The NBC drama Manifest continues to intrigue its fans. The series began with the premise of a flight returning after a five and a half year disappearance although for the passengers, almost no time had passed. As the episodes went by, the show became more about the mysterious Callings, which are a series of voices and visions the passengers now have that warn them about future events and individuals in need of help.
The show’s many lingering questions have led fans to countless theories. Some theories may sound crazy at first, yet they still make sense in the larger context of the show. Listen to the Callings as we explore 15 crazy fan theories about Manifest that actually make sense.
Updated May 28th, 2020 by Matthew Rudoy: Now that season 2 of Manifest has ended, it was the right time to revisit and update this list. The second season’s revelations about the journals of Al-Zuras, Zeke beating his death date, and the tail fin discovered in the ocean all lend insight into new theories. Many of these theories are game-changing and will make fans rethink everything they know both about the past and future of the show.
Flight 828 Actually Crashed
The simplest explanation for the tail fin discovered at the end of season 2 is that it belongs to Flight 828 and the real plane actually crashed.
If the real plane crashed, that raises serious questions about Ben, Michaela, Saanvi, Cal, and all the other Flight 828 passengers who seemingly returned. It also raises questions about the plane they returned on, the same plane that exploded at the end of the pilot episode.
All The 828 Passengers Have To Die In Order To Live
Zeke was originally supposed to die from frostbite. He got a year of his life back, but once that time was up, he appeared to die from frostbite, the same thing that would’ve killed him in the first place. This demise was short-lived as he quickly returned to the land of the living.
If the Flight 828 passengers are to follow a similar trajectory to Zeke, it appears they will need to die in order to live and beat the death date. Zeke was supposed to die from frostbite, and if the passengers were supposed to die in a plane crash, they may need to die in a similar manner before they can be revived like Zeke.
Zeke Will No Longer Have Callings
Zeke has seemingly beat the death date. He obeyed the Callings, became a better person, and accepted his fate. Now that Zeke has died and returned, it’s possible that he will no longer have the Callings.
An individual may only have Callings when living on the borrowed time they receive after their disappearance. For Zeke, that was one year, and for the Flight 828 passengers, it’s 5.5 years. If an individual manages to live beyond their death date, they may no longer have access to the Callings.
It’s All A Computer Simulation
This theory argues that not only is everything happening in a computer simulation, but also that everyone with the Callings is actually dead. The Flight 828 passengers, Zeke, and Griffin all died, but the computer simulation offers them a chance at resurrection.
For those that obey the Callings and find redemption inside the simulation, they will be resurrected for good in the real world. For those that reject the Callings and fail to find redemption, they will remain dead. Based on what’s happened so far, that would mean Griffin will remain dead in reality and Zeke will be permanently resurrected. Future seasons will reveal the fates of the Flight 828 passengers within the simulation.
Flight 828 Was Trapped In The 16th Century For 5.5 Years
Season 2 revealed that Flight 828 appeared in the 16th century. In the journals of a sailor named Al-Zuras, he referred to a silver dragon that he saw in the sky. When Ben, Cal, Grace, and TJ had a Calling that took them to that timeline, they found themselves on Al-Zuras’ ship and saw Flight 828 in the sky, meaning it was the silver dragon that Al-Zuras saw.
It’s possible that Flight 828 was stuck in the Al-Zuras 16th century timeline for 5.5 years before its return. This could explain where Flight 828 was the entire time, although it remains to be seen why none of the passengers can remember the years they spent there.
The Callings Are Warnings From Their Future Selves
The Callings often come in the form of the passengers hearing their own voices giving them cryptic warnings. This may be the case because it’s their future selves warning their past selves.
For example, in the pilot episode when Michaela heard her voice inside of her head saying “Set them free,” that could’ve been Michaela from the future warning her past self. Michaela from the future knew those girls were being kept captive and was providing her past self with the clues necessary to find and free them.
The Characters Misinterpreted The Death Date Callings
The characters almost always assume a Calling means one thing when it actually means something entirely different. While there is a lot of evidence that indicates they correctly interpreted the death date Callings, the show’s past hints they don’t understand the death date as much as they think.
Perhaps Griffin died not because of his death date, but because he abused the Callings. On the other hand, Zeke and the Stone family will survive their death dates because they’ve only used the Callings to help others. It would be strange for them to have correctly interpreted every aspect of the death date Callings, even though they usually misinterpret elements of all their other Callings.
Fiona & Captain Daly Made It To 2024
Many people blamed pilot Captain Daly for the disappearance of Flight 828. The guilt and paranoia reached a breaking point as Daly kidnapped passenger Fiona Clarke, hijacked a plane, and tried to fly it into dark lightning to show that Flight 828 actually had jumped through time. Daly’s last words were, “See you in 2024.”
No remains of the plane were found despite the National Guard saying they neutralized the plane. It seems likely Daly was successful in his mission. He and Fiona made it to 2024–which is also the year of the death date–and will likely return and try to help the passengers at a later point in the show.
The Major Is Michaela From The Future
So far the Major has been painted as the “big bad” of Manifest. Some fans believe it’s not that straightforward, though, and that the Major is actually Michaela from the future. Fans have noticed a physical resemblance between the two characters and that they even wear a similar necklace.
This twist would explain why the Major seems to know so much about the Callings and why she’s so invested in the Flight 828 passengers and in Saanvi’s research. Even more fascinating is to consider how the older Michaela made it to the past and what her exact motivations are now. Is she somehow trying to save her younger self and the other passengers from certain mistakes?
Saanvi’s “Cure” Split Her Mind In Two
Saanvi discovered a “cure” for the callings that erased the blood marker from her DNA. That “cure” is already having adverse effects, though. She’s forgot what happened for an entire morning and didn’t even remember unexpectedly kissing her ex. It may be that Saanvi’s “cure” split her mind in two, with half stuck in the present and half stuck in the time before Flight 828 took off.
The time she’s forgetting–such as the morning she forgot–is when her mind is stuck in the past, which would better explain why she thought it was a good idea to kiss her ex in public. The rest of the time her mind is in the present, but as time goes it may get even more stuck in the past. Whether or not this theory pans out, it’s obvious that the passengers aren’t meant to erase the Callings.
The Survivors Came From A Parallel Earth
This theory suggests that there are multiple earths and thus multiple versions of the Flight 828 passengers. The dark lightning Flight 828 encountered might’ve sent the passengers to the wrong earth, one where the plane crashed or where it safely landed and they were reunited with their loved ones as if nothing happened.
Meanwhile, passengers from a parallel earth could’ve crossed over to the earth that the show takes place in. This would mean that Ben Stone and the other passengers that returned 5.5 years later are actually from a parallel earth, but they don’t yet realize it.
Preventing The Apocalypse
The Callings have shown the truth and saved the lives of many individuals, not just Flight 828 passengers. This theory posits that the Callings are saving specific individuals and all these individuals are needed to prevent the world from an impending apocalypse.
Perhaps the death date for the Flight 828 passengers–June 2, 2024–isn’t just warning them of their demises, but the demises of all humanity. Many of the individuals saved by the Callings have valuable skill sets and connections, all of which may be needed to stop the apocalypse.
Simon Has A Vendetta Against Time Travelers
Ben’s colleague Simon–played by Maury Ginsberg–has already been revealed to be the leader behind the hate group known as the X’ers. In an interview with Screen Rant, Ginsberg hinted that audiences will learn more about Simon’s agenda and why the X’ers feel the way that they do.
Some characters already know that Flight 828 isn’t the first time people traveled through time and mysteriously appeared years later. Perhaps Simon’s agenda relates to a vendetta against these “time travelers.” Maybe they’ve wronged him in the past or he just believes they are unnatural phenomenon that must be eradicated. Other instances have occurred, but never on the scale of Flight 828, which makes targeting them the most important piece of Simon’s vendetta.
Danny Is Evil
A lot of fans feel there is more than meets the eye with Danny. He became close with Grace and Olive very quickly and always seemed too good and ordinary to be true. The show seems to have moved beyond his character, but there’s still a chance he could return and be revealed as a spy for the Major or something even more sinister.
It would be wasteful to hire a talented actor like Daniel Sunjata for such a straightforward role. Bringing him back and showing that he was part of the greater plot would mean his character was about more than forcing a temporary love triangle.
The Series Finale Will Air On The Death Date
Showrunner Jeff Rake has asserted that he has a six-year plan for Manifest. If the show follows that plan and continues to be renewed, there is a good chance that the series finale could actually air on the foretold death date June 2, 2024.
Regardless of what the death date actually means, concluding the show on that day would lend a feeling of eerie purpose that fits perfectly with the show’s tone from the very beginning.
