Owing to its monumental, nigh-on unrivaled plot twist, which is one of the reasons why it’s better after a second viewing, Fight Club has had fans crafting some of the most nonsensical theories, but there are also some that enhance the viewing.
With it being one of the few standalone movies that deserves a remake, there aren’t many flicks that have such great attention to detail with so many different subtleties in any given frame, and that’s why Fight Club has been speculated about for decades.
Crazy: It’s A Joker Origin Story
These two characters are eerily similar; not only do they thrive at night time, but they both love explosives, and project mayhem ultimately seemed like a typically chaotic plan of the Joker’s. The Narrator and Batman’s arch-nemesis might have a lot in common, but, is it really enough to link the two characters together? Maybe not, but the Narrator does have a lot of followers that will blindly do whatever he says, just like the Joker’s henchmen.
Makes Sense: Marla Is Imaginary
It might be possible that Tyler isn’t the only imaginary character in the movie. Upon rewatching the movie, viewers will notice that nobody speaks directly to Tyler unless the Narrator is in the room.
Fans of the movie have expertly pointed out that the same rules apply to Marla, meaning that it could be more than possible that she is the female counterpart to Tyler. If this was true, it would leave the climax, which was already a different ending to the novel, hauntingly different.
Crazy: It’s A Ferris Bueller Sequel
To understand this theory, readers must also understand the theory that Ferris Bueller is actually a figment of Cameron’s imagination, and that the whole day that he and Ferris spent together was entirely imaginary.
As Cameron and the Narrator are both loners with outgoing and charismatic imaginary friends, the theory goes that the Narrator is Cameron all grown up. Though it’s a stretch, the narrator’s name is never actually revealed, so it’s a possibility that it could very well be Cameron.
Makes Sense: Tyler Knows The Rules Will Be Broken
With each passing fight club, more and more members appear in the shadows, meaning people are breaking the first two rules, but maybe that’s exactly what Tyler expected.
Throughout the whole movie, Tyler logically, and, more often than not, illogically explains the reason why the world needs chaos. Being so passionate about chaos, he wouldn’t want his followers to abide by rules because, if they would, it’d be completely oxymoronic.
Crazy: Chloe Is HIV Positive
When the Narrator starts visiting seminars and meeting people with testicular cancer among other things, the audience just assumes that when he goes into a seminar called “Partners in Positivity” and listens to Chloe, who wears a bandana, that she has cancer.
However, Chloe’s health problems are never actually revealed, and the seminar’s name heavily references the members of the group being HIV positive. Though it does make sense, let’s hope it’s not true, because what makes it especially disturbing is that she is asking the listeners to have sex with her, which is one of the differences between the movie and the book.
Makes Sense: Tyler Actually Exists
Being the very worst imaginary friend in any movie, it’s a good job he’s exactly that, imaginary. Or is he? After the two met on a plane and Tyler saw how lonely and depressed the Narrator was, it could be possible that Tyler, being non-imaginary and completely in the flesh, decided to use that to his advantage.
At the end of the day, he made the Narrator take the fall for all of the chaos, being the brains behind the entire operation. It’s very possible, as we already knew from the start that Tyler was a con-man.
Crazy: The Narrator Died
In the final scene, the Narrator shot himself in the head and survived, and, though it’d make sense if he died at that point, it’s the penultimate scene in which fans absurdly believe the Narrator perished.
In the scene, the Narrator is trying to stop a bomb from going off. He pulls the right wire, and the bomb’s timer pauses. However, fans believe the opposite happened and that the final scene played out in his mind in his final few seconds.
Makes Sense: The Narrator Isn’t The Only One With A Split Personality
Fight Club’s twist is one of the reasons it’s the best Fincher movie. When it’s revealed that Tyler was a part of the Narrator’s imagination, it was the most mind-blowing moment in 90s cinema.
But, the Narrator might not be the only one with a split personality. Marla has two very distinct characteristics, as she can be sweet and caring, but she can also be unnecessarily angry, and her personalities will change at the flick of a switch.
Crazy: Tyler Is The Antichrist
Being the fire starter that he is, it’d be easy to jump to the conclusion that Tyler Durden is the Antichrist, as they both are authoritarian and have followers. The most obvious connection being that it has been said that whoever uprises against the Antichrist will be slain, just like how the Narrator says Marla will be murdered if she goes up against Project Mayhem. However, if Tyler actually was the Antichrist, then the final scene and the twist that ensues wouldn’t make any sense.
Makes Sense: The Narrator Is Gay
This is one of the most far-fetched conspiracy theories that explains what can actually be seen in strange fan art dating back 20 years, but it makes perfect sense. This theory claims that the Narrator is gay due to the fact that he was never really attracted to Marla until the very end of the movie, which is when he and Tyler, who is clearly straight, merged into one person. Hence, when the Narrator says that he wanted to destroy something beautiful, he was fighting with a man.