M. Night Shyamalan has brought some notable horror and thriller movies, among them the Unbreakable trilogy, and one theory connects this to Shyamalan’s biggest horror hit to date. The movies of M. Night Shyamalan have explored different genres, always with his peculiar narrative style that has stood out (for good and bad) for his use of plot twists. Among Shyamalan’s works is the Unbreakable trilogy, formed by Unbreakable, Split, and Glᴀss, which mix thriller, psychological horror, and superheroes, though not the typical type.
Unbreakable introduced David Dunn (Bruce Willis), the only survivor of a train crash who now works as a security guard. Dunn met Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson) a man with a rare disease that rendered his bones extremely fragile, and who explained his theory of real-life superheroes. Unbreakable was followed by Split, which introduced Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with dissociative idenтιтy disorder who has committed many crimes. All of them came together in Glᴀss, thus closing the trilogy, and though it’s a world of its own, a theory has now linked it to The Sixth Sense.
The Sixth Sense’s Cole Created The Unbreakable Trilogy – Theory Explained
The Unbreakable Trilogy Comes From Cole Sear’s Imagination
M. Night Shyamalan made his directorial debut in 1992 with Praying with Anger, but he became widely known in 1999 thanks to The Sixth Sense. Also written by Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense follows Malcolm Crowe (Willis), a child psychologist who starts working with nine-year-old Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), who confides in him that he can see ᴅᴇᴀᴅ people. The Sixth Sense has one of the best plot twists of the decade, and it was a critical and commercial success, quickly establishing Shyamalan as a horror and thriller filmmaker.
The theory says that Cole created the Unbreakable universe as a comic book, as The Sixth Sense established that he was a very creative and imaginative kid.
Now, although The Sixth Sense is its own world and doesn’t connect to other Shyamalan movies, a Reddit theory suggests it’s the source of the Unbreakable trilogy. The theory says that Cole created the Unbreakable universe as a comic book, as The Sixth Sense established that he was a very creative and imaginative kid. The character of David Dunn looked exactly like Dr. Malcolm because Cole saw him as a hero, as he was the doctor who actually helped him with his very special skill. This is why Bruce Willis plays both Dr. Malcolm and David Dunn.
As for the rest of the characters in the Unbreakable trilogy, Cole created them based on the ghosts he had met and the stories they shared with him. Although there’s nothing in The Sixth Sense nor any of the movies in the Unbreakable trilogy that can actually support this theory, it gives a fun connection to Willis’ characters and a “connected universe” vibe to Shyamalan’s works.
Could The Sixth Sense’s Cole Have Been Superpowered, Too?
Maybe Cole’s Special Skill Was Actually A Superpower
Cole had enough imagination to create a superhero world like that of the Unbreakable trilogy, but another theory claims that he could have been superpowered himself. Cole’s skill is seeing ᴅᴇᴀᴅ people, interacting, and communicating with them, which, to one Reddit user, falls into the realm of “mediums.” With this in mind, the same user suggests Cole might have been superpowered himself, which would mean that, instead of creating the world of Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense is part of it.
Cole’s superpower is seeing ᴅᴇᴀᴅ people, which he even uses to solve a murder – that of Kyra (Mischa Barton), who had been secretly poisoned by her stepmother. Of course, The Sixth Sense being set in the same universe as the Unbreakable movies creates another problem with Bruce Willis’ characters. At the end of The Sixth Sense, Malcolm is revealed to be a ghost, too, but he finally manages to cross over, so Malcolm and Dunn wouldn’t cross paths, yet it’s strange that they look the exact same.
The Sixth Sense Might Not Be Linked To Unbreakable – But This Other Shyamalan Movie Might Be
It Might Have Sneakily Introduced Another Superpowered Character
It’s unlikely The Sixth Sense is linked to the Unbreakable universe as there aren’t any indicators of this in any of the movies, but another Shyamalan movie might have a connection to it. Another Reddit user found that Trap’s Cooper (Josh Hartnett) could be superpowered like Dunn. Cooper’s superpower would be resistance, and this is based on the scene when the SWAT team arrives at his home and tases him to incapacitate him. Despite already being drugged, Cooper stands strong and attacks some of the officers, and it’s not until he’s tased again that he finally falls.
Trap could be placed after Glᴀss in the Unbreakable timeline, which would explain why there’s no mention of Cooper’s superhuman resistance and strength, as at the end of Glᴀss, the existence of superhumans was exposed. Whether Trap could truly be part of the Unbreakable universe or not is unknown, and it’s up to every viewer to decide if Cole could have created Dunn, Elijah, and Kevin or not.
Source: Reddit.
