Recently, the moderation team has noticed an uptick in violations of our subreddit rules. Due to this, we decided to create and pin a thread with an overview of the rules. Please read them before posting or commenting. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via modmail.
Rule #1: Don't be a jerk.
This shouldn't be a difficult thing to understand, but some people have problems separating their feelings for a user, and what that user has posted.
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Bigotry of any form, whether it be racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sectarianism, etc...will not be tolerated on .
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It's okay to dislike a theory, but you must offer constructive criticism, instead of being outright insulting. Criticism for the sole purpose of insulting the OP is not allowed on the subreddit.
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It is NOT okay to call someone names because they don't agree with you. This includes calling them variations of "dumb", or suggesting they are mentally unwell.
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Brigading is absolutely not allowed. If you have a personal problem with a user, and have followed them onto this subreddit to harass them, then you will be permanently banned. We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and brigading on .
Please note that moderators cannot do anything about people who are harassing you via PM. You must contact site admins, and use the report function, if that happens.
It should go without saying, but please also make sure to read the whole theory before commenting. This helps to avoid any possible altercations, arguments, or misunderstandings in the comments.
Rule #2: Please provide evidence.
Evidence makes for a good theory, and evidence will be judged at the discretion of the mods. (Most posts usually meet this rule already.) We typically accept posts if they have at least 1-3 paragraphs' worth of evidence. Anything that is just one to a few sentences will be removed.
Rule #3: Theories must be about creative works.
TV shows, movies, video games, anime, comic books, novels and even songs are things we like to see, but events pertaining to real life are not. This also includes politics, religion, and talking about real-life events related to a creative work - such as development - rather than the creative work itself.
We also currently do not allow any theories about real-life people that are unrelated to a fictional work, such as speculation about celebrities, historical figures, and other people of public interest. However, if your theory is related to a real-life person within the in-universe canon, scope, or world of a fictional work - for example, "[Marvel] Stan Lee also exists in the MCU universe" - we do allow that.
Rule #4: Tag all spoilers.
Please do not include spoilers in the title of your posts, be as vague as possible. And for posts that are not marked with the spoiler flair, please use spoiler tags in the comment section:
[Spoiler Text Here!](#spoiler)
Rule #5: Add the media name to your title before posting.
Whether it's the name of the movie, show or video game, please tell us what you're talking about by putting the name in the title. Flairing your post is not enough.
Title formatting examples:
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"[The Matrix] Neo wasn't really the 'The One'" (Flair: FanTheory)
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"[Star Wars] Anakin wasn't really 'The Chosen One'" (Flair: Star Wars)
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"[The Batman] Speculation about what Batman will do next" (Flair: Marvel/DC + Spoiler tag)
Rule #6: No low-effort posts.
Low-effort posts include submissions that are just a title, posts that are joke/meme related or those with no evidence in them. For joke theories, please see .
We also do not take too kindly to reposts or stolen content, either. If you have copied and pasted a theory or article from elsewhere, or itself, you must make it abundantly clear that the idea belongs to someone else, and give them full credit.
Rule #7: High Volume Topic Standards
Topics we receive a large number of submissions about will be subject to higher-quality standards than other posts. We ask for at least 1-2 paragraphs of writing about your theory, and at least one specific citation - or piece of evidence - from the work the theory is based on.
Subjects that commonly fall under this rule include blockbuster series, like Marvel and Star Wars, and theory ideas that caught on, like "purgatory" theories.
Rule #8: All posts with an external link must have a write-up.
If the theory or speculation was originally in video format, such as YouTube, or found on another website, you must provide a write-up to explain the theory, including evidence. People shouldn't have to leave the sub to know what your theory is.
Rule #9: Unapproved advertising on the subreddit is not allowed.
Whether you want to promote your podcast, YouTube channel, blog, or another subreddit, we do ask that you contact the mod team via mod mail before you post. We are more likely to turn you down if it is not fan theory or speculation-related.
Rule #10: Posts must be flaired.
We ask that you flair your post based on these criteria:
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FanTheory - A theory regarding past or present works.
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FanSpeculation - A theory speculating the contents of future works.
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Marvel/DC - All works related to Marvel/DC content, MCU, video games, and comics.
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Star Wars - All works related the Star Wars franchise.
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Confirmed - Existing theories which have turned out to be right, but must be backed up with supporting external evidence.
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Meta - Posts regarding the subreddit itself.
If you do not add a flair to your post, one will be added for you by a moderator.