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It's been 43 years since legendary director John Carpenter’s The Thing hit screens, but the mystery behind which character turns into the fearsome monster has remained shrouded in secrecy, until now. And one fan has worked it out.
At a special 4K screening of The Thing at David Geffen Theater on March 22, Carpenter revealed that a scene in the middle of the movie reveals whether Kurt Russell’s R.J. MacReady or Keith David’s Childs is The Thing. "I think I found that hint," said Joe Russo (a film fan not the Marvel director) on Twitter.
As pointed out by Russo, MacReady is informed that The Thing can replicate at the cellular level, so to be safe they should only drink and eat what they have prepared themselves. Despite the warning, toward the end of the movie, MacReady shares a bottle of liquor with Childs, which could mean that he is either rather forgetful or he is, in fact, The Thing. "As soon as Childs drinks from the bottle, The Thing has won. It’s beaten its most skeptical, final threat," says Russo. Check out the post below.
John Carpenter told Bong Joon Ho (and everyone at the David Geffen Theater) there’s a hint in the middle of THE THING that reveals whether MacReady or Childs is The Thing by the end of the movie and… I think I found that hint.*spoilers for a 43 year old movie below* pic.twitter.com/jdTZzlXCkEMarch 23, 2025
Of course, the movie ends before this can be confirmed. But it is quite interesting that the last line in the film is MacReady saying, "Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens?" Russo goes even further to prove his point adding that although we do see MacReady kill The Thing, he thinks we saw "a BETTER imitation kill a POORER imitation because it had a better chance of infiltrating society upon rescue."
Of course, some fans are still a little skeptical as one Twitter user responded, "Childs was infected. You can’t see any breath from him in the cold air, but you can see MacReady’s breath." And another said, "I still think it’s Childs because we don’t know his whereabouts for a long time heading into the final scene. But Keith David will tell you he’s 100% not the thing," to which Russo replied, "Carpenter said both actors don't know... Childs always felt like a red herring to me."
Whether you believe the theory or not, you have to admit that Carpenter’s little hint and Russo’s findings make sense. But who knows, maybe the horror director has thrown us yet another red herring.
The Thing is available to watch on MGM Plus in the US and on Prime Video in the UK. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or keep up with the most exciting upcoming horror movies.
