10 Sci-Fi Fan Theories That Make The Films Better

Is Agent Smith the One? Is the Indominus Rex part person? Whatever became of the Raptor Kid?

The One The Matrix
Warner Bros.

Some fan theories have the power to totally ruin a movie—particularly the edgy but annoyingly effective “your childhood favourite is actually about something disturbing” brand of trollish fandom speculation. We’ll never watch the Home Alone franchise the same way again—nor the Saw films, for that matter.

But conversely some fan theories actually manage to deepen and further colour the universe of whatever films they spring from and can not only fill in pesky plot holes but even make the flick itself more entertaining upon a re-watch. These are the rare fan theories which seem less based in random speculation and more culled from minor details hidden, intentionally or otherwise, in the films they come from.

That said, whilst some of these are deeply impressive for the obvious attention to detail which went into uncovering them, some are just great fun even if the supposed “evidence” supporting them is shaky at best. Whether wildly implausible but great fun or surprisingly solid and well-supported, here are ten sci-fi fan theories which actually made the films they’re from better.

10. Agent Smith Is The One - The Matrix

The One The Matrix
Warner Bros.

Okay, so hear us out here.

Yes, we know, Neo is the One, it’s right there in the terribly obvious anagram of his name, we get it (it’s hard to miss, Wachowski sisters). But what if he, you know, weren’t?

Just consider the evidence outlined by this fan theory, which we can’t really shake from our regular re-watches of the trilogy since hearing it. See, according to the movies the One doesn’t need to be a willing part of their destiny, so we’ve no reason to expect that Agent Smith would know this was his fate or predestined for him. The One, we’re told, was born in the Matrix—which is undeniably the case for Agent Smith, given that he’s literally part of the code. Neo, on the other hand, was born in the normal human way—you know, gestating in an energy-harvesting pod for later use as a living battery (weird series).

Both Neo and Agent Smith are able to manipulate the code, but Smith proves able to do so after he has already been unplugged by Neo—which is an ability we’d expect from the One, and not from his nemesis Neo.

Trippy, isn’t it?

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Cathal Gunning hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.