If you're anything like me, you'll find a lot of fun in reading fan theories about your fave shows online (how else am I meant to fill the Succession void?).
And you'll probably also know that sometimes, those theories can get a little wild. So, we thought we'd share 12 fan theories that have been totally debunked — and four that actually could be true. Let's start with the ones which were off:
1. No, Tom Wambsgans' name was not a reference to a basketball player in Succession.
It's a really clever theory, but unfortunately, it's not true.
“I hate to spoil the internet’s fun, but it’s false,” Frank Rich, an executive producer of the show, told Slate in an email. “Tom’s family name was picked before we had shot a first season—let alone mapped out precise story twists that would culminate 39 episodes later! Not to mention that many of the key writers on the show, starting with its creator, Jesse [Armstrong], are British, live in London, and are devoted to British football.”
2. No, the Rugrats babies aren't imaginary.
However, Arlene Klasky, creator of the show, told BuzzFeed that the theory is false.
3. No, Sandy isn't dead in Grease.
The film's creators themselves have said it's not true, though.
Grease creator Jim Jacobs told TMZ that "Whoever made up the theory must have been on acid. Sandy was very much alive." So, that's that coffin nailed.
4. Andy's mom was not Jessie's previous owner in Toy Story.
Pete Docter, the writer behind seven Pixar films including Toy Story, has debunked the theory.
"You know, John Lasseter was the director on that, and we talked for hours about backstory — and we have our own kind of backstory that's a little different than that," Docter told Entertainment Weekly. He didn't share exactly what that backstory was, but he did maker it clear that it didn't line up with the fans' version.
However, he added that "The interesting thing is that we're now on Toy Story 4, and still stuff that we discussed in [the original] Toy Story, twenty-something years ago, those ideas are still being used. So it just seems to be a very evergreen kind of story and a lot of stuff just keeps bubbling up, so it's very interesting." In other words, Easter egg lovers will probably not be left hungry.
5. Speaking of Pixar theories, Docter also debunked the Pixar universe theory.
Unfortunately, it looks like it's "not".
"Well, I don’t want to spoil anybody's fun. I'm flattered that people spend time thinking about this," Docter said, before adding that "We really try to create very distinct worlds in each film. So for [those who think the] characters from Monsters [would] show up in The Incredibles is kind of a design... it breaks my head a little bit to be honest."
6. Dumbledore isn't a time-travelling Ron Weasley in Harry Potter.
7. Little Jason is not a tethered in Us.
Jordan Peele directly debunked the suggestion.
“I have this kinda concept of Jason that he can sorta see through the veil. You can see these moments where he’s observing his mother and he’s meant to be a little step ahead of us, the most clever of us that’s sorta figuring out there’s something more to Adelaide’s story than we see. A rewatch provides an entirely different insight into Jason’s journey," he told The Hollywood Reporter.
And, as Vox rightly pointed out, " The single biggest reason the “Jason is a Tether” theory falls apart is that it would fundamentally undermine too many of the established facts about the film’s world. This is because, in the scene where we see Jason deliberately exit the car and walk backward, he’s clearly able to control Pluto."
8. No, Remy the rat did not grow up in Anton Ego's mother's house in Ratatouille.
9. There is no Aladdin reference in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Unfortunately, the film's director told BuzzFeed the theory isn't true.
Gary Trousdale, the director of Beauty and the Beast, told BuzzFeed on the movie's 25th anniversary that "I think Howard's [Ashman, the lyricist] idea was that the prince in disguise was an allusion to the Beast."
"And the story that she’s reading, you can see — certainly debunking this Aladdin theory a bit further — there’s a brief bit when she’s sitting on the fountain and the sheep come and eat the page out of [the book], you don’t see any Arabic or anything. It’s a very pastoral, European setting," he shared, adding that "I think the idea was it was supposed to be her. I’ve totally debunked it — it’s absolutely bull."
10. No, Steve Rogers couldn't control the infinity gauntlet in Avengers: Assemble.
Here he is lifting Thor's hammer, too:
View this video on YouTube
However, screenwriter Christopher Markus debunked the theory.
“I think Steve would be toast,” the screenwriter shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “I think in that moment, Thanos is impressed by Steve’s will. He’s like, ‘I can’t believe this guy who apparently has no powers is trying this.’ He’s almost like, ‘Really? Really?'”
11. The characters in Winnie The Pooh weren't meant to represent different mental states.
However, the theory comes from a tongue-in-cheek medical paper published in 2000 that was meant to be taken as a kind of joke.
"The BBC reported at the time that lead researcher and primary author Sarah Shea's intention was to 'remind people that anyone can have disorders.' The introduction to the study also noted that the characters were diagnosed with different mental disorders by a 'group of modern neurodevelopmentalists,' not Milne", Snopes shared while deubunking the theory.
12. Breaking Bad and Malcolm in the Middle do not, in fact, exist in the same universe.
If El Camino hasn't debunked that theory for you, though, allow Bryan Cranston himself to.
“I am not at liberty to disclose that kind of information without security clearances,” Cranston told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show. “I think it’s fun. I don’t know. Walter White is definitely dead. He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead.”
Here he is talking about his own cross-universe life:
View this video on YouTube
And now, for the surprisingly true theories:
13. Barbie could be uninterested in Ken because Gloria didn't give her Barbie doll Kens.
Aside from being really smart, the theory is right because, well, almost every fan Barbie theory is right.
This sounds like a cop-out, but hear me out: Polygon recently reported that due to the nature of the Barbie universe, every fan theory is automatically true. "When Aaron (Connor Swindells), a low-level Mattel employee, finds out 'Stereotypical Barbie' (Margot Robbie) has escaped from the fantasy world of Barbieland and entered reality, he immediately alerts Mattel’s CEO (Will Ferrell) and the corporation’s board of directors. But then Aaron takes a moment to ponder the ontology of the world he lives in.
'So… is Barbieland an alternate reality?” He starts to ask. “Or is it like a place where your imagination—” In absolute unison, the entire board cuts him off with a resounding 'YES!'," they shared.
Does every toy franchise have an alternate 'world'? Sure! Could real-life Hot Wheels actually drive from their realm to ours? According to the rules (or lack thereof) of the movie, why not!!
"Further, because of the way Aaron gets cut off with a yes before he’s even done listing the possibilities for what Barbieland might be or might mean, there’s an extra layer to it all: a suggestion that sure, all theories about Barbieland are equally valid, and equally meaningless," Polygon continue.
Yes, A113, a code that appears in lots of Pixar movies, is in fact an Easter egg.
It's a reference to some of Pixar's OG animators' educational backgrounds.
"A1-13 was the animation classroom at California Institute of the Arts in the Character Animation Program," John Lasseter, chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios shared. "Cal Arts is one of the best animation schools ... and a lot of the students ... as they created films — short films and feature films, they've kind of hidden A113 in the movies."
14. Alien and Blade Runner actually do share a universe.
There's plenty of reason to believe the theory.
"The theory that Ridley Scott’s Alien and Blade Runner are connected has evolved from folklore to fact ever since one of Blade Runner's screenwriters, David Peoples, said that his other film, Soldier, is a spin-off 'sidequel' to Blade Runner despite their tenuous connections. If Soldier, despite its schlocky tone, can be considered canon to Blade Runner, then Alien certainly can as well," ScreenRant shared.
15. Not only were fans right about Stan Lee being a Watcher of the Marvel universe — they actually inspired his cameo.
"I stole the idea from fan theories on Twitter, which I thought were hilarious," Gunn Tweeted at the time.
"I actually read the Marvel fan sites and the Marvel message boards. One thing I found very funny and interesting is the fact that people thought Stan Lee is a Watcher... and that all of these cameos that he's doing are part of him being a Watcher. So I thought that was one of the greatest things the fans came up with. So Stan Lee as a guy who is either a Watcher, or probably a guy who is working for the Watchers, was something that I thought was fun for the MCU," he shared on FaceBook live in 2017.