One theory about John Carpenter’s The Thing suggests there may have been two separate opposing creatures all along, and it’s strangely compelling. The 1982 sci-fi horror classic has now been debated and analyzed for decades, and it’s still giving way to interesting theories and provoking much thought among its audience. Known primarily for its groundbreaking visual effects and tense story, The Thing has inspired countless other horror movies thanks to the amount that it forces the viewer to question their own judgment.
Even after four decades, The Thing‘s ending prompts a great deal of discourse. The burning question is whether Childs or MacReady have been infected by the Thing, or if they’ve successfully managed to kill it. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, as the paranoia inspired by the creature — justified or not — leads to both men opting to freeze rather than reveal themselves as either human or Thing. Though the breakdown of trust and how that leads to hopelessness is central to The Thing‘s story, there are other themes and elements at play that can also be analyzed.
One of these elements leads to a theory, originally posted to Reddit, that’s not only interesting but changes the nature of The Thing‘s story entirely. The idea is that the film is really about two opposing Things, and that their battle for control of the base’s residents is what leads to so much destruction and death in The Thing. The theorist believes that the first Thing came from the dog seen at the start of the movie, and the second from the Norwegian scientist chasing it. The theory changes The Thing‘s whole story, as it becomes less a tale of survival and more a tale of men becoming the battleground for two competing alien organisms.
The idea that there are actually two Things is compelling, as it also feeds into the paranoia displayed by the film’s characters. If there are two disconnected beings infecting the men, this would explain why those infected don’t work together. In fact, even at the film’s climax, where it’s unclear whether Childs is human or a Thing, the theory clears up a potential plot hole. Hypothetically, if both Childs and MacReady were infected, they would surely have just escaped the base — but if they are infected by opposing beings, neither would want to reveal themselves to the other.
The theory tracks the progression of each supposed Thing, listing which characters were infected by which, and therefore, which side of the battle they were on. It makes sense, even from The Thing‘s first scene, where the Norwegian scientist is hunting the dog. If the man was infected, he surely would only be attempting to kill another creature for self-preservation, which only makes sense if the dog-Thing isn’t on his side. This leads to the idea that The Thing‘s infection not only spread from more than one source but came from two entirely different alien beings.
Though the theory comes with much larger implications about the nature of the alien Things, it’s almost impossible to disprove using the film alone. That is part of what makes it so brilliant: it’s a theory that feeds directly into the same uncertainty and paranoia as The Thing itself. Though it’s unlikely it will ever be considered canon, it does entirely change the way that The Thing‘s story plays out when watched from the perspective of the theory.
