Vin Diesel's breakout role in Hollywood was playing antihero Richard B. Riddick in Pitch Black, and now a wild Riddick theory ties every movie he's made into the same universe. The success of the sci-fi sleeper hit, in which Riddick battled aliens on a remote planet, spawned two sequels, The Chronicles of Riddick and Riddick, but more importantly, it made Diesel an action-star, which he parlayed into the xXx movies, the mega-franchise Fast and Furious, and the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Currently, he's gearing up for Fast 10, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and at some point, another entry into the Chronicles of Riddick franchise.
Between hopping from one blockbuster franchise to another, Diesel has also appeared in dramas like Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, broad comedies like The Pacifier, and fantasy movies based on his passions, like the Dungeons & Dragons- esque The Last Witch Hunter. There have always been detractors who maintain that with his hulking physique and monotone voice, Diesel plays the same character in every role, but now a Reddit theory provides a compelling reason for that. Connecting The Pacifier to Riddick might seem like a stretch, but the level of analysis put into the theory makes a convincing argument.
Theory: Vin Diesel Has Only Ever Played One Character
According to the theory, "the central idea" states that not only has Vin Diesel only ever played one character, but that character is also known as "The UrDiesel," a sort of super-deity that is the central figure of his expansive filmography. Its foundation is based on the character Diesel played in The Last Witch Hunter known as Kaulder, who in the film was born in the 8th century and cursed to be "ageless and immortal." Not only is he cursed with this immortality, but he also has superhuman strength, an unlimited amount of funds from an ancient order of the Catholic Church, and "an affinity for fast cars."
If that description sounds familiar to another character Diesel has played, it should, because Dom Toretto from the Fast and Furious franchise also likes fast cars, has vast fiscal resources that let him travel around the world despite sporadic winnings from a few underground car races, and despite being a pretty ordinary human, is capable of "kicking down a parking garage." These aspects of Toretto's character imply that he could be just one of The UrDiesel's many identities, one used to "hide among mortal humans" without looking conspicuous. Also worthy of note is that Toretto is seemingly Catholic, seen praying over meals and wearing conspicuously large crosses.
Beyond Toretto, Diesel's character Xander Cage, an extreme athlete turned superspy in the xXx movies is purported to be another one of The UrDeisel's identities, along with his super soldier in Bloodshot and even the Navy SEAL turned babysitter that he plays in The Pacifier. It only makes sense that being cursed with immortality would make The UrDiesel lonely, so he "occasionally babysits to restore his faith in humanity." All of these characters have different personalities, but highlighting the disparate tones of their characters could be one way The UrDeisel disrupts suspicion about his longevity from the surrounding humans.
Saving Private Ryan Explains Vin Diesel Theory Plot Holes
Since the UrDiesel is a superhuman immortal who cannot die, Saving Private Ryan would present a possible hole in the theory, but Reddit user YeahNon suggested that what happened to Private Adrian Caparzo was "all a dream." Caparzo slowly bleeding to death while his unit is pinned down would then be, in actuality, a delirious UrDiesel, bleeding out, and "daydreaming future lives he cannot live." Even as his body begins to betray him in that French village, and his unit looks on in horror, the future he sees flashing before his eyes isn't just for himself, but for all the potential lives he could possibly live.
Private Caparzo's death scene is long and painful to watch to reflect the real horrors of war, but that doesn't mean it can't be linked to The UrDiesel, too. If his future lives are figments of his imagination or daydreams, then it this part of the theory also allows for any issues with the timeline of Diesel's other movies. For instance, it would mean that his appearance as the titular character in The Iron Giant, which takes place in 1957, never happened because it was all a dream of Caparzo's who, had he been rescued, "would have made one hell of a science fiction writer."
This concept makes Caparzo's death even sadder than it already is, particularly if he's walked the Earth for hundreds of years only to be killed in one of its deadliest conflicts. Many have also compared The Last Witch Hunter to the Highlander films, which also follow ancient warriors hiding in society through the centuries. While this would allow for the character to die in the right circumstances, other Reddit users also pointed out that Private Caparzo's death could have been a ruse intended to allow Vin Diesel's character to finish up with his current identity and move on to the next, which could hold more weight in explaining his futuristic roles.
How Riddick Fits Into The Vin Diesel Universe Theory
According to the theory, since the UrDiesel cannot die, he could "still be around far into the future after humanity has long left Earth," connecting him to the Riddick movies via Riddick's Furyan race, who originated on Earth but left it for a new home among the stars. Given what happened to Riddick's home world Furya, in which the Necromonger Empire killed every inhabitant but him, it's possible that this superhuman antihero is the same UrDiesel. This would lend poignancy to his interactions with The Purifier, a Furyan convert and the last of their race, who takes his own life and leaves Riddick to wander the galaxy alone.
The theory takes a turn towards transmogrification when it suggests that "while his soul is immortal, his body can be destroyed," suggesting that if something were physically traumatic enough, his soul would need to find a new host. Should this happen then the "soul would survive and move on to animate other bodies," which explains how, if something happened to the UrDiesel while he was in Riddick's body, his essence could be transferred to the space-faring plant-like creature Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. This would explain both Groot's vocal range, and his superhuman levels of strength.
Postulating that Vin Diesel is some kind of superhuman traveling through his filmography as part of a cursed immortal quest is fun to think about. This is particularly true as it explains the attributes of some of his characters, and explains why he might be attracted to certain roles like Riddick. If nothing else, it cements Diesel as the cinema icon he has become since Pitch Black, with a status rife for theories as gargantuan as he is.
Source: Reddit