Fallout’s finale may have just answered the centuries-old mystery behind who started the nuclear apocalypse

EntertainmentTVAction ShowsFallout’s finale may have just answered the centuries-old mystery behind who started the nuclear apocalypseWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

EntertainmentTVAction ShowsFallout’s finale may have just answered the centuries-old mystery behind who started the nuclear apocalypseWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Fallout

There is perhaps no greater mystery in the fictional Fallout universe than the question of who, exactly, dropped the nuclear bombs that kicked off the nuclear apocalypse in seriousness. There have been certain implications, depending on the game, but nothing definitive. The new Fallout show from Amazon’s Prime Video, however, introduces a particularly sinister possibility that just might answer that age-old question.

Major spoilersfor the Fallout season 1 ending follow.

The Fallout TV show season 1 finale actually posits a third option: Vault-Tec itself. Roughly a third of the way through the finale, Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) is using a listening device to eavesdrop on his wife, Barb Howard (Frances Turner), while she participates in a secretive business meeting with representatives of major Fallout businesses like Rob-Co, REPCONN, and more. And while it doesn’t definitively say that Vault-Tec did it, it does everything but that.

Essentially, the other executives question how Vault-Tec can ensure that its Vaults remain viable in the first place for potential investors. There are ongoing peace talks, despite the looming threat of nuclear war. The Rob-Co representative asks it outright: “But we’re talking about making a significant investment based on a hypothetical. How can you guarantee results?”

Did Vault-Tec drop the bomb? We don’t see that explicitly. But the show absolutely makes the case that Vault-Tec was fully prepared and willing to do it.

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The first season of Fallout is now streaming on Prime Video. For more, check out the rest of our coverage:

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5

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

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