13 Movie Fan Theories That Are So Mind-Blowing, They Deserve Some Kind Of Award

And none of them involve the sentence "It was all a dream."

We recently took a look at some of the very best movie fan theories that our personal favorite subreddit, r/FanTheories, had to offer — but that was just the tip of the iceberg!

ABC

So, with that in mind, here are even MORE of the most creative, mind-blowing fan theories out there:

1. The bat signal is NOT a signal for Batman at all, but a warning shot for criminals from the Gotham Police Department.

Warner Bros.

"Think about it. It seems ineffective to call on a vigilante by shining a light in the sky. There is a huge chance he won't see it or notice it in time for the specific crime to be stopped.

My theory is that the bat signal itself doesn't actually apply to or affect Batman at all, but rather it is a warning for criminals, basically like Gotham PD saying, 'He's active tonight, so now's your only chance to drop everything, go home, and turn your life around.'"

—randomusername02130

2. The John Wick franchise will span five films, and each film will represent a different stage of grief.

Lionsgate

"I'm not sure if this is something that's been discussed anywhere else, but I was watching the series and noticed how often the characters reference grief, loss, and death and — when watching all movies back to back so far — it appears that the plots surround each of the stages of grief.

John Wick — Denial

John’s living by himself with his wife’s things left around the house, untouched, as if she’ll come back to use them. We see him trying to live normally and act like nothing's wrong, but we see him in anguish. He's even in denial up until the end of the film as to whether or not he's 'back.'

John Wick: Chapter 2 — Anger

His killing spree from the first movie entices Santiago to pull him out of retirement for good, and to use and betray John. John's rage gets the better of him and he kills on Continental grounds at the end of the film.

John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum — Bargaining

The length of the film is John begging his connections for help. He asks the doctor for meds, the director for a ticket, forces Sofia’s marker, seeks guidance from Berrada, and even walks through the desert to find the high table to beg them for another chance at life.

So, my theory is that there will only be two more movies (which have both been announced) and they'll explore the final two stages:

Upcoming Fourth Film — Depression

The fourth movie will probably exist around the depressive stage of grief where John is forced to stay in the life that he left. He’s become an empty shell, slower and sloppier.

Upcoming Fifth Film — Acceptance

Whatever his choices may be, the final stage of grief could be John finally coming to terms with who he is and continuing as an assassin, dying, or taking his dog home for good, this time a better man."

—coces

3. Obi-Wan Kenobi wasn't lying or forgetful in Star Wars, and he DID recognize R2-D2.

LucasFilm Ltd.

"When Luke brought R2-D2 to Obi-Wan Kenobi, he looks at R2, gives him a funny little face and says, 'I don't seem to remember ever owning a droid.'

Fans tend to think it may be just an oversight from before George Lucas planned the prequels...but I think it was purposely done, as Obi-Wan was trying to hide his and R2's importance. We saw how much R2 accomplished in the prequels, and how much the heroes of the story owe to him. He practically saved their asses a dozen times over.

So my theory is that when Obi-Wan says the controversial line about never having owned a droid, he's not saying, 'I don't recognize this droid' or even 'Keep quiet R2, you'll blow our cover!' He's literally saying no motherfucker in this galaxy can own R2 — he's intelligent and reliable in a way no other droid has been.

He's saying I don't own this droid because this droid is my friend."

—mybustersword

4. Peter Parker's ability to create and repair his own high-quality costumes are just another facet of his new superpowers.

20th Century Fox

"Something fans constantly bring up as a plot hole with most incarnations of Spider-Man is how he can both create and easily repair his high-quality costumes, being that he's a poor teenager with no other experience in sewing or costume design in general.

I think the answer to this 'plot hole' is easy when you consider that the spider bite may have simply given him another power — seamstress skills on par with those of a spider spinning its own webs. This could also be spun (pun intended) to apply to how he knows how to easily produce non-organic webbing."

—FaxIzGad

5. Mr. Incredible defeated the first Omnidroid with ease in The Incredibles because it was not actually meant for him — but for Frozone.

Pixar

"When Mr. Incredible and Frozone were being listened to, it’s indicated that Frozone was the initial target that Syndrome wanted to attract. During the next scene, while rescuing people from the fire, Frozone mentions that he can’t use his powers because it’s too hot and he’s 'dehydrated.' It’s only AFTER observing them that the plan changes and Mirage decides to go after Mr. Incredible instead.

When Mr. Incredible arrives at the island, it seems like he is simply dodging all of the Omnidroid’s attacks when he falls into the volcano. Later, however, Mr. Incredible asks why he was attracted to the volcano — I believe this is because he realized the Omnidroid was directing him to the volcano.

My theory is that the Omnidroid was so easily defeated by Mr. Incredible because it was created to defeat Frozone. We find out that a large number of Supers have been defeated because the Omnidroid learns as it fights. I believe that the Omnidroid — when realizing it was outmatched — immediately began funneling Mr. Incredible to the volcano because that was the strategy it was programmed with to fight Frozone (his anticipated opponent). Had Frozone remained the target, it's likely he would have been funneled to the volcano and defeated by the Omnidroid."

—bosbna

6. Night missions are against the rules in Avatar not because they're more dangerous, but because the powers that be are worried the beauty of the land at night may sway their soldiers' motives.

20th Century Fox

"This direct order is mentioned by Trudy Chacon to the others as she's piloting the helicopter that's searching for Jake. She says this because the sun's setting, and they're 'losing light.'

My theory is that night missions were prohibited by direct order of Miles Quaritch not because they're more dangerous, but because he didn't want his soldiers' motivation to be affected by the beauty of the forests at night."

—thecircularblue

7. Simba is directly responsible for causing the drought in The Lion King.

Walt Disney Studios

"For years, it bugged me how Scar taking power could somehow cause a drought in Pride Rock. Well, I think that Simba is actually directly responsible for the drought. It really wasn't Scar seizing control or the hyena population explosion that caused a weather issue — but the rightful leader abandoning his people and taking the wisdom of the elders with him.

The past kings, like Mufasa, are up in the sky — specifically, in the clouds, as shown when Mufasa is talking to Simba. The clouds — which carry the rain — left to follow the rightful king when he left Pride Rock.

Simba spent years with Timon and Pumbaa in an apparent tropical jungle paradise that obviously got plenty of rainfall. Then, when he is shown going back toward Pride Rock, the clouds are rolling in behind him. They follow the rightful king back to the Pridelands and it begins raining shortly after he takes his rightful place."

—Spixdon

8. Captain America in Avengers: Endgame proves that Vision was never ACTUALLY "worthy."

Marvel Studios

"For those of you who haven’t seen Avengers: Age of Ultron in a while, one of the standout moments of the film is Vision casually lifting Thor’s hammer when he’s first created, then outright wielding it later during the fight in Sokovia. At the end of the film, Steve and Tony are arguing with Thor about how he pulled it off. Their two theories are that either 1) as a machine, Vision doesn’t count as a living being and can lift the hammer like an 'elevator' could lift it, or 2) Vision's a genuinely pure soul who — as a being on 'the side of life' — is worthy of protecting the human race.

Vision’s up there with my favorite Avengers, so I’m sorry to do him dirty like this, but...my theory is that Avengers: Endgame kind of implies that the 'machine' theory was the right one all along and only Thor and Steve are truly worthy.

Steve lifts the hammer during the final battle. Like Vision, he can call the hammer to him and swing it around — but UNLIKE Vision, he can actually summon lightning, and uses that as part of his attacks. Now, remember the inscription on the hammer:

'Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.'

Thor’s power is lightning. It's not being able to lift the hammer. When Thor uses his power, the hammer works as a conduit for that. He doesn’t get the lightning FROM the hammer itself and Thor: Ragnarok establishes that. The lightning is the power of Thor, and the lightning is what Steve can use — whereas Vision can’t."

—RabidFlamingo

9. Sadness and Anger pilot the parents' brains in Inside Out because they are the starting point for deeper, more complex emotions that have evolved into OTHER emotions entirely.

Pixar

"Riley’s parents didn't have Joy piloting their emotions the way Riley did. Instead, the mom has Sadness and the dad has Anger...or so it appears. Now, this isn’t some edgy 'the mom is depressed and the dad has a temper!' theory.

In fact, my theory is that — like the movie shows — as you age, your emotions become more complex, so these deeper, more mature emotions pilot adults!

The Dad’s Anger is not Anger at all, and is actually Protectiveness, an expected fatherly trait, while the Mom’s Sadness is actually Empathy, an expected motherly trait.

I know this may seem more like an observation than a theory, but I’ve had to point this out a lot since people I know are always just like, 'The mom is depressed and the dad is just mean!' I think, like the rest of the movie, it's saying something more complex than that."

—frappuccinio

10. Fight Club is even more meta than it already seems, and Tyler Durden's appearance in the film is — literally — meant to be Brad Pitt, the actor.

20th Century Fox

"In the film version of Fight Club, you can see something interesting in the background of one quick frame — a sign for Seven Years in Tibet. This is another film starring Brad Pitt and shows us that Pitt, the actor, exists in this universe.

If we can assume that Pitt enjoyed the same career he does in the real world — in 1997/1998, when the inception of Tyler Durden happened — Pitt would have been a world famous matinee idol. We also know that the Narrator consumed way too much media, where he was often shown to be in a semi-conscious, zombie-like state. Thus, he probably knew of — or had seen in passing — media with Pitt the actor in it, even if he doesn't remember it.

So, my theory is that Tyler Durden's appearance in-film was literally modeled by the Narrator after Brad Pitt, the actor.

You have to remember, in the '90s especially, Pitt was often touted as the epitome of the ideal male form, which would have influenced the Narrator's mind in creating his perfect alternate persona. Durden even outright told the Narrator at the end of the movie that he 'Looks how you want to look.'"

—Salmanbhairocks

11. Sid became a garbage man on purpose in Toy Story 3 to accomplish one goal: to stop toys from being mistreated and thrown away.

Pixar

"In Toy Story, Sid is confronted with the horrifying revelation that his toys — who he's been torturing for years — are all alive. Then, 15 years later in Toy Story 3, we see that Sid has become the local garbage man.

Now, being a garbage man myself, I know that this job has one of the biggest perks that many people may not realize: We find things. Lots of things.

So, let's imagine you're a guy who just learned that inanimate objects are alive...what job would you want to do? My theory is that Sid isn't some messed up kid and working a crappy job, but instead, he's actively trying to save toys. He picked the one kind of job where he can rescue toys without question. Plus, Sid is uniquely equipped to fix those toys because, as we've seen, he's pretty damn creative."

—londongarbageman

12. Inigo Montoya lost to the "Man in Black"/Westley in The Princess Bride not because he was a worse fighter, but because he was sober.

20th Century Fox

"I've seen quite a few posts over the years sharing reasons why Inigo Montoya — a man who is framed as maybe the greatest swordsman to ever live — would lose to Westley, a farm boy who only picked up a sword just five or so years before their encounter.

Lots of reasons could play into it, like how Inigo was primarily a duelist in tournaments while Westley was fighting for his life and so on, but I have a much simpler theory: It was because Inigo was sober.

Both in the book and in the movie, we see that Inigo has hit rock bottom. He couldn't find the six-fingered man and dueling had become too easy. I mean, he was besting everyone with his non-dominant hand! However, when he fought Westley, he hadn't drank in at least a full day and a half. Someone who drinks that much would not be on their best if they hadn't had anything to drink, it's that simple."

—JobberTrev

13. And finally — the reason the Dementors are so preoccupied with Harry in the Harry Potter series is because he, technically, has 1.125 of a soul.

Warner Bros.

"Basically, my theory is that the 1/8th of Voldemort's soul that attached itself to Harry means he, simply put, just has more soul than everyone else. So yeah, the Dementors see him and are like, 'Aw shit, yeah! 1.125 for the price of 1, gotta get me some of that!'"

—ThereIsBearCum

Which fan theory listed is YOUR favorite? Do you have a wild fan theory of your own? Share yours in the comments below! BLOW SOME MINDS!!! And be sure to check out r/FanTheories for even more fun!

Some fan theories were edited for length and/or clarity. H/T Reddit.