John Carpenter may finally be making The Thing 2, meaning that there are eight major mysteries from the original movie that can finally be solved. The Thing is a horror classic, with the relatively small story featuring a shocking amount of lore. Because of the grand cosmic horror featured in The Thing, many questions are left unanswered, with fans debating over these loose ends since the film's original 1982 release. Without a proper sequel, many of these mysteries have been left up in the air, but John Carpenter's The Thing 2 can finally give some closure to some of the biggest unresolved story beats from the original.
1982's The Thing follows a group of scientists who become stranded in an Arctic lab after they discover they are being attacked by a shapeshifting alien. The Thing is one of the best examples of cosmic horror ever put to film, with its slow pace and distrustful tone gripping audiences for over 40 years now. Despite its popularity, The Thing 2 still hasn't happened, with the only follow-up being 2011's The Thing, a prequel that was met with mixed reception. However, director John Carpenter has finally started teasing The Thing 2, and if the film does actually happen, it could take the opportunity to answer these eight original movie mysteries.
8 Were MacReady Or Childs The Thing?
The biggest mystery from the original The Thing comes at the end of the film. After the Thing kills off most of the crew, MacReady and Childs manage to defeat it, although all that is left is the rubble of the laboratory. MacReady and Childs are stranded in the Arctic wasteland, and as they are waiting to be rescued, the duo (as well as the audience) can't help but wonder if one of them is actually the Thing. The Thing 2 would obviously answer this question, revealing if the Thing was able to assimilate MacReady or Childs before the larger entity met its fiery death.
While the ambiguous ending is the obvious mystery that The Thing 2 could solve, this may not be the best idea. The Thing spends most of its runtime building up to this ambiguous ending, with the unclear fate of MacReady, Childs, and the Thing being the entire thematic purpose of the film. Answering this question would kind of rip away the distrust that the original film sews in its audience, severely hurting John Carpenter's beloved original. Despite this, it would be difficult to continue the story of the original The Thing without answering this question.
7 Did MacReady Or Childs Ever Make It Home?
Although it's possible that MacReady or Childs could have been assimilated by the Thing, it seems pretty likely that they actually managed to kill the alien. Because of this, the next question is if MacReady and Childs actually made it home. At the end of the original film, the duo seemed pretty stranded, with them probably not leaving anytime soon. However, having Kurt Russell or Keith David return for John Carpenter's The Thing 2 would reveal their fates, with them either dying in the snow or being rescued by a helicopter or another scientific crew.
6 Who Unlocked The Blood Supply In The Original Movie?
At one point in the original The Thing, the scientists' excess blood supply becomes unlocked. The crew determines that it had to be opened by one of the other crew , and that crew member must be the Thing. However, the film never reveals who actually unlocked the blood supply. If it had been solved, it's possible that the crew could have stopped the Thing much earlier in the film. The Thing 2 could finally answer this question, as it seems pretty likely the new cast would return to investigate the original film's Arctic base.
5 Did The Thing Escape The Arctic Base?
Since The Thing 2 couldn't happen without the Thing, it seems pretty likely that the sequel will reveal that the alien escaped from the Arctic base. Although MacReady and Childs seemingly killed the Thing, it's entirely possible that it could have survived. After all, dead husks of former incarnations of the Thing are found throughout the film. It could be that the Thing shapeshifted into a creature with wings, allowing it to fly away from the Arctic and find residence somewhere else on Earth. This is a terrifying prospect, but the alien must still be around if The Thing 2 is actually happening.
4 Are There More Things On Earth?
Another possibility for The Thing 2 is that there are more Thing aliens on Earth. Not much is known about the history of the Thing, such as its home planet, how it reproduces, or if it came alone. Considering that the Thing was found in a spaceship, it's possible that the UFO could have contained other aliens that spread out among the planet. Although only one Thing is seen throughout the movie, that doesn't mean it traveled alone.
3 Why Can't The Thing Recreate Non-Biological Materials?
One of the strangest mysteries in The Thing has to do with the alien's capability to assimilate. 2011's The Thing prequel reveals that the Thing can't recreate non-biological materials, such as porcelain dental fillings. However, human versions of the Thing are seen wearing clothes and possessing other items that the crew had before being assimilated. Although it seems like the Thing recreated these clothes since there isn't any blood or signs of struggle on them, it could be that the alien simply put the clothes back on after assimilation. Either way, there are a lot of questions surrounding the alien's powers.
2 How Long Was The Thing On Earth For?
When finding the Thing's spacecraft in the original movie, the scientists speculate that the UFO would have to have been buried for thousands of years due to the amount of ice that is on top of it. However, that is just a guess, as it could have been underground for much longer. This number gets even bigger in the prequel, where the Norwegians say it has been under ice for 100,000 years. The Thing 2 could finally answer how long the Thing was on Earth, as well as show what caused it to be stagnant long enough to freeze before escaping in the original film.
1 Could The Thing Actually Assimilate All Of Earth In Only 3 Years?
After investigating the Thing's assimilation capabilities, The Thing's scientists speculate that the alien could be able to assimilate all of Earth in only three years. How the scientists got this number is unknown, but it is a terrifying possibility. If The Thing 2 does happen, it will presumably take place years after the original film, meaning that the Thing would have had time to conquer Earth. Thus, The Thing 2 must either reveal that the original Thing died, or that the Thing's assimilation of Earth takes longer than three years.
