Spoilers are ahead for Rebel Moon — Part 1: A Child of Fire.
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Summary
Sam may be the long-lost Princess Issa, who could be crucial to
Rebel Moon: Part 2
‘s ending.
Devra will join the battle against the Imperium to avenge her fallen brother.
The astral plane will figure more prominently in future franchise films.
Several prominent Rebel Moon fan theories might change the way viewers might see Zack Snyder’s sci-fi movie, all while providing compelling set-ups for Rebel Moon — Part 2: The Scargiver. Released on Netflix, Rebel Moon — Part 1: A Child of Fire centers on Kora (Sofia Boutella), an ex-Imperium soldier who decides to recruit a ragtag group of rebels after the Motherworld’s forces, led by Admiral Atticus Noble (Ed Skrein), threaten the farming colony on the moon of Veldt. Viewers learn that Balisarius (Fra Fee), a tyrant who seized control of Motherworld, orchestrated the late king’s death, with some help from his so-called “adopted” daughter, Kora.
Balisarius assumed his regent position not just because the king was slain, but because his daughter, the magical, life-giving Princess Issa, was also presumed dead.Rebel Moon’s cast of characters who form Kora’s Imperium-fighting resistance include her long-time Veldt friend Gunnar (Michiel Huisman); ex-Imperium general Titus (Djimon Hounsou); cyborg swordmaster Nemesis (Doona Bae); warrior Darrian Bloodaxe (Ray Fisher); Tarak (Staz Nair), a nobleman-turned-blacksmith; and Kai (Charlie Hunnam), a mercenary and pilot who turns on Kora’s crew. Needless to say, Rebel Moon: Part 2 has a lot of threads to tie up — and an epic battle to chronicle.
10 Sam Is Actually The Long-Lost Princess Issa
In Rebel Moon’s first part, Charlotte Maggi plays Sam, a Veldt farm girl who befriends Jimmy (voice of Anthony Hopkins), a sentient machine who once served the now-slain king. As the story goes, both of her parents vanished under mysterious circumstances, prompting the other villagers to help care for Sam. When Imperium soldiers try to assault Sam, Kora fends them off, but, ultimately, it’s Jimmy who disobeys an Imperium officer and saves Sam. Based mostly on her relationship with Jimmy, who even says Sam reminds him of the vanished princess, leading theories suggest Sam is actually Princess Issa, which will be crucial to Rebel Moon: Part 2’s ending.
9 Devra Will Join The Battle Against The Imperium
Devra Bloodaxe (Cleopatra Coleman), sister to Darrian (Fisher), leads a band of insurgents against Motherworld. Unlike her brother, however, Devra isn’t interested in joining Kora’s rebel cell. Although Devra and Darrian agree about fighting back, they don’t see eye-to-eye on the how. Darrian agrees to defend the village, while the ever-practical Devra maintains that fighting Noble’s dreadnought is a waste of their limited resources. Since Darrian sacrifices himself in the movie’s final battle, it seems pretty much guaranteed that Devra will put down her logic-driven side and fight alongside Kora to avenge her fallen brother in Rebel Moon: Part 2.
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8 Kora Faked Princess Issa’s Death To Protect Her
Even by Rebel Moon’s ending, Kora’s past remains something of a mystery. As a child, Kora’s watched Balisarius slaughter her family (and everyone on her home planet), only to become his “adoptive daughter,” Arthelais. Indoctrinated by the power-hungry Balisarius and trained as a member of the Imperium, Kora eventually became a member of the royal guard tasked with protecting Princess Issa. That said, it’s heavily implied that Kora was a crucial part of Balisarius’ scheme to kill the king and his heir. It’s possible, however, that Kora secretly saved Issa (especially if Sam is Issa), who was prophesied to bring peace to the galaxy.
7 Army Of The Dead’s Sequel Will Set Up Rebel Moon
Early fan theories posited that Rebel Moon’s Motherworld connected to another Snyder franchise, Army of the Dead. Recently, Snyder confirmed that Army of the Dead: Las Vegas, an unfinished animated tie-in that boasts dimension-hopping portals, features a character who also appears in Rebel Moon’s bar scene — a link that the director says makes, “definitely a shared universe.” That said, it would be interesting for Rebel Moon: Part 2 to explore that connection more explicitly. For starters, did humans leave Army of the Dead’s zombie-infested Earth to colonize what would become Rebel Moon’s universe? Perhaps that’s something the Scribes could reveal.
6 Ray Fisher’s Darrian Bloodaxe Will Be Resurrected
Actor Ray Fisher previously worked with Zack Snyder on Justice League, in which he played DC Comics’ Cyborg/Victor Stone. In Rebel Moon-related interviews, Fisher has praised Snyder and clearly loves their collaborations — they’re a welcome relief in the wake of Joss Whedon’s abusive, unprofessional behavior on the set of Justice League. Although Fisher’s Rebel Moon character sacrifices himself in the movie’s climatic, slow-motion-stuffed final battle, it seems unlikely that a Snyder-Fisher collaboration would yield such a small part for the actor. Based on that factor (and Rebel Moon’s other resurrection plotline), it seems likely that some form of Darrian will return in the sequel.
5 Princess Issa’s Spirit Literally Lives On In Jimmy The Robot
The most clear-cut evidence in the Sam-is-Issa theory happens when the farm girl first meets Jimmy. During the invasion of Veldt by Imperium forces, Sam makes a daisy chain for a wayward Jimmy — and it looks an awful lot like a crown. When she touches Jimmy, his faceplate glows, indicating that Sam has unlocked something. Jimmy says Sam reminds him of Princess Issa, his former charge. The robot also says that for him and his fellow mechanical soldiers, “our compassion, our kindness, our very joy, died with [Issa],” though Sam tells the robot that spirit “lives in [him].”
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Gifted with the ability to bestow life, Issa would supposedly usher in a new era of peace and be reborn across generations, though it’s unclear if she really was assassinated during her coronation as part of Balisarius’ coup. Since Jimmy protected Issa with “everything that dwells inside this metal skin,” it’d be an interesting turn of events for Jimmy to literally carry on Issa’s spirit. As of Part 1, the Imperium’s technology hasn’t been fully explained, and it could function with the help of some fantastical elements. Plus, Jimmy toting around some form of the princess would be a fun reference to R2-D2’s Princess Leia recording in Star Wars.
4 The Astral Plane Is Connected To Issa’s Abilities
If Sam isn’t literally Princess Issa as an adult, it’s possible she’s been reborn as Sam, as Jimmy suggested. Since Princess Issa, known as “the Redeemer” in stories, has the ability to bestow life on other beings, it’s possible this power is the crux of her own rebirth. In Rebel Moon: Part 1, viewers learn a little bit about the astral plane, a dream-like world that can be accessed by the technology of the interdimensional beings known as Kali. While Motherworld elites like Noble and Balisarius use the astral plane to communicate, the fantastical realm may be linked to Princess Issa’s powers (and her potential reincarnation).
3 Kora & The Rebels Will Train Veldt’s Villagers To Fight Back
Zack Snyder has been pretty open about his Rebel Moon inspirations: Star Wars and the films of Akira Kurosawa — namely Seven Samurai. Kurosawa’s 1954 epic sees a group of samurai-for-hire, and the desperate farmers who enlisted them, protecting a village from crop-stealing bandits. Rebel Moon’s Veldt very clearly takes inspiration from Seven Samurai’s farming village, though Snyder’s movie trades bandits for a universe-controlling army. Needless to say, if Snyder continues to follow Kurosawa’s formula, Kora and her fellow rebels will help train the Veldt’s villagers to fight back against the Imperium.
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2 Noble’s “This Is Perfect” Line Carries A Deeper Meaning
Working for Regent Balisarius to expand his influence over the galaxy, Atticus Noble is the first Rebel Moon’s primary antagonist. Unflinchingly cruel, Noble fights Kora in the film’s climactic final battle, only to be left for dead by the ex-soldier. A cyborg of sorts, Noble’s brain has been augmented by Kali technology, allowing him to access the astral plane. Although it’s unclear what other abilities the interdimentional beings’ tech bestowed on him, Noble may have more insight into how the Regent’s scheme will unfold. His “This is perfect” line to Kora might be a throwaway battlefield comment, but it could also mean Kora’s played right into his hand.
1 Rebel Moon Is Actually Set In The Warhammer 40,000 Universe
One Rebel Moon fan theory suggests that Snyder’s space opera does more than pay its respects to Warhammer 40,000 — the most popular miniature war game in the world. Funnily enough, Henry Cavill, who played Clark Kent/Superman in Snyder’s Justice League, is set to star in an upcoming Warhammer adaptation, but that’s not the only reason theorists are intrigued. From a character named Belisarius to a MacGuffin called “The Mechanicum,” Rebel Moon lifts concepts and lore straight from Warhammer 40K, prompting some to believe the two franchises share a universe.