Most of the post-apocalyptic chaos in The Maze Runner franchise results from the Flare Virus (aka VC321xb47), which goes through various stages. Based on the books by James Dashner, the Maze Runner film trilogy starred Dylan O’Brien as a brainwashed teenager called Thomas, who, along with a band of young survivors, tried to come to terms with the state of the world since it had since become a dystopia. The title alludes to a labyrinth in which the youngsters are trapped in after they discovered they are being observed by an evil corporation aptly titled WCKD (WICKED in the novels).
As seen in the books and some of the best YA movie adaptations, WICKED’s part in the Flare becomes much more evident. To put it simply, the Flare was a disease caused by a virus capable of transforming humans into violent and cannibalistic beings. This virus was created by the Post-Flares Coalition as a means of population control. With most human society bound to fall in a state of disarray after the apocalyptic 2136 Solar Flares, the Coalition took it upon themselves to create the Flare Virus to painlessly kill the survivors. But as it turned out, the viral infection was far from painless.
First Symptoms Of The Flare Included Paranoia, Headaches & Aggression
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After the Post-Flares Coalition released the Flare Virus in heavily-populated areas, the symptoms proved to be far more violent and painful than what was expected in the virus’ testing stage. The fact that the symptoms play out in multiple stages make the Flare one of the deadliest viruses in popular culture. The novels offer greater detail on the stages preceding the transformation to zombie-like creatures called Cranks. The first stage of infection can be characterized by signs of paranoia, aggression, and erratic mood swings. The infected can initially display poor balance and mobility skills as is evident from them stumbling and swaying uncontrollably.
The mental changes caused by the Flare Virus are most apparent with the splitting headaches that only get more intense with time. These early symptoms continue for approximately two to four months with the virus fully infecting the brain during this time period. This is what sets the people infected by the Flare apart from the usual zombie types in The Walking Dead and other fictional universes (many of whom acquire their new biological nature within a day after being infected). However, it must be noted that individuals with significant mental stress might witness a faster transition as the brain infection would be triggered at a more rapid pace.
Second Stage Flare Symptoms Includes Memory Loss
Sticking to the usual viral infection and zombie tropes, Dashner does ensure that the individuals infected by The Maze Runner’s virus lose their memory before stripping them of the humanity they once had. As the first stage’s symptoms continue worsening, the brain begins to decay under the Flare Virus, causing temporary to permanent memory loss. So, when Newt is infected with the virus in The Death Cure’s ending, he writes a final letter to Thomas as he knows that he would soon forget everything relating to his human existence. This major symptom of the Flare Virus is the result of the virus rapidly approaching the cerebral cortex.
The cortex’s significance can be understood from the fact that it is the outer layer of the brain’s largest part: cerebrum. The cerebrum is responsible for enabling body movement, speech, problem-solving and general reasoning, and the virus effects all of these in the second stage. There’s no going back once this stage is achieved (which would explain why neither The Maze Runner books or movies introduced any plot device to trigger memories of humanity for the brainwashed Flare victims).
Final Stage Sees Individuals Transform Into Cranks
With all the months of painful agony that the Flare Virus causes, the final stage finally completes the evolution of becoming a Crank (aka “The Gone”). As seen in the popular YA teen movies itself, all signs of human behavior are completely lost. Survival is achieved through feeding on anything in sight (which explains the Cranks’ cannibalistic habits) and extremely violent tendencies. Many Cranks also go on to display horrifying injuries that they gain either through aggressive self-harm or fights with other Cranks.
Flare Symptoms In The Maze Runner Movies
While the Maze Runner movies faithfully trace the origins of the Flare Virus, the symptoms depicted are quite different from the source material. Instead of paranoia, the earliest stage is depicted with the swelling and inflammation of blood vessels, reminiscent of the medical condition vasculitis. This condition entails the changing structure of blood vessels, essentially preventing blood supply to vital organs, eventually leading to the second stage of infection, which is basically the decay of body tissue. Much like the second trial in the Maze and Teresa’s significant death in The Death Cure, the Flare’s symptoms are just one of the many differences from the books.
Another major change that the Maze Runner movies introduce are the talking abilities of the infected. While the books imply that the Cranks hardly talk, the adaptations offer mixed answers. On one hand, the Cranks in The Scorch Trials are unable to speak but in The Death Cure, they can speak. So, this also means that unlike the novels’ second stage of total memory loss, the movies’ Cranks might still possess some remnants of human culture even in the final stages. With these Cranks also possessing vine-like bones that protrude out of their bodies, it is possible that the Flare Virus mutated even further in the movies.
Is There A Cure For The Flare?
Thomas not only goes down as one of Dylan O'Brien's best roles but he also becomes crucial for providing a cure to the virus. Initially, Thomas and the rest of the teens from the first Maze Runner were seen as potential solutions to the Flare as they were the “Munies”, the rare one percent of human population that are immune to the virus. In both the books and movies, WCKD (or WICKED) had made an elaborate plan of trapping them in a maze and studying their genetic makeup with the hopes of finding a cure. But it is from The Death Cure onwards that the antagonistic collective decided to conduct a surgery on Thomas’ body revealing a potential cure with WICKED even planning to cut out his brain.
Now, while The Death Cure movie received brutal reviews, it did offer more clarity regarding a cure though. Straying away from the novel that doesn’t offer a cure in the end, Teresa comes up with an antidote in the movie. Observing a sample of Thomas’ blood under the microscope, Teresa is able to confirm that it can destroy the Flare Virus. Both the book and the movie also elaborated on “The Bliss”, a process through which the infected individual’s brain can be sedated, slowing down the Flare’s infection rate. The Bliss was not a full-fledged solution, but it served as temporary relief for the ones who could afford it.