Christopher Nolan’s Inception isn’t safe from all types of theories, and one that has been around for years completely changes the movie and, surprisingly, makes a lot of sense. Christopher Nolan’s movies often address the same topics, which have been key to establishing his narrative style, and in 2010, he mixed the topics of time, memory, and idenтιтy with the complexity of dreams in Inception. Inception was a critical and commercial success, but it left some unanswered questions that, along with many details throughout the movie, have made way for various theories.

Inception introduces Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a thief who specializes in dreams. Cobb puts together a team to infiltrate the dreams of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) and implant an idea into his mind, a process called “inception.” This is part of a deal between Cobb and Saito (Ben Watanabe), and if he succeeds, he will finally be able to return to the United States and reunite with his children. However, there’s one theory that completely changes Cobb’s story, while also solving the biggest mystery of the ending of Inception.

Cobb May Have Been The Target Of The Inception, Not Robert Fischer

The Inception Plan Might Have Been More Complex Than It Seemed

Throughout Inception, Cobb is tormented by the memory of his deceased wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard). Cobb and Mal used to work together to infiltrate dreams, but one of their experiments with dream-sharing and Limbo went wrong. When they woke up, Mal thought she was still dreaming, and in an effort to “wake up”, she jumped from a high building and tried to convince Cobb to do the same. Mal framed Cobb for her death, forcing him to flee the country and leaving his two young children behind.

Because of this, Cobb was haunted by Mal in his subconscious, which often interfered with his work. Now, a popular Inception theory suggests that Fischer wasn’t the real target of the inception mission, and, instead, it was Cobb. Seeing how much the guilt over Mal’s death had been affecting Cobb for years and had kept him apart from his children, his father-in-law, Miles (Michael Caine), orchestrated the entire inception operation to make it look like Fischer was the target when it was actually Cobb.

The point of performing inception on Cobb is to help him let go of his guilt and for the memory of Mal to stop haunting him in the deepest parts of his mind. The theory is supported by the line “Do you want to become an old man, filled with regrets, waiting to die alone”, which is said to Cobb at different points throughout Inception. The theory (as shared by WhatCulture) says this phrase was part of the plan as it had to be memorized by Cobb, very much like an idea, so he would let go.

Ariadne (Elliot Page) was key to Miles’ plan, as she went to the depths of Cobb’s guilt and pain and even confronted Mal herself. Ariadne was the architect of the group, so she knew how to get to the deepest levels of Cobb’s mind. Fischer, of course, was also a key element as it was all set up to look as if he was the one whose subconscious was going to be infiltrated, all so Cobb wouldn’t notice what was truly going on.

Cobb Being The Target Completely Changes How You See Inception

Inception Takes A Wild Turn Thanks To This Theory

If Cobb was the real target of the whole inception plan, it completely changes how you see the entire movie. Surely, Cobb’s grief and trauma is a big topic throughout Inception, but the theory also adds a layer of family story to it. Miles orchestrating the whole thing makes it a family story, and there’s also the fact that Cobb’s entire team agreed to do it, as they were pretty much their second family. Of course, the entire operation takes a different meaning, and it goes to show that the subconscious mind is a lot more complex than initially thought.

The deepest part of Cobb’s mind was very difficult to access, yet Ariadne was able to break into it, though not without many, many obstacles and bumps in the road. Ultimately, the entire plan succeeded, and Cobb finally broke free from his guilt and Mal’s memory, allowing him to return home, which also solves the biggest mystery in Inception’s ending.

If Cobb Was The Target, We Know What Happened At The End Of Inception

This Theory Effectively Solves Inception’s Ending Mystery

The biggest question at the end of Inception is if Cobb is still dreaming or not. Cobb was visibly shocked that he was finally able to enter the country again and reunite with his children, so much so that he had to spin Mal’s totem to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. However, as soon as he saw his kids, he forgot about the spin, with the camera zooming in on it and cutting to black before it stopped. However, if Cobb was the target of the inception operation, it ends the debate about the ending.

With Cobb now free of guilt and Mal’s memory haunting him, and finally able to return home thanks to the successful inception operation, it wouldn’t make sense for the end to be a dream – and even if he was dreaming, he would wake up to that same reality thanks to the inception. This theory gives a completely new perspective to Inception, and though it has some minor flaws, it makes a lot of sense.

Source: WhatCulture.