Man In Black And Trans-Humanism – Host Or Not?

Have a Theory? Share It Now!

I’d like to describe what is going on with the Man in Black in one word – transhumanism, or “the theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations by the means of science and technology.” After last week’s episode, it seems as though the main question is whether or not MIB is a host. I would like to put the theory out there that the Man in Black is both host and human simultaneously. My rationale is based on some of the issues that were brought up in episode 4 of this season, “The Riddle of the Sphinx.” We have been told repeatedly that the issue that prevented James Delos’ host copies from successfully becoming sentient was the cognitive plateau caused by the host brain rejecting the thought of having died and been brought back to life in a host body. But what if William/Man in Black had the solution for some time and was holding it close to his vest?

It is possible that in order to traverse the cognitive plateau, a living human brain must be feeding information into a host copy until the moment of death – and this is what the Man in Black has been doing in the park for the last two seasons or even longer. We know that the scanning technology in the hats guests wear was developed to capture a full picture of an individual’s thoughts – more in depth than just collecting DNA and tracking behavior. What if the Man in Black that we have seen in the park is the host version of himself and the human version is somewhere else, like the Forge – or vice versa. It has been theorized that the Man in Black is dying or at least wants to die in the park. Perhaps we are witnessing the last stages of William’s transcendence into host form. Everything that has happened to MIB – Ford’s game, the killing of his daughter – has served to push him to the point of an existential crisis. At the end of “Vanishing Point” we see MIB hold a gun to his head and contemplate pulling the trigger as he is clearly struggling to understand his own nature and existence. This kind of information would be invaluable to transcendence and perhaps exactly what is needed to cross the cognitive plateau. Which would also explain further why the information captured by guests in the Forge is the key to Delores’ revolution and perhaps building an army of hosts that can operate in the real world off of narrative. I’d also like to address Ford’s role in this process. I think back as far as season 1, episode 5 “Contrapasso” – the first time Ford and William/Man in Black share the screen. Ford asks if MIB has found what he was looking for – by this he could mean the solution to the cognitive plateau hurdle. Ford also mentions Wyatt aka Dolores being a worthy adversary to MIB – meaning the two parties could be competing for the same information or technology. A fitting irony considering the history between the two. Again, in “Vantage Point” Ford heavily alludes to knowledge of the Delos immortality project. He states to William “We didn’t violate our agreement, you did.” I believe by this he means Ford has caught on to the data mining aspect of the park and William’s intentions with it. Once Ford is wise to the plan, he wants to throw a wrench in it because he sees it as a bastardization of his creation, the hosts. Alternatively, Ford may want to encourage William’s endeavor as it would only lead to the supremacy of hosts over mankind. Thus his “Journey into Night” narrative. Remember, in Ford’s final speech he dedicates the narrative to one individual that has been “paying attention all along.” In the season 2 premiere, the host version of young Ford tells MIB that the game is specifically designed for him. William could have created a host version of himself some time ago and swapped back and forth with his human self. A host version of William spending time with his wife and daughter outside of the park would only give a more accurate picture of his mind. His wife slowly caught on the difference between the two, which would explain her question “are you even real?” When she views William’s profile before killing herself, it is possible she knows how to interpret the information on screen better than the audience – meaning she is aware that “Subject 002” indicates that he is indeed a host and that it was possible that her father was “Subject 001.” Lastly, I would like to address the title of the episode – “Vanishing Point”. A vanishing point is “the point at which receding parallel lines viewed in perspective appear to converge.” In metaphorical terms, these parallel lines could represent human William, host William, and the park (or even Ford himself). At the end of the episode, William/MIB’s quest reaches a vanishing point at which he realizes he has overcome the existential crisis needed to accomplish his goal. It is important to remember that with the rules that have been established by the Cradle, we do not know that some or all of the events of this season haven’t been happening within the Forge or at least one layer removed from reality (yes, even without the letterboxing). I don’t believe this would be a cop-out of a twist, but rather introducing a new wrinkle in the power dynamic of the show. An immortal MIB would truly be a force to be reckoned with. Can’t wait for the finale and can’t wait for the return of Shat the Movies.

Cheers,

Zac Simon
Birmingham, AL

Subscribe Now

• Android: https://shatpod.com/tv/westworld-android
• Apple/iTunes: https://shatpod.com/tv/westworld-itunes

Help Support the Podcast

• Contact Us: https://www.shatpod.com/contact
• Commission Movie: https://www.shatpod.com/support
• Support with Paypal: https://www.shatpod.com/paypal
• Support With Venmo: https://www.shatpod.com/venmo
• Shop Merchandise: https://www.shatpod.com/shop
• Shop Amazon With Our Affiliate Link – https://www.amazon.com/?tag=shatmovies-20
• Theme Song – “The Ecstasy Of Gold” (Hip Hop Instrumental Version)  by Dj 2 Bad
• Outro Music – By Simon Eric Haywood