallel universe theory.
https://redd.it/1il9mh1
@r_fantheories
Ending of Never Let Me Go and the location of Hailsham
I looked all over the internet and could find no one talking about this, but I really don't think it's a stretch given how well the pieces fall into place.
>!At the end of Never Let Me Go, Kathy drives back to Norfolk, what the students called the 'lost corner' of England, and the joke was that everything you lost would go there (and Kathy 'found' her lost Bridgewater cassette there). On the last page, Kathy stands in this clearing and describes a fence and trees with trash tangled in them. This reminds me so much about how much they talked about the forest behind the fences at Hailsham, and so much time was spent describing these trees and adding lore to the forest and the fence and it would make so much sense if the place Kathy's in at the end IS Hailsham. After all, Norfolk is where things you lost go, and Kathy says, just a couple pages earlier: 'I suppose I lost Hailsham too'.!<
>!A couple other things: Kathy talks about looking for the remains of Hailsham everywhere she goes right before this section and I think the placement is just too neat to be a coincidence. And when they had Geography lessons back at school, Kathy said that Ms Emily never had pictures of Norfolk though she had pictures of every other region of England. This could be explained if Hailsham was actually located in Norfolk because then it's possible that Ms Emily didn't show them pictures so as to make sure they don't realize that. !<
Anyway, sorry if this was just common consensus and that's why no one was talking about this, but yeah. What do yall think?
https://redd.it/1ikssxi
@r_fantheories
SPOILERS Hotline Miami takes place in a world where the US used nuclear weapons in Korea
This theory was inspired by u/Commonglitch over on r/hotlinemiami's own post.
To re-iterate, during the Korean War in our own timeline there was serious contention over whether the United States should've used the atomic bomb against North Korean soldiers. General Douglas MacArthur, the chief of UN forces in Korea, was supportive of this plan: in 1950, he requested command of 34 nuclear weapons which would be used as a last resort against targets in China and North Korea along the Yalu River (the river which sets the border between Manchuria, eastern Russia, and the Korean peninsula). President Truman did agree to transfer 9 nuclear weapons to military command, but Gordon Dean (head of the US Atomic Energy Commission) didn't want MacArthur to be given control of them. Truman and the Joint Chiefs of Staff ultimately gave control of the 9 bombs to the Strategic Air Command.
The idea of using nuclear weapons in conventional warfare persisted, however. Among US forces in Korea, and the American military in general, the idea of using the atom bomb in Korea was promoted by General Omar Bradley, Dwight D. Eisenhower (who would later become President from 1953 to 1961), and the Strategic Air Command supported the use of nuclear weapons in Korea. The SAC's plan was to use them against industrialized cities such as Pyongyang in North Korea and likely cities such as Shanghai in China.
Diverging from u/Commonglitch's theory, I think that it's more likely that the SAC's plan was put into effect. The use of nuclear weapons in a conventional war completely shatters the idea of MAD: it had not been formulated yet (MAD was declared official US doctrine in the early 1960s) and the materiel to use nuclear weapons on a global scale would not be created until 1957. To this end, it's likely that the US continued to use nuclear weapons in conventional conflicts such as Vietnam (assuming the Vietnam War still happens). By bombing Pyongyang and other major cities in China and Korea, the US legitimizes the use of tactical nuclear weapons against civilian population centers and industrial areas in war as a vehicle for surrender.
Flash-forward to 1980. The Third World War has begun: the Hawaiian Conflict is just one front of a much larger war. The Soviet Union is winning the war, although they've become unable to launch an invasion of the continental United States due to its raw size and being bogged down in Hawai'i. Hawai'i is close enough to the West Coast, however, that the Soviet Union can utilize medium range ballistic missiles or bombers to target the continental US. In 1986, the Soviet Union nukes San Francisco, ending the war in a karmic recreation of how the United States ended the Korean War.
The lack of MAD leads to the creation of the Russo-American Coalition to prevent another World War, especially with the legitimization of nuclear weapons. This does not prevent 50 Blessings from doing what they do best, however, and eventually the USSR nukes the US again after the General murders both the President and Soviet paramount leader: the 50 Blessings-controlled US nukes the USSR back, leading to the end of the world that we see at the end of HM2.
https://redd.it/1ijalg5
@r_fantheories
Fantastic Four They are variants
I believe that First Steps is a separate universe like others have said but my theory is a bit different. In the MCU the FF were there in the 60's but were killed in the rocket mission they went on. However, there was a variant where the rocket didn't explode and they got their powers.
Without Kang to prune them, they went on to create another universe where Reed develops all kinds of technology and they are the first superheroes. In this universe, Reed Richards is heralded as the world's greatest scientist, a fact that embitters a young Tony Stark who believes that to be his father Howard. Instead of becoming a playboy and selling weapons, Tony becomes obsessed with toppling Reed as the world's greatest scientist.
Tony never becomes Iron Man and Nick Fury doesn't get the Avenger Initiative rolling. The Battle for New York ends up with the city getting nuked. The Baxter Building still stands due to force field protection by a now 70 something Reed. Tony stands upon the ruins of Stark tower in a silver protective suit and vows DOOM for Richards.
https://redd.it/1iig4bb
@r_fantheories
Fantastic 4 (2025)
I believe that the plot of this film will be as follows:
The fantastic 4 live in a timeline where they have successfully integrated technology into their time, similar to fallout, but done correctly thanks to Reed
In this universe they have been heroes a long time.
After going to space to research an anomaly (or to test an experiement by reed for more technology) they will create a doorway for Galactus - who will then, by the end of the film - send them to a universe where the fantastic 4 have not become popular and don't exist.
https://redd.it/1ii31qt
@r_fantheories
playful and seemingly simple, perceives truths that Shrek overlooks.
4. The Conflict: Regression to Persona When the Shadow Sleeps
Shrek and Fiona’s major argument happens while Donkey is sleeping, symbolizing that when the Shadow is absent, the Ego and Anima struggle to connect.
Feeling vulnerable, Shrek regresses to his Persona—the scary ogre, the mask that has protected him for years. This moment reflects a crucial Jungian truth:
The process of individuation is not linear. Even when we touch the unconscious, the pull of old defenses remains strong.
Shrek’s pain at overhearing Fiona’s insecurities causes him to retreat into anger, just as individuals, when faced with emotional wounds, often revert to familiar, protective behaviors. His reaction—driving Donkey away and shutting down emotionally—is a common defense mechanism against the vulnerability required for true self-awareness.
5. The Alchemical Wedding: Integration of the Self
The final act of Shrek is nothing short of a Jungian alchemical wedding.
• Fiona chooses her “true form”—not the external ideal of a human princess, but the ogre form that mirrors Shrek.
• Shrek, in turn, abandons his Persona and embraces his authentic self.
• Donkey, the Shadow, is the best man at their wedding, symbolizing that the fully realized Self does not reject the Shadow, but honors it.
Conclusion: Shrek as a Myth of Individuation
In peeling back the layers of Shrek, we find a rich psychological journey hidden beneath its humor.
• The film begins with a rigid Persona, upheld by societal fear (Farquaad).
• It requires an encounter with the Shadow (Donkey), which guides the hero toward unconscious truths.
• It leads to the discovery of the Anima (Fiona), who must be recognized not as an external prize, but as part of the Self.
• It culminates in a full integration of all aspects of the psyche, leading to individuation.
As Shrek himself says, “Ogres are like onions”—they have layers.
And so does Shrek.
https://redd.it/1ihwwos
@r_fantheories
Futurama The humanized version of Bender is a weird mixture of psychedelic and realistic.
There is a Futurama episode where Bender asks what would his life look like if he were human. The results:
If he were human, he would be a binge eater that became the world's heaviest human able to walk. In this alternative reality, he looks heavier than Robert Earl Hughes (the largest human known able to walk without the need of assistance: he weighed 486 kilograms or 1083 pounds) (the human version of Bender looks more like 550 kilograms or 1210 pounds) (in comparison, the largest human ever in the sense of the heaviest one, Jon Brower Minnoch, weighed 635 kilograms or 1400 pounds).
However, the human version of Bender looks more like a man of European descent (because of his skin as light as Charles de Gaulle and his blond hair à la Reese Witherspoon) rather than a Mestizo man (because the original robot version of Bender was born in Mexico hence his full legal name of Bender Bending Rodriguez, Rodriguez is a Spanish language surname, however, Bender and Bending are English words).
However, this should be excused. You can be white and blond, and still Mexican. Mexicans are not a monolith. For a real life example explaining this phenomenon, a lot of Irish people stayed in Mexico after the Mexican-American War. The Irish were treated like shit (sorry for the vulgar word) in America so many decided to join the war on the side of Mexico. There’s many statues in random pueblos around Mexico to commemorate their help. “Los Rojos” the statues usually read. Which translates to “The Reds”. So maybe the human version of Bender was a Mexican of Spanish (because of his surname Rodriguez), German, Irish, and English (the Bending part of his full name, Bender Bending Rodriguez, is either his middle name of another surname) descent. He was born in Mexico but it does not mean his parents were Mexican. Caucasian parents having sex in Mexico still have Caucasian babies. Rodriguez only really implies Spanish descent down his paternal line, and Spaniards are white.
Technically, in people born in Mexico tend to have two surnames: one paternal, one maternal (but from the maternal grandfather, not the maternal grandmother). If we suppose that Bending is his paternal surname, and Rodriguez is his maternal surname, the humanized version of Bender could easily have an English paternal grandfather, a German paternal grandmother, a Spanish maternal grandfather, and an Irish maternal grandmother.
https://redd.it/1ihv1vl
@r_fantheories
Back To The Future- Marty's Future Theory
This is simple enough. What do you think becomes of Marty after BTTF 3? He avoided the car crash that crippled his guitar playing in the Biff timeline by finally overcoming his weirdly aggressive "chicken" pathology. Noodles will presumably play no part in his life. So, what then? I'd say that Marty clearly becomes a rock star. But that's not the theory.
The theory is about Marty's music. Remember, we heard Marty's music only once, at the audition for the dance at the beginning of the first film ("too darn loud"). You may remember that the school official who tells him this is a cameo from rock star Huey Lewis. Also, you may remember that the song that Marty plays for him is an instrumental intro to Lewis's own song "The Power of Love". The only other music that we hear from Marty is a Chuck Berry cover. As far as we can tell, in the BTTF world, Marty writes Huey Lewis songs.
My theory is that "The Power of Love" that we hear in the series is Marty's song with Marty singing. Marty functionally grows up to be Huey Lewis (in this world where the real Huey Lewis is a square). He has achieved the power of love (by leaving his girlfriend on a porch and hoping for the best, but whatever).
https://redd.it/1ihp58j
@r_fantheories
Skoll and Hati from mythology
Hi in Norse Mythology, when Fenrir is chained up, he has 2 "sons", Skoll and Hati. Their names translate into Mockery/Treachery and Hate/Enemy. There is scholarly debate as to whether Skoll and Hati are projections of Fenrir or their own personalities. My hypothesis is that Skoll and Hati started out as Projections of Fenrir but Odin cast a spell on them to make them both flesh and blood and hope they would get big and powerful enough to kill Fenrir while Fenrir was chained and then kill Skoll and Hati afterwords or at least find a way to link all 3 wolves lives together so that when one dies they all die. PLEASE NOTE THIS IS FROM THE MYTHOLOGY AND NOT MARVEL! Your guys' thoughts please
https://redd.it/1ihd8zs
@r_fantheories
They cloned Tyrone theory
In my recent watching of the movie they cloned Tyrone I was left with some questions. although it seems the movie had the beginning middle and end cut out and as clear as day. I felt as if the movie left enough to intrigue the audience to come to their own meanings of the story. this open ending inspired to give us a foundation or basis of further projects whether this is a one off and the next movie will take place in the same universe with a separate concept or if they continue from where we left off I feel that the one line that Fontaine’s (our main character) and his creator (the original) spoke in which he said I am not a clone was a lie. Unlike the other clones this version of “the man” is what I will call him not knowing his true name as the next clone or variant is Tyrone, I believe that this was a cover up as we see transitioning to Tyrone’s perspective he is a clone of different variety but when Tyrone begins his mission to over turn the cloning process I.e. the government. Tyrone meets the overseer or the man which is himself. this version and all other versions kill themself or “the man” which is supposed to happen there is a version of the man for every African American community and Fontaine is still under his own control this is why Chester did not kill him when he had the chance although he was more than capable. The man wants to meet himself show him the truth and cause discord. these assimilation attempts are not in means to change African Americans white but to turn Caucasian people black and unite his people and they cloned Tyrone is the start of the revolution
https://redd.it/1iglcql
@r_fantheories
The BFG only gives dreams to children he knows are about to die(The BFG)
This is mainly based on the book as I haven't seen the film in a while.
We all know the BFG catches dreams from Dreamcountry and gives them to children using his trumpet. This is sweet, but we never find out the why he actually does this.
In the book, the giants shout at the BFG and tell him where they are going to eat. The BFG tells Sophie they do this every night.
The BFG knows he cannot do anything to stop them from eating children, so he tries to help them in his own way; He fills his suitcase with dreams and goes to the places he knows the giants will be.
Then he gives sweet dreams to all the children in danger.
Not only does this make the children happy in their final moments, it prevents them from waking up and seeing the giant about to eat them.
The reason the BFG was outside Sophie's window was because the giants were about to attack the street her orphanage was on. If Sophie hadn't seen the BFG and he hadn't taken her away, she would have definitely been eaten since her bed was nearest the window.
https://redd.it/1ih37dj
@r_fantheories
Spotify Is Lawful Good and Pandora Is Chaotic Evil
Spotify builds your listening profile by songs, artists, albums, and genres that you hit the like button for and songs you frequently listen to but maybe haven’t liked. It takes your playlists into account to “give you more of what you like”.
There’s one single option to dislike a song, but even then, you’re not really disliking it, you’re hiding it from a Spotify created playlist. It’s kind of awesome that the platform decided on the most Care Bear way of not liking something without really not liking it.
Pandora, at least ages ago when it was free, base its “music genome project” on what you didn’t like. You could dislike just songs or albums or whole artists. You even had the option to never, ever, ever hear that song or whatever that you just thumbs downed.
Pandora kind of let you reenact that one scene in American History X that involves a curb, a boot, and something kinda squishy in between the two. It gave you the power to bring down the ban hammer which then fed data in that genome project of theirs.
I always thought of Pandora as if we were training AI with images and videos of the most wretched parts oh humanity. Like, “hey Pandora, take all this data our users gave us based on things they don’t like and pump out some good algorithms. I don’t know about you, but I learned that a negative multiplied by a positive is always negative way, way back in middle school.
Of course, I do somewhat exaggerate in places. I also make some things more black and white than they really are, but that is only to highlight the fundamental differences between the two.
I also, conveniently for me, left out that you could like songs as well with Pandora. Human nature being what it is, it’s far more likely that people were faster to hit the dislike button.
So there you have it!
TL;DR Spotify serves music up to you based on positive feedback. It caters to what you like.
Pandora serves music up to you based on negative feedback. It caters to what you don’t like.
https://redd.it/1igm4hq
@r_fantheories
The Devil Went Down to Georgia The Devil absolutely won and got Johnny’s soul. They were playing two different games.
The Devil never cared at all about whether or not he played the fiddle better than some random kid in the middle of Georgia. He’s in the business of stealing souls! So then why would he make this bet with Johnny at all? Because Johnny loses his soul more or less just by virtue of taking the bet in the first place!
The devil offers Johnny a chance at wealth gambled against his eternal soul. (Small aside, but the golden fiddle would only be good as a symbol of wealth or as a trophy. A solid gold fiddle would probably sound awful.) Now from what I can tell, simply engaging in a contest or wager with the devil is not in and of itself a problem as this isn’t a “contract” in a technical sense; however we will see that this would not have stopped Johnny even so. The religious issue of Johnny’s immortal soul is not in getting into a contest with the devil in the first place but rather WHY he does! Pride.
“He said ‘my name’s Johnny, and it might be a sin, but I’ll take your bet and you’re gonna regret cus I’m the best there’s ever been’”
Here we a see what I was alluding to earlier— whether or not this contest is a sin isn’t remotely a concern to Johnny and I argue it is because he is sinfully overconfident in himself. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins, shout out to my boys David Fincher and Pope Gregory I. Johnny believes that through his own strength and talent he can beat the devil without god’s help, but rather because he is simply The Best™️, a rather textbook case of Pride. This foolish blasphemer doesn’t realize that he walked headlong into the devil’s trap.
Johnny won the contest but still lost his soul because the devil was playing 3d chess while Johnny was playing the fiddle.
https://redd.it/1hsgaju
@r_fantheories
Stranger Things Ending Theory (Bittersweet Ending
My theory is that the upside-down isn't just an alternate dimension but a temporal anomaly that links the past to the present, creating a branched timeline that our characters are currently on.
In Season 4, when Nancy was upside down, we learned that the homework she found was from 1983. This means that the Upside Down is likely stuck in the moment the original portal was opened—the same night Will disappeared. The Upside Down is likely the bridge connecting the Mind Flayer Dimension to our world.
So, at the end of Season 5, I bet our characters will realize that the only way to defeat the Mind Flayer is to destroy the Upside Down, but by destroying the Upside Down, they'll realize that time will be reset to the moment the Upside Down was created -- November 6, 1983. This means that all the relationships our characters have built with one another will be reset as well -- as if they never happened (Steve/Dustin, Nancy/Jonathan, Will/Eleven, Joyce/Hopper).
Our Heros will inevitably choose to do the right thing and destroy the Upside Down, resetting time back to 1983. We'll see how the events of November 6, 1983, were supposed to play out and how the year was supposed to go... how all these people were never supposed to form these relationships.
It's sad, but towards the very end, we will see there is hope that these relationships are beginning to reform/rebuild despite the upside down no longer connecting them.
https://redd.it/1iljd9k
@r_fantheories
MCU Bob Reynold aka Sentry is the result of Super Soldier Serum activated with Ultraviolet radiation
During Project Rebirth in 1940s, after injected with super soldier serum, Steve Rogers absorbed a Vita radiation level of seventy percent. The result: a super soldier with peak physical strenght and endurance
In mid 2000s, Dr Bruce Banner did an experiment with different version of Super Soldier serum but he substituted the original serum's vita radiation with gamma radiation. The result: a green hulking monster with uncontrolled anger.
This year, MCU will release Thunderbolt movie featuring Bob Reynolds aka Sentry. In the comics, Bob Reynolds Golden Sentry Serum, which resulted in him gaining the power of "a million exploding suns". I have a theory that the MCU version of Sentry is experimented with newest batch of Super Soldier Serum. But instead of Vita or Gamma radiation, he absorbed a Solar Ultraviolet radiation.
https://redd.it/1il9s66
@r_fantheories
Did Clyde Shelton Actually Lose? Or Did He Win in the End?
Few revenge movies make you root for the villain like Law Abiding Citizen. Clyde Shelton wasn’t just after vengeance—he wanted to expose the system.
But here’s the real question: Did Clyde actually lose?
❌ On paper, Nick Rice wins. He stops Clyde’s final act.
✔ But Clyde proved his point—he exposed the flaws in the system and forced change.
So… who really won? Let’s debate.
🎥 (P.S. We’re dropping a Short on this soon—stay tuned!)
https://redd.it/1iksavh
@r_fantheories
The Kid From The Batman Could Be The Future Robin
So if you all have watched The Batman you'll probably know the scene Mayor Mitchells body was found in his house and after the police arrive and investigate they realize the kid was the one who found the body. Batman gives him a look for a couple of seconds and the kid looks at him back now Batman wouldn't do this for no reason but what if this kid could be the future Robin.>!​!<
https://redd.it/1ijsb1w
@r_fantheories
Schumacher's Batman and Sonnenfeld's Addams Family exists in James Gunn's Scooby-Doo universe.
I read an interview that James Gunn made in the early 2000s about the first Scooby-Doo movie and stated that he deemed the first two seasons of "Scooby-Doo! Where Are You?", and "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" took place in his universe.
What's notable about the latter series is that the Scooby Gang encountered Batman & Robin (twice) and the Addams Family, or at least their cartoon versions from the 1970s. But the campy nature of both shows doesn't fully match the tone of James Gunn's Scooby-Doo movies, so I started thinking and wondered what if the Batman & Addams Family movies from the 1990s were the versions that Gunn's gang met since they would be closer in the timeline.
Batman Forever and Batman & Robin happened in 1995 & 1997 respectively, and The Addams Family/Values in 1991 & '93. While the first Scooby-Doo movie happened in 2002 (the gang split in 2000).
TLDR; At some point before the gang split apart in the first SD movie, the gang met the 1990s movie versions of these characters, but in a "modern" setting for the time to match the more mature tone.
https://redd.it/1iiuw6a
@r_fantheories
Fable Why there aren’t many heroes in the “Try to stop Jack of blades” quest
This can serve as a part 2 to my other theory that was the hero of Oakvale was so good after killing the white balverine that the arena was made harder specifically for him as a form of “inflation.”
I was replaying Fable and always wondered how come in the quest where you try to stop Jack you only see guards and apprentices. The only actual heroes you see are the named characters like Briar or Thunder.
My theory is that similar to the arena being harder to make it more challenging for chicken chaser Jack has also been stacking the arena so less heroes survive it so their numbers are substantially dwindled towards the end of the game. At the very least he could make most would be champions battle another hero like we had to do to at least halve the number of surviving champions. Kinda similar to how the clone wars killed a lot of Jedi before order 66.
This doesn’t even have to be limited to the arena as well. Lady Grey is shown to be the mastermind of the Orchid Farm quest and she’s been in contact with Jack through her diary. It’s possible he orchestrated other quests that could be fatal. Hell, maybe we were supposed to kill Whisper in orchard farm but the comradery between the characters lead it to just be a friendly duel.
https://redd.it/1iib69c
@r_fantheories
(Final Fantasy 7) Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith are 5+ years older than the ages listed in promotional material.
Something interesting about FF7 is that almost all of the characters are written as mature adults compared to other FF games and JRPGs in general where a character comes of age over the course of the story. Cloud (a combat veteran) and Tifa are at the center of the story, nominally 21 and 20, but they have the personality of adults in their mid to late 20s. Aerith, supposedly 22, definitely seems a bit older than the other two. Also, if you believe Cid is actually in his 30s I don't know what to tell you. This makes an entire cast of adults who have already come of age, the exception being Yuffie who is the cast's representative for younger people.
https://redd.it/1ii1wb6
@r_fantheories
Shrek and Jung 🧅
Hey everyone!
I am a psychologist who watched Shrek for the millionth time last night. This is an idea I developed in conversation with chatGPT, and together we built this interpretation of Shrek.
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Shrek: A Jungian Tale of Individuation
How a Green Ogre’s Journey Mirrors the Depths of the Psyche
Introduction:
More Than a Fairy Tale
At first glance, Shrek (2001) appears to be a clever satire of fairy tale tropes—a subversive story where an unrefined ogre, rather than a noble prince, wins the princess. However, beneath the humor and animation lies a deeper psychological narrative, one that aligns closely with Carl Jung’s theory of individuation.
By analyzing the film through Jungian archetypes—the Persona, the Shadow, and the Anima—we uncover a profound mythic structure within Shrek’s journey. His transformation is not just about finding love but about integrating the unconscious aspects of himself, moving from societal rejection toward wholeness.
Through this lens, we see how:
• Lord Farquaad represents society’s rigid expectations, forcing Shrek to build a false identity.
• Donkey, the wild and expressive sidekick, embodies the Shadow, an aspect of the psyche that is often repressed but ultimately necessary for growth.
• Princess Fiona, the hidden ogre, mirrors the Anima, the internalized feminine aspect that must be integrated into the Self for true individuation.
• The entire journey follows the hero’s mythic path, leading to an alchemical wedding—the ultimate union of opposites.
This reveals what Shrek himself famously says in the film: “Ogres are like onions”—they have layers.
And as we peel back the layers of Shrek, we discover that it, too, is more than it first appears.
2. The Shadow as a Necessary Guide (Donkey)
At the start of the journey, Shrek rejects Donkey, who immediately attaches himself to him despite being unwanted. In Jungian terms, Donkey is Shrek’s Shadow—the repressed aspects of his personality that demand attention.
• Where Shrek is withdrawn, Donkey is expressive.
• Where Shrek is cynical, Donkey is hopeful.
• Where Shrek seeks solitude, Donkey craves connection.
Though at first annoying, Donkey refuses to leave—just as the Shadow, once encountered, will persist until integrated.
One key moment reinforces this role: Donkey hesitates to cross the rickety bridge to the dragon’s castle, fearing the unknown. Shrek pushes him forward, just as the conscious mind must actively engage with the Shadow in order to proceed on the path of individuation. Interestingly, this is a reciprocal relationship:
• Donkey (the Shadow) needs Shrek (the Ego) to take action.
• Shrek (the Ego) needs Donkey (the Shadow) to guide him deeper into the unconscious.
Without Donkey, Shrek could never reach Fiona. But without Shrek, Donkey would not find the courage to move forward.
3. Fiona as the Anima and the Struggle for Integration
Fiona begins the story as the distant, idealized feminine figure—the classic princess archetype. However, she carries a hidden secret: by night, she transforms into an ogre, mirroring Shrek’s true form.
This is the Anima in action—the unconscious feminine that must be recognized, not as an external ideal, but as part of the Self. Unlike the passive princesses of fairy tales, Fiona is strong, skilled, and conflicted—she exists in a state of duality, embodying both the conscious and unconscious aspects of the psyche.
Robin Hood and the False Anima
The scene where Robin Hood and his Merry Men attempt to “rescue” Fiona offers another layer to this interpretation. Robin Hood represents a chivalric, outdated notion of romance, where the hero wins the princess through battle and bravado. Yet Fiona immediately rejects this role, defeating him herself. This moment signals that Fiona is not an external prize to be won, but an internal force that must be integrated.
Further reinforcing the Anima’s connection to the Shadow, Donkey learns of Fiona’s secret before Shrek does. The Shadow often holds knowledge the Ego resists—just as Donkey, though
Fantastic Four the FF's world is doomed, and that's not the END of the movie
MCU SPOILERS
Pretty simple speculation that goes off of storytelling instincts more than any solid evidence. We know the new FF movie takes place in an alternate Earth and that Galactus is the villain. A common theory I've read about this movie is that Galactus will appear and destroy their world at the end of the movie, forcing them to flee to the MCU universe and somehow setting up Avengers: Doomsday in the process.
My theory is that this DOES happen, but at the BEGINNING of the movie, and the FF movie largely takes place in the MCU.
First: it'd be a bummer for the heroes to lose at the end of the movie to set up an Avengers villain, and too reminiscent of both Thor Ragnarok and Infinity War.
Second: it seems based on the new trailer that in this world the FF are revered heroes. This says to me that they have some wins under their belt, and also that they may be the only superheroes in this universe, similar to Toby Maguire's Spider-Man. If this is the case, then having these established heroes lose at the start rather than the end would be a catalyst for character/team growth more so than being celebrity heroes fighting a new threat throughout their movie, only to lose at the end, would be.
Third: if the FF lose at the end of their movie and go to the MCU, then their "redemption" would need to be a major focus of the next Avengers movie (assuming they're in it), which may be a bad storytelling move (considering that movie should focus on, y'know, the Avengers). It would also be lame for the FF to show up to an Avengers movie bruised and beaten.
Fourth: Having the FF escape to the main MCU early on (and maybe even try to return to their old world only to find it eaten by Galactus) could give the film time to establish some tech/mechanism for multiverse travel that could be brought back in the Avengers movies (since right now, the ways to access other universes is essentially just American Chavez and TVA tech, all of which the MCU may not want to use so as to not alienate viewers who didn't see Dr. Strange 2 or Loki/Deadpool 3 (since the FF could easily appear in Avengers with their tech and explain it in a line, as opposed to the TVA, which is harder to explain, especially to in-universe characters, and who may be one too many irons in the fire).
So my theory is that the new FF movie will establish the FF as revered heroes in their world, Galactus will appear, they'll put up a good fight but ultimately lose and end up in the MCU, where they have to find their footing as a family in a new environment (that may not be as interested in them as heroes---what appeal does the Thing have in a world with a Hulk?) and defeat a different villain to redeem themselves after failing their old world.
https://redd.it/1ihsp6z
@r_fantheories
MCU I know how Fantastic Four: First Steps will end, how it will connect them with the main MCU's universe, and how it will lead to Secret Wars.
For people who aren't very aware of what Secret Wars and the Incursions are, here's some info.
A multiversal anomaly led to the domino effect of many universes being destroyed be colliding themselves with one another. In the last 8 hourse before a collision, both Earths become visible to one another. This is called an Incursion, and the only way to stop it is by preventing the Eaths from colliding with one another. Usually by destroying said Earth. With that done, you now saved both universe, and one of the Earths.
Secret Wars happened when the 616 universe collided with the 1610(the Ultimate universe), and Doctor Doom, to prevent it, created a patchwork earth made of many different versions of Earth, combined together.
So we know that, 1: FF The First Steps takes place in a different universe from the MCU, and 2: That Galactus is in the film. What does this mean to the ending?
Well, what is the main thing Galactus does?
He devours planets.
Galactus, aware of the Incursions already, will end an Incursion between the Fantastic Four's universe and the main MCU universe by devouring the FF's Earth, both feeding himself and saving his own universe, and the team(+Shala Bal, the Silver Surfer of said universe), now without an Earth, will be forced to now live in the MCU.
https://redd.it/1ihm49q
@r_fantheories
Godfather 1 Freddo corleone is actually smarter than sonny corleone
I'm surprised no one has noticed this. As we all know, the hit on vito corleone was caused by sonny's loudmouth during the meeting with virgil sollozo. when vito, sonny and freddo were having a meeting with virgil, after vito said no to the drug business, sonny opened his mouth indicating his interest in the drug business. This indicated to virgil that killing vito would get sonny, who is pro drugs, to become kingpin of the corleone family. so virgil decided to kill vito.
but one thing no one notices: during that meeting, freddo kept a poker face and never opened his mouth. while sonny was blabbering away and being all emotional showing his cards, freddo was totally cool and composed. he knew exactly how to behave in a criminal dealing. but sonny didn't. ironically the corleone family would have done better under freddo than under sonny, under freddo virgil would have never carried out his hit that nearly destroyed the corleone family.
freddo would have made a better don than sonny.
https://redd.it/1iga3uh
@r_fantheories
Could Bubu have lived?
So I'm watching Forest Gump (for the 100th time lol) and had a theory. So what if Forest listened to Dan and left him behind and kept his search for Bubu, is there a possibility that he would have found Bubu sooner and possibly helped his wounds. I know the wounds are quite bad however Dan had sent word for an airstrike (I believe it was called but I might be wrong) and likely reinforcement for the others. Could their in any way be a universe that Bubu lived and not Dan?
https://redd.it/1ih3107
@r_fantheories
The Elise Theory (Danvs)
I thinking about this...
In the Elise parents episode, we not just see her frustrated of not getting respect, but also at the end where her mom part the Mafia and finding someone to join the "family".
Outside episodes like New Mexico and The Magician, We also see the memory of her training at a young age in the Summer Camp episode.
Finally, there one scene where she talk to her boss about where they first met to his response that they ereasd her mind (IDK it from Summer Camp one or from somewhere else).
So here my idea, what if her mom secretly train her for the Mafia family, but during all this, quasi government organization find her and with a little help with the mind eraser, join them.
This could explain why her parents (specifically her Mom) treat her, all of these years she could have been the biggest pawn for the Mafia, but been she reduced to nothing but as way to get money from some rich guy (from family camp episode).
https://redd.it/1igtnb7
@r_fantheories
understood.
EDIT: We've seen that zanpakto spirits (potentially only very strong ones) can manifest themselves into the spirit realm if they genuinely feel neglected or abandoned (See Yachiru and Kenpachi).
Yachiru also displays the ability for a spirit to "manifest" other beings like herself. I don't think it's a stretch to say that the zanpakto with the single most OP shikai ability in the series is probably one of the strongest zanpakto spirits in general (especially if it was the Soul King's).
https://redd.it/1ighqei
@r_fantheories
The Kree created inhumans because of Izel- Agents of Shield
The Kree and Izel are both on earth during the time of the Native Americans. Izel was trying to conquer and release others from her plane of existence, and the Kree were creating weapons called inhumans.
The creation of inhumans was impossible for them to replicate in the show, only able to create a form of terragen that is safe around those that do not carry the inhuman gene. Now I believe that the fallacy of why they couldn't turn a human into an inhuman is because the Kree used Shrike crystals as a catalyst for their dna. When the diviner splits open and shows raw terragen it looks extremely similar to the shrike crystals. Same crystalline structure and grouping. Now each inhuman power we see in the show could be used perfectly to fight against Izel.
Maveth- first inhuman, became millions of microscopic parasites that work through a collective hive mind that consume in a fashion that is like a bird swarm or a shrike. Izel can only possess an individual so we can easily assume that she could not have possessed Maveth thus making him a perfect weapon against her.
Lincoln Campbell- his electrokenisis could easily create a static field that negated Izels resonance frequency powers of possession, and electrical surges through a shrike would make them explode before turning all crystally.
Daisy Johnson- her control over vibrations means she could also create a field around herself by vibrating the air, disrupting harmonic frequency powers of Izel. She can also just shake the Shrike apart into dust.
Joey Garcia- ability to shape metal at will, or make it liquid or solid would be a great power to have against an alien that has metallic bio organics coating their body as we see Sarge does.
Medusa eyes- can't remember his name but Medusa eyes could paralyze with a glance, making him able to safely take down whoever she has as a host.
Gordon- eyes or no eyes his quantum entanglement fields would make a great shield against the shrike and would be great to teleport ally's away or her off the planet.
And so many others. Lincoln says that inhuman powers aren't random. That they are filling a void that has opened. Cosmic balance.
Maybe the cosmic balance was against the cosmic being Izel rather than with nature or whatever. The Kree risked the wrath of Izel and the asgardians to come to earth to make these weapons. They went past countless planets with similar life in the universe in the MCU just to come to earth, the one place Izel is trying to release the rest of her kind from.
If the Kree created inhumans because of Izel then they saved the earth twice from her.
https://redd.it/1hscaqb
@r_fantheories
