Fan Theories That Could Change Everything In Manifest Season 4

Advances in quantum theory have yielded some fairly trippy ideas about quantum entanglement with even trippier implications. Quantum particles, experts say, can be in two places at once, behaving in ways that seem paradoxical. The revelation has the heads of sci-fi buffs spinning with ideas about the multiverse and wondering if Quinn Mallory wasn't right after all. And there's plenty of evidence in the series to argue that just like Schrödinger's cat, maybe the 828 passengers died and lived all at the same time in some kind of bizarre quantum entanglement.

As one Redditor theorized, "Dark lightning essentially tears the fabric of spacetime and creates two realities that coexist (e.g., the plane crashed and all the passengers died, but the passengers also survived)." The show makes plenty of references to characters doing things that seem out of character, like the amnesiac Paul Santino (Kerry Malloy) in Season 1's "Crosswinds," whose wife accuses him of being abusive although he claims he would never put hands on her.

The 828ers seem to clearly remember dying in a fiery explosion even though they seem to be very much alive in the present day. In Captain Daly's simulation of the actual flight data retrieved from the government, the plane crashes every time even though he remembers flying straight through it. And eagle-eyed Redditors noticed that as Captain Daly (Frank Deal) returns at the end of Season 3, he is wearing different clothing than the Daly who flew a stolen plane into the dark lighting. If this theory holds true, there could be even more realities at play in Season 4, and possibly even some "Fringe"-style parallel universe shenanigans.

If we learned anything over the first three seasons of "Manifest," it's that the callings don't like to be ignored. Maybe, some fans speculate, that's because they're helping the 828ers shape their reality, which changes with everything they do. One Redditor theorized that "whatever caused the passengers to disappear (let's call it 'The Divine' for now) is actively altering reality based on what the passengers do."

As the passengers respond to the callings, the reality they're in changes based on their actions. The post posits, "When passengers make mistakes that 'anger' The Divine, their reality moves closer to the one in which they died." According to fans, this theory explains why the tailfin reappears in the ocean when Saanvi (Parveen Kaur) kills the Major (Elizabeth Marvel). As the lifeboat commits to following the callings more closely, reality alters to the version where the passengers lived, eventually returning Cal (Jack Messina) to his correct age.

This theory doesn't account for everything, and there are a few holes when looking at the series as a whole. For example, this theory doesn't explain the reappearance of Noah's ark or how or for what purpose the passengers were given the callings to begin with. And then there's the issue of the other Captain Daly. But if this theory does hold true, the implications for Season 4 would mean higher stakes thanks to more passenger deaths and dramatic reality shifts, making for a wild ride.

Angelina Meyer (Holly Taylor), introduced in Season 3, is a subject of controversy among the Manifester fandom. The callings led the Stones to save her and she seemed to be on a positive path at first. But as time went by, it was clear that the trauma of her religious abuse had left its mark, and her actions became more and more needy, erratic, and eventually dangerous.

According to some Reddit Manifesters, Angelina is an incarnation of Lucifer, who fell from grace after he was kicked out of heaven. Given Angelina's connection with the infant Eden and her mother Grace (‎Athena Karkanis), many fans argue that it's all spelled out pretty clearly. Some even argue that Angelina has been sent to test the Stone family or keep them from completing the callings, thus ushering in some type of apocalyptic doomsday scenario like an Antichrist figure. One Manifester muses, "Fallen angel. False prophet. Uses faith to manipulate people. Masquerades as righteous and good, when she's actually a test to faith and will lead them down the wrong path if they don't look close enough."

Angelina's actions with Cal, Olive, Eden, and Grace all support this theory as she manipulates Cal, goes all Single White Female on Olive (Luna Blaise), nearly burns Eden alive, and kills Grace. Her name may also be a clue, as "Angelina" may refer to the "fallen angel" Lucifer and she is plagued by images of the archangel Michael, perhaps a reference to the fact that Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) will be her undoing. If this is true, Angelina's next-level villainy should be a big plot-mover in Season 4.

One thing that isn't really up for speculation is whether Grace is truly dead thanks to spoilers from show creator Jeff Rake, who told TV Insider in no uncertain terms that Grace isn't coming back. According to Rake, Grace's death is an important plot point for Season 4, and it will be a key motivation for Ben, who will spend much of the season struggling to deal with the events of the previous season finale.

After all the Stone family has been through, many fans found Grace's death devastating. With Eden kidnapped, Grace dead, and Cal missing years of his life, the family has been completely torn apart. However, some fans have speculated that Grace sees Cal in her final moments because they are both in the afterlife. One Manifester mused, "I'm just trying to figure out if Cal is dead at the end there, and that's the reason that Grace is seeing him."

It might be easy to dismiss this theory based on the fact that Cal has aged and there doesn't seem to be an explanation for why he would come back years older if he was dead. But looking through the lens of the parallel universe theory, it might not be the Prime Universe Cal who appears to Grace at the end. If Cal is working on his afterlife trial, this theory could actually make sense.

Of all the fan theories in the "Manifest" world, there is one that seems to have the most support both in series and in the fandom community. Either the passengers died and they are going through trials to determine their fate in the afterlife or they would have died but they've been given a temporary reprieve to determine their fates. Either way, their response to the callings and whether they choose to take the light or dark path could determine their forever fates.

In "Cleared For Approach" (Season 1, Episode 13), Zeke (Matt Long) questions whether he's even alive at all, emphasizing, "A person can't freeze to death in a cave and then a year later walk out alive." Ben ominously notes, "I think the plane's trying to tell us that we died on that flight ... And now it's back ... as if it was resurrected. And I think maybe we were, too." In "Deadhead" (Season 3, Episode 2), Kory echoes this sentiment. His brother Pete answers by wondering if they've been given a second chance.

The papyrus T.J. (Garrett Wareing) sends back from Egypt (Season 3, Episode 3, "Wingman") depicts Ma'at, the goddess of justice and weigher of souls who weighs hearts of the deceased against the feather of truth on the scale of justice, and the story of the prisoners' Last Trial. After studying the papyrus, Olive concludes, "I think it's a sign that when you come back, you're being judged."

But the strongest evidence for this theory comes from show creator Jeff Rake, who told TV Insider, "Whether it's purgatory, whether it's the netherworld ... That idea of the divine taking you away, but keeping you in a holding pattern — which is probably an apt flight analogy — as your ultimate fate is determined speaks to where Captain Daly has been." If this is true, perhaps Season 4 will give viewers a glimpse of this mysterious realm.

During Season 1 of "Manifest," Ben gets aggro with anti-828er Cody Webber, who manages to stream the entire incident to his website. When Cody resurfaces in Season 3, his ex reveals that his hatred of 828ers is motivated by his belief that the real passengers died and the 828ers are heralds of a "coming war" (Season 3, Episode 10, "Compass Calibration"). Although Cody generally sucks, some fans point out that a broken clock is right twice a day, arguing that there could be something to his conspiracy theory.

And even Michaela wonders if there's something to it, at one point asking, "So then what does that make us? Angels? Prophets? I mean, if God wants us back on Earth, for what?" (Season 3, Episode 1, "Tailfin"). As one Manifester explained it, "I'm a huge fan of the bringers of the apocalypse theory. They weren't brought back to save the world as prophets — they came back to destroy it. Specifically, to destroy it 5.5 years after their return."

Despite all of the good the 828ers accomplished while following the callings, they seem to leave a trail of chaos in their wake. And the fact that many of their names have Biblical meanings could be a clue — specifically Michaela (the archangel Michael), Zeke (the end-times prophet Ezekiel), and Angelina (a possible reference to Lucifer). If that wasn't enough, it's hard to overlook the literal lake of fire that emerged from an earthquake in "Compass Calibration" (Season 3, Episode 10) along with all of the storm, blizzard, and fire imagery featured throughout the series. It's even possible that "Manifest" Season 4 could go full "Dollhouse" and usher in a Doomsday shark jump.

There's nothing like a good old-fashioned ship to bring out strong feelings in a fandom, and a whole lot of Manifesters have been sailing the Good Ship Benvi since Season 1's "Hard Landing" (Episode 15) when Ben sat down on the floor next to Saanvi in her clinic and their chemistry was clear. While Saanvi was in a relationship with a woman before the start of the series, she is clearly put on the spot when the Major points out the good doc has feelings for Ben. And from the beginning of their time together, Ben has always treated Saanvi like a close friend or even family.

Still, some Manifesters argue that chemistry doesn't always mean magic, and this coupling would be the hot mess to end all hot messes. One fan pointed out that "Ben and Saanvi would be the most high-strung couple in the history of mankind ... they'd start hyping each other up with their obsessive ways of dealing with stuff." Another noted, "They are both super similar and obsessive." Toxic or not, if they do couple up, expect the move to be divisive among fans as many are still rooting for Grace's return or feel that it would be too contrived and obvious to pair them so soon after losing Grace.