The enigmatic ending of John Carpenter's iconic 1982 sci-fi horror film, *The Thing*, has kept fans guessing for over four decades. The question of whether R.J. MacReady, portrayed by Kurt Russell, or Childs, played by Keith David, transforms into the film's titular monster remains unanswered—until now. At a special 4K screening of *The Thing* at the David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles on March 22, Carpenter shared with director Bong Joon Ho that there is a "giant hint" hidden in the middle of the film that reveals who ultimately becomes The Thing. In a playful twist, Carpenter added that he would disclose this secret to anyone willing to send an undisclosed sum of money "in an envelope to my house."
Carpenter also revealed that the actors were kept in the dark about their characters' fates. "They had no clue," he confessed. "But they had to play it human, you see. The creature imitates perfectly. It could be one of us, it could be somebody in the audience, and there's no way of telling. So I knew, they didn't know."
Following the screening, indie director Joe Russo (not to be confused with the MCU's Joe Russo) took to X / Twitter to share his theory about the hinted clue. Russo pointed out that MacReady learns the creature can replicate at the cellular level, meaning they should only consume items they've personally handled. Yet, at the film's end, MacReady shares his liquor with Childs. Russo theorizes that this act suggests MacReady might be The Thing, as sharing the bottle could mean the creature has won by infecting its last remaining threat. "As soon as Childs drinks from the bottle, The Thing has won," Russo asserts. "It's beaten its most skeptical, final threat."
Carpenter's genius lies in leaving the film's conclusion open-ended, but Russo provides additional evidence to support his theory. He highlights the film's final line, "Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens?" as particularly fitting if MacReady is already The Thing. Russo's thread also suggests that the scene where MacReady kills The Thing might actually show a better imitation killing a poorer one to increase its chances of infiltrating society upon rescue.
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While some fans found Russo's theory compelling, others remained convinced that Childs is the one who turns into The Thing. "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," one fan commented. Russo responded, "Carpenter said both actors don't know... Childs always felt like a red herring to me."
Regardless of which theory you subscribe to, Carpenter's ability to keep fans engaged and theorizing after all these years is a testament to his storytelling prowess. We're fortunate to continue receiving insights from this master of horror.
