Jonathan Nolan Just Admitted Most Popular Fallout Fan Theory Is Indeed Canon

Prime Video ’s Fallout had an amazing team and a great vision, but that’s not always enough. In this case, though, it was, and the show blew up, attracting both OG Fallout fans and new Vaulties who had no idea what they were getting themselves into. Immediately upon Season 1’s release, the Internet began swarming with fan theories and speculations… And some of them have already been confirmed!

What’s the Most Popular Fallout Fan Theory?

While this might have gone over new fans’ heads at first, Fallout veterans quickly caught up to what Nolan did in Season 1. The four protagonists were not created in a random creative rush or to move the plot along: they represent something every Fallout player that has ever set foot on the Internet was long familiar with.

They represent the Fallout player archetypes.

Lucy MacLean is the Newbie, friendly and naive; Norman MacLean is the Lore Master, thorough and attentive; Maximus is the Roleplayer who went full Brotherhood; and Cooper Howard aka the Ghoul is the Veteran, a maxed-out character with little to no regard for the consequences of his actions since he’s OP.

At least, this was our theory. And now, Jonathan Nolan himself has confirmed it!

Nolan Confirms Fallout Characters’ Origins

Fallout the TV show writer Jonathan Nolan recently sat down with Deadline and spilled the beans. He admitted that showing the different playstyles was a crucial priority for him and his team, especially since, unlike many other video games, Fallout allows its players to create their own characters and have truly unique experiences. They wanted to properly reflect as many of them as possible.

“[Our characters] roughly equate the different experiences you could have playing the game. There is Lucy, the Vault Dweller, who roughly relates to the kind of newbie first-time player who’s constantly choosing the virtuous dialogue choices. You have the Ghoul, who is fully living the nihilistic bad guy choices, <...> fully Level 100 on every characteristic, all the best weapons,” Nolan explained.

We don’t want to say we personally called since many OG fans caught up to this, but we definitely called it collectively as veteran Fallout players. Every time we learn more about the Fallout team’s creative process, we can’t help but admire their respect for the source material and dedication to the craft. Few folks who adapt popular franchises these days care so much — you know who we’re talking about.

Source: Deadline