Fallout’s Apocalypse Origin Confirms A Long-Running Video Game Fan Theory

The following contains spoilers for Fallout, now streaming on Prime Video

Fallout‘s season 1 finale confirms a long-standing fan theory about the original Fallout video games, exposing the true villain of the series with a well-executed twist. In the world of Fallout, society has crumbled and humanity has become an endangered species in the decades and centuries after a massive nuclear war. Despite the advanced technology of the era, humanity ultimately crumbled under the intensity of a global nuclear conflict, setting up the wastelands that Fallout characters like Lucy, Maximus, and the Ghoul must traverse.

In the original games, the cause of the war was always suggested to be one born out of political tensions between nations. While the Fallout TV show doesn’t delve too much into this element of the setting’s history, there are teases throughout season 1 that there was a similar reason why the world collapsed into chaos. However, the final episode of the season reveals the true culprit behind the conflict. It’s a fitting reveal that had actually been predicted by fans of the original games decades prior — and it proves to be a perfect tease of Fallout season 2.

The Fallout Show Revealed Vault-Tec Caused The Apocalypse

How Vault-Tec Set Off The Global War That Doomed The World

One of the big twists in the season 1 ending of Fallout is the reveal that Vault-Tec, the company that designed the Vaults ahead of the Great War, was responsible for the conflict that wiped out much of humanity. After sneaking a listening device onto his wife Barb’s Pep-Boy, Walter Goggin’s Cooper Howard overhears her discussion with other powerful companies. During her sales pitch to them to invest in Vaults, she reveals that the company intends to ensure a global nuclear conflict by dropping the first bombs.

This sets off a chain of events that overtakes the planet, killing countless millions across the globe. Vault-Tec has even survived into the setting of Fallout, which takes place over two centuries later. It turns out that Vault-Tec arranged for much of their company leadership to be frozen in Vault 31. This is how characters like Hank MacLean could be alive for the fall of the world as well as the primary timeline of the Prime Video series. This places the blame for the state of Fallout‘s world strictly on Vault-Tec, and transforms the company into the franchise’s overarching villain.

Vault-Tec’s Role In Fallout’s Apocalypse Was A Long-Time Video Game Theory

Fans Have Wondered About Vault-Tec’s Motives For Decades

The Fallout TV series takes place in the same continuity as the original Fallout video games, albeit decades after the events of many of the games. In previous games, it had been suggested that global conflicts between nations like Fallout‘s version of the United States and China set off the Great War. However, a long-standing fan theory in the Fallout fandom has argued that Vault-Tec was responsible for the war. Seeking to make their Vaults more ubiquitous, successful, and valuable, Vault-Tec arranged for the nuclear war that would justify their creations.

This plays into the revelations of Fallout‘s season 1 finale. During Barb’s meeting with various company CEOs, the business owners noted that peace talks that are cooling the potential conflict could undermine the importance and value of Fallout‘s Vaults. This suggests the Great War was almost prevented, only for Vault-Tec to decide to take matters into their own. It was always an interesting theory, given the importance of Vaults to the Wastelands. However, the Fallout show codifies this revelation in the most harrowing way possible.

How The Apocalypse Origin Change Sets Up Fallout Season 2

Vault-Tec Is Officially The Big Bad Of Fallout

The reveal that Vault-Tec is the true villain of Fallout opens up the door to season 2 being very specifically focused on hunting the company down. Season 1 ends with an exposed Hank MacLean escaping Lucy and the Ghoul, venturing back to a base of operations for Vault-Tec. On the hunt for his wife’s eventual fate, Ghoul reveals to Lucy he allowed this to happen so he could more easily track him. Lucy decides to accompany him and Dogmeat on this quest, hoping to find more answers about Vault-Tec.

Turning Vault-Tec into the central villain of Fallout makes sense, and adds a darker layer of underlying dread to Cooper’s flashbacks throughout the season. It also gives season 2 a direct mission for the heroes to embark upon, which could expose more truths about the war that almost occurred between China and the United States, and how Vault-Tec turned a cold war into a hot one. The fan theory at the heart of Fallout‘s season 1 finale twist reshapes the entire show, and sets the stage for a very exciting season 2.