This Horrific Finding Nemo Theory Changes Everything About Marlin

The Internet has many purposes, but none of them play a more integral role in the fabric of society than its ability to provide an endless stream of outlandish fan theories dissecting pop culture and entertainment. Some of these barely make sense, while others shine a critical — though at times all-too-uncomfortable — light on the reality of things that audiences take for granted.

One theory that falls in the latter category was put out by TikTok influencer @‌mndiaye_97. The hypothesis directly attacked one of the core elements that make "Finding Nemo" such a tear-jerker. According to the theory, the clownfish Marlin didn't lose his wife and most of his unhatched kids to a hungry barracuda. That's a cover story for the much darker truth: the kids were eaten by their mom.

In essence, the idea here is that a barracuda wouldn't eat a clownfish. However, female clownfish are bigger and stronger than males. They're also willing to devour their own young. What if Marlin's wife, Coral, ate the couple's entire family in one go, and Marlin was too weak to stop her? Following this much darker timeline, one could assume Marlin's barracuda story is just a devastated father in denial. He's made up the story to help him forget the fact that his wife cannibalized his own kids. Even worse, the influencer posits that his only surviving son is a made-up fiction Marlin created, naming him Nemo. The translation of that title from ancient Latin? "Nobody." 

According to our own research, while barracudas can eat clownfish, they aren't particularly attracted to such a small target or its eggs. As far as clownfish eating their own eggs, well, that is true. But it appears they usually eat the unfertilized ones.