The following contains spoilers for Mickey 17, now playing in theatersMickey 17 introduces the Expendable Program as the means of constantly creating multiple new versions of the same person. Robert Pattinson stars in Mickey 17 as the тιтular Mickey Barnes. The film largely focuses on the seventeenth version of Mickey, who has been cloned from the original. The original (as well as over a dozen subsequent copies) were killed while fulfilling several roles for the settlement of world of Nilfheim. Treated as a guinea pig for experiments and research purposes. Mickey Barnes is just one of characters from Mickey 17 who suffers under the grim circumstances of Kenneth Marshall’s rule.

Mickey 17 does occasionally delve into the history of Bong Joon-ho’s latest satire of modern society, revealing why the technology behind cloning is considered controversial in-universe and the caveats that certain figures have been forced to adhere to while using it. It’s also key to the film’s thematic throughline and dark comedy, allowing Mickey (and the audience) to learn a powerful lesson while also going through some pitch-dark comedy. Here is how cloning and Multiples work in the world of Mickey 17 and how it impacts the film’s ending.

The Origin Of The Expendable Program & Multiples

The Expendable Program Is Central To Mickey 17‘s Future

The Expendable Program that utilizes cloning is key to the plot of Mickey 17 and is a major element of the film’s thematic throughline. In the futuristic world of Mickey 17, a form of cloning has been perfected that allows for potentially limitless iterations of the same person to be made using a machine. The exact beginnings of the process aren’t explored fully, except that it was a controversial process on Earth that raised several spiritual debates in society. Eventually, the process was made illegal on Earth but allowed to continue off-world while humanity spread to the stars.

As a result, the Expendables Program became a key means of colonizing other worlds. Instead of risking the lives of several different crew members, a single person (like Mickey Barnes) can be killed in the line of duty and then quickly reborn through the cloning machine. However, there are strict rules in place to prevent several clones of the same person from being active at the same time. Dubbed “Multiples,” these duplicates are considered highly illegal and discovery of their existence is punishable by death and erasure of the digital copy of their brains.

How Multiples Are Created Through The Expendable Program In Mickey 17

There’s Only Supposed To Be One Mickey Alive At Any Given Time

As established early in Mickey 17, the cloning process behind the Expendable Program uses various forms of waste from the ship and processes it through an intense incinerator. The matter is then fed into a machine, which had previously been given copies of Mickey’s DNA from which it can print a new body. Mickey’s mind and memories are then restored via a mental download and are kept in a large external storage device.

The process seems to be fairly automatic by the events of the film, with the staff of scientists and doctors working on the various Mickey clones often ignoring the creation of new copies. It’s intended for each clone to be made only in the event of the prior Mickey’s death, preventing the accidental creation of Multiples. However, Mickey’s friend Timo mistakenly reports Mickey 17’s death when in reality Mickey survives his encounter with the Creepers. While Mickey makes his way back to the ship, Mickey 18 is created to replace him, highlighting how quickly the process actually works.

Multiples Can Be Different Despite Being The Same Person

Mickey 17 And Mickey 18 Have Unique Views On The Same Memories & Respond To Danger Differently

One of the more interesting reveals about the cloning process is the way that the copies aren’t exactly the same. While they are complete physical copies of one another that share memories and experiences, it seems that the various clones are created with different elements of their psyche more pronounced than others. Mickey 17 is a fairly meek individual who is easy to push around and constantly seeks compromise over conflict. By contrast, Mickey 18 is a far more confrontational and confident figure, who actively tries to kill multiple people even beyond Mickey 17.

Mickey 17 also mentions that other versions of him were similarly different, including a particularly whiny version who died many copies ago. There’s no clear explanation as to why this happens or what dictates which traits become more pronounced, but it serves an important storytelling purpose. It keeps the multiple Mickeys from feeling repeтιтive, and showcases what Mickey 17 can learn from his darker variant without losing the gentler side of his personality. It also highlights that even the various clones of the same person were their own people who were lost forever when they died.

Why Multiple Are Illegal In Mickey 17

A Trio Of Cloned Serial Killers Made Clones Illegal On Earth