Will Smith's return for I Am Legend 2 has sparked theories about how Robert Neville can come back, and cloning theories are the best path forward for the sequel. Nearly fifteen years after the release of the original sci-fi movie, Warner Bros. is finally moving forward with plans for a sequel. I Am Legend 2 will bring back Will Smith somehow as Robert Neville and introduce Michael B. Jordan to the franchise. There are plenty of questions about the sequel's story and how Neville returns, leading to various theories.
Amid all of the I Am Legend 2 theories, there are two options to explain Will Smith's return that have risen to the forefront. The most popular suggestion is that the sequel retcons the original movie ending to instead make I Am Legend's alternate ending canon. The original ending controversially killed Will Smith's character and any hopes for the franchise's future along with it. However, the alternate ending left Neville alive and well and ready to return for a sequel story. It came as no surprise then that news of I Am Legend 2 moving forward reignited calls online for the alternate ending to overtake the original ending and build upon Neville's survival.
For as popular as I Am Legend's ending retcon possibility is, there is also a strong suggestion that the sequel could use Will Smith by cloning his character. It might not be the most original idea for sci-fi storytelling to mysteriously clone a character just to bring them back, but just because it has been done before doesn't mean the I Am Legend sequel can't do that it. There are even some intriguing possibilities that come with cloning that make this I Am Legend 2 theory a better option for Will Smith's return than a retcon of the original ending.
How I Am Legend 2 Could Clone Will Smith's Robert Neville
The possibility of I Am Legend 2 using a clone Robert Neville is something that can happen in several different ways. There are no story details on when the sequel takes place or how it builds on the original movie's ending. While I Am Legend didn't feature any sci-fi technology that was anywhere close to cloning technology, there is a possibility the film did set this up already. Neville tests his various serums of a potential cure on rats, but they often either die from the effects of the medication or the virus itself. Since Neville worked for the government, perhaps he had an early prototype of the cloning technology to reproduce as many rats he needed for test subjects instead of capturing them some other way. Even if that isn't how cloning becomes possible in this movie franchise, there are a few options for how I Am Legend 2 could realistically explain a clone Robert Neville.
As mentioned before, Will Smith's character did work for the United States government. It would not be surprising then to learn that the government is responsible for cloning Robert Neville at some point in the future. He was an expert on I Am Legend's virus and invented the cure, so his mind is something that could be of interest down the road. This is especially true if something went wrong in their attempts to mass-produce the cure or if the virus became more potent over time to make the cure less effective. The US government could then elect to clone Robert Neville, either as his younger self or age him up a bit, so that he could once again try and crack the code.
I Am Legend 2 could also build on the possible cloning tech set up in the first movie to make Robert Neville responsible for his clone. The sequel could reveal that a clone failsafe was among the many precautions he built to try and stay safe and find a way to beat the virus. I Am Legend's ending showed his high level of security and preparation, so it would make sense for him to have a backup plan just in case. Perhaps he triggered the cloning process to begin right before the Darkseekers attacked him. This could allow his clone to be "born" the same day or shortly after that potentially. The Robert Neville clone could then continue the research and give him another chance at living life.
Why Smith's Robert Neville Might Be Cloned In I Am Legend 2
I Am Legend 2 is generating cloning theories due to the original plans for the sequel. Akiva Goldsman is returning to write the next installment, but he also spent many years trying to get a new movie greenlit. When it looked like there was no chance I Am Legend 2 would happen, Goldsman revealed that one of the story ideas he liked focused on a Robert Neville clone. The movie began without disclosing this fact but only revealed the clone twist later on. Since Goldsman is back involved with the franchise and Will Smith's return has to be explained somehow, this would be an understandable path for I Am Legend 2 to follow. Although it has since been revealed that the story was Michael B. Jordan's idea, that doesn't mean that cloning and other aspects of Goldsman's plans aren't included.
Utilizing a clone Robert Neville could also open up fascinating thematic insights to I Am Legend 2. The first movie explored how the Darkseekers are now primarily viewed as mindless beasts that are no longer humans, even if that wasn't necessarily the truth. The sequel could build on this theme by exploring the idea of what it really means to be human. Will Smith's I Am Legend 2 return could connect to that theme by having Neville question his humanity as a clone, which could turn him to ultimately view the Darkseekers in a less monstrous light.
Why I Am Legend 2's Clone Theory Is Better Than An Ending Retcon
The storytelling decision to clone Will Smith's character for I Am Legend 2 could not only work, but it would be a better idea that retconning the original movie. It is easy to say that Warner Bros. should retcon the original I Am Legend ending and use the alternate conclusion. However, executing that idea is much more complicated. Despite the controversy of the original ending, the movie was still a massive hit, and that ending is the one most people know. I Am Legend 2 opening with the alternate ending would confuse audiences, and retconning Neville's death in another fashion would also completely change the first film.
The I Am Legend 2 clone theory is much easier to pull off in contrast. It would allow Will Smith to come back as either a younger Robert Neville who is the same age as the one in the first film or an older man more in line with Smith's actual age. This depends entirely on the direction that I Am Legend 2's clone story takes around Will Smith. But this allows the sequel to properly build on the franchise's world. While bringing Neville back in any fashion could be considered a retcon itself, cloning him would be a smoother direction for I Am Legend 2 than trying to explain a complicated retcon of the original movie.