Brilliant Fallout Theory Suggests The Show’s Brotherhood Of Steel Descended From Another Game Faction

Spoilers are ahead for Fallout season 1’s ending.

From mutants to ghouls, Fallout season 1 introduces viewers to all sorts of Wastelanders, including those who find purpose within one of Fallout‘s many factions. These groups, which are organized around particular values and ideologies, provide some measure of order in the lawless, post-apocalyptic Wasteland. In fact, main character Maximus (Aaron Moten) belongs to the franchise’s most recognizable faction. The Brotherhood of Steel, with its iconic Power Armor, has become a key symbol in the Fallout universe. By and large, the faction’s aims remain the same as their video game counterparts, though Maximus’ chapter is certainly a new one.

Set 219 years after the bombs detonated, Fallout exists within the games’ canonical timeline. While the Fallout show has seemingly retconned one or two minor details, the TV series is set the furthest in the future of any Fallout universe story, which means it gets to play with all the games’ pre-established elements. Fallout‘s New California Republic (NCR) faction, for example, looks much different in 2296 than it did previously. At first, the Brotherhood of Steel still preserves technology and keeps it from others, but the Los Angeles-based group also seems unlike other Brotherhood chapters.

The Fallout Show’s Brotherhood Of Steel Could Be Connected To The Legion

Caesar’s Legion Is A Faction Introduced In Fallout: New Vegas

As the franchise expands, the peculiar world of Fallout gets even more complicated — as does its history. In Fallout: New Vegas, the series introduces yet another faction: Caesar’s Legion. Often referred to as just the Legion, the faction was founded in 2247 by two men, Edward “Caesar” Sallow and Joshua Graham. Taking inspiration from the Roman conquests of yore, the pair built their mini-empire through brutal conquests and the enslavement of other factions and tribes in the surrounding area. Undeniably imperialistic, Caesar’s Legion is revealed to be a totalitarian dictatorship that harbors bigoted and vile points of view.

Modeled after the Roman Empire, Caesar’s Legion appropriates the language and appearance of Ancient Rome. Built on strict hierarchies and a militaristic drive to conquer, Caesar’s Legion treats its members as pawns in a much larger game. Sacrifice and homogeny are seen as the keys to a thriving society. Members of the Legion speak both English and Latin, and the faction requires all members to indulge in its cult-of-personality religion, the Cult of Mars, which puts Caesar at its center. Despite its lack of technological prowess, the Legion pushes the NCR out of New Vegas entirely.

The Brotherhood Of Steel In Amazon’s Fallout TV Show Differs From The Games

The Brotherhood Of Steel’s Members All Have Ancient Rome-Inspired Names

While the show’s depiction of the Brotherhood of Steel is pretty familiar to what’s seen in the Fallout games, the series does take some liberties. Since the key stories in the Fallout franchise generally take place all over the post-apocalyptic United States, it makes sense that not all iterations of a particular faction are carbon copies of each other. While the Brotherhood of Steel’s Washington D.C. chapter has a lot in common with the Los Angeles-based chapter in the show, there are bound to be differences — details that stand out from the bigger picture.

While being introduced to Fallout‘s cast of characters, viewers learn a little more about the Brotherhood of Steel’s structure. Knights, such as Titus, are soldiers who have proven themselves worthy of Power Armor; squires, like Maximus, merely aid the Knights on their quests. Before becoming official squires, candidates are branded in a pseudo-religious ceremony. The whole thing feels a little off from other depictions of the Brotherhood of Steel. In fact, between the human branding and the fact that most Brotherhood members have Latin names, the faction bears some undeniably Legion-like traits.

Maximus’ Conversation In Episode 1 Hints At The Brotherhood Overtaking The Legion

The Brotherhood Seems To Understand Maximus’ Desire For Revenge

The Brotherhood of Steel seems to have noble intentions — at least by Fallout standards. Allegedly, Fallout‘s Power Suit-wearing knights help other Wastelanders, and have honorable aims when it comes to safeguarding pre-war technology. In other Fallout stories, those supposedly righteous values aren’t what they seem. It’s a hard truth that Maximus, who was saved by the Brotherhood of Steel as a child, must come to terms with as well. Quick to help those in need once he has a Power Suit, Maximus seems like a stereotypical good guy, though one crucial scene hints at something darker.

After the would-be squire Dane is injured, higher-ups in the Brotherhood question Maximus and his loyalty. While discussing his childhood, Maximus admits that he wants revenge, power, and to never feel helpless again, which the Brotherhood agents reward him for saying. Since the Legion’s ideology hinges on doing what it takes to survive, it conquers and assimilates other cultures, bringing them into its militarized, autocratic fold. Fallout‘s Brotherhood of Steel is interested in the whole — not the individual. Given the faction’s proximity to New Vegas, it’s possible the LA chapter of the Brotherhood melded with the Legion.

What The Introduction Of The Legion Would Mean For Fallout Season 2 & Maximus

Fallout Season 2 Is Already Headed To New Vegas

In Fallout season 1’s ending, Lucy MacLean’s (Ella Purnell) father, former Vault Overseer and Vault-Tec loyalist Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) trudges toward the New Vegas skyline. The iconic location, and the lore and history established in Fallout: New Vegas, will play a crucial role in Fallout season 2. The Fallout TV show takes place roughly 15 years after the events chronicled in New Vegas, so it’s hard to say how The Strip has changed in the intervening years. Still, given how much control the Legion had over the area, the faction will probably play a role in the sophomore outing.

By forcing its members to believe in a higher ideal, Caesar’s Legion hoped to keep society from fracturing again. Of course, some of the worst things Caesar’s Legion does in New Vegas prove that the faction had its fair share of enemies. It would make sense for the Legion to have come to blows with another powerful group, like the Brotherhood of Steel. If the popular fan theory that the Brotherhood of Steel conquered Caesar’s Legion — and then incorporated some of the faction’s beliefs — a reveal would add some rather interesting wrinkles to Fallout season 2’s story.