This 'Westworld' Theory About the Man in Black Will Blow Your Mind
Just two episodes in, and HBO's new drama, "Westworld," is generating sprawling fan theories.
One in particular is pretty mind-blowing: That the Man in Black (Ed Harris) and meek newcomer William (Jimmi Simpson) are the same person. Whaaaa? How?!
As we know, the Man in Black has been coming to the park for 30 years. As the theory goes, Billy's scenes are set in that time frame.
The theory was first posed by a user on Reddit, who noted that Billy's scenes seem to be set in the past. Other Redditors jumped on that train, comparing the more retro Westworld logo during Billy's arrival with the sleeker logo in Sizemore's office.
There are also slight differences with Billy's entrance into the park with Teddy's (James Marsden) in the first episode — no kids pranking the drunk, and an Army officer is recruiting men vs. the sheriff for a posse to track down the bandit Hector. These could be narrative changes introduced by the staff in the last 30 years.
Also, speaking of Teddy, where is he in Billy's arrival? Even though Teddy is a host, he's seen getting off the train and being treated like a newcomer in episode 1. But he's missing when Billy gets off the train in episode 2. Not only that, Billy takes Teddy's place when he picks up the errant can for Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood).
Could the park's writing staff created the Teddy character as a kind of stand-in for young Billy? Is that why the Man in Black seems to loathe Teddy and kills him in episode 1? And if young Billy fell in love with Dolores, but she never recalled his existence, would that build up into the murderous rage that the Man in Black exhibits?
The park goes even deeper than we thought!
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