Over the years, movie fans have come up with some clever theories which connect unrelated movies and explain how they take place within a shared universe. With so many interconnected movie universes these days, it would not be surprising if people saw larger stories that are not there. Yet some of these shared universe theories have been endorsed, if not explicitly confirmed, by the creators of the concerned movies.
There are still some theories which technically have no proof or confirmation – but that doesn’t stop people from advocating for them. The best shared universe theories associate movies with each other because they have something more in common than a few Easter Eggs. They might have a similar tone or be concerned with the same philosophical or ethical questions, making their association with each other inevitable.
10 Alien-Solider-Blade Runner Theory
Ridley Scott’s two franchises take place in the same universe as Paul W. S. Anderson’s movie.
Alien and Blade Runner’s connection is all but confirmed by the Alien vs. Predator comics. Some Easter Eggs within the movies hinted at this, such as a Nostromo crew member’s file indicating that he worked for Tyrell Corporation, which makes synthetic humans in Blade Runner. However, the Soldier protagonist’s records also indicate that he may have been in a battle which took place in the Blade Runner universe.
Alien and Blade Runner both fall under Ridley Scott’s direction, but Scott and Soldier director Paul W. S. Anderson have remained silent on this theory. All three sci-fi franchises concern themselves with the advancement of technology, particularly the implications of developing AI. Even if these are just Easter Eggs with no deeper meaning, the stories have a bearing on each other.
9 Back To The Future Part Cameo In A Million Ways To Die In The West
Doc makes a cameo in A Million Ways to Die in the West.
A Million Ways to Die in the West has a very simple connection to the classic time travel adventure Back to the Future trilogy. In Back to the Future Part III, Doc ends up in the Old West and stays there after falling in love with Clara Clayton. Doc makes an appearance in A Million Ways when the protagonist Albert finds Doc working on the DeLorean. Presumably, A Million Ways is set in the same Old West town as Back to the Future Part III. This nod to an iconic movie complements A Million Ways’ comedy and setting well.
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8 Stephen King Universe Theory
Kings fans believe all his books could be set in the same multiverse.
Stephen King book and movie fans have long vouched for the theory that all the stories spanning King’s massive repertoire have the same setting. Any discrepancies can be explained by the existence of a multiverse, referred to as the Stephen King Macroverse. It is explained in the Dark Tower novels that the Dark Tower holds the infinite universes together.
Additionally, IT’s Pennywise makes cameos in some of King’s other novels. So does Randall Flagg, who, among his in-person appearances, is theorized to be Carrie White’s father. The “King of Horror” has created many different monsters, but all these books and movies achieve a sense of harmony if there are actually a few overarching evils in this setting, like Pennywise and Flagg. There is even a theory that Pennywise and Flagg are the same entity.
7 A Ghostbuster Makes A Cameo In Casper
Casper and Ghostbusters are theorized to take place in the same universe.
Some universe theories can be explained because they were created by one person; others because two different creators were friends and colleagues. On the other hand, some are completely unrelated, but fans have linked them together anyway. The Ghostbuster Ray Stantz makes a cameo in Casper, leading people to believe Casper and Ghostbusters could be set in the same universe. The cameo was probably intended to be just that, with no bigger implications. But Casper and Ghostbusters both depict very cartoonish ghosts, and there is no reason they couldn’t exist in the same universe.
6 View Askewniverse Cameo In Scream 3
Jay and Silent Bob seem to exist within the Scream franchise.
Kevin Smith already has his View Askewniverse, spanning nine movies over 30 years. However, a cameo in Scream 3 seems to bridge this cinematic universe with the Scream franchise. In Scream 3, Askewniverse stars Jay and Silent Bob are seen running into Gale Weathers at Sunrise Studios. Additionally, in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the duo destroys the set of a fake Scream 4 movie. The Askewniverse focuses on relatively contained and mundane stories about regular individuals, which is possibly why fans like to imagine a wild whodunit plot taking place in the background of this setting.
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5 E.T. Exists In The Star Wars Universe Theory
Aliens who look like Steven Spielberg’s E.T. attend a meeting of the Galactic Senate.
A small group of aliens who appear to be the same species as E.T. appear during the Galactic Senate scene in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The simple explanation is that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg were friends and Spielberg allowed Lucas to include this Easter Egg. However, the theory that E.T. and Star Wars happen in the same universe actually makes sense. The Star Wars movies have shown numerous alien species, and E.T.’s could easily be among them. In this universe, one alien species managed to reach Earth, where E.T. had his adventure with some human children.
4 Snowpiercer Is The Sequel To Willy Wonka Theory
Willy Wonka’s factory is noticeably similar to Snowpierecer’s train.
An intriguing fan theory posits that Snowpiercer and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory take place in the same world. The theory is that Wilford, the engineer of the train in Snowpiercer, is Charlie Bucket. After the events of Willy Wonka, Charlie creates a contained ecosystem and society within a train that functions similarly to Willy Wonka’s enclosed world within his chocolate factory. Theories about Willy Wonka being a serial killer and other dark concepts are widespread. Therefore, it is actually not too strange to connect the bright world of Willy Wonka to the post-apocalyptic nightmare of Snowpiercer.
3 James Bond Code Name Theory
The name James Bond has been used by different agents within the same setting.
Many different actors have played James Bond since the creation of the movie franchise. These movies give the impression of being standalones, with some connections between movies with the same actor. However, the overarching James Bond codename theory explains how all the Bond movies could take place in the same universe, with a linear timeline.
The theory is that each time a new actor takes on the role of Bond, the old Bond presumably retires offscreen and hands off the codename to a new agent. Part of what works about this theory is that there is no way to confirm it. James Bond has had too many directors and writers for anyone to be the final say on this. The movies are only tied together by their central character, but this behind-the-scenes explanation makes the universe that much bigger.
2 The Tarantino Movie Shared Universe
All of Quentin Tarantino’s movies take place in the same world.
Quentin Tarantino has confirmed that all the movies he’s directed throughout his career, including Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, and Inglourious Basterds, take place within the same universe. In Reservoir Dogs, Mr. White references a girl named Alabama, who is the star of True Romance (which Tarantino wrote but did not direct). Alabama sells drugs to someone with the same surname as a character in Inglourious Basterds. Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction and Vic Vega/Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs are confirmed to be brothers.
Tarantino even considered making a Vega brothers prequel movie. The movies of the Tarantino shared universe are all similar in tone and feature several strands of alternate history, so it makes sense for them to be set in the same universe. The audience can accept that reality is slightly different within this cinematic setting.
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1 The Pixar Theory
All Pixar movies to date are connected
The Pixar Theory is widely recognized and accepted by fans. It brings all the Pixar movies together within a single universe. The most famous Pixar Easter Egg is the Pizza Planet truck which appears everywhere: passing by Miguel’s family home in Coco, in the form of a woodcarving in the witch’s house in Brave, as a sentient character in Cars. Boo has a Jessie cowgirl doll and a Luxo ball in Monsters Inc., which are also indicative that the same brands and products exist within all the movies’ settings.
The full Pixar Theory timeline involves an apocalyptic event taking place, which causes humanity to flee the planet, as seen in WALLE. Machines then rule the earth for some time, as seen in Cars. Fans have impressively been able to tie all the movies together, making the Pixar Theory one of the most complex shared universe theories in existence.
