Our minds have a unique way of constructing concepts and ideas. We take in facts and information from reality, and a picture begins to form in our heads. When you interact with a stranger, learn about a new subject, or even play Fallout, each new piece of information is fitted like a puzzle piece into the image forming in your brain. In the last couple of decades of Fallout's history, you must've created quite the masterpiece. But sometimes your mental picture goes beyond the black and white facts. This is not to say you misunderstood something, but that the facts presented weren't specific enough to give a single, clear picture.

For example, is Deacon actually the Lone Survivor? Well, there is evidence, such as his personality and mysterious backstory, and almost no facts to the contrary. However, this doesn't constitute a proof so it remains as nothing more than a headcanon. In a game series as vast as Fallout, writers cannot account for every single detail and in most cases won't want to. The open-world nature of the game makes it appropriate to include endings left ambiguous or mysteries left unsolved. That feeling of "wait, what if..." when looking back at some iconic quest or plot point truly makes the games memorable. So here are a few fan theories that just may shed a different light on the rich lore of Fallout.

20 Galaxy News Radio Predicted The (Real) Future

On various missions in Fallout 3, you may hear broadcasts from scattered radios (such objects are a fairly significant staple of the series). Sometimes the broadcast will be cut off and you’ll hear a seemingly meaningless string of numbers and morse code. One theory is that these numbers are the dates of noteworthy events in real life.

One such message, when translated, reads “nine four five, four two zero, two zero one zero. Accident in the gulf, several dead. Oil spill was apparently averted.” If you interpret the numbers as time, date, year you get “9:45, April 20, 2010.” As it happens, on this exact date at almost this exact time, came the first explosion on the oil rig Deepwater Horizon, located in the Gulf of Mexico. This happened about 2 years after the game was released.

19 Where Is Your God Now?

Though there’s nothing at all holy about the things Vault-Tec has done, there is the possibility that some vaults were numbered after Psalms from the Bible. For example, Vault 92 was home to Earth’s musicians, who were unknowingly subjected to subliminal messaging which caused them to turn violent and insane. Psalm 92 reads:

“It is good to praise the Lord

And make music to your name, O Most High...

...For surely your enemies, Lord,

Surely your enemies will perish”

Similarly, Vault 112 was known as Tranquility Lane, in which all inhabitants were in a utopian simulation. Psalm 112 reads:

"They will have no fear of bad news;

Their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Then again, we know how that Vault ended up…

18 You Play As Your Own Grandparent

This one's pretty loose and confusing, but the idea is that in Fallout 4 you're playing as the grandparent of the player character from Fallout 3 which actually takes place 10 years before. It all has to do with some cryostasis and convenient timing. In Fallout 4, you play as the Sole Survivor who has a son named Shaun. In Fallout 3 your (character's) father is James, who is 51 years old in the game but would be 61 during the events of Fallout 4. Since Shaun was taken out of cryostasis, he would also be around 61 (also based on appearance) so it's possible he is, in fact, James (with a name change, courtesy of his kidnappers).

So assuming you can believe all of that, The Sole Survivor's son is Shaun, whose son is the Lone Wanderer, making the SS (Fallout 4) the grandparent of the LW (Fallout 3).

17 You're Not Human

In the Fallout universe, there are robotic beings called Synths, created by the Institute to resemble human beings. They exist in three generations, the first of which was most limited in both mental capacity and physical design (metal parts). The second has slightly better A.I. but a clearly synthetic appearance. Then there's Gen-3, which are actually indistinguishable from real humans at every level, except that they can be programmed through neural implants.

There is a running theory that the Sole Survivor from Fallout 4 is actually a Synth. The game takes place in 2287, and a Gen-3 Synth is known to have existed in 2277. It's possible that the body of the Sole Survivor was replaced as a Synth with a neural implant before being re-awoken.

16 Extinction Event 2: The Sequel

In a certain quest from Fallout 4, you meet a man called MacCready whose son, Duncan, has an incurable illness. His symptoms match those of the New Plague, a biological weapon created by the U.S. government for use against China. With a cure from Med-Tec and disappearance of cases after the Great War, it was believed the plague died out.

But Duncan's condition is the basis for a theory that says the virus mutated into a more powerful strain. Whether he is patient zero is uncertain, as is the status of the virus' spread in America. While a cure is found at the end of the quest, there's no way of confirming it works or if it can be mass produced to account for a potentially nationwide epidemic.

15 Rule of Thumb

The Vault Boy has become a sort of icon for the game series, as well as for the advertising campaign that Vault-Tec ran to promote their vaults before the war. His cheery expression in the face of certain doom might’ve brought some degree of comfort to us all.

However, his trademark wink, smile, and thumbs-up may not be as it seems. There is also a common survival technique, a “rule of thumb”, if you will. In the face of a nuclear explosion, if you take on this pose and the mushroom blast is larger than your thumb, assuming you’re still sufficiently far from the blast, you should run to avoid the radiation. Otherwise, it’s probably fine but running would still be best. It’s not the most elegant rule, but it’s what Vault Boy seems to be employing.

14 They're Watching You

In your travels across the wasteland, one of the more creepy things you'll encounter are mannequins. These humanoid, life-like figures stand in the dark recesses of the world. And if it looks like they're watching you, it's because they probably are. We already know  Gen-2 Synths look like mannequins, and in a place called Warren Theatre in Fallout 4, a real Synth is actually hiding among the "fake" ones.

One possibility is that even the actual mannequins aren't mannequins, but specially programmed Synths. They're equipped with cameras and programmed by the Institute to monitor you. There's really no other reason for them to be literally everywhere, or an explanation for how they got there.

13 Did That Vault Just Meow?

Let's take a quick break from the depressing theories and check out a cuter one. One realization you may have had is that, until recently, the Fallout universe is strangely devoid of cats. In New Vegas some even said that cats are extinct. In Fallout 2 there was a girl who owned a cat, but it was eaten by her mother (for the sake of survival, we hope). However, in Fallout 4 you can find cats roaming all over the Wasteland.

This suggests many things, but the more fun theory is that there was a cat vault. Either it was only populated with at minimum one male and one female cat which repopulated OR an entire population of cats, looked after by a caretaker (crazy cat lady). Before the events of Fallout 4, this Vault was opened and the cats returned to the world. That, or all cats are extinct and the ones you see are Synths.

12 First Rule Of The Wasteland

One of the more enigmatic figures of Fallout 3, the Mysterious Stranger is essentially an invitation from Bethesda asking us to come up with a theory for him and how he fits into the puzzle of the Fallout series. Some say he's a Synth, others say he's a government agent sent undercover to track you.

Well, it's known that the Mysterious Stranger appears and disappears almost magically, and is often there to help you out in combat. We could say he's just a hallucination, but that's a little too simple. One of the more interesting theories is that it's a Tyler Durden situation (from the iconic film Fight Club), where he's actually an alter ego for the player character and that they're actually the same person. He pops up sometimes in dicey situations, and always has a calm disposition, as if he's always aware of what's going on.

11 What Is This, Westworld?

In the Fallout 4 Far Harbor DLC you meet a girl named Kasumi who thinks she is a Synth. By the end of the DLC, it's established that she is a Synth, (almost) for sure. However, if you choose a certain side and kill those in Arcadia, including Kasumi, you won't find a Synth Component on her body. This item is present on every other Synth in the area except her.

This suggests that she may, in fact, have been a human being all along, but was so impressionable that she was led to believe otherwise (Synths are controlled through neural implants and voice commands). When you speak to her parents, the game gives you the option to tell them their daughter was either a human or a Synth, and the truth is never confirmed. It makes you wonder how many other self-proclaimed Synths out there are actually human, or even vice versa.

10 The Government Can't Be Evil... Right?

The two main factions in Fallout 3 are the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave. The former stems from the United States military, and the latter claims legal authority as the continuation of the U.S. government. Fallout 3 portrays the Brotherhood as the good guys while the Enclave remains evil, partly because they are anti-mutant and take pride in their purity. Their goal is to rebuild humanity using an isolationist agenda that excludes any degree of mutant.

The theory is pretty involved and more details can be read here. Basically, it says that the Enclave isn't evil, contrary to how the game depicts them. The Brotherhood, while more accepting, does not have a single, steadfast ideology and is guilty of other crimes.

9 Maybe It's A Water Park

In certain underwater expeditions in Fallout 4, you may have seen large, snaking pipes and a odd spherical structure partially buried in the ground. Just barely sticking out over the rocks, there are graphics on the side of the sphere that closely resemble the Nuka-Cherry advertisements you can find on billboards across the game.

Now it could just be lazy texturing or a simple easter egg. But many players have posited that it indicates a possible underwater civilization that could be explored in future DLCs. A significant portion of the game map is covered in water, which seems somewhat unnecessary if it won't be used. Also, a harpoon gun is canon, albeit not actually used in the game.

8 Zombie Whale

Ghouls are ex-humans turned into mutants as a result of slow radiation poisoning. They are biologically better equipped to traverse the post-nuclear landscape, and a decent portion of them retain their intelligence. However, some have gone feral, and as a result all ghouls are discriminated against.

Of course, humans weren't the only species to be affected by radiation. The fallout spawned many nightmarish creatures that you encounter along the wasteland. However, one particular animal isn't seen, but told of in legends: The Ghoul Whale. They say this mutated blue whale roamed the oceans in the earlier post-war days. However, in the DLC for Fallout 4, you can find whale skeletons washed up on shore. It's believed one of them belongs to Ol' Peg.

7 Ghouls Are People Too

It's known that many ghouls retain their humanity, at least mentally. Based on genetics and amount of radiation exposure, some turn feral faster than others. However, it's possible that there's a mental battle that plays a role in the transformation.

In Fallout: New Vegas, you meet a glowing one (a ghoul filled with so much radiation they glow) called Jason Bright. He is known to be a feral ghoul that actually recovered his sanity, and is on a mission to help others of his kind do the same. This supports the theory that mental health influences the feral transformation, and that feral ghouls are people who have lost the will to live. Perhaps they even retain a sense of consciousness but lack the willpower to overcome their murderous instincts.

6 Hotel New Vegas

The Sierra Madre is a casino resort from Fallout: New Vegas, retaining its purpose even after the war. It was originally designed as a place for people to start again, to leave an old life of destitution and find new fortune. This ideology was preserved through the Great War, and survivors still flock to the Sierra Madre in search of salvation.

There's a theory on Reddit that this resort is based on the fictional Hotel California, from the Eagles' song of the same name released in 1977. Some lyrics are as follows:

"Then she stood in the doorway." This refers to Vera's hologram which greets you at the door.

"This could be Heaven or this could be Hell." People come to the hotel seeking treasure, but are actually being lured to their death.

"We are programmed to receive. You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave!" The word "programmed" is interesting, since the hosts of the resort are actually holograms. Also, attempting to leave the Sierra Madre doesn't work, as Father Elijah (the night man) stops you.

5 Brave New Worlds

There is a little-known military campaign known as the Sea of Tranquility Conflict. The purpose and outcome of this endeavor is unknown, as are the details surrounding it. We know it took place on or around the moon, during a time when many countries were establishing lunar colonies, the main rivals being the U.S. and China.

As all of this occurred before the Great War, there is a theory that members of the Enclave (ex-U.S. government) have established a base on the moon from which they are planning further space colonization. They are the only faction that could sensibly be on the moon, and free from Earth's radiation. Having lose hope for their irradiated home planet, they look to the stars for a new home.

4 What About The Rest Of The Planet?

The series takes place entirely in America, with few references to the outside world. Given what we learned in high school history about Mutually Assured Destruction (M.A.D.), it's likely the rest of Earth is also a nuclear wasteland. However, Enclave propaganda has drawn many immigrants to the U.S. from abroad, most of whom didn't survive the journey. Some smaller, less militarized countries may have been spared from the carnage, not worth the extra missile. The sparse evidence suggests there are pockets of civilization doing just fine across the globe. Australia and New Zealand are U.S. allies, but as distant islands perhaps they weren't chosen as victims of a nuclear attack. The world powers likely had bigger fish to fry.

3 It's Always Aliens

Featured in the fifth Fallout 3 DLC, aliens were introduced as evil beings who abducted people (talk about stereotypes) since at least the 1600s. The Mothership Zeta has been orbiting Earth and monitoring its activity in 2277, and had been doing so for almost six centuries. Given their hostile tendencies and ever-looming presence, some have arrived at the inevitable conclusion that these extraterrestrials are to blame for the war.

Vault-Tec ran social experiments on the inhabitants of their Vaults, an interesting endeavor to be sure, but hardly worth sparking an extinction event to accomplish. Why destroy the planet just to learn about human behavior? It's not something people would do, but definitely something aliens would do to learn more about human nature. As the theory goes, they are responsible for the war and the Vaults and pretty much every bad thing that happened in the games.

2 A Little Too Real

You may have noticed we're slipping far from intricately connected theories to shameless "what ifs" but here's a real head-scratcher. So as mentioned, Gen-3 Synths are indistinguishable from real humans, even at the cellular level. The jump from weak A.I. with mannequin-like aesthetics (Gen-2) to a hyper-realistic design seems a bit dubious.

This doubt started the theory that Gen-3 Synths are, in fact, just human clones. It is uncertain why the Institute would pretend to have made a technological breakthrough because they wanted to cover up a biological breakthrough (then again, cloning had probably become commonplace by then).

A possible reason is that clones are technically humans with rights, but Synths are just objects. Slavery was a common practice after the war, and perhaps it was easier to say slaves were Synths rather than human clones. Why anyone who supports any kind of slavery would mind the difference is unclear.

1 Is Fallout 4 Real?

So there you are, frozen in cryostasis along with your spouse and son, Shaun, at the start of Fallout 4. Then you get unfrozen, and all the way across the room is your child, about to be kidnapped. Unfortunately, the kidnappers succeed and your spouse is killed. But the real question remains... why would you get conveniently unfrozen just to watch this nightmare unfold?

One explanation is lazy establishment of backstory by the writers. The other is that the events of Fallout 4 aren’t real, but in your mind. One hint is the fade to white that occurs before the delusion begins. In most films and TV, fading to white marks either the end or beginning of a delusion, flashback, or even life itself. The simplistic nature of the rest of the game also lends credence to the theory that it’s all a construct of the player character's’ mind. Whether it's a result of trauma or programmed (implying you're a Synth), is unknown.