Westworld Season 2: The Best Man in Black Theories

With all the fresh plot twists in Westworld Season 2, a lot of fan theories have developed surrounding the mysterious Man in Black. After all, confusing timelines and simulations aside, this season of Westworld has provided plenty of fodder for theories.

One of the biggest talking points of Westworld Season 2 has been the Man in Black. The show has delved deep into the history of William, exploring his rise to power at Delos in detail - he planned on using the park as a data center gathered from the guests' experiences (think Facebook) - but also put him on an intriguing path in the present; he is the central player in Ford's new narrative "The Door" and recently was reintroduced to his daughter Emily.

Thanks to Season 1's multiple timeline twist, the Man in Black has always been at the center of fan speculation, but with Season 2 Westworld has only increased it, with a host of crazy ideas about what's really going on. Here are some of the best.

This Page: Is William (Or His Daughter) A Host?
Page 2: What Dark Twist Awaits The Man in Black?

The Man in Black Is A Host

In the episode "Riddle of the Sphinx", the idea of "cognitive plateau" was introduced during the scene between the William and James Delos. It was revealed that Delos was trying to achieve immortality by planting James Delos' consciousness into a host body after his death. However, after 149 iterations, full consciousness was never achieved because his mind couldn't accept the reality that he wasn't human. Eventually, his mind started to degrade.

One of the most popular theories since the beginning of Westworld revolves around the Man in Black being a host, and this new introduction may explain the narrative. As his narrative progresses through Season 2, William is seen interacting with Ford through the some of the hosts. It's possible that Ford is allowing William to play this game as a way to discover his own consciousness. This is occurring during the host rebellion, and William is not concerned about what is happening in the park: The Man in Black could be playing out Ford's narrative. Once he achieves consciousness, he may either decide to help the hosts or protect the humans.

During "Phase Space", the Man in Black has a heart-to-heart conversation with his estranged daughter Emily. Some fans believe that in this conversation the Man in Black showed signs of reaching his own plateau; when he asked Emily about her fear of the elephants in The Raj, she quickly corrected him by saying it was her mother. The puzzled look on his face due to his confusion was reminiscent of his fidelity test with James Delos.

In Westworld the show, the blending between human and host is at the center of the story. In the first episode, everyone believed Teddy was a guest riding the train into the park. It's thus possible that the Man in Black has been a host this entire time. As if the audience was riding next to him as he traveled around the park.

Emily Is a Host

Even if the Man in Black isn't a host, it might still be possible for his daughter to be a robot. A theory that has existed since her introduction, this line of thinking stems from her discussions with her father in "Phase Space". When she rides up along side him, he ignores her and thinks she's a host sent by Ford. Why would he think this after not seeing her in such a long time?

Back in Season 1, the Man in Black told Teddy about his wife taking her own life due to an overdose from pills, yet during "Riddle of the Sphinx", the Man in Black has a flashback of someone drowning in a bathtub. It was never shown who was in the tub. One dark theory suggests that the person in tub was not his wife, but his daughter Emily. It's even been extended that Emily is one of the first human-host hybrids created by Ford.

However, this theory doesn't make sense when it comes to the development of the Man in Black's character. Everything about William is about how the park shaped him into the person his is. Emily represents someone in his life who is free of that influence. If anything, she's there to help him remember that there is life beyond Westworld. Ford told William that he needs to look back in order to move forward; for Emily to be a host, this means William is still looking forward.

Page 2 of 2: What Dark Twist Awaits The Man in Black?

Man in Black Gave Dolores The Knowledge To Kill All The Hosts

The Man in Black's memory might be fading, but Dolores remembers everything. Back in Episode 2, "Reunion" young William showed Dolores a special project he was working on in the park. As he explained later on, this project was his biggest mistake. But one man's mistake is another host's advantage. Dolores plans on using the project for her own master scheme: to control Westworld. And we know she'll do anything to reach her goal; just look at what Dolores did to Teddy.

Enter "The Valley Beyond". No one knows what the special project young William showed Dolores, which she described as a weapon. If it was one of the DNA labs that he showed her, then maybe she'll use it to download the hosts' programs into the bodies of the guests. Since there are those creepy white drones wandering around, she may create some fake hosts and use them as bombs (each host has an explosive implant in the back of their necks).

No matter how she plans on using this technology, the popular thinking has become that whatever William started years ago, Dolores will finish and lead to the mass murder of the hosts. How this links to Bernard's claim it was him (if that even is Benard) is unclear, but with only a few more episodes left, the purpose of that grave will soon be revealed. What is likely, though, is that Dolores has William to thank for giving her the idea to execute her master plan.

Young William Will Be A Host

"If you're looking forward, you are looking in the wrong direction" was the line told by Lawrence's daughter to the Man in Black. Throughout this season, Ford has set forth William on a new game: to find The Door. The show has carefully hidden concrete details, but Season 2's reveal that Delos was gathering the guests' DNA, and they were trying to figure out a way to put a human's mind in a host's body opens up some clear avenues. Since William become the owner of Delos, he may have had a host created in his image thinking he could live forever; in his last encounter with the James Delos host, he mentioned that some people don't deserve to live forever, not even himself. The Man in Black was at least thinking about becoming immortal at one point, but for some reason he decided to abandon the idea.

Now that we know that Ford is "alive" in The Cradle, he has access to all the hosts in the park; indeed, he has already spoken to the Man in Black through several of the hosts. If a young William host is tucked away in some secret lab, then Ford will know of and have access to it. Whether this is the door or not, it's a big aspect of the show hinted at but not yet seen.

Although the Man in Black was defined by his experiences in Westworld, he is also losing a part of himself in the park. How many times have people said if they only knew then what they know now? He has an opportunity to blend all of his experiences together into a better version of himself. Maybe this is the ultimate goal that Ford wants William to achieve?