The Insidious Origins of Minecraft’s Zombies | Deep Dive

[@1Woofer1]

what i found weird is, i think your explanation as to why zombies burn makes a lot of sense. but skeletons are most likely just zombies but fully decomposed, so the fungus should be dead on them, and they shouldn't be able to move. And yet, they are still able to move, and in many ways, are smarter than zombies. On top of that, they still burn, even though there is likely no more fungus on them.

[@magentacatmint6541]

My theory on that that would be that one of the two fungus species developed further than the other one. Maybe it started growing in the bones for better protection and effected especially the brain.

[@firesword9561]

Magic. The magic in the bones keep it alive.

[@QUBIQUBED]

why is my reply to a different comment appearing here? if the glitch is happening for you too sorry if I seemed rude

[@maanyasharmaii-b8371]

I think that even sun and moon contain magic as sun burns undead mobs but in night moon gives enough magic to spwn this

[@maanyasharmaii-b8371]

Skeleton are Affacted ath brown mushroom and zombie with red mushroom

[@Besitzerstolz]

I really like this theory. It makes a lot of sense to me, especially explaining the random mushrooms in the nether, which seemed quiet random.

[@timewarpdrive77]

Yeah, that was a nice touch

[@LLLadySSS]

By the way, it's quite* 😁

[@Besitzerstolz]

@@LLLadySSS thanks, I'm not a native speaker.

[@shitsquirrel9]

I think it also works really well with the theory that Creepers are walking plants/fungi that explode to spread their spores (they even have a real life counter part.) If cows, ancient builders, and piglins can all be infected with magical fungi in different ways, why couldn't Creepers be the same thing?

[@ayenpleras6456]

Yeah and thats why no undead spawns in mushroom biomes

[@plasticupkake]

so what you're saying is that the nether biomes basically have a chronology to them? start off as nether wastes, accumulate soul becoming soul sand valleys, fungus sprouts from the soul sand creating the crimson forests, these forests get warped somehow and turn into the warped forests

[@rubyeverred_]

That probably doesn't include the basalt deltas biome

[@lacavernademr.fuller7414]

basalt deltas may be the reason of the warping because if you check the ambience noises of that biome it haves a geiger counter wich could mean that radiation have warped the forest

[@icefuryanimation3352]

I think it was the endermen that caused it because they only spawn there in warped forest as I heard once "the warped forest is what happens when the nether meets the end

[@proton8689]

@@rubyeverred_ basalt is made when the soul soil and blue ice come into contact with lava. So what happened is that the soul sand decayed into soul soil due to the heat. Lowering the temperature of the nether. Meanwhile, the decaying process allowed tiny bits of soul soil to enter the air as particles. So what happened is that the lava slowly cooled and turned into the basalt

[@smokingsnake8276]

it's almost as if the nether update showed us how the nether transitioned from the lifeless stage to the fungal paradise brought by the builders

[@_Fractal]

honestly, I sometimes wonder if mojang actually thought out this lore, or if everyone is just overthinking this whole thing because this is so complex

[@themustachioedfish5988]

I think they put in stuff with the intention of the players coming up with their own lore. Heck, you could take this a step further and give each world it's own lore.

[@antonberkbigler5759]

I personally believe that mojang actually does have a very detailed and intricate lore to Minecraft, but intentionally leave things vague in game to foster the quasi-lore feel of Minecraft. So while there is an actual lore, we will never get to know it (unless we work for Mojang, and likely only then if we get high enough in the ranks and prove ourselves trustworthy).

[@goeuldi]

I think they have some kind of lore, but only for newer things they added on their own. Zombies are one of the oldest mobs in the game, added when the direction of the game wasn't even set and none of the mechanics discussed in this video even existed. So I think Notch just added them because he needed hostile entities and Zombies were a common choice.

[@Goldfish1060]

@@goeuldi I think like someone else said that the team has some kinds of intricate lore but makes it more vague for the players and only the employees know. That would help them make the world feel more consistent. This would mean they would of retroactively added in zombies so it can fit in the game.

[@antonberkbigler5759]

@@Goldfish1060 I said that lol, unless you mean someone else

[@marcus_aurelius_5216]

Also, don't forget, that on Bedrock Edition, Large Mushrooms also grow in Swamps, just like in Dark Forests

[@TheAutisticKiwi]

Remember the giant? The bigass zombies

[@Skygoatfr]

@@TheAutisticKiwi yeah

[@mclink99]

​@@TheAutisticKiwiDon't forget about the Zombie Horse.

[@blep8895]

I really like the theory, but I only have one problem with it. Why do no hostile mobs spawn on mushroom islands though? Wouldn't you assume it would've been a hot-spot for the infection?

[@magentacatmint6541]

Mushrooms protect their host from other mushroom's. That's why the mushroom who causes the zombie virus can't spread there

[@theconspiracytheorists2719]

Maybe different species

[@kookieinablanket]

The mushroom fields are very rare in normal seed, they are also always surrounded by water and don't really have nether portals (sometimes they do but finding them is hard) the mushroom fields also don't have alot of resources, so the ancient builders just left the islands alone It's safe to say ancient builders didn't really have a reason to visit the fields and their infected counterpart couldn't travel hundreds of blocks

[@鿰鿰鿰鿰]

12:52 I would like to point out that this quote might suggest that some fungi in the minecraft world might counteract the each other

[@the4tierbridge]

Do not question the Magic Mushrooms.

[@graysenm1320]

Love the channel man. You’d think after 10 years we’d all be over this game however it’s the exact opposite.

[@kuroanimates]

Especially since new mobs will always get introduced to us.

[@yubear420]

Minecraft is the best thing that has ever happened in gaming.

[@Fusionbluntmam]

@@yubear420 yep

[@SMon42]

Like skyrim!

[@feind14]

@@yubear420 yeah imagine if they stop updating it though...

[@natqevalhiindisguise141]

Regarding the fungus catching fire in the sun, something doesn’t add up. First off, we can probably establish that zombies do *literally* burn in the sun, as the player will catch fire as well if attacked by a burning zombie. (An alternate theory would be that the fungus doesn’t start a fire but just gets roasted by the sun’s heat, but there’s definitely a fire.) Because of this, I’d assume that the sun coming out kickstarts a fire by being the third element of the fungus’s stoichiometric ratio: -Oxygen (the air) -Fuel (the fungus with potential to be oxidized into ash by a chemical reaction) -Heat (the sun) But if the heat is the missing link here, why doesn’t the fungus just combust while in its home dimension of the Nether? The whole place has heat in abundance! Maybe the Nether has a slightly lower oxygen saturation? Things usually not thought of as flammable *definitely become* flammable when the percentage of oxygen is cranked up, so maybe the Nether has more carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from things burning constantly. (And also there isn’t plant life, so the rate at which CO2 gets processed to O2 is probably sluggish in the Nether ecosystem.)

[@hunter_does_art]

Thats a good theory! After all, the render distance in the Nether is reduced and replaced with a red tint rather than a blue one, maybe insisting a thicker atmosphere. Plus, have you been to Basalt biomes? They have all sorts of debris in the air.

[@hoopitydoopity]

@@hunter_does_art also the basalte biome has Geiger counter sounds in its background ambiance, so that's maybe a basis for another theory as to where the hell did the radiation come from, also also there may be an explanation for crimson forests but there's non for warped forests so maybe it was the radiation that warped it...? But there's also no explanation as to why endermen would prefer a radiation infected forest as a home instead of the (relatively) safer parts of the neither so do take my theory with a grain of salt

[@W4rgalactic]

i think it may be the O2 plus the flesh of the overworld zombies, theyr flesh might the thing actually helping everything actually burn, while the flesh of nether mobs is already adapted to heat

[@Beroka5]

You fail to consider that the fungus that infected the ancient builders, normal fungus, nether warts, giant fungus are all different species and react differently to the sun, as fungi in real life love damp and warm environments, nice theory tho

[@gabeseyfriedcomradeinarmsm8332]

Since when did the player catch fire from being attacked by a burning zombie?

[@ClipperMcflipper]

Hey Retro, Do you think you could do a deep dive on the Stray? I don’t believe a theory video has been made on the snowy tundra mob. It would be pretty interesting to see you analyze it.

[@averagegamer6912]

Yes.

[@broken_spine2644]

Yuh

[@jjprs3062]

I don't think there is that much to talk about with the stray. It's just simply a variation of the normal skeleton. What would be cool to talk about is the origin of the skeleton. That also covers the stray.

[@polishhussarmapping258]

Yes

[@kirbnotkirby1999]

@@jjprs3062 good point

[@mixtheory1412]

Another Theory: skulk in the 1.19 update is actually fungus, just not mushrooms, they spread on places we’re mobs died and the amount is depended on the experience energy, they’re also not green

[@clericwhomakes]

He will tackle that next year or a snapshot Because he needs to know more and connect everything

[@jacobwilks9204]

@@clericwhomakes I'm hyped for that video tho.

[@Feu_Ghost]

It is kindna shiny with blue, like soul energy no ?

[@mixtheory1412]

@@Feu_Ghost yes, maybe due to it dropping exp when broken, and energy being able to change forms, perhaps the soul energy gets converted to exp energy when killed, skulk can grow there and uses exp energy by converting back to soul energy, then when we break it, it gets converted back to exp energy when the soul energy is released again

[@faithfine1315]

Yeah since I just now watched this I started seeing how the sculk and warden could possibly all connect to this. I’m so excited for that video if there is/will be one!

[@SwixDom]

This guy deserves SO much more attention

[@stikbot101Official]

Your pfp better not give me bad luck

[@Zaalfaald]

“Join the legion”

[@stikbot101Official]

@@Zaalfaald NEVER

[@prajnapal-lad278]

Agreed

[@chasethemaster3440]

Facts

[@Gamer_Dylan_6]

I feel like with skulk coming in the next year, this theory is only going to become more lore important. It seems like the skulk may be some kind of fungus, and not only does it create life, but it stores the energy of dead mobs and causes magical effects. If we see something in the wild update like a skulk mushroom that part of the theory is basically confirmed.

[@patrioticmink74]

skulk may be a super charged fungus cause fungus feeds off dead matter and in minecraft xp is kinda like souls or magic residue of the living. and having a fungus specialized on soul stealing and feeding magic or souls to spread is coked af

[@OGrupxe]

Plus the Warden appears to be a fungal abomination that basically radiates it's connection to souls

[@geeworm]

this. the warden was described to be a creature being consumed by decomposition and some sort of infection during its development so this really is starting to come together now. the real villain of minecraft was hiding in plain sight all along; shrooms.

[@frandurrieu6477]

Maybe it is a fungus that can take energy from surrounding living beings but without infecting them making it a lot more powerful since people wouldn't fear them as they are inconspicuous and the wardens would be like a being that consumed/ was affected so much by skulks that it took control over their body and now empowered by the fungus it serves as a servant of the fungus dedicated to bringing it more energy and helping it spread

[@jacobwilks9204]

@@geeworm the warden looks like it's made of skulk blocks. The chest that people think is bones to me looks like it's a skulk trap (if you look it up, it's a skulk block that looks like the Wardens chest with no souls). I think the warden is a type of golem made with skulk blocks (that doesn't protect anything). Edit: Nevermind, I am now convinced that skulk is fungus.

[@stacavacat6172]

I loved the intro! I know these videos are hard to make, so because of that, since you don’t post often, but when you do, it lights up my entire week! Happy thanksgiving, if you celebrate.

[@mf6610]

I think the mushrooms having magic may be a reference to other fiction where mushrooms are commonly used as potion ingredients

[@santigabriel333]

Also psychedelics

[@fivebrosstopmos]

I don't know if the suspicous stew is really magical, rather the various flowers have strong healing or beneficial properties, or poisons like the wither rose, a rose infected with withering. It seems more like a home remedy than a magical item.

[@fivebrosstopmos]

And since potions with rarer items have stronger effects, those items could simply have those chemical buffs.

[@fivebrosstopmos]

Fungi may act as a simple a cheap to grow base, possibly as a mundane base that boosts chemical power.

[@fivebrosstopmos]

As for mooshrooms, I would say the mushrooms act as a symbiote, something that benefits both the fungus, who gets a host, and the cow gets either nothing but no harm, or something we haven't found yet.

[@shadysheep7738]

me and the boiz eating normal non magical flowers to become resistant to fire

[@andresiturra]

That could be valid for some of them (I strongly believe that spider eyes and pufferfish are not using magic to poison you), but some other flowers seem to contradict this. For example fire resistance blindness (which in itself is not magical, but probably is in this case considering it only lasts for 4 seconds) 4sec night vision, jump boost (are the flowers specifically improving yourmuscles for 4sec) and lastly the wither effect is inherently magical and clearly caused by the magical wither flower. Btw not trying to be mean, just show evidence in a(hopefully fun) discussion

[@igniteshadow2902]

RGN: "Don't take my word for it" Also RGN: Makes the most logical and impeccable theory possible. It could be false, but damn. It's a so good explanation that I really wish it's true.

[@immapotato2728]

Hey retro, I think it would be cool of you did a deep dive into the allay and the vex ! I think that would be so interesting

[@RandomGuy-qc8ml]

it would loop back to the soul energy and magic theory which he did in the past. But would be pretty cool indeed

[@lucasriddle3431]

I doubt he'll look into the allay until its actually in the game

[@immapotato2728]

@@lucasriddle3431 ya, I should have specified that he should do it when it gets added

[@birdmcturd1626]

They are 100% connected. They look very similar for one and their names are actually opposites. Allay means to relieve of sorrow or frustration or to relieve of hunger or stress. Vex means to cause sorrow or frustration. Literally the opposite. I’d be damned if they weren’t connected,I’d even go so far as to say I bet the way they spawn is we summon them somehow

[@jacobwilks9204]

@@birdmcturd1626 but what about the ghast?

[@Awenova]

One thing I think needs explaining is why piglins and hoglins immediatly get infected when they enter the overworld. If they were already infected, why is it only in the overworld that the actual transition takes place?

[@Moxalotl12]

The heat of the neather might be getting rid of the virus

[@kck-kck879]

Perhaps the excessive heat present in the Nether makes it impossible for the fungus to thrive, so when introduced to an environment with a more habitable temperature, it takes immediate effect in the Piglins.

[@ryeetbanana3505]

@@kck-kck879 Yeah I think they were already infected by a weak fungus in the nether, much weaker than the ones that infect the zoglins in the nether, but that can do much better in the cooler temperature.

[@zanepeterson777]

This KZbinr. He's able to connect all the points in which probably the devs randomly throw in things like "civilization a long long time ago"

[@ceviche4life951]

This is one of the best theory videos I’ve seen. I believe that everything, from blocks to creatures, contain a little bit of magic (XP orbs), but mushrooms, decomposing both blocks and living mobs, are forms of magic concentrated enough to be utilized. I think it goes the games lord together greatly, really well done!

[@lunarjellyfish]

Could you make a deep dive on transformation on hostile mobs? Like how husks can turn into normal zombie and how with powder snow skeletons can be strays.

[@GalacticTommy]

Probably the fungus thing just adapts

[@jacobwilks9204]

@@GalacticTommy honestly I started to worry that this would grow into a matpat style theory when he started talking about fungus.

[@concept5631]

Soul Sand: *full of trapped souls in constant agony* Some shrooms: "Lol. Lmao."

[@u1tr076]

That thumbnail you have come a long way. I will and always support you.

[@itssonakshihere]

9:01 sorry Retro, but weakness potion does require base of Akward potion....again from nether warts...the fermented spider eye with blaze powder and the Akward potion together make the weakness potion... However one thing is right, the Fermented spider eye as u show includes the brown mushroom and guess what when combined with other made potions- 1. With Night vision give invisibility 2. With Healing gives Harming 3. With Swiftness gives slowness Spider eye when eaten directly by player, he is poisoned for few seconds... So, Mushrooms and Spider eye i feel contribute together... I think the example of suspicious stew is lot more strong to prove speciality of mushroom...👍

[@ItzOrangeyYT]

weakness does not require a base of awkward poton

[@brawlstarspro9354]

Can you make a 4th dimenstion deep dive? We do know that there are likely more dimensions. And I believe the Endermite is a good starting point, they have portal particles and despawn on 2 mins. So can you make an XXL Theory covering how a 4th dimension look like? Including everything you can find, for example statements and such, because its a very detailless theme, you would need everything you can get

[@Kodiamoso]

i believe that people that say that the zombies never decay overlook one fact: they DO decay. Skeletons are, in my viewpoint, decayed builders. I also believe that the fungus no longer inhabits them, and that they are animated only by the remnant of soul energy so limited that their only instincts that remain are to kill and survive. I would go as far as to say that although skeletons are brainless, they are actually more intelligent than their zombie counterparts as a result of being rid of the fungus because that last bit of soul energy wasn't enough to entice it to stay. That's why they're able to keep their distance and even try to dodge in java edition as well as avoiding the sun because of that last bit of survival instinct left in them. Additionally, although i don't think they're THIS smart, they could only attack players because they view us as the threat somehow, instead of the zombies. As far as i know, we're the only thing they attack on purpose, because with wolves it's just self defense. they don't try to SPREAD the plague like the zombies do.

[@vlad_47]

While mushrooms are definetly magical, but its a big reach to suggest that they are responsible for the undead. The moon, mob spawners, lightning. Those are very big factors. Who build the spawners? The Illagers have also tried to create them. The moon is also a great source of certain magical energy which also may be responsible. The Skeletons seem to be different altogether. They only attack the player, not the villagers. I think they are the result of some dark necromancy magic that may be close to the wither effect, while the zombies are another matter. Also, the cure only works for villager zombies. So its obviously false to claim that the ancient builders wanted gold for that cure and therefore started strip-mining the Nether.

[@khiemgom]

But the diff is time. Just like cancer, u can cure if you spot them soon. The zombies has been infected for too long to be cured

[@vlad_47]

@@khiemgom Still, Retro's theory isnt really complete and has holes.

[@adakalyoncu1913]

As far as I know, dungeons were made as a renewable source for mob loot; in the old versions of the game when there were not many diffrent blocks to mine or chests or places to gain loot from

[@grimmsoul3096]

well maybe the death has to have happened not long after the cure

[@Quantum_Physician]

i feel like the mob spawners are not part of the lore. it seems like a gameplay mechanic to create a high concentration of enemies.

[@Endermax187]

I believe mooshrooms are also undead, they're just the only ones where it is visible for some reason. In Minecraft Dungeons, mooshrooms attack players in "???" (also known as the secret mooshroom level).

[@themindboggler8055]

that was my only issue with this theory. If the mushrooms are trying to attack living souls, why don't the mooshrooms attack players. I guess one argument could be because the cows supply the mushrooms with enough energy? I also saw someone mention that because the infectious fungus is a hybrid between nether wart and normal mushrooms, does that mean that the mooshroom fungus is different again? This also matches with what another person said about why no hostile mobs spawn in mushroom islands. The zombie virus is a hybrid between the overworld mushroom and nether wart. This spread and became the zombie virus blah blah. Maybe the mushroom islands were seperate. Maybe the nether wart was never introduced. Maybe the overworld fungus is more powerful than the zombie fungus, which prevents the infected zombies from spawning there. because its a different fungus maybe it also acts differently, more passive. Maybe its similar to how birds and cows help each other in real life. The birds will often land on cows to eat fleas and ticks off them, in return, the bird gets food. maybe its the same here. the passive overworld fungus infected the cows, turning them into mooshrooms. Mycelium only grows on mushroom islands and mushrooms grow really well on it, so a connection could be made. we could assume that mycelium has more nutricitional value to both the mushrooms and the cows ,however the cows are able to gather more of it than the mushrooms are. so the mushrooms latch onto the cows and feed off the mycelium they eat. or maybe after eating the mycelium, the cows contract the fungus, and because the mycelium is the only food source, it keeps the cows and the fungus alive. man i went on so many tangents, sorry for making you read this

[@Endermax187]

@@themindboggler8055 You have a lot of good points

[@themindboggler8055]

@@Endermax187 thankyou lol. I kinda jut rambled

[@Endermax187]

@@themindboggler8055 lol

[@lasercraft32]

Mooshrooms are NOT undead. Smite does not do increased damage on them. I'm pretty sure the mushroom thing is something else entirely separate from the usual undead (plus, you can literally shear them to turn them into normal cows, which wouldn't make any sense if they were actually undead...). Plus, if Mooblooms have any lore merit despite not getting added to the game that pretty much disproves it, as they have nothing to do with fungus.

[@RandomGuy-qc8ml]

Guys, remember the showcase for the Sculk thingys where it would spread by deaths of any mob that has xp. I think it just proved that soul energy is a thing and the Warden is a manifestation of that energy

[@wrighteously]

The crazuest thing is how consistent minecraft lore is, despite its super long development and changing owners and lead designer. Notch and jeb were planting seeds from the bery beginning!

[@Shadeymanii]

I learn more from retro than I ever do at school. This guy DESERVES more attention by far!

[@seaweedbrain1930]

What do you learn from him?

[@nospoon5177]

@@seaweedbrain1930 minecraft, how that’ll help them in the future is the real question

[@J233-4]

Maybe try listen more in school?

[@QUBIQUBED]

maybe if you didn't watch youtube while in class you'd learn about important shit instead of minecraft lore, which you can learn while eating lunch

[@redacted6619]

@@J233-4 Actually, School Sometimes Dirts Up The Truth And Try Their Best To Teach Lies So I'm On Kind Of His Side But Not Really, Also Fun Fact:Mushrooms/Fungi Actually Used To Grow As Large As Trees Long Ago Before Trees Actually Even Existed

[@HalcyonProtocol]

YES! Been waiting for a new one. I love your MC Lore dives so much. Keep up the good work, you rock!

[@wiggletonthewise2141]

The fact that piglins and hoglins become zombified in the over world, and then don’t burn in the sun is something to think about. Also the fact that zombie piglins can spawn from lightning hitting pigs. These things are hard to tie to fungus

[@Thanosfarmsinc]

This is honestly one of the well sounding theories I've heard in a while. Well done.

[@Sabrina.Fiorella]

those are literally my fav. videos to watch :) keep it up

[@klomber]

20:27 i think endermen are connected with zombie's because you said enderman's are the ancient builders... so what i believe is that the fungji in zombie's bodys caused a apocalypse which let the remaining ancient builders to flee into the end to escape the apocalypse

[@thebrewwastaken8174]

20:42 A wither is tiny compared to the rib cages in the soul sand valleys. Surely it must be another extinct creature

[@neuu8708]

Or stronger withers. Every wither we encounter in the game could be considered infant

[@Beroka5]

@@neuu8708 why tho? That makes 0 sense

[@neuu8708]

@@Beroka5 I don't remember what this vid was about too much, nor my logic, but I think I meant that withers could grow in size as they continue to live, and those giant fossils are dead giant withers, idk really

[@Beroka5]

@@neuu8708 Withers aren't natural mobs, they are more golems and have to be built by the player, it wouldn't make sense for 'modern' day withers to be babies

[@Havolli]

@@Beroka5 Maybe there were "wild" withers that roamed the nether, and the ancient builders tried to mimic that and ended up making a smaller and less powerful wither

[@mikek1686]

I can't take it anymore. I have to subscribe, these videos are just too professionally crafted and too entertaining for me to help myself.

[@unlxck3255]

I was so happy when i saw that you released a new video

[@dist0rted320]

I was thinking that, since the mushrooms feed off of dying material, they absorb the life energy (or experience) of whatever they eat. The reason nether wort is so magically potent is because they are feeding off of full compressed blocks of dead/dying material in the form of concentrated soul energy (soul sand). This could mean that sculk is another type of fungi (mould maybe?) rather than its own thing, since it's clearly organic and feeds off of death, souls, XP, etc. The reason no hostile mobs spawn on the mushroom island is the same as in the deep dark. The fungi have run out of things to infect.

[@lucascardoso92]

Ayo retro I love ur videos and I love watching them to learn more about Minecraft even thought I kinda know a lot but thanks to ur videos I have been learning more! (And Ik he does other videos but I still love them to)

[@user-fl5eq2vp8b]

You do not get enough views, your videos are absolutely amazing. I love listening to your videos while I work. Thank you for producing such amazing content!

[@Can-ix3xp]

Yessss!I love these videos I have been waiting for a new one.But the thing I could wrap my head around was how could such a advanced species like builders can go extinct in a heartbeat.Minecraft a game which the lore has never been fully explained, which is the reason why it is the most complex lore in video game history because there is no explanation from the creators it’s up to our imagination to create theories

[@Pink.robespierre]

A lot of people seem to find odd that the undead, more precisely the fungi controlling the diseased system, result unable to function, to a point of self combustion, during daytime, assuming this could be related to the changing of temperature. They find this odd because the fungi would have came from a far warmer environment such as the Nether. However I believe this is a matter not of heat, specially since the difference of temperature between day and night is only of a few degrees, but instead of radiation. The fungi is unable to tolerate a full blown exposure of UV radiation since this results completely alien to it, after inhabiting the nether, a place with no sun at all. And so, it might tolerate a partial exposure such as the moon's reflection but, for unknown reasons, perhaps of the inner workings of its metabolism or for having evolved to function on an environment without that amount of radiation, this causes the self combustion of the undead. Another issue i've read is of why there are no zombies on the nether if this is where they come from. But i think that they actually do, or rather, they were. I would propose that skeletons are actually the final state of decomposition on the diseased colonized system. It is still organic matter so the fungi is still able to survive of it, and so the reason behind only skeletons existing on the nether is just the fact that these are the oldest specimens of the undead, formerly the ancient builders. But on the overworld, there are still some rather recently infected individuals. There might still be zombie piglings because of a difference in metabolism or morphology that, for x reason, causes it to decompose even with the immense heat, another reason for only skeletons being there.

[@RealMultiGamer938]

I am halfway through my 10 page essay and I stopped it for this awesome video

[@RedunDant-j6k]

Teachers in 2028 are going to be using this as the single most interesting example of how important showing your work is. "Even video game designers have to show their work. If they didn't youtube wouldve ripped their game to shreds."

[@xXTheRealHuckXx]

I hope retro sees this, I just want to let you know that you put so much work and time on your vid’s and they are great!! Keep on goin’ man and you’ll make a big name for yourself!!

[@BlokHeadAnim]

Fungi feed off of the decomposition of other life forms. Maybe in the Minecraft world they also passively suck up the extra errant exp that disperses when things die? Thus making them slightly magical as a side-effect.

[@TheDestroyerG7X]

I have a theory that the ancient builders basically became mad with power and became the Qu, engineered the crap out of all the creatures in pursuit of power and knowledge, stocked up on totems and enchanted apples, then a few of them went rogue and tried to stop them once and for all with the wither, which failed halfway, then as a last resort, a zombie virus, but some of them escaped to the end, created endermen, shulkers, and the dragon to defend from any rogues breaching into the end to finish the job, but they never came, then the builders escaped to the edges of the end, became gods, and manipulated reality on the other side, birthing an immortal being from nothingness (the player), to fix all that they did, and ultimately meet their maker (when you go through the exit portal and the 2 beings talk about you, those ARE the ancient builders) That's the simplest and least detailed version of my theory...

[@Zaalfaald]

A pretty original idea...

[@pedrosabbi]

Awesome.

[@itsme-pz1mu]

Wow that is some awesome stuff

[@killer-ll4pn]

Wow good theory

[@chewy4722]

but what if the builders that went to the end built the cities and ended up fighting each other, until three remained. one was less powerful and tried to take on the other two, so they wiped the weak ones memory and that became the player?

[@h0peipi]

I love you so much. I was about to chow down to my delicious burrito but I realized I had nothing to chow down to. I was considering watching the tangled series but my sexy gut told me to check KZbin. So glad I did. Now I can chow down in pure bliss. Keep up the good work man.

[@LiamDennehy]

This is a very cool, and surprisingly coherent set of hypotheses. Love how the lore of bastions and fortresses even come into play. Well presented too, well done!

[@reda29100]

6:38 I beg to differ about the magical effect of brewery. I tend to think most of the effects are just natural in nature, though how exactly and how much they match our reality is another question. Fire Resistance, Invisibility, Water Breathing, and Slow Falling are the exceptions I can't explain physically, but almost everything else can be attributed like a stimulant of some sort. These fore mentioned effects seem to change the nature of the consumer (either their skin, lungs or the very space fabric or mass itself).

[@rubyeverred_]

A deep dive about conversion would be so cool. Ofcourse, villagers to witches doesn't make so much sense but skeleton to stray, zombie to drowned, piglin/hoglin to their zombified versions.. there are so many interesting ones!

[@KidPrarchord95]

Did you know that drowning a husk turns it into a regular zombie?

[@rubyeverred_]

@@KidPrarchord95 I know, bit it doesn't feel that interesting

[@casnub5484]

@@KidPrarchord95 Does that mean a husk is basically a zombie that is severely dehydrated

[@KidPrarchord95]

@@casnub5484 Likely.

[@KidPrarchord95]

@Generic JC Denton pic Nothing of note happens, if I recall.

[@natarito2056]

I have an idea about the mooshroom. Cows milk can cure diseases when you drink it, so what if their cows milk helps ward off the infection just enough for them to, not quite be a zombie cow?

[@cormanec210]

Wow, this is exactly really good! Great job, Retro.

[@Dinofrogg]

Here's a theory. What if when minecraft was first released the players back then are the ancient civilisation that we know now in the lore. There wasn't much to do back then but for sure there was alot of deaths. Updates are like changes based on the actions of the "ancient civilisation". Back then the nether was barren, but as time go by the actions of the "ancient civilisation" aka us playing back in the days causing all these changes, these updates. As we explored the world, we "discover" new biomes that then get added as updates. What if villagers that were treated horribly by us in the past are the pillagers that split from the village and was determined to be stronger than us and in order for that, they tried to discover higher power like the end or the deep dark.

[@mf6610]

I’m actually starting to see connections between You and Wifies since he also talks about huge ancient withers and a zombie plague

[@HumbleTinkering]

I've had some time to think about this, I love the idea of the mushrooms being inherently magical. The connection between them and zombies seems concrete, however.. What about skeletons? Their hollowed skulls wouldn't provide any habitable conditions for the shrooms to survive, let alone a brain to control the body with. The only thing I can think of is sculk due to it being so closely connected/linked to death. But even then, the warden looks to be a combo of bone and sculk which allows it to exist, and skeletons don't have sculk. Same could apply to Wither Skeletons. Idk, it just seems kinda hard to think of skeletons being in the same boat as zombies. Love the vid, man!!!

[@ItsJoeyG]

Love to see Retro posting

[@Martin0]

Okay

[@LavaKing4]

I recently have been thinking a lot about the exploitation of different minecraft species natural resources and I’ve found that in end city’s they use glass (which comes from sand) in the end proving that the end city’s were made after the discovery of inter dimensional travel.

[@shaunpathrosepaul6804]

This is my absolute favourite theory channel for minecraft 😁, love the meta that you've locked us in :)

[@SavageStudios186]

Dude, your videos are always good, the commentary, the dramatic timing. Love this series, so detailed in how things may have happened

[@jonarmstrong6795]

Do you ever think how the silverfish infested the blocks in the strongholds or in mountain biomes that would be a cool theory might not say much about the current state of Minecraft also great work and good content love your videos

[@saturnbubblez]

MANNNN IVE BEEN BINGING YOUR VIDEOS AND IM MAKING A MINECRAFT STORY BASED OFF IT THIS STUFF IS SO WELL THEORIZED SO WELL WRITTEN GAAAHHH

[@ghostanimators591]

Cool vid as always :) Do you think you could do a deep dive about the 3 dimensions and their connections (I know you have covered this topic but maybe a little more detail would be very interesting)

[@nixalias2456]

It makes me so happy when you upload! thanks for all the great theories!

[@mads1259]

I loved this video dude! Many of your points are amazing, but there are a few I don't agree with. For example I believe the Piglins were native to the Overworld and fled due to a zombie Fungus. I also believe that the mooshrooms themselves aren't being parasitized, but it is actually a symbiotic relationship between fungus and cow.

[@RogueK]

I adore the editing, music, and vibe of these videos. Great videos as always

[@hykuzo]

Damn i love this theory, this would imply that skeletons are just more decompose zombies and that found a different way to kill

[@setharecool6459]

A year late but I feel the reason mushrooms are magical would be because they absorb dead life forms, the souls and EXP dropped by mobs and life is harnessed naturally by them making them a tool that can be used towards magical ends, but not intrinsically magical themselves, that’s why nether wart is a better base for potions as they have richer deposits of soul energy than standard mushrooms. I do feel that the undead are made that way by mushrooms to be flawed as well, if that were the reason you wouldn’t expect skeletons to stay alive after all bodily functions cease, maybe if the mushrooms leave behind so much residual magic energy that they stay animated but I feel we’d need more evidence like something or anything linking zombies to mushrooms as mushrooms are not the lowest form of magic just a low form of usable magic

[@lunarjellyfish]

Theory on igloos is what i think would be good

[@pedrosiqueira5235]

Reaaaally great video mate, I have some theories of myself, and would like to make some observation points, 1) if humanoids like players became zombies after a disease from the nether, where are the zombies in the nether? Shouldn’t be any? 2) if pillagers chose the woodland biome to build mansions because of mushrooms, wouldn’t it be better to built something other than a mansion on a mooshroom island?

[@realairlot]

I’m still confused about 2 points; 1. Before 1.16, we had a barren nether. If it all of a sudden developed in 1.16, then does that mean the ancient builders were still developing societies? 2. If this fungi in the over world is based off ancient builders, there couldn’t have been infinite population. So then how do they burn up in the day and come back at night infinitely? If these 2 points are cleared up I definitely agree.

[@PrimalPower]

1) Updates are a technical and gameplay thing and not a lore thing. These are made with regard only to the latest version when the video is made 2) They don't all just stand in the sunlight, they probably go somewhere hidden in the day (the ones that make it out of sunlight in time)

[@basedimperialism]

Their could easily have been tens or hundreds of millions of Ancient Builders; effectively infinite in regards to how many zombies the player encounters.

[@gamingamigos9110]

Retro, I love your deep dives keep it up! You deserve more subs!

[@tinaherr3856]

A few points: 1.) If gold and weakness potions are the key to curing zombie villagers, then why doesn't it work with normal zombies? If it really is a fungus, it should be effective against every instance of it. Fungi aren't like viruses, which mutate and become stronger, so the fungus should still die if a 0layer uses the same method. 2) This theory doesn't explain how skeletons, creatures with *no flesh or body* could be injected with a fungus. 3.) This theiry doesn't explain the variations of undead, such as Husks, Strays, and the Drowned. Fungus shouldn't be able the cause such variations, especially for the Husks. 4.) Why do potions of harming *heal* undead entities? Their whole purpose is bringing beings closer to death, to *harm*. Even considering that they use nether wart, it is still drastically different and changed enough to the point that it would do the exact opposite of what the potion is supposed to do. 5.) Why does the Wither not attack other undead mobs? The Wither would have no connection to the fungus, and just kill the hosts, not ignore them. These things lead me to believe that the undead are more of a product of a curse of some kind, especially with the whole "appear in darkness and *burn* (burn, and not just die mid you) in the sunlight" part.

[@infinityzeros3245]

1-diferent host diferent weakness,the fungus is weaker in villager as they can even be imune to it. 2-magic! Literally, in game mushrooms are magical so it could do the job. 3- they want the host almost dead as soul ENERGY(xp) is only generated with it. Heals stop the foi a of soul ENERGY therefor killing the fungus. Dont known about skeletons though.

[@tinaherr3856]

@@infinityzeros3245 for your counter to #2, while that is true, the theorist of the video uses real life correlation and examples to help support this well crafted theory. If they and others went "its magic" to explain things, they probably wouldn't have come up with this mushroom theory in the first place.

[@infinityzeros3245]

@@tinaherr3856 thats not true. Magic is a important part of the game and the theory itself talk about mushrom conected to it. Its normal ficcional media to combine real life elements with fantasy ones. Also everthing took from real life in the video could also be obtain by in game information.

[@tinaherr3856]

@@infinityzeros3245 well, #2 was referring to the skeletons having no flesh or evidence of fungus. But I can see what you are saying, and where you are coming from. I'm not trying to undermine magic or theories, it is just that it seems to me that there are too many holes in this theory based on the world of Minecraft

[@infinityzeros3245]

@@tinaherr3856 the only big hole that i cannot think of explanations to is the skeleton one.

[@NoArtisticLimitation]

I just realised something... Achievement for respawning the elder dragon “the end, again” Achievement for destroying the wither “the beginning” THE WITHER IS THE CATALYST OF THE ZOMBIE DISEASE

[@christmas_treefarm]

This guy has got a lot of talent

[@cosmic_mango33]

6:55 neither the warped nor crimson fungus are made of nether wart blocks.

[@a_random_soul_on_the_internet]

This theory is amazing but the idea that bastions and piglins are the result of "ancient builders" is completely disproven with Minecraft Legends, were we see that Piglins did build their Bastions (even having an entire horde named horde of the bastion) and they have an entire civilization and military. I don't really like the idea of ancient builders. That theory is always the answer to every god damn structure in minecraft, which makes nos ense. Nonetheless reat video, especially on the mushroom side of things!

[@trecat5467]

Just a heads up that this video isn’t on your deep dives playlist and it definitely should be

[@petruska111]

I love youre deep dives

[@sirnikolas1636]

I also do

[@derpypaws1250]

your*

[@supersoldier4079]

I think this is a pretty plausible theory. The zombie survival series The Last of Us has zombies that are like people that are taken over by a parasitic fungus. But the question with this theory I have is why don't the mushrooms burn in the sunlight like the zombies/skeletons? With the new updates, the developers have brought up the idea of a conscious fungus. That fungus is skulk which is what the warden is most likely made of. Not to mention the dead material like the bones and the symbol in its chest that is identical to soulsand. I am beginning to think to some extent that skulk plays some roles in the undead. But even then skulk still does not burn in sunlight, however, it can only generate deep underground implying it has some aversion to sunlight. I like this ideal also because it ties in the ancient cities which were obviously overrun by skulk at one point. To be honest, just typing this makes me excited to see a theory on skulk sometime soon but I don't wanna force you to do it or anything. Use what you believe is plausible and like you said there might not be any lore just yet either. Minecraft is still young in its lore and that's one of the many things I love about it. It's got so many ways to go about exploring it making it what it was designed to be in the first place. An open-world sandbox game.

[@adoorwithstaronit8573]

6:35 Weirdly, the weakness requires redstone dust as its base ingredient which is mundane potion.

[@D4N1LO]

This should really be official Minecraft lore

[@gvd72]

I’m gonna repost this theory because I feel like it fits here more than the last time: My theory for how the zombie virus came about was due to lightning turning pigs into zombie piglins. I know it is rare for that to happen but it is possible and it’s also possible it could’ve went undetected. This allowed it to spread further. I also wonder if, since there is a way to undue the virus with potions and cure the zombie villagers, there could potentially be a way to cure zombies and even zombie piglins. Which could be how piglins came about, they’re cured zombie piglins. So zombie piglins didn’t come from normal piglins but rather vice versa. Lightning also creates witches and skeleton traps (both skeletons and skeleton horses) also these could also exist independently from lightning due to the virus spreading to horses or whittling away the builder’s flesh. Speaking of skeletons, their existence proves that this virus isn’t normal but instead magical. It can reanimate and keep alive mere bones.

[@knightclub1296]

Looks like the more powerful parts of Minecraft lore is Heat-Dimensional/world travel Soul Energy-From player-sand/rose-wither skeleton-wither-star-beacon-player Mushroom/Fungi(including Nether Wart)-The bridge in between life, undead, and death. As it turns living beings into undead beings and feed off dead things and can make concoctions that can weaken/kill.

[@stuartjohnson9019]

A few things: 1. It's interesting how zombiefied piglins DO NOT attack normal piglins. This indicates that zombification is NOT a contagion among piglins, as then natural selection would immediately select for zombie piglins attacking normal piglins. I think the reason there are no zoglins spawning in the nether, unlike ZPs, is that they are too aggressive for their own good, and thus attacked zombie piglins etc, and went extinct. Hoglins avoid nether portals, and blue "warped" enderman biome fungus. I think this is them smelling zombification risk. They spawn in the red forest, presumably eat red fungus since that's how you breed them, and get hunted by piglins, presumably for food. Piglins spawn in the red forest and rarely in the nether wastes, while zp are the opposite. Piglins presumably eat hoglins, DON'T GROW UP, run away from zp, zoglins, and soul fire stuff. This seems to me to derive from superstition or disgust, as opposed to smell like the hoglins. The hoglins seem to understand this better, as they don't like portals. Hoglins also grow up, like normal animals. Perhaps the piglins were bred for extremely long lifetimes by the AB? They both zombify in both the overworld and end, as this was ADDED in a snapshot, before it was just the overworld. I'm not sure exactly what the ZP would eat in the Nether wastes, I think it's implied they either eat something we can't see or are stupid to wander there. Perhaps it might be implied that they get zombified when over time, when away from the gold in their bastions? 2. Mushrooms clearly have magical properties, but I think mostly anti zombification. There is a piglin in MCD, which can survive in the overworld using red mushrooms.

[@John10GnR]

Your storytelling skills are amazing, by far the best "Minecraft Lore" channel out there.

[@thematrixator]

I find myself somewhat at variance with this theory. You said at the beginning of the video that the Wither needs to be created, but then further on you say that it spawns naturally in the soulsand valley. For the rest, there is that you talk about mushrooms, how they suck the life energy of the livings and infest some islands, but I do not find a connection with the zombies. Mushrooms in the game can have effects because some mushrooms have some hallucinogenic effects and more, and it's said in a more fantasy way. A mushroom island? Well, that's a lot of fantasy too, with a little bit of science used for mushrooms. Their magical connection is also that mushrooms are more or less the flowers of the moon and magic. For zombies ... I think it's just a curse of the gods or more supernatural things than an epidemic because, let's remember, zombies spawn alongside skeletons and creepers, and so you should give them an explanation too.

[@_Shay_]

Watch his soul energy video for the wither thing He didn’t say mushrooms suck the life from mushrooms that doesn’t make sense. Mushrooms grow from absorbing energy from decaying things or being a parasite. Mushroom islands are getting energy from things that died there like plants, animals and humans. They also infected the cows and are parasitic. The connection to zombies is that mushrooms from the overworld were brought to the nether by ancient builders and breeded with nether wart a fungi. It created a stronger fungi that infected ancient builders and turned them into zombies. As stated in the video Minecraft mushrooms are magical probably based on real life mushroom properties like being hallucinogenic. Like it said a fantasy version of real life, so magic. Really your comment tells me you didn’t really pay attention, just watch the video again

[@vlad_47]

@@_Shay_ really dude, fungi while magical cant be responsible for the undead. Its quite unlikely.

[@andyo4810]

@@vlad_47 search up zombie ant fungi and you’ll understand we mean from a real life example i mean we already see parasitic behavior with mushroom cows i think that zombies could be created by some type of fungi although probably not the basic fungi we see

[@noeahhhh]

Ooo.. i just found this channel and i already love it

[@averagegamer6912]

A Deep Dive video on the creeper would be interesting! But do it your way, however you want. I am not telling you do this, do that.

[@dynamicworlds1]

Game Theorist did a video on it years ago if you're itching for that specifically (not that I wouldn't listen to someone else take a crack at it by any means)

[@averagegamer6912]

@@dynamicworlds1 I watched it.

[@deceseze]

most likely, theyre just parasitic plants that need humans to propagate their seeds or somethimg

[@dynamicworlds1]

@@averagegamer6912 cool, just making sure you knew about it because you seemed to have a very focused curiosity, and sooner is better and more later from someone else is even better yet. 👍

[@dynamicworlds1]

@@deceseze that is effectively what the video I referenced argued. There's a bit more to it than that of course (given the runtime of the video) but that is the jist, yes

[@Sky_Guy]

One tiny hole to poke in your argument: witches use several potions that require blaze powder, and explicitly drop glowstone when killed. Their magic is not mushroom-based, not fully anyway. Same issue with the igloo; a brewing stand requires a blaze rod to create. They're very minor holes, since they aren't actually necessary pillars to support your overall theory (which I personally think, by the way, is quite solid) but I thought I'd drop these critiques here.

[@alexbordenkecher9335]

I have my own theory involving the nether. It has several aspects of your theory. Massive withers roam the nether praying on any life that develops, growing massive and accumulating soul energy. When the Ancient Builders arrive, (still healthy) they mine massive amounts of netherite to fight the withers. They build fortresses which take damage. Explains the exploded bridges of Nether Fortresses and decay of bastions. The Ancient Builders are successful, releasing soul energy from the withers and littering massive bones in the places the withers die(ripcages). It should also be mentioned that the massive amount of soul energy revived some dead soilders (skeletons) Then the infection starts, I theorize it was created by the illagers ( undead mobs don't attack them). And the Ancient Builders experimented with soul soil to find a cure. To repair an infected host's soul. They created blazes, which weren't good enough. ( They could respawn making them good for recycling souls to experiment with) (their sounds also sound like humans, laboring to breath, trapped in a box, this would explain why blaze powder has magic properties, the soul is stored in the blaze rod) they cultivated nether wart by using their own mushrooms, experimenting with potions. While the simple cure of weakness potion with golden apple might work on a simple villager it wouldn't for a more advanced human. Eventually the wither skeletons were created, numerous and powerful the Ancient Builders were forced to flee their fortresses back to the overworld into strongholds, working with endermen to find a way out.

[@dannieheadrick9543]

So mushrooms can absorb nourishment from dead/ decaying material. Maybe this answers the question "Why doesn't all of your xp drop when you die?"?

[@isojoonatan234]

deep dive time lets go

[@obvFire]

Jayyy

[@skethy2333]

Retrogamingnow: What about the witch? Ive argued that witches are cleric villagers whove been outcast for tampering with the undead. Backwards cat: 8:34

[@nonameguy3]

Love the videos!

[@wilkogb]

You definitely watched a 24 minute video in 1 minute.

[@isojoonatan234]

@@wilkogb He was just being positive and gave support.

[@nonameguy3]

@@wilkogb I mean previous videos, of course I haven’t seen this all at the time of the e comments

[@nonameguy3]

@@isojoonatan234 :)

[@rrruby1377]

8:34 the black cat walking backwards just adds to the whole mystical mood :,)

[@joshuabaughn3734]

The Early Nether sounds like Earth's Devonian period. Almost all lifeforms were in the seas. A few arthropods and some exploratory lungfishes survived near or on land. The only fully terrestrial living organisms were the Velvet Worms(Cute little terrestrial worms that can shoot a glue like saliva from their mouths) and the early land plants, fungi and bacteria!

[@shockwaved4208]

Super awesome and thought provoking video. I'm glad that you are one of the few creators not going overboard on leaps and always leaving it open ended and neatly wrapped up. Keep up the fantastic job, love the channel and its tone!