John Carpenter Hints at 'The Thing' Identity, Fan Solves Mystery

One of the enduring enigmas of John Carpenter's iconic 1982 sci-fi horror film, *The Thing*, is its ambiguous ending. For the past 43 years, fans have speculated whether R.J. MacReady, portrayed by Kurt Russell, or Childs, played by Keith David, transforms into the film's central monster. Carpenter deliberately left this question unanswered—until now.

During a special 4K screening of *The Thing* at the David Geffen Theater in Los Angeles on March 22, Carpenter shared a "giant hint" with director Bong Joon Ho, revealing that a clue in the middle of the film points to who becomes The Thing at the end. In a playful twist, he added that he would disclose this secret to anyone willing to send him an undisclosed sum of money "in an envelope to my house."

Carpenter also revealed that the actors themselves were kept in the dark about the true identity of The Thing. "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 unveil his theory about the hint. Russo pointed out that MacReady learns the creature can replicate at the cellular level, advising everyone to only consume items they have personally handled. Despite this knowledge, MacReady shares his liquor with Childs at the film's end. Russo theorizes that this act suggests MacReady is The Thing, as sharing the bottle could be his way of ensuring victory. "As soon as Childs drinks from the bottle, The Thing has won," Russo argues. "It’s beaten its most skeptical, final threat."

Carpenter's film masterfully leaves these details unconfirmed, yet Russo provides additional support for 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 has indeed become The Thing. Russo further suggests that the scene where MacReady destroys The Thing might actually depict a "BETTER imitation kill a POORER imitation" to increase its chances of infiltrating society upon rescue.

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The fanbase remains divided on Russo's theory. Some are convinced by the evidence, while others believe Childs is the true monster. "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 where one stands on this theory, it's clear that Carpenter continues to captivate and engage fans decades after *The Thing*'s release, providing new insights and keeping the mystery alive.