1 Fallout Easter Egg May Explain The Reason For The Show’s New Vegas Twist

Warning: Spoilers for Fallout season 1

An Easter egg in the Fallout season 1 finale may clear up some of the questions about the show’s big New Vegas twist. In a surprising turn of events, Hank MacLean’s escape from Moldaver’s hideout led to a scene of the character overlooking a familiar location in the world of Fallout. Buildings in the city clearly identified it as New Vegas, the titular setting of Fallout: New Vegas.

After Fallout season 1’s ending, it’s hardly a secret that Prime Video’s series is about to make New Vegas a big part of Fallout season 2’s story. Whether the series leaves southern California behind completely remains to be seen, though it has been made apparent that both Ella Purnell’s Lucy MacLean and Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul will continue their journeys in New Vegas, considering that both are on the hunt for Hank. But while they both will have obvious reasons for being in the city in season 2, Hank’s motivations are less clear. That said, an Easter egg in the credits offers a clue.

Fallout’s Season 1 Finale Secretly Gave Hank A Reason To Go To New Vegas

Hank MacLean may be in pursuit of a certain set of cryopods

Immediately following the closing shot of New Vegas, Fallout jumps to the credits, with its first image being of a billboard. Curiously, the billboard advertises “Cryo Suites” at the Tops Hotel and Casino. The billboard doesn’t mention New Vegas, but such a direct reference isn’t needed when the Tops Hotel and Casino is a confirmed New Vegas location that can be visited in-game. By showing off this billboard in the credits, Fallout teased a specific, unseen cryopod storage in New Vegas, which could be enough to bring Hank into the city.

After what Barb Howard said in Fallout’s Vault-Tec meeting, looking for cryopods is a move that would make logical sense for Hank. After all, it was established that Vault-Tec’s masterplan was to wait out the apocalypse, because “time” is “the ultimate weapon of destruction.” Their cryopod technology was their means of accomplishing that, hence why Vault 31 is stocked with Vault-Tec employees stored safely in cryopods. If Hank wants to wake up his bosses at Vault-Tec, he’ll need to go where they’re being held. And with the show hinting that there’s some at the Tops, Fallout has a ready-made reason to put Hank in New Vegas.

The idea that Hank is looking for Vault-Tec’s management is reinforced by a line from the Ghoul, whose comments in the finale go hand-in-hand with what the aforementioned billboard implies. He said that there’s always “someone behind the wheel” and speculated that this is where Hank will go next. By all indications, the Ghoul isn’t wrong in his assumptions.

Why Vault-Tec’s Management May Be In New Vegas (Not Vault 31)

It wouldn’t be surprising if Vault-Tec hid its top executives in New Vegas

Norm’s discovery in the Fallout season 1 finale may have created the impression that Vault 31 is where Vault-Tec’s management might be located, but Bud Askins’ explanation about its purpose suggests otherwise. According to him, Vault 31 is is where they keep “Bud’s Buds,” described as an “assistant training program” built around “junior executives.” That lines up well with what’s known about the people who were in Vault 31, as both Betty and Hank were not known to be high-ranking Vault-Tec officials. Betty, for example, was just a secretary. With that in mind, Vault-Tec management must be somewhere other than Vault 31.

As for where they could be if not Vault 31, New Vegas is certainly a strong possibility. The meeting in the finale proves that Vault-Tec had shady dealings with other powerful corporations in Fallout’s universe, and two of those had New Vegas connections. Frederick Sinclair, the Big MT representative at the meeting, owned a casino in New Vegas. Plus, there’s Rob-Co CEO Mr. House, who was a key figure in Fallout: New Vegas and the person who controlled the city in the game. It could be that Vault-Tec used these connections to set up a secret storage where they’d lock away management in cryopods.

What’s more, Fallout: New Vegas provides plenty of evidence that Vault-Tec was heavily invested in the city and its surrounding areas. In the game, players can find and explore seven different vaults created by Vault-Tec. It could be that there’s an eighth vault there that houses Vault-Tec’s management, Barb Howard included. Exploration of the Tops in Fallout: New Vegas doesn’t expose the existence of any “cryo suites,” but it could be connected to a vault that has them. Specifically, they could be in Vault 21, since players in New Vegas could gain access to Vault 21 from the basement of the Tops.

Though Vault 21 is a game location explorable by players and not a place known to contain Vault-Tec’s management, that doesn’t rule out this scenario. Interestingly, it’s revealed in Fallout: New Vegas that Mr. House filled in parts of Vault 21 with concrete, but the game never gives a reason for this, leaving his motives a mystery. This detail has puzzled fans for years, and could be explained by the reveal in Fallout season 2 that Mr. House took this step to ensure Vault-Tec’s management stayed in Vault 21 forever.

Why Hank MacLean Would Want To Wake Up Vault-Tec Management

Hank MacLean needs allies now

In regards to why Hank would be interested in restoring his employers, this too could be a question that has its answer rooted in season 1. As Bud himself said, “Bud’s Buds” was a “junior assistant program,” implying that it exists to help management. In other words, it could be that Hank and those like him were expected to eventually free Barb and the others. And with Hank now on his own, he may feel compelled to make that move now. Surrounding himself with allies, even if now is not the time Vault-Tec’s management would want to emerge, may seem like the best course of action in his mind.

Heading in this direction could set the stage for Vault-Tec to serve as the villains of Fallout season 2. As the brains behind so much of the evil that’s occurred in Fallout’s apocalypse, it would be fitting for Vault-Tec to fill such a role. Barb Howard herself could even be the face of this story, now that her authority within the company has been exposed. If that happens, Lucy and the Ghoul following Hank MacLean to New Vegas could lead to a tense reunion between Cooper and his wife.