Top 10 Movie Universes That You Didn't Know Were Linked

We smell some crossovers. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Movie Universes That You Didn’t Know Were Linked.

For this list, we’re taking a look at film franchises that are strangely or mysteriously connected. While some of these links have been confirmed by filmmakers, others are based on theories with strong evidence in their favor. Since some involve key plot details, a spoiler alert is now in order.

Hitting the silver screen in 2001, “Spy Kids” was a vibrant, whimsical adventure for the whole family. It’s hard to believe that this colorful action comedy came from director Robert Rodriguez, who made the ultra violent “Machete” almost a decade later. Even more surreal, these two polar opposite movies exist in the same universe. In both franchises, actor Danny Trejo plays a character named Machete, who just so happens to be the uncle of Carmen and Juni Cortez on their father’s side. Uncle Machete helps the titular spy kids by making gadgets like the world’s smallest camera. Of course, Machete probably could’ve saved the day his way , but it wouldn’t have been very kid-friendly.

It’s no secret that Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are good friends, having collaborated on various projects. That’s not the only link these two filmmakers share, however. In Spielberg’s “E.T.,” the titular extra-terrestrial has a close encounter with a child dressed as Yoda on Halloween. E.T. is drawn to the fellow alien, assuming he’s from “home.” Did you ever consider that maybe E.T. knows Yoda personally, though? When Lucas made “The Phantom Menace” decades later, he incorporated an awesome Easter egg with a few members of E.T.’s alien race at the Galactic Senate. Could this mean that E.T. used the Force to heal wounds and make bicycles fly?

“Collateral” is a crime thriller grounded in gritty realism. The “Transporter” franchise is an unabashedly over-the-top action romp that takes physics to cartoonishly flexible places. There are a couple things these very different films have in common, though. Both have car chases and both feature appearances from Jason Statham. The English actor takes center stage as Frank Martin in “The Transporter” movies, but merely makes a cameo in “Collateral” as an unnamed man who drops off a bag at an airport. Given their similar line of work, it’s widely believed that the “Airport Man” and Frank Martin are one in the same. Martin certainly seems like the type who would do business with hitman Vincent.

Coming out three years after “Jaws,” “Piranha” aimed to cash in on the swimming predator trend, albeit with a satirical approach. 2010’s “Piranha 3D” served as a remake of its 1978 predecessor with the return of a familiar face. In the film, Richard Dreyfuss plays Matt Boyd, who quickly meets a watery grave. This fisherman shares the same first name as Dreyfuss’ character from “Jaws,” Matt Hooper. Coincidence? Not according to Dreyfuss, who claims this character is an older Matt Hooper, “who escaped being eaten by the shark and is now eaten by a bunch of piranha fish.” Honestly, we could certainly see “Piranha 3D” and “Jaws 3-D” existing in the same world.

If you watch any Pixar movie several times, you’ll start to notice a few Easter eggs popping up, such as the Pizza Planet truck. These hidden references have led many to believe that these animated features are all connected, sparking the Pixar universe theory. According to this proposed timeline, it all begins in prehistoric times with “The Good Dinosaur” and moves forward in admittedly convoluted fashion. It’s actually been suggested that the doors in “Monsters, Inc.” are gateways to different time periods. Some have even argued that the witch from “Brave” is an older version of Boo, who got lost in time looking for her old pal Sulley.

While it’s hard to nail down an exact timeline that everyone can agree on, Disney’s animated classics have inspired numerous fan theories that tie every character together. In “Hercules,” Scar pops up as a very lovely throw rug. Given the link between Zeus and Poseidon in Greek mythology, it’s also possible that Hercules and Ariel are once-removed first cousins. Speaking of “The Little Mermaid,” it’s been speculated that the sunken ship in that film belonged to Elsa and Anna’s parents, who also share a resemblance to Tarzan’s parents. “Frozen” additionally includes cameos from Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from “Tangled.” We could dive deeper into the Disney connections, but that would take all day!

With over 50 novels and over 200 short stories to his credit, few writers have a résumé as lengthy or impressive as Stephen King’s. What’s even more impressive is that many of King’s tales exist within the same multiverse. Well... that explains why Maine is overrun with killer clowns, telekinetic girls, and ancient burial grounds! King’s library of work is so vast that we don’t have nearly enough time to discuss every single connection, but “The Dark Tower” books are perhaps the most essential part of the puzzle. King stated, “Roland's world (or worlds) actually contains all the others of my making…”, and by extension this applies to the film adaptations of his works.

Big Kahuna Burger isn’t the only thing Quentin Tarantino’s movies have in common. Almost all of Tarantino’s characters exist within “the realer than real universe,” although some inhabit a “movie universe” set within it. For example, “From Dusk till Dawn” and “Kill Bill” are the kind of films the characters from “Reservoir Dogs” or “Pulp Fiction” would watch. Speaking of which, did you know that Vic and Vincent Vega are brothers? Tarantino actually once had plans to make a Vega Brothers spinoff. Donny Donowitz from “Inglourious Basterds” is also the father of Lee Donowitz from “True Romance.” So basically, whenever two of his characters share the same last name, it’s probably not a coincidence.

M. Night Shyamalan is known for twist endings and “Split” included one of his best to date. Viewers who did their homework might’ve known going in that this thriller shared a link to “Unbreakable,” but it remained unclear how exactly they were connected. The ad campaign marketed “Split” as a standalone movie, which is why so many were caught off-guard when Bruce Willis reprised his role as David Dunn in the final scene. Comparing the Horde to Mr. Glass, it suddenly becomes evident to the audience that they just watched a secret sequel to a film that’s over fifteen years old. In 2017, Shyamalan announced worlds would collide again in a third film entitled, “Glass.”

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1998) & “Rango” (2011)

“Out of Sight” (1998) & “Jackie Brown” (1997)

“Trading Places” (1983) & “Coming to America” (1988)

“Alien” and “Blade Runner,” are two of the greatest science fiction movies ever made, and both come from the same director, Ridley Scott. Theorists had been drawing parallels between these two movie universes for years, but it wasn’t until Scott directed “Prometheus” in 2012 that we got confirmation of their connection. In “Blade Runner,” the Tyrell Corporation develops androids known as replicants. In “Alien,” the Weyland-Yutani Corporation is largely responsible for... everything that goes wrong. The Blu-ray release of “Prometheus” revealed that Peter Weyland's mentor was basically none other than Dr. Eldon Tyrell. The idea of these companies merging might be scary for humanity, but it would be cool to see Ripley and Deckard team up!