GivenFalloutseason 1’s final shot, there are plenty of fan theories circulating about what, exactly, Hank MacLean’s (Kyle MacLachlan) plan will be in the show’s sophomore outing. One of the more compelling members ofFallout’s cast of characters,Hank goes from being the good-natured Overseer of Vault 33 to a menacing Vault-Tec loyalist. The reveal is perhaps most unsettling to his daughter, Lucy (Ella Purnell), who grew up admiring her father and trusting in Vault-Tec’s vision for the future. Initially, Lucy sets out on a harrowing journey across theworld ofFalloutto save her father.
However, Hank’s abductor, theNew California Republic’s leader, Moldaver(Sarita Choudhury), was friends with Lucy’s mother. In a twist,Falloutseason 1’s endingreveals that Hank not only destroyed Shady Sands and attacked the NCR, but did so to ensure his late wife wouldn’t leave Vault 33. As it turns out, the neighboring Vault 31 is actually the brainchild of Bud Askins: the Overseers of Vaults 32 and 33 are Vault-Tec employees who were cryogenically frozen before the bombs dropped.The hope was to use these “Bud’s Buds,” like Hank, to create generations of Wasteland-dominating Vault-Tec loyalists.
5Vault-Tec’s Management Is In Vault 21 (& Hank Wants To Let Them Out)
Barb Howard Would Make A Great Villain In Fallout Season 2
The reveal that Hank MacLean is the ultimate company man strongly suggests that his journey to New Vegas inFalloutseason 2 will be motivated by his mission to restore Vault-Tec to its former glory. In the TV series, it’s revealed that Vault-Tec executive and overseer of Vault 31,Bud Askins, created a so-called management training program aimed at ensuring Vault-Tec’s longevity, even after the bombs dropped. In Bud’s own words, he wanted to create an “absolute monopoly” by outlasting other factions inFallout’s post-apocalyptic world.
…it’s possible Hank is headed to New Vegas to reawaken some other key members of Vault-Tec’s executive team, including Barb Howard.
Known as Bud’s Buds,the group was composed of hand-picked Vault-Tec loyalists, including Hank MacLean. Bud Askin’s vision hinges on Vault-Tec’s three Los Angeles-based Vaults — the interconnected 31, 32, and 33 — and the cryopods that allow members of his program to live long past the end of the world. Despite the passage of time, Hank is clearly a loyal and determined Bud. The Vault-Tec loyalist doesn’t hesitate to destroy Shady Sands, ghoulify his wife, or turn on his daughter.
Bud Askins has survived into theFalloutTV show’s primary timeline by transforming himself into a so-called “brain-on-a-roomba.”
That said, it’s possible Hank is headed to New Vegas to reawaken some other key members of Vault-Tec’s executive team, including Barb Howard (Frances Turner), Cooper Howard’s (Walton Goggins) wife. For his part, Cooper — known simply as The Ghoul in the present — is also searching the Wasteland for signs of his wife and daughter, even though he never really liked Vault-Tec’s vibe. IfFalloutseason 2 sees Hank teaming up with folks like Barb,the show could continue to explore Cooper and Barb’s compelling dynamic.
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4Hank Wants To Team Up With Mr. House
Rob-Co’s Mr. House Could Be In Control Of New Vegas In Fallout Season 2
AlthoughFallout: New Vegasdoesn’t necessarily have a confirmed canon ending,Falloutseason 2’s story will hinge on the team behind the franchise making that decision, especially where Mr. House’s fate is concerned. InFallout: New Vegas,Robert House is the enigmatic ruler of New Vegas, who founded Rob-Co Industries in 2042. A genius with a penchant for business, Mr. House’s corporation was hugely profitable. This is made evident inFalloutseason 1’s ending: When Barb and Bud are presenting Vault-Tec’s post-apocalyptic scheme to other powerful executives, Mr. House (Rafi Silver) is among them.
The platinum chip, which contains a vital OS upgrade for Mr. House’s Securitrons and defense network, is a huge plot point inFallout: New Vegas.
After Barb and Bud reveal Vault-Tec’s plan to drop the first bombs themselves,Mr. House prepares Las Vegas for the imminent nuclear exchange. Eventually, he places his body in a life-support device, while his brain is wired directly into a supercomputer and, subsequently, a vast information network. InNew Vegas, Mr. House, the NCR, and Caesar’s Legion grapple for control of the Hoover Dam. While the game’s canon ending hasn’t been confirmed,Mr. House is slated to appear inFalloutseason 2. That could mean flashbacks, but, more likely, Hank will encounter House in the desert city.
Although they may come to blows later on, Hank and Mr. House could band together…
It’s possible that Mr. House and Hank MacLean will even form an alliance in the show’s second outing. As the series' flashbacks illustrate, House was skeptical of the Vaults, hypothesizing that Vault Dwellers would turn on each other and be just as violent and desperate as Wastelanders. Even so,Rob-Co and Vault-Tec share similar goals, with both corporations aiming to be the last one standing— the one that can seize power in the post-apocalyptic US. Although they may come to blows later on, Hank and Mr. House could band together againstFalloutseason 2’s other factions.
3Hank Is Planning To Revisit The Hoover Dam Idea From Fallout: New Vegas
While it wouldn’t be particularly exciting for long-time fans of the games,Falloutseason 2is primed to be a retread ofFallout: New Vegas' Hoover Dam plot, should it want to lean that way. In New Vegas, the hydroelectric dam is of immense importance to the Wasteland’s warring factions. Thanks to Mr. House’s strategic defense systems, the Hoover Dam weathered the nuclear exchange unscathed, meaning it still has the ability to generate electricity. According to NCR soldiers, the dam is also “moderately defensible.” Although not a fortress,the Hoover Dam could be the perfect place for the Brotherhood of Steel to install the cold fusion tech.
With Hank charging toward New Vegas in the Brotherhood’s power armor, he could be trying to draw the faction to the city and the all-important dam.
Falloutseason 1 reveals that Moldaver, previously known as Ms Williams, pitched the idea of cold fusion research to Vault-Tec, but the warmongering company shelved the project. During the present,Enclave scientist Dr. Wilzig finally discovers cold fusion, which is why so many parties, including Moldaver and the NCR, want to find him. Ultimately,Fallout’s Brotherhood of Steelwinds up with the cold fusion reactor at the end of the first season. With Hank charging toward New Vegas in the Brotherhood’s power armor, he could be trying to draw the faction to the city and the all-important dam.
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2Hank Wants To Use New Vegas As His Base Of Operations For Rebuilding America
The Vault-Tec Loyalist Could Align Himself With Caesar’s Legion
As Lucy mentions in an early episode ofFallout’s first season,the Vault Dwellers have been raised to believe that they’ll save America by spreading their Vault-Tec ways to the surface-dwelling masses. If Hank plans on carrying out that mission, having a more secure and settled base of operations, like the city of New Vegas, would be advantageous. As mentioned, the Hoover Dam only sweetens the deal. Even if Hank isn’t yet prepared to unearth Vault-Tec’s executives, he might want to establish a home base first. Since it survived the nukes, New Vegas is a solid pick.
Hank could very well team up with the ruthless Caesar’s Legion…
Seeing Hank navigate the post-apocalyptic city, and its many factions, would be intriguing. If he doesn’t align himself with Mr. House, Hank could very well team up with the ruthless Caesar’s Legion, which posed the biggest threat to the New California Republic inFallout: New Vegas. Not to mention,a war between the Brotherhood of Steel and the Legion would be a thrilling developmentfor the sophomore season, especially since both cult-like groups have proven to be brutal in their methods and singular vision of who should control the destiny of the Wasteland.
I’m Convinced Hank Is Working For These Fallout Villains In The Show
Various hints and developments in Fallout’s show have me convinced that Hank MacLean is secretly aligned with a major faction from the games.
1Hank MacLean Is Actually Working For The Enclave
The Enclave Could Have Helped Hank Nuke Shady Sands
Clearly, there’s a lot that Lucy and viewers don’t know about Hank’s past. Not only has he been to the surface before — who knows how many times, really — but he has a keen understanding of Wasteland politics and, of course, the all-important cold fusion reactor developed by the Enclave. Keen on getting his cold fusion reactor tech to Moldaver,Dr. Wilzig has understandable misgivings about the Enclave. Although the faction is able to fund his research and provide him with the tools he needs to discover cold fusion, Dr. Wilzig keeps his project under wraps.
The Enclave isn’t given much screentime since Dr. Wilzig and Dogmeat flee the paramilitary organization pretty quickly, but theFalloutgamesset up the Enclave as a supremacist organization that stems from a pre-war deep-state group of high-ranking political, corporate, and military leaders. Althoughthe Enclave claims to be the modern-day continuation of the US government, it seems to be a smoke-and-mirrors claim intended to seduce potential followers. In fact, the genocidal Enclave is set on murdering all non-Enclave survivors, which explains why Wilzig doesn’t want them to have his cold fusion reactor.
Both Vault-Tec and the Enclave share a penchant for warping American ideology…
Generally, other factions can all agree on one thing: hunting down the Enclave. However,if the Enclave was formed by some high-ranking corporate figureheads, it’s possible the regime has ties to Vault-Tec. Both Vault-Tec and the Enclave share a penchant for warping American ideology and using faux-patriotism to anoint their leaders and organizations as the Wasteland’s true masters. It wouldn’t be surprising to learn that Hank knew about Wilzig and cold fusion because of some deep-seated Vault-Tec and Enclave alliance that predates the events ofFalloutseason 1’s present-day timeline.
Falloutseason 1 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Fallout
Set 200 years after an apocalypse, Fallout follows residents of luxury shelters as they re-enter a post-nuclear world. Confronted with a bizarre and violent landscape, the series explores the stark contrasts between their sheltered existence and the harsh realities of the outside universe.
