Man In Black Terminally Ill and The Meaning of The Door (Theory)

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Hey Guys,

I have a bit of a theory on the motivations of the Man in Black/William. I have had this idea in the back of my head for a while but I think last weeks’s episode was the tipping point for me. I am going to break down the facts one by one and then give you my final theory.

Proving MIB is sick

In season 2, during Jim Delos’ retirement party, Jim appears to be sick. After William/MIB tells Jim to be patient, he mentions to William/MIB “I dont have much time for patience.” Two big takeaways- 1. people can still get sick in this universe, meaning there are still no cures for certain diseases and 2. we can infer there is some sort of R and D going on in the park that could save Jim’s life. We already know the Man in Black wants to live out the rest of his days in the park. The surface reasoning is that he enjoys it because it makes him feel real, we even get a monologue in season 1 about how he only feels himself while in the park. If he is sick, he obviously would want to live the rest of his days in the park. He also wants it to be real, meaning he wants danger and actual consequences. If he is planning on living the rest of his life in the park because it feels most real, he even smiles when he is shot in the side of the arm. Sure, he could just be excited that the game is now real, but his reasoning is too shallow if it just “makes it more fun.” He seems like the kind of individual who would rather go out from a bullet than slowly die of cancer.

The Door is a metaphor for uploading consciousness into a host MIB’s goal in season 1 is to find the maze because he is under the impression that it is some final game for him. When Ford and MIB are sharing a drink together, MIB asks “am I any closer to finding what I am looking for?” Ford responds, “The urgency does not quite fit the character, it betrays a certain anxiety.” What’s the urgency? Does MIB want to find the maze because it might give him a way to save himself and live in the park forever? As stated above, MIB already knows there is some sort of R and D in the park for saving someone who is terminally ill. Ford seems to be taunting MIB because he already knows he is sick. Ford has eyes and ears everywhere and seems to know everything. Little Ford even referred to it as a “way out”. If he knows this, then the “door” he keeps toying MIB with HAS to be a way for him to “step through the door” of his human form to one of a host.

Just remember, the game “begins where you end, and ends where you began”

Thanks guys, – Ross “Trey” Gregory III

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