One of the best things about Westworld is the wild theories fans come up with to explain its complex and intricate storytelling, and with the arrival of season 4, the theories have only gotten more bizarre. From its pilot episode, the HBO drama has always sought to progress in new and subversive ways, making it a fun series to predict.
Reddit fans have been buzzing like flies about the fate of the real William, what Halores has in store for The Sublime, and whether or not Christina is really Dolores in some kind of simulation. Some of these theories have had a few years to foment, so it will be interesting to see which ones come true and which ones don't quite make it to the center of the maze.
Emily Is Really Dolores During William's Fidelity Test
At the end of season 2, William appears to be undergoing his own fidelity test sometime in the (distant) future, undertaken by his daughter Emily. Given how distant he was with his family, some fans have wondered if the person interviewing him is really his daughter.
Holdwhatdoor84 thinks that even though Emily's body is seen in the post-credit scene, it's really Dolores interfacing with William, specifically because "she calls him William as opposed to dad or something more endearing." Even considering someone familiar with the host usually does the fidelity testing, wouldn't Dolores be long gone so far into the future?
Fans Have Seen Bernard In The Sublime Already
Time can get ambiguous in Westworld, so it's not surprising that scenes can be interpreted a few different ways; such as taking place in the present, the past, or the future. One such scene in season 2 involving Dolores and Bernard implies that it might have been alluding to him diving back into The Sublime in season 3.
Redditor DohnJo thinks that because of certain clues in the scene, fans have already seen Bernard in The Sublime, and that because of the "aspect ratio [implying] a simulation," as well as phrases like, "I didn't finish it," Bernard is still searching for the answers to questions he couldn't find.
Dolores Met Juliet At Another Time Besides The Retirement Party
Dolores comes face to face with William's wife Juliet at James Delos's retirement party, but there are some clues fans have found that inspire a theory that she might actually have run into her before that.
Inspired by the photograph from season 1, lfmmz wonders if "Dolores ran into (or looked for) Juliet, William’s wife in the photograph that Peter found, another time outside of the brief moment at the retirement party?" Could Dolores have been standing next to Juliet in New York City at one point? There does appear to be space beside Juliet, similar to the photograph containing a spot for the missing Arnold.
Ford Was A Host
Ford was one of the most intriguing characters in season 1, particularly because of his philosophical conversations and worldview. After his death, there was a keenly felt void, but his influence over Westworld even in future seasons can't be understated. Some Redditors don't believe it was the real Ford that died, and think there's a way he can return.
Redditor PunctualPoetry claims that Ford is a host originally "and that Arnold’s death is HIS false memory and his cornerstone." Anything is possible in Westworld, which is why its premise is so intriguing, and having Ford be a host leaves the possibility open for Sir Antony Hopkins to return to the role if he chooses. However, it does create problems with key dialogue between Ford, Dolores, and Bernard, as well as host physiology (the inside of his head clearly has human tissue).
Halores Wants To Rule All The Worlds
Halores has expressed interest in The Key several times, prompting fans to wonder exactly what she has in mind for The Sublime. In season 4, she tells William that he used to "hunt" her kind for sport, and now she's going to do the same.
TheDaysKing asserts that Halores "wants to dominate everything. Not just the planet, but all reality. Even the virtual ones." This would include every major system seen in the series, including The Sublime, Rehoboam, The Forge, Solomon, and any in the future. Unifying them into one system for karmic payback wouldn't be easy, and it's not clear from her character development what the endgame purpose would be, other than to establish herself as the sort sci-fi villain who was right all along.
William Will Fight His Clone
William was last seen getting his throat slit at the end of season 3, making fans question the likelihood that the real William is alive. With a TV show like Westworld though, host William might be keeping his human self hostage in Hale's cold storage somewhere.
Redditor Flagadazot believes that William will actually end up fighting his clone, finally able to "beat his dark side, his stain" and be free. In other words, he would finally reach the center of the maze. The Man in Black has always represented the id, or the part of a person responsible for more primal emotions and actions, so having William face himself might be the sort of wild theory that becomes a reality in Westworld.
Rehoboam Actually Won At The End Of Season 3
Westworld presented AI as the villain in season 3 with the elite supercomputer Rehoboam that Serac created, though in attempting to predict humankind's future ultimately determined that it didn't have one. Serac wouldn't accept it and tried to make the data fit the model, rather than the model fit the data.
Verulence thinks that "Rehoboam was too powerful and ultimately stopped everyone in their tracks without even being noticed," ultimately leaving the main characters to have to "break free of such influence" and take down the system. So far, given the fact that everything from Christina to the world she lives in feels like a construct, there could be something to the Rehoboam simulation theory.
The Real World Is A Simulation Created By The Hosts
Seeing New York City with hardly a car in the street in season 4, it certainly seems like the world that Christina lives in could be a simulation. Everything and everyone are just a little too perfect to be real.
Monkey_1505 thinks that "the new season is an inverse westworld" where humans are "mind-controlled by the hosts," thus making them available for their own entertainment. It's possible that Halores is working on a way to make a theme park for hosts, using specific information produced by "Christina" as she explores different stories as a writer, but it's difficult to know the appeal of such a theme park for hosts would be unless they all felt as betrayed as Halores.
Season 5 Will See William And Arnold Repopulate The Human Race
Given the great plot twist Westworld had in its pilot, it's not surprising that the series would continue to subvert expectations with something like Itschunn believes happened after season 3; Solomon escaped, destroyed the world, and human consciousness had to be placed into host bodies. By season 5, the two men responsible for "saving the f**king world" will apparently be two familiar characters.
Humans will die in the fight, but will eventually be resurrected in host bodies as "a new species born through the posthumans William and Arnold, who are effectively immortal, self-aware and fully conscious/awakened." To some extent, this could help the journey of consciousness explored in the series come full circle, but it's a lot to plan out so far in advance, especially since Dolores gave her life to stop Solomon.
Christina Doesn't Realize She's Actually Controlling Everyone Around Her
In the first episode of season 4, Christina is stalked by a man who repeats that she's ruining his life wither her games. Given that she designs background characters, it's difficult to see what direct effect she might have on a player or their choices, but nevertheless, it's got some fans developing some wild theories.
According to jugstheclown, "Christina doesn’t realize her stories are actually dictating his programming," meaning that he's not a player, but actually an NPC himself, in a virtual simulation that could either be a game, another park, or both. Perhaps in a way, Christina is really more like an amalgamation of Dolores "The Original" Abernathy and Dr. Ford.