9 Crazy Movie Fan Theories That Turned Out To Be True

It's a movie fan's prerogative to obsess over their favorite films and analyze them to find out new meanings, easter eggs or connections that aren't immediately obvious. The internet's full of wild fan theories that, even if they don't hold up to too much scrutiny, are a testament to how much the pic in question inspired viewers to dig deeper and uncover its secrets. On a few special occasions, however, the fans actually get it right and reveal a hidden truth in their favorite movies. Sometimes it's because the filmmakers have subtly seeded clues in there that diligent folks have pieced together to form the message that the director was trying to get across. Other times, the fan theory's just so good that the creators have retroactively made it canon because it's too smart not to use. And so, on that note, here are a few of the most notable fan theories that came true in everything from Disney flicks to Marvel movies to Tarantino hits. If we've forgotten a juicy one, or if you have a fan theory of your own that you think is convincing, make sure to sound off in the comments section down below. Peter Parker Was In Iron Man 2 Spider-Man's introduction to the MCU back in 2016's Captain America: Civil War opened up so many possibilities for crossovers. A curious one that fans latched on to quickly though was the idea that Peter Parker had already appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Back in Iron Man 2, a young boy wearing an Iron Man mask is rescued by Tony Stark at the Stark Expo. Seeing as Peter's known to be a science nerd and a big fan of Stark, it made sense that this could've been him. It was such a good theory, in fact, that star Tom Holland confirmed that Marvel president Kevin Feige believes it's canon. Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts has also said much the same, indicating that he and Feige discussed if the "math" of the character being that age at that time worked out. It's cool that they thought so much about making this connection canon, but it may have had a knock-on effect on the franchise in the process. It's possible that the controversial "eight years later" caption in Homecoming was done to make sense of Spidey's supposed Iron Man 2 cameo by jiggling the MCU timeline around. However, it just doesn't make sense in the context of the rest of the movies and has since been deemed "incorrect" by Joe Russo. Still, we're assuming that that little kid really is Peter and no one can tell us otherwise. Robin Williams' Other Role In Aladdin Is The Genie Aladdin opens with an introduction from a sleazy market peddler who has a magical lamp in his possession, and his story about the lamp then begins the film. This character's disconnected from the main narrative apart from the fact that he's voiced by the late, great Robin Williams, who obviously also voices the Genie. While the movie doesn't include anything to connect the two, due to the wish-giver's habit of shapeshifting and putting on different voices, Disney fans believed that the peddler was actually the Genie in disguise, which would also explain the shopkeeper's ability to break the fourth wall and address the audience. This isn't just a neat theory, but something the filmmakers actually intended to reveal in Aladdin's closing moments. "That was the whole intention, originally,” director Ron Clements said in 2015. “We even had that at the end of the movie, where he would reveal himself to be the Genie, and of course Robin did the voice of the peddler. Just through story changes and some editing, we lost the reveal at the end. So, that’s an urban legend that actually is true.” Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Was Setting Up An Injustice-inspired Timeline Director Zack Snyder had big plans when he constructed Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, the movie that properly launched the DC film universe. The introduction of Wonder Woman and the rest of the world's finest heroes paid off in Justice League, but something we're still waiting to see explored some more is the peculiar dream sequence dubbed "the Knightmare scene" by fans. You know the bit we're talking about. Bruce Wayne falls asleep and dreams of a dystopian timeline in which Superman's turned bad, commanding an army and apparently being in league with the forces of Apokalips. This had definite echoes of the Injustice video game universe and fans fully expected this dream to be revealed as a dark version of the future in another DCEU installment. Obviously, Warner Bros. has significantly rethought the shape of the DC franchise recently and there's very little chance we'll see this come to fruition. However, Snyder's revealed to fans via Vero that he did indeed have big plans for the Knightmare sequence in the abandoned Justice League 2 and that it was, in fact, inspired by Injustice. Deckard's A Replicant It's one of the most celebrated ambiguous endings in all of cinema: Is Harrison Ford's Rick Deckard actually a replicant? Sci-fi lovers have been debating the true nature of the titular robot hunter ever since Ridley Scott's masterpiece arrived in 1982. Part of the fascination with the mystery is that we could never really find out. Except we did, when Scott himself decided to puncture the bubble and provide a definitive answer. Back in 2000, the filmmaker came out and said, yes, obviously Deckard was really a replicant. There's a case to be made that a director's opinion doesn't matter any more than a fan's, as the creative piece should stand on its own, but it's hard to shake the feeling that what Scott says goes. Thankfully, Denis Villeneuve's belated sequel Blade Runner 2049 stayed true to the spirit of the original movie rather than Scott's statements and managed to continue to fuel the mystery about Deckard even more without coming down on either side of the fence. "If we stuck the landing on this film," screenwriter Michael Green said, "it is all about allowing continued debate on that question, other questions in the film, and on new questions asked in this film." Prometheus Revealed Jesus Christ Was An Alien Prometheus was promoted as a prequel to the Alien franchise, but - for better or worse - what it turned out to be was something much more convoluted and ambitious, with designs on making bigger, philosophical points other than just explaining where the Xenomorphs came from. In particular, it introduced the concept of the Engineers, an ancient alien race that's revealed to have created humanity using their incredibly advanced genetic engineering tech. Due to their benevolence and live-giving abilities, they were viewed as gods by the many civilizations they helped create. Because of this, fans theorized that perhaps Prometheus was implying that Jesus Christ was an Engineer who'd been sent to Earth to get humanity back on track. However, they gave up on the planet when Jesus, the emissary, was ultimately crucified. It's a bold idea, but it fits well with the lofty ambitions of Damon Lindelof's script. Sure enough, director Ridley Scott was on hand once again to confirm that, yes, this was a concept that was originally considered and was explicit in an earlier version of the movie. However, it was ultimately decided to be too "on the nose" and references to it were removed. Still, there was clearly enough in there for fans to work it out for themselves. Frozen's Anna And Elsa Are Tarzan's Sisters Disney fans tend to have overactive imaginations and this came into play when Frozen lovers came up with an ambitious theory that linked the hit 2013 movie with 1999's Tarzan. It's all to do with the fact that Anna and Elsa's parents die at sea, which is shown through a shot of their ship being caught in a storm. And how does Tarzan begin? With Tarzan's parents caught in a storm at sea and swimming to safety in the jungle. Yes, Disney fans think that the princesses' mother was pregnant when she and her husband left Arendelle and, after their death in the jungle at the hands of Sabor the leopard, the child grew up to be Tarzan. Just look at the comparison above - the two fathers, in particular, do look pretty similar. Thankfully, Frozen co-director Chris Buck agrees, as he has half-jokingly confirmed that the three Disney heroes are siblings. It's also worth a mention that Tangled's Rapunzel and Flynn Rider can be glimpsed in Frozen as part of the crowd that've come to Arrendelle for Elsa's coronation. So, that's at least three movies that are all interconnected. Disney Cinematic Universe officially confirmed? The Quentin Tarantino Cinematic Universe Is Real Due to the connections between his movies that were there for fans to pick up on, lovers of Quentin Tarantino's films have long suspected that they all actually take place in the same universe. For instance, Pulp Fiction's Vincent Vega and Reservoir Dogs's Vic Vega are said to be brothers, while the fictional Red Apple brand of cigarettes often show up. It took a while, but in 2016, Tarantino finally confirmed exactly how this shared universe thing worked. And he added an unexpected twist on the concept to boot, explaining that there are actually two shared worlds in one: "There are actually two separate universes. There’s the realer than real universe, and all the characters inhabit that one. Then there’s this “movie” universe, so From Dusk Till Dawn and Kill Bill take place in this special movie universe. Basically, when the characters from Reservoir Dogs or Pulp Fiction go to the movies, Kill Bill and From Dusk Till Dawnis what they go see." This actually makes a lot of sense when you go back and watch the films. For instance, Uma Thurman's Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction was once an actress in a failed pilot called Fox Force Five. Thurman later played the lead in Kill Bill, whose plot somewhat resembles that of the discussed TV show. So, maybe it's Mia playing The Bride in the real Tarantino universe? Dumbledore's Death Harry Potter fans love digging deep into the Wizarding World and developing wild theories and uncovering "hidden" meanings in the works of J.K. Rowling. Often, the author herself will interact with fans on Twitter and dispute them if she doesn't think they work. This one, however, got her full blessing, with Rowling naming it her favorite HP fan theory. It goes that The Tale of the Three Brothers, the wizard fairy tale read by Hermione in The Deathly Hallows actually represents the story of that book/movie. The greedy eldest Peverell brother, who wishes for the Elder Wand, is a stand-in for Voldemort. The second brother is driven mad by the love of a woman he cannot have, much like Snape with his infatuation with Harry's mother. Finally, the wisest, youngest brother, who asks for an invisibility cloak, is Harry himself. What's more, at the conclusion of the fairy tale, the youngest Peverell is said to meet Death at the end of his life and greet him "like an old friend." Fans believe that Death represents Dumbledore's role in DH, as Harry's spiritual reunion with the deceased headmaster in a heavenly version of King's Cross station resembles the meeting with Death. It's a smart, well-conceived theory, so it's no surprise that Rowling herself gave it the thumbs-up. Stan Lee Is A Watcher Legendary comic book creator Stan Lee has been a mainstay of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2008's Iron Man, appearing in every single installment of the franchise for a brief but fun cameo as a variety of characters. Seeing as the rest of the MCU was so keen on keeping everything connected, though, fans devised a way that Lee's appearances could be counted as the same character. They drew from the comics and came up with the idea that he was playing either a Watcher in disguise or at least an informant for them. The Watchers are ancient aliens from the Marvel universe that are sworn to view but never interfere. For instance, Uatu the Watcher was particularly interested in watching the activities of Earth's heroes. As the rights to Uatu rested with Fox though, it was thought that Lee was effectively the MCU version of the character. In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, this theory was finally made canon when Lee's cameo on this occasion saw him chatting to the Watchers in space, regaling them with a tale about the time he was a FedEx man, a reference to Captain America: Civil War. It seems this was director James Gunn's idea, but Marvel president Kevin Feige supports it and says it was intended to be a confirmation that all Lee's cameos are connected.