Top 10 Gravity Falls Theories That Were Wrong

Top 10 Gravity Falls Theories That Were Wrong

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Gravity Falls Theories That Were Wrong. For this list, we’ll be looking at theories that gained a fair deal of attention while this animated series was airing, but didn’t pan out. Did you have any “Gravity Falls” theories that were wrong? Let us know in the comments.

To say that Gideon is precocious would be an understatement. Despite his young age, he’s one of the most manipulative and articulate citizens in Gravity Falls. One Tumblr user believed that this might be because Li’l Gideon is an immortal vampire. The theory points to several potential clues, most notably the titular character from “The Widdlest Wampire,” who shares a certain resemblance to Gideon. In another episode where Gideon tries stealing the deed to the Mystery Shack, the gang watches a movie called “Grandpa the Kid,” seemingly hinting that Gideon is an old man trapped in a youngster’s body. Dipper even says in the pilot that maybe Mabel’s next boyfriend will be a vampire. Gideon, however, is just a highly advanced, highly diabolical child.

Gompers the goat can often be found around the Mystery Shack, chewing on grass, Mabel’s sweaters, and pretty much anything that’ll fit in his mouth. While Gompers’ insatiable hunger makes for one of the show’s best running gags, the goat wasn’t the most integral character… or was he? One theory suggested that Gompers was the villainous Bill Cipher in disguise. As silly as it sounds, Gompers’ yellow eyes and horizontal irises do call Bill to mind. Plus, if Bill was going to spy on the Pines family without raising attention, nobody would ever suspect Gompers. Despite never being canonized, it still makes more sense than the theory that SpongeBob died, went to hell, and was reincarnated as Bill Cipher. Maybe if Disney buys Nickelodeon next...

Soos is a dedicated employee and loyal friend, but it’s established early on that he’s not the brightest guy. For a period, however, fans suspected that Soos knew more than he was letting on. This theory largely stemmed from the online game “Rumble’s Revenge.” One of the cryptograms in the game indicates that “The handyman knows more than you think.” The handyman in question is apparently Soos, but what does he know? Some assumed that Soos could be working for Bill Cipher. Others argued that maybe Soos knew Grunkle Stan’s secret, seeing how he wasn’t fazed by his boss’ vending machine secret passage. It was even theorized that Soos was playing dumb this whole time, but there were ultimately few skeletons in this handyman’s toolbox.

#7: Buy Gold

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This is definitely one of the more out-there theories. In Season One’s penultimate episode, Gideon summons Bill, who agrees to invade Stan’s mind. Bill exits with these cryptic words: “Remember: reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye!” As random as it all sounds, some thought that there might be a deeper meaning to Bill’s “buy gold” line. A couple of Reddit users suspected that Bill could enter anyone’s mind as long as they were wearing gold, pointing to Stan’s gold chain. Another theory suggested that Bill was warning Gideon to buy gold for the impending apocalypse. People also connected Bill’s words to something Grunkle Stan said two episodes prior: “Look, if it makes you feel any better, the apocalypse is coming soon. Bury your gold! ...You've been buying gold, right?” Honestly, this theory seemed to be grasping at straws. We’re glad we didn’t bet any gold on it.

#6: Tad Strange Is Bill Cipher’s Brother

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Since the bond between siblings has always been one of this show’s fundamental themes, the idea of Bill having a brother isn’t that far-fetched. Before the character Tad Strange made his official debut, actor Cecil Baldwin listed the role on his resume. In a Reddit AMA, creator Alex Hirsch - as Bill Cipher - commented that Tad’s “a real square.” This led some to believe that Tad would be a literal square, just as Bill is a triangle. When Tad Strange finally appeared, though, he turned out to be the most normal person in Gravity Falls. In the series finale, however, Bill supposedly references an Aztec deity known as the god of twins. So, even if Tad wasn’t his brother, Bill may have a twin out there.

#5: The Author Is Future Dipper

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The identity of the author was one of the show’s biggest question-marks for much of its run. Some successfully predicted that Stan’s twin brother wrote the journals. Of course, there were plenty of other theories, like that Bill Cipher was the author. One of the more intriguing theories suggested that Dipper was the very author that he was trying to track down. But wait, how would that work? Well, the Pines children have been to the future and the past. This theory implies that future Dipper, having spent his life studying the mysterious town, wrote the journals. Then through time travel, the journals wound up in present-day Gravity Falls. It’s pretty contrived, but a “Gravity Falls” promo actually referenced this theory.

Wendy’s jerky ex-boyfriend was one of the show’s most straightforward characters, but some theorized that there was more to Robbie than he let on. A popular theory argued that Robbie was a zombie, noting his pale complexion, bleeding heart hoodie, and the fact that his parents run a funeral home. What’s more, it’s mentioned in the pilot that zombies are often mistaken for teenagers. Another theory claimed that Robbie has a clone because of his odd reflection in one episode, although we’re pretty sure that was just an animation error. Plus, since when is there a parallel between clones and reflection? Now that the series has wrapped, it’s safe to say that Robbie is just your average arrogant teenager… well, average by Gravity Falls standards.

#3: The Illuminati Is Pulling All the Strings

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The Illuminati certainly wouldn’t feel out of place in a show like “Gravity Falls.” The main antagonist is modeled after the Eye of Providence, after all. The idea of the Illuminati being behind everything almost makes too much sense. Then again, that might be why the creators didn’t go in this direction. Although the Illuminati never appears in the show, we can imagine how it might’ve inspired the Blind Eye Society. In Season 2, it’s revealed that this secret society has been erasing memories in order to keep residents blissfully unaware of Gravity Falls’ strange happenings. So, while the Illuminati theory may’ve been on to something, it wasn’t exactly what some people were anticipating.

In the episode “The Deep End,” Mabel receives several bottled messages from Mermando—one of which is seemingly addressed to “Labem.” Obviously, this is just Mabel spelled backward, but it’s been theorized that Labem is either Mabel’s doppelganger or her evil twin. Wouldn’t that technically make the Pines twins the Pines triplets? The theory argued that the llama symbol on Bill Cipher’s zodiac wheel represented Labem. People made this assumption based on the llama sweater in Mabel’s wardrobe. Of course, it ultimately turned out that the llama symbol was linked to Pacifica. While intriguing, the evidence backing this theory was always pretty weak. So, it shouldn’t come as a shock that Labem was never made canon.

#1: Bill Cipher & Dipper Are One & the Same

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In many stories, the villain is a reflection of the hero. With that in mind, we can see why so many fans speculated that there may be a deeper connection between Dipper and Bill. There was a theory that Dipper remained possessed by Bill following the events of “Sock Opera.” Later in the season as the portal is opened, Dipper’s pupils suddenly become elongated, much like when Bill was controlling his body. Another theory suggested that Bill was Dipper from the future. Either of these theories would have taken the series in an incredibly dark direction, even for “Gravity Falls.” At the end of the day, we’re happy that there’s only one Dipper… well, as long as he doesn’t make any more copies of himself.