TheFalloutfranchise, despite taking place across various locales and time periods in post-apocalyptic America, is no stranger tocharacters from previous entries reappearing in subsequent installments, includingFallout 4.The most recent single-player entry in the franchise is no exception, with characters fromFallout 3,such as the Nuka-Cola-obsessed Sierra Petrovita and a now-adult Brotherhood of Steel scion Arthur Maxson encountered by4’s Sole Survivor during their journey through the Wasteland.
While most of theFallout 3characters that return in4are clearly identified within the game,a theory links a pivotal character from the series’ third installment to a mysterious stalker that covertly pursues the Sole Survivor around the Commonwealth.While the evidence for such a connection is tenuous, certain traits (such as a penchant for facial reconstructive surgery and the use of a key phrase) possessed by4’s creepiest stalker fuel the speculationaround a major character fromFallout 3making a big — if secretive — return.
A Theory Suggests Deacon Is The Lone Wanderer
There Is A Valid Explanation
At the start ofFallout 4’s main campaign, only a decade has passed since the Lone Wanderer’s escape from Vault 101. While the conclusion ofFallout 3implies the Wanderer dies from radiation exposure upon activating the water purifier, the follow-up DLCBroken Steelestablishes that the Wanderer instead entered a temporary coma.
A theory shared by userCool-Dr-Moneyon Reddit suggests that the Lone Wanderer, following the events of Broken Steel, made their way from the Capital Wasteland to the Commonwealth andeventually adopted the moniker of Deacon, the infamous stalker/possible companion that trails the Sole Survivor in4.
Deacon’s Proclivity for Plastic Surgery And A Specific Phrase He Uses Fuel This Theory
He Could Have Changed His Face
Deacon readily admits throughout4that he is a consummate liar.Whether it’s the various disguises he usesto get close to the Sole Survivor or hazy and often contradictory recollections about his past, the only thing consistent about theFallout 4Railroadspy is that nothing about him is what it seems. Not even his face remains constant — as he admits to the Sole Survivor, Deacon gets facial reconstructive surgery every year or two (even briefly posing as a woman).
The spy is a completely blank slate, with everything from his true appearance and name to his genderaltered at a whim. Deacon’s lack of cohesive identity in such a firmly established universe is noticeable because it is otherwise a qualityonly shared by protagonists of theFalloutfranchise, and this, paired with the stalker’s familiarity with both the pre-Maxson Brotherhood and the Capital Wastes, is offered up by theorists as evidence of Deacon and the Lone Wanderer being one and the same.
Fallout 4: How To Get All 16 Companions
With 16 unique characters to choose from in Fallout 4 the Sole Survivor is spoiled for choice for companions to join them on their journey.
One more glaring detail present in Deacon’s dialogue further fuels this theory. When occasionally suggesting a team name for him and the Sole Survivor, Deacon suggests “Code Violet.” This is adirect reference to the secret synth security chief Harkness’s recall codeinFallout 3,which is discovered by the Lone Wanderer as they grapple with the decision to either turn Harkness over to the Institute or work with the Railroad and let him go free. Deacon’s knowledge of the phrase and his desire to assist escaped synths make a compelling case for identifying him as the Lone Wanderer who chose to help Harkness.
While the theory tying Deacon to the Lone Wanderer may lack concrete evidence, the similarities between the two, from being relatively blank slates to possessing key info about certain synths, are striking. Add to that the fact that both (if Deacon is to be believed)originate from the Capital Wasteland and were familiar with a pre-Maxson brotherhood,and the theory thatFallout 3’s protagonist isFallout 4’s creepiest stalker is a fun way to link the franchise together.
