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The Best Theories About How 'Mr. Robot' Will Finally End

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Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson and Christian Slater as Mr. Robot in Mr. Robot
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To viewers, it's always been unclear where Elliot's journey on Mr. Robot will lead. But as creator Sam Esmail recently told Vulture, he's known exactly how Mr. Robot will end from the beginning. Fans have long speculated about what this might look like, but Season 4 alone has debunked a number of previous theories about the Mr. Robot series finale. In just the first five episodes, both Angela and Tyrell died, and it was revealed that Elliot has a third identity.

There are still seven episodes left in the season, which means that there will likely be a lot more twists to come (and a lot more theories to be debunked). But while star Rami Malek has been understandably coy about what's ahead, he's promised the ending will be satisfying. "I think it's going to come to a phenomenal end, but I obviously can't say how," he said at a Mr. Robot panel during the Tribeca Film Festival, per Deadline. Malek had previously told Entertainment Tonight his "mouth was agape" after Esmail told him how the season ended, "so it's going to be a very, very, climatic ending."

If it made Malek's jaw drop, it seems unlikely that viewers at home are going to be able to correctly predict how things will play out. But that isn't stopping them from trying.

Back To The Very Beginning

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Because time is a major part of Mr. Robot, Reddit user internetrando12 suggested the ending will put Elliot right back where he started: at AllSafe with no memory of his Mr. Robot identity or Darlene being his sister. To back this up, internetrando12 pointed to the fact that Mr. Robot had once talked about "our infinite loop of insanity," which could hint the finale will take Elliot back to the beginning of that loop. Whether that means everything else we've seen play out onscreen actually happened isn't clear, but this seems like an appropriately surreal ending for the series. And maybe Whiterose's machine will be what resets the timeline...

Whiterose's Machine Will Take Them To The Past

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Theories about time travel and time manipulation are tricky, since Esmail has been hesitant to label Mr. Robot a sci-fi show in interviews. But Whiterose's machine is still a major mystery that needs to be solved before the series ends, and she claimed back in Season 1 that she can "hack time." As such, binarydissent wondered on Reddit if the machine will allow Whiterose to go back in time to communicate with her old self. If that's the case, Elliot could go back in time to communicate with his dead father Edward.

Elliot Will Stop Whiterose From Destroying Other Realities

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Perhaps Whiterose can't travel back in time, but can instead visit alternate realities. Another theory from Redditor binarydissent suggests Whiterose wants to get to a reality in which her lover didn't die, and will destroy the current reality and those in it in the process. When Elliot discovers Whiterose's plan, he could stop her by somehow working with his father — which might explain the accident at the Washington Township power plant. This theory is a bit out there, but maybe that's why Malek's mouth was "agape" upon hearing about the finale.

The Machine Will Bring People Back

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If you aren't sold on the idea of alternate realities or time jumps, Redditor GodsGardeners theorized that Whiterose's machine may be able to rebuild people. That way, she could bring back people from the dead like her old lover, Angela's mom, or even Angela herself. How Elliot would put a stop to this isn't discussed in this theory — and maybe he wouldn't want to stop it if it could mean the return of people like Angela and his dad. But it's a slightly different interpretation of the Whiterose machine theories.

Price Will Land On Top

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Elliot was attempting to do a good thing with the 5/9 Hack, but Redditor redithell3 thinks he'll face a reckoning for all the destruction he caused. The user theorized that Elliot will take down Whiterose, but that Price will assume the leadership position in E Corp, going back to the status quo.

Esmail's recent interview with Vulture hints this could be a possibility. "I don't think you can just take down one Big Bad that's gonna rule them all and then the world is a better place," Esmail said.

Whiterose Will Best Elliot

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It's also possible Elliot won't defeat Whiterose. In light of Tyrell's suspicious death, 7h3_W1z4rd theorized on Reddit that it was a scheme by Whiterose to set up Elliot. To the public, Tyrell was a beloved leader in E Corp, and Elliot was the last person to see him alive. Maybe Elliot will be framed for Tyrell's murder and forced to take the blame for the 5/9 Hack. (Although, that doesn't sound like the satisfying conclusion Malek promised).

The Third Identity Is The Person Behind The Mask

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Many theories about the "other one" wonder if existing characters or even the audience could be Elliot's third identity, and one Redditor suggested the identity has been hidden behind the F-society mask this whole time. That doesn't truly answer who he/she is, but don't worry — Esmail confirmed to Vulture that Elliot's third identity will be revealed by the end of the season. So whoever they are, expect them to play a large part in the finale.

For now, it seems the ending will come down to Whiterose's machine and Elliot's third identity — but be prepared for these theories to shift depending what else Esmail has up his sleeve.

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