Fan Theory

Fan theories are interpretations, predictions, analyses and speculations about a given canon's unexplained details or mysteries. Some theories concern and/or are motivated by shipping but plenty are focused on gen elements within the canon. 
Tinhatting is a related but often distinct phenomenon, in which fans believe that their real-life OTP is forced to keep the true nature of their relationship a secret due to industry or social pressure.
==Responses to Fan Theories from Creators and Critics==
Fan theories are often shared on social media platforms, where they may be encountered by both fellow fans and The Powers That Be. Creator responses to fan theories vary, from the playfully encouraging to the outright antagonistic. As fan communities on platforms like Reddit and Twitter play host to increasingly visible conversations about future plot developments in ongoing film franchies and television series, creators and professional critics alike have questioned the role and impact of fan theorizing.
Some fans and critics have expressed frustration with the trend of creators seeming to prioritize surprising fans over following storylines to their logical conclusions, just for the sake of not validating a fan theory. 
See also: 
* Westworld writers beg fans to stop guessing the twists and forcing rewrites by Eleanor Bley Griffiths, posted to radiotimes.com on March 27, 2017
* The Reddit Conundrum: Showrunners Shouldn’t Change Their Stories Based on Fan Predictions, posted to Pajiba.com on May 10, 2019
===Lost===
Fan theories about the mysteries of Lost abounded. Critic Kayleigh Donaldson noted: 
In the aftermath of the series finale, Vulture critic Willa Paskin remarked that the ending closely resembled a fan theory that the creators had denied early on: 
===Wandavision===
In 2021, Wandavision showrunner Jac Schaeffer talked about being addicted to reading fan theories: 
===Westworld===
The first season of the television show Westworld had been the subject of much fan speculation - so much so that some professional TV critics speculated that all the fan theories had "ruined" the show. Writing for Vox, critic Emily VanDerWerff observed: 
In the same article, VanDerWerff also quoted scholar Myles McNutt's analysis of the same phenomenon:
==Examples of Fan Theories==
* Doctor Who
** 7A Takes Place Out of Order for The Doctor
** The Dream Lord becomes the Valeyard
** Missy is the Last Incarnation of The Master
** Rory is The Master
* Fallen London: A great many theories regarding the exact identities of the Fallen Cities and their various inhabitants
* Good Omens
** Good Omens Coffee Theory
** The Magic Trick You Didn’t See: Being An Analysis of Good Omens Season 2
* Harry Potter: 
**Knight2King, also known as Ronbledore or the "Ron Is Dumbledore" theory
** Draco Malfoy is a werewolf
** Various theories proposed in Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter, such as "Snape is a vampire", "Remus Lupin is actually James Potter", "Harry is descended from Godric Gryffindor", "Harry is immune to poison", etc.
* High School Musical: 
** New Mexico seceded from the Union by Tumblr user justalilbobafettish
** High School Musical is just a high school musical by Reddit user rockaface in the High School Musical fandom
* Kingdom Hearts
** Sleeping Realm Theory
* Lost: 
** Purgatory Theory
** See also: 15 'Lost' Fan Theories Better Than What They Gave Us In The Last Season on Thethings.com, 2020
* Marvel Cinematic Universe: 
** Stan Lee is Uatu the Watcher
** Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter
** the Thanus Theory
* One Direction
** Harry is a Girl
* Pixar: The Pixar Theory
* Panic! at the Disco: The Ryden Sun and Moon Theory 
* Riverdale: Alice Cooper is a witch by Tumblr user betty-and-jughead
* Sherlock (TV series): The Johnlock Conspiracy
* Smallville: Chlois Theory 
* Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Trans girl Marco
* A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones: R + L = J (confirmed in canon on the television series)
* Star Wars: Darth Jar Jar 
* Undertale: Sans theories
* The Walking Dead 
** Old Man Carl Theory
** Madison is Alpha
* The X-Files
** Wifegate
** Ringgate
** Scully Is Immortal
==Fan Theories and Misdirection==
*Thelostspecial.com, a troll Sherlock website aiming to mess with TJLC fans by posting fake clues fans attempted to connect to their fan theories
==Communities==
*r/FanTheories, a Reddit page with 467,170 subscribers.
*Pop Theories, a website dedicated to fan theories. Users can vote for and discuss theories, and follow films, television shows, novels or comic books they like.
*The Game Theorists, a Youtube channel with over 10 million subscribers (as of June 2018) covering and creating theories about video gamesThe Game Theorists Youtube page
*The SuperCarlinBrothers YouTube channel that specializes in Harry Potter, MCU, Star Wars, Pixar, and Disney fan theories.
==References==
Category:Discussion
Category:Fan Theories