10 More Fan Theories That Totally Change Your Favourite Movies

Right up there with Hannibal Lecter as far as unsettling villains go is John Doe. The antagonist from David Fincher's masterpiece was cold, calculating, and ruthless, targeting seven victims in accordance with the seven deadly sins before sacrificing himself at the fury of Detective Mills' wrath.

Kevin Spacey's character manipulated those around him like a game of chess in order to execute both the envy and wrath aspects of his plan in one fell swoop, but this may not have always been part of the plan. This aspect, which arguably elevates the villain above similar antagonists throughout movie history, may have been called on the fly.

John Doe admitted himself that he didn't anticipate everything, as he was surprised by Mills and Somerset finding his apartment. Pair this with the fact that Mills and his wife were new to town, it becomes hard to see how they could ever have been a part of his original, meticulously planned scheme. Here lies the theory that he was never meant to sacrifice himself to finish his spree.

Without Mills getting so close to finding him, it's likely that John Doe's final two victims would have followed the same style as the first five, in that they weren't personal. Consequently, this makes it feel less likely that his own death would have been involved, since his victims were nobodies to him. It wasn't until he felt envious towards Mills' life with Tracey that he felt compelled to add himself into the equation.