Why Michael Afton is (probably) still alive

[@ImmenseAndrew]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, one of the white sticky notes in Security Breach says "Groceries: Butter, Butter, Butter" which could be a reference to exotic butters. I don't think it necessarily means anything, but it's funny to think that Michael wrote it.

[@shadowfan115]

Ok sorry to burst your bubble but the Brazil ending is confirmed non canon where the save Vanny ending has been confirmed canon so you dismissing a canon ending due to a non canon ending depiction is not a good look this theory of yours has way more holes than most of Matpats and that's saying something

[@baileybhamjee8080]

@@shadowfan115commas, please. I can’t even read that.

[@fairystarsweet996]

@@shadowfan115 i think maybe it could work similar to the books. like if im not mistaken the books aren't canon canon but are canon in the sense that theyre important to the uhh lore. so even though the ending itself isnt canon, certain elements of the ending might be helpful to the overarching story?

[@fairystarsweet996]

i think this is a good starting point- i actually really like this idea, it sounds cool

[@ImmenseAndrew]

@@shadowfan115 I mean, sure, it isn’t canon and only exists in Cassie’s head, but I’m looking at it more from a meta perspective on why Steel Wool would change this detail when recreating the ending. Vanessa’s ice cream stayed the same, but Gregory’s has changed. I think they changed Gregory’s ice cream to indicate that the Freddy popsicle wasn’t important, that his ice cream could be replaced with any other ice cream.

[@rifarira9160]

William : " I always come back. " Michael : " I always escape. "

[@VictorianError]

Like father like son

[@rifarira9160]

@@VictorianError Like father like son gohan

[@seekrblx4653]

@@VictorianErrorLike father like SON GOKU??

[@azeroth2994]

​@@seekrblx4653 like father, like son GO FOR TEN

[@Michael_Afton40]

True dat

[@WolfPackGamingOfficial]

“This suggests that unfortunately, Gregory is a robot.” **game theory music intensifies**

[@EZAblinG]

But that's just a theory

[@WolfPackGamingOfficial]

@@EZAblinG A GAME THEORY! Thanks for watching!

[@levipeloza9558]

@@WolfPackGamingOfficialno you should’ve let some say thanks for watching. How could you

[@Isaiah_Robotics]

*ALL YOUR THEORYS ARE WRONG GOODBYE* This is a referance to the gif for that search it up in your gif hud.

[@freedomtoallfellowamericans]

@@WolfPackGamingOfficialhe was making a reference bro but i can see the annoying scrolling

[@MisterMks]

Micheal the second Henry mentions escape for him: 🏃💨

[@Irisive]

🏃💨💨⌛💣🧨🏚🏚🔥🔥

[@Endless_Nights2]

Like fr bro was probably thinkin like "Wait who said I wanted to stay here? I never said that" and then after he heard that there was way out for him he immediately dashed out.

[@moon4236]

Henry: I have a feeling that's not what you want Michael already halfway out: 😬

[@JavaBallAnimation]

I mean like, He probably knew his father WOULD survived the fire, Michael knew, William is a genius, a scientist, literally I think Michael is the type of person to make sure his target is dead

[@xiii9354]

@@JavaBallAnimation I enjoy the implication of this theory that Henry was so obsessed with the finality of his plan that he just ASSUMED Michael wanted to die in the fire as well. But considering Michael already saw William somehow survive a fire once, it makes a lot of sense that he'd want to make sure it's not like that this time.

[@quiet_white_kid9919]

I think mike lived because it’d be a funny contrast between his father’s unwillingness to die ending in the fire, and mike’s acceptance of death being rejected in the same fire. (If mike even wanted to die in that fire, of course)

[@Cryptic_Diamond]

Also isn’t he just walking flesh. Yeah burns would do some huge damage but he’s already dead

[@quiet_white_kid9919]

@@Cryptic_Diamond you could argue that with sprintrap, just with metal as well

[@jaslvs]

@@Cryptic_Diamondit’s likely the metal of spring trap would’ve melted too normally, however the remnant may have kept it intact

[@dabreadgalaxy1302]

@@jaslvs the only way to destroy remnant is fire sooo😅

[@jaslvs]

@@dabreadgalaxy1302 fairs, unless agony is the one keeping it intact, you never know

[@kiIIcrites]

Also worth noting than in the Dawko interview, JTop and Ray said that an early pitch for Security Breach included a mysterious old man leading the player through the Pizzaplex.

[@meinleben69]

that would've been really cool

[@DarthCheddar]

That's a really good note to add. I'm assuming you are implying that the old man was originally going to be Michael, and that he's assisting Gregory in hopes that he will be able to take down Freddy's once and for all. Now I kind of wish that they kept that in.

[@wh4tnow]

makes you think more about old man consequences.... old man consequences = michael afton

[@ThisIsAHandle-xz5yo]

There’s also an old security guard at the end of VIP

[@Noclevernameshere]

@@wh4tnow I coulda sworn old man consequences was the devil or something

[@bee3245]

also! in help wanted 2 there is a drawing of helpy running out of a burning building that i find particular interesting, since helpy is the one who’s with us in pizzeria simulator. it could be symbolic of michael actually being the one who escaped the building. super great video! i’ve also liked the idea of michael being alive but this definitely solidifies it.

[@zetorocks811]

I thought this at first too but then I realized that it’s most likely referencing the Mimic escaping a fire since The Mimic seems to be Helpi :(

[@Sub2DreadBlaze]

But Hey

[@LeMangoMoustache]

Thats just a theory

[@Sub2DreadBlaze]

A….

[@thenut4221]

so micheal broke his back over 6 times.

[@avanittersum2156]

i can also explain why micheal deciided to leave in FNAF 6. it's because michael burned springtrap in FNAF 3 and when he saw him in FNAF 6 he realized that Henry's plan wouldn't work, but he still had to follow through on the plan because of legal obligations.

[@supremereacter6453]

Springtrap managed to escape that’s how he was able to survive in fnaf 3. That’s why Henry sealed him in a room so he would have nowhere to run in fnaf 6.

[@gaminganimators7000]

​@@supremereacter6453I doubt Michael knew about that since Henry didn't tell Michael anything seemingly

[@RisuTheMan]

"Oh man this plan is not going to work, I should probably lea- Oh yeah, I can't, I'm contractually obligated to stay in the massive suicide fire. Well, off to work then"

[@avanittersum2156]

@@RisuTheMan no he isn't legally obligated to burn in the fire. only to run the restaurant and salvage the animatronics etc.

[@Absol125]

​@@avanittersum2156The joke flew over your head. Of course he isn't obligated to burn in the restaurant.

[@AstralAlibis]

Wasn't it also mentioned in Sister Location that there are two elevators? One for maintenance (the one used in SL), and then another that customers would be able to ride down? Even if it wasn't mentioned, I feel it's a given that they wouldn't exactly let customers into the maintenance room. So it could be that as well for the elevator in Ruin.

[@HydraKittten]

3 Elevators if the 2nd "low priority" maintenance elevator from help wanted's 2nd vent repair level is real. its not unthinkable that fazbear ent. builds elevators just for employees to get around

[@thechimpmaster]

There are no customers going into CBEAR. The animatronics are rented out for birthday parties at other places, CBEAR is just where they're stored between gigs.

[@luvuberrymuch49]

@@thechimpmasterthis!!!!!!

[@jc_art_]

​@@thechimpmaster whats a CBEAR and does it have something to do with sea bonnies

[@thechimpmaster]

@@jc_art_ Circus Baby Entertainment and Rental. It's where Sister Location takes place.

[@luluu0101]

i dont have much to say. this is pretty much a perfect theory that i consider completely canon. the best interpretation of the wallcode ive ever heard, i definitely agree that Michaels room is the real one that the pizzaplex was just built around. 10/10 chefs kiss.

[@landen57]

Agreed

[@JennaBenna0123]

I agree as well🎉

[@Wattson19]

Matpat needs to react to this

[@TomastheHorrorfan]

23:40 missed opportunity to say “together, they are, fnaf”

[@weird_art_kid]

REAL

[@Juliyuhh]

my brain autocorrected his sentence as he said it to that😭

[@messiyer13]

“Mike, you go left! Vanessa, you go right! Freddy…you be Freddy. Together… We are FNaF!”

[@iamlosingmysanityrapidly]

@@messiyer13 "All the other characters... just gtfo."

[@darthvaderreviews6926]

The mental image of Mike hearing "There was a way out planned for you, but I have a feeling that's not what you want" and immediately scrambling around the room trying to leave _is_ very funny, I will admit

[@zerotodona1495]

I mean, if the whole agony thing is true. Mike would have started to heal and look human again at this point in time lol

[@VictorianError]

The “break and mend” part reminds me so much of William destroying the fnaf 1 animatronics for remnant and infusing it into the fun time animatronics

[@DarthCheddar]

That's actually a great call-back. Theorists should keep this in mind. Sometimes you've got to go way back to understand something new.

[@ThisIsAHandle-xz5yo]

Break and mend happens a lot in this series

[@craftingranger7552]

Man this is a good theory and would make sense why Sister Location lore has been popping up constantly. People seem to forget that FNAF is more about environment then directly telling the story and it is for sure true that Scott and Steelwool have made some design changes to fit the better hardware they can make these games with now.

[@Daniel-tv5rc]

Michael IS that online friend Who you are every 4 months do some crazy shit and he spends another 4 months to come

[@ashemabahumat4173]

The blob is a mass of Agony- no souls, just the pained remnants of the ones that were there. The popscicle is significant, but only in SB original. Its replacement isn't too important since, well, the thing it signifies either happened already or isn't relevant to Cassy's situation. It signified peace, a resolution of sorts, while the whole meaning of the Brazil ending is that its a coping moment for Cassy EDIT: Maybe Mike built Gregory- should he be a robot- before he died with the purpose to destroy any iterations of the band that pop up? If he's a robot, he could theoretically just... do it for infinitum if he has the knowledge and means to repair himself, which he seemingly does from both the tapes in HW1 and the fact that he's in a place with the tech to respectively

[@A-really-cool-Youtube-name]

You can especially tell that there are no longer any souls in there because the puppet doesn't have their tear streaks anymore

[@ashemabahumat4173]

@@A-really-cool-KZbin-name That's because the parts the blob uses are from the rentals service/display exhibits in Rockstar Row. They're just parts of recreations, and the original Puppet didn't have the tear streaks on its mask iirc

[@BarryMcKibben]

It does not have original parts look at the parts from sister location we have circus baby's face not the one from pizzeria simulator same with the fun time Freddy face, it is implied with the shape of molten *Freddy's* face is a Freddy with *four* distinctive parts and has a clear top hat sound familiar? It is fun time freddy's face after stuff happened to it same with scrap baby. Also the Funtime animatronics do not nearly have enough of the endo wires to make The Blob ™ and other endo’s don’t have wires like that, also you do not see any classic endos in the blob ™ and that does not make sense. Now what I think (inspired by a theory by fuh naff) is the AR robots were shipped to the plex taken to the Handy Dandy Advanced Fazbear Entertainment Endoskeleton _and Ice Cream_ Removal and Displacement Claw where the remnant was sucked out leaving *agony* and thrown into a pile along with the ones dismantled in pizzeria simulator pizzeria, and is perhaps _slightly_ haunted from reused sunburnt parts with remnant in them (may be a stretch)

[@ashemabahumat4173]

@@BarryMcKibben inwasnt saying it had the original pieces, tho chances are it would've been able to use whatever was in the Pizzaria down below. I always figured it was taking pieces from storage/displays/the shipment service.

[@KairanFarr]

I headcanon Gregory is the grandson of the Freddy Bully, or in other words, Gregory is the son of Oswald

[@AloneTheorist]

Michael probably contains the missing Golden Freddy remnant after the events of sister location. This matches up with Fredbear claiming scraptrap post pizzeria simulator for ultimate custom night to happen which then sets up security breach. An important parallel exists in the original novels too, particularly in the fourth closet; one of the main cast is injected with remnant by William Afton which comatoses him giving him access to the hive world of the fragmented MCI spirits. Long story short when he frees four of the souls he attempts to return to the piece he was injected with to the fifth one, Golden Freddy who refuses this because to quote him; ' You'll die if you do that. Besides you can give it back to me next time you see me.' and then tells the character to have a nice life. This could be how Michael survived pizzeria simulator in the games as Cassidy could have rewarded with a new life for bringing her to William Afton so she could get her revenge through ultimate custom night. Plus the scooper in sister location ONLY used 4/5 remnants between 3 Animatronics as Baby is 100% controlled by Elizabeth Afton. So there's a significant gap as part of the canon story anyway regardless of which world you look at and in both the name Michael is at the centre of these paradoxes so someone needs to elaborate on this ever present mystery at some point.

[@theguynextdoor4869]

69 likes 👌

[@D--O]

So henry just managed to kill himself. Peak writing

[@A-really-cool-Youtube-name]

He died to bullet in head disease 😔

[@josephgrube]

Tbf, Pizza Sim ending was mid anyways

[@carimeslockdownedtree2654]

They did say in the video that Burntrap is the Mimic and they believe Molten Freddy doesn't have the children's souls anymore though. I'd like to think that's the case.

[@victorjackchannel]

No. Baby, Charlie, William and Molten Freddy surely died. Blob is another thing

[@lovaloz]

@@josephgrubeThis take made me take physical damage

[@eleanorv3754]

I love this theory. Not a lot of people seriously consider Michael being alive to be a possibility. Also your profile picture has a completely appropriate amount of mudkips and let no one tell you otherwise.

[@TinaCurry123]

Appropriate amount? That's nowhere NEAR enough!

[@ThisIsAHandle-xz5yo]

We must make an army of mudkips

[@hsfhanaa]

I also feel like its weird how no one acknowledges that in Ruin, Cassie talks about a room with a bunch of boilers in the floor? Like, seems super obvious it's the burnt remains of the pizzeria simulator fire. How else would Henry set it ablaze so efficiently

[@kiggu999]

dude i hate the new fnaf lore, not even fun anymore.

[@ThisIsAHandle-xz5yo]

@@kiggu999????

[@higueraft571]

@@kiggu999 Nah, Mimic's sick.

[@Huoasis]

It could be that Michael is a higher up in the Company, perhaps on the Board of Directors (like Edwin) or Ceo or some important position... Someone had to have approved Vanessa being made head of Security and someone has to know alot about the company. It should also be noted that Michael may have the rights or ownership of Afton Robotics LLC as the only surviving member of his family. This means that he has a company that the higher ups may want due to the advanced nature of the animatronics which could get him a high role in the company.

[@IrlRamona]

William Afton:"Remember son, dying is gay" Michael Afton:"Yes father and also burn in hell"

[@Arnut-stuff-tr]

I can imagine Mike explaining the lore to Gregory and Greg's brain just melting lol

[@LmaoItsMitch]

Genuinely a super well thought out theory, I could completely see this being cannon. Thought the idea of Bonnie Bully and Mike working together decades after the bite of 83 was a super cool idea too

[@steelajax7925]

Just a thought on the identity of the censored name: There is a character who might have a grudge against Fazbear, and could potentially have insider information about it. Technically, this character is unnamed, but the 'rogue indie game developer' from HW has plausible reason to work against Fazbear (at the very least, they slandered him), passable knowledge about Fazbear (his fine details, like about the scooper, are questionable, but his macro knowledge like layouts are solid from what I remember), and has a plausible chance to have a 1 syllable name (Scott)

[@axolofa]

I would lose my mind if the big conclusion of the FNAF series is that Scott Cawthon's self insert solves all of it. That would be so funny I don't think I'd even be able to be mad.

[@ThisIsAHandle-xz5yo]

Scott is a good writer (but not a good lore hider) so I don’t think his self insert is gonna be a hero, he’s there to explain some lore, it would be funny though

[@volcanbolt12]

23:45 Why not "MikeFAM" as "Mike's Friends Against Mimic"? Also, it could be jokingly missread as "Mike's FAMily", like he "built" a family he'll care about! 😉 That being said, beautiful theory buddy; I wish we'll get some more clues about our favorite nightguard... even if it's not "alive" anymore ❤

[@Constellation_yt]

he's my favorite character ^_^

[@volcanbolt12]

​@@Constellation_yt I honestly divided between him and Elizabeth, instead (regarding the Aftons, of course) 😅

[@Constellation_yt]

@@volcanbolt12 for me it was between him and the puppet (because the puppet is...well its..its the puppet)

[@volcanbolt12]

@@Constellation_yt Fair enough! I like the Puppet too, but... GF is in a "special spot" to me ❤

[@Constellation_yt]

@@volcanbolt12 Cassidy is probably my fourth favorite character and.. the crying child..well..I feel bad for him but...idc that much about him

[@Eddbruh83]

Ok, this is a pretty good theory! I don't really have any strong thoughts about Michael still being alive, but I would be alright with it if it gets confirmed. The way you used the Sl maps was your best evidence IMO. Now this is just me saying, but I think you can interpret the code being written by Mike without using GregBot. The "break and mend" part could be refering to how Michael made Greg snap out of GlitchTrap's control and then tried to make him act normal again, while also warning him about the Glamrocks and how to defend against them. "drawn to life not real" could be saying that Gregory doesn't know a lot of things about the world since he's homeless, as we see in the bad ending. Same could be said with "save those with soul" because Gregory probably hasn't properly developed any human emotions(which might be the reason why he's so reckless with the robots lol). Also, if you're wondering why I'm saying that we shouldn't take this too literal, well the reason is because Michael isn't a strager to talking indirectly. In FNAF 4, he says: "Hey guys, I think the little man said he wants to give Fredbear a big kiss!" which is his equivalent to just putting his brother in Fredbear's mouth, not literally making him give the animatronic a kiss. Overall, this is an awesome video! Interesting interpretations!

[@zetorocks811]

Yeah

[@ThisIsAHandle-xz5yo]

I’m fine with Micheal being alive as long as no other Aftons are Micheal is the only one who has an actual reason to remain alive, to make sure that everyone did die in the fire, to end the FNAF corporation, and to make sure the final old animatronic (the mimic) is gone

[@pxylphilia]

the Hello Neighbor subscribe insert at 6:45 made me burst out laughing its so out of place and goofy (great vid though

[@ImmenseAndrew]

I saw the gif a while ago and found it so funny that I had to use it. I put it a couple other places in the video that might have been less noticeable.

[@Invy-PT]

Break and Mend could also mean that Mike actually built Gregory, since Mike caused Crying Child's death in FNAF 4 and the "We will put you back together" could imply that Mike rebuilt the Crying Child as Gregory, which is why he looks so much like the Crying Child.

[@HORROR-vt1gm]

I will put you back together is william or freadbear plush say that

[@friddlefries1140]

I was thinking that too, could be the reason why the color changes slightly

[@annepandesal]

I was thinking this!!

[@annepandesal]

Thats what i was thinking yeah!

[@themakebelieverproductions6342]

Also, the ending cutscene of the completion ending acts as if the company is talking to someone. It also gives you the completion certificate, how would we get it if we died in the fire!?

[@minecraftperson8412]

Bro did that goddamn fire kill ANYBODY?? I wouldn't even be surprised if Henry pops back up again and is all like "yeah i lived"

[@landen57]

Wow, this theory way better than i expected. Makes a lot of sense, and people in the comments are just adding to the theory and making more sense out of it. This video hopefully will get more views soon, because it has a lot of quality. Great video!

[@SC-ec8xe]

This is a great theory. However, I think all that was meant by that part of the game was Gregory was eluding to Vanessa (who had been down below the pizzaplex and presumably knew what was down there and had "switched sides" and was helping him) but cassie wouldn't know who she was so it wouldn't make sense for Gregory to use her name as it would mean nothing to Cassie. I literally think that was it! Just to reiterate Vanessa and Gregory (even though they left the pizza plex) were still working together/friends in some capacity. As for the static I believe that was just more set up for the cues of when the mimic takes over and starts talking in his voice and whatnot. And just to comment on what you said in the very beginning for a second: No i dont think burntrap was necessarily them bringing back afton. I think glitchtrap is literally doing what he was designed to do and mimicking things he "saw". Im of the mind that Vanny was helping "make FNAF real again" using the knowledge of the random crazy indie dev and the games he made etc... So Glitchtrap wants into the real world so he can find people and put them in "roles" and make FNAF things happen again and again in the "real world" (their world).

[@Sunshoop]

I dont think the static was artificial. Just- interference at bad timing. IF Cassie's dad is the bonnie bully then Cassie would know Mike if he's come to their home or if she was brought to meet him or met him somehow by chance at the pizzaplex while he was talking to her dad, she probably could've brought gregory to meet her dad and met them thus all of them knowing each other thus probably why gregory tries saying mike but interference cutting out at bad timing. I dont really get why he'd get cut out trying to say Vanessa's name or something considering vanessa is longer than mike and the cut out name is really short and quick and Vanessa isnt like that when you say it but mike could be. Idk- i just dont get your whole theory since it's all jumbled around. Vanessa sure could be part of the Mfam but i dont think she'd really know anything lower than the burntrap room or even past the Mxes room(forgot what it's name is spelled as-) but mike would! He's been down there before, he lived there, what's to stop him from knowing the layout? Idk- mumble theory jumble. Could you maybe make your theory a bit clearer too? All i could really get is Vanessa might be on Gregory's side and might be working with him against the mimic but then your theory being about how the interference and static name stuff goes- its weird censoring. We know mikes name and we know Vanessa's so- might just be new important character we haven't unlocked yet. Idk- gotta go restless for the theories lol

[@DJ_Music_Man2]

I believe that the “way out” Henry had planned for Michael wasn’t a door to go outside but his soul being connected to a metal endoskeleton so he wouldn’t die but Henry thought that would have gone too far and not been moral

[@blaisedunbar5097]

At this point it would be disappoint if the man did not take after his father in always coming back

[@annepandesal]

LMAO real...

[@ExodaCrown]

Help Wanted 2 what got me thinking Michael is alive; the Candy Cadet's second story, all the sister location and pizzeria references, Circus Baby saying "You should've known that I would find you." line in the second Fazzerblast minigame when you open the present, and finally that it being Cassie's dad felt too "easy" as a solution for a FNAF game. The Fazwrench looking familar could be a call back to an ealier FNAF game where the player gets fired for tampering with the animatronics. Maybe using a Fazwrench... As why the Mimic writing the wall code could make sense. M.X.E.S. used the Glamrocksto stop Cassie from deactivating the nodes? Or the vile band he was referring to was the blob? Gregory more merged the vile band together than destroying them.

[@Jubumby]

In the story prankster, there are 2 guys that work on a vr game one of them being "Jeremiah" and a girl who it only says isnt a game developer like the other 2. The other guy is described as childish, specifically like an 8 year old boy for some reason... and on jeremiah's birthday the other 2 leave him a cake that says happy birthday jeremy, wrong name but right amount of candles. Jeremiah describes his apartment as his home but for some reason he says "if thats what this place is" reminds me of dittophobia. Bobbidots "Gabe" lives in the pizzaplex because hes homeless but hes a technician, he uses a computer to gain access to a room with rogue AI, And animatronics that try to help but do damage instead. Baby and the plush babies, baby in help wanted 2 gives icecream, the plush babies attack, not to mention the plush babies can teleport... they're rogue ai not real

[@tsume_akuma8321]

I disagree with you on the popsicle thing. The Ending is significant for Gregory when he experiences it, because for him, he is experiencing reality. That's not a virtual representation, that's Gregory on a hill. He is linked to the crying child in some way. What the Brazil Ending shows, is a fake happy ending. Cassie has failed. She cries as she submits to HELPI, letting herself fall under the control of Glitchtrap, just as Vanessa and Gregory once were under his control.

[@mathgod2066]

Yeah, the idea that the popsicle being changed to show that Gregory isn’t linked to the Crying Child was never strong evidence in my opinion. For one, the scene with Gregory eating a regular ice cream was part of the Brazil Ending, which means it was a Fake Ending. That can also apply to whatever was shown in that ending.

[@ThisIsAHandle-xz5yo]

I feel like the connection is simple Glitchtrap was drawn to Gregory and Vanessa because they reminded him of the things he wanted, the daughter his machine killed and the son his negligence killed, assuming that Glitchtrap is just Williams agony the lose of his children is probably gonna cause a lot of it to be created Mike would also be interested in them as it’s his sister who he failed to save and the brother he killed, and Cassy being the daughter of his friend (or maybe granddaughter just based on ages)

[@alliwolf3627]

I went into this video not liking the idea of mike being alive, just wanting to see why people think so. I've been convinced. This is a really good theory.

[@RisuTheMan]

Y'know what, yeah, I vibe with this theory. I haven't really seen anyone interpet the wall text like you have, even though I believe it makes a lot more sense than I'd've initially thought. Also, very nice observation on the radio call, I haven't seen anyone point that out before. Though the "there WAS a way out planned for you" indicates to me that Henry didn't implement the escape mechanism due to Mike's willingness to go along with the plan, so it makes Mike's survival much harder to explain. I've always interpeted Mike as the Anti-William, existing to thematically parallel Will, Father Vs Son, Evil vs Good. Thematically speaking, it would make sense that when something like William exists, there must also be something like Michael to oppose it. If William comes back, so does Michael. So I think if Michael himself isn't there to stop what's pretending to be his father, it would make sense that there is someone or something that is like Mike, being there to stop him. There's a lot going for the theme that the past repeats itself, Faz Ent coming back, making a restaurant, Mimic (william) comes back, kills kids, the animatronics turn evil, the protagonist (mike, gregory) survives the night, the animatronics get scrapped (fnaf 2/SB), the restaurant gets leveled one way or another (fnaf 2, 3, 6/SB), the past starts haunting the present (fnaf 3, 6/Ruin), good guys team up (Mike and Henry/The Fam) to take down the bad guy (Mimic/William) Vanessa seems to be taking Michaels old role, being "hollowed out" (literally Mike/Vanessa getting her mind broken into) and then being saved, working toward dismantling the thing that made them that way (William/Mimic). So I think Mike might take on Henry's role, having the building maps, working behind the scenes to conduct plans to bury the past once and for all

[@annepandesal]

oohhh i really like this! past repeating itself YEAH

[@annepandesal]

oohhh i really like this!! the past repeating itself and mike taking henry's role? Sickkk

[@ryaquaza3offical]

“although there was a way out planned for you-“ Micheal: *IGHT IMMA HEAD OUT*

[@buckethatboy8719]

Y’know what? I’m gonna say it. Gregory isn’t a robot; he’s Michael’s actual son. “Built” is just a way for SW to be discreet about it. If they used “raised”, it’d be way too obvious. Michael getting rid of Glitchtrap might have made Gregory loose a lot of his memories, rather than his entire memory just being completely wiped. That’s probably why Gregory refers to Michael as his friend; he doesn’t remember that he’s Michael’s son. It’s a little sad, but Michael managed to save and reunite with Gregory at some point after SB, so it’s not all terrible. I feel like the next games have to hint at Cassie’s Dad (who is absolutely Jeremy Fitzgerald/VR Jeremy/Bonnie Bro) and Michael teaming up after all these years to finally put all of this to an end, seeing as they indirectly caused it with CC’s death. This video is making me go crazy in the best way possible.

[@nekofrisk1005]

well even if her is Michaels son it would have to be adopted, Michael doesn't exactly have the internals to have a kid considering he's well.... just a walking pile of skin with nothing inside it?

[@mintw4241]

Hasnt Michael been a walking hollowed-out malodorous corpse since the ‘90s? Bravo to him if he inexplicably found love after all that

[@Doombringer_r]

@@mintw4241Bravo to him if he can even shoot still

[@sleepy-emerald]

Mike doesn't have any organs and I kinda doubt he'd be allowed to adopt a kid

[@buckethatboy8719]

As if adoption would make Gregory any less of his son?

[@Yipper64]

9:22 I do think one implication of this could be that Charlie is still alive, possibly as well? In fact I think there's more evidence for Charlie still being around in, some sense, considering the nightmarione imagery (cables and staff bots) and plush toys around.

[@ValToadstool]

Alive isn't exactly the best word to use here lol

[@craftingranger7552]

I think the last few games have been showing that something full of agony is down in the bunker, hell we don't even know where the dead childrens bodies actually are now, we know they were never found in the suits so they must've been disposed of, Charlie could be there too, possessing an Ella Doll maybe

[@dirisiri1267]

I think that he/she might be in hibernation inside Cassie. To elaborate, she somewhat possessed Cassie, but either can't take over the AI or is simply resting. Yes, I think Cassie is also a robot. I'm confused about Charlie's gender. That's why I put both pronouns there

[@Soundblaster_the_godfathermerc]

​@dirisiri1267 Here let me fix this for you, Charlie is a girl, Puppet and Lefty were males so in reality Puppet and Lefty, are females ever since Charlie possessed them cause Puppet didn't have a personality til Charlie took control, and same could be said for Lefty since Lefty was made to capture the Puppet/Charlie, and works as a suit for her thus possessing Lefty as well giving Lefty the same personality as Puppet which makes all three one and the same and probably reason why give a female character him pronouns as well because what gender Puppet and Lefty were supposed to be

[@Jfkdabombk]

@@craftingranger7552how do we know that?

[@whitebaer8171]

We need mike to be back, he's the security gaurd that knows the best ways to escape or atleast survive these locations, maybe he can be a father figure for gregory or cassie to

[@IcedLattee7]

“I will put you back together” -fnaf 4 end line “Breach and bend” -sb wall code(prob from Mike based on this theory If Gregory is a robot that Afton or glitchtrap made, explaining why Gregory at least looks like CC(not saying Gregory is cc or anything like that tho)

[@marymarvel]

i really like this theory!! i had never thought about this before but you framed it in a way that makes a lot of sense!

[@porcelainchips6061]

Mike's wall code refers to the "In your dreams" staff bots; they are to smash the vile band

[@akiro7640]

I like how you call them the fam team Like its Michael re-creating the family he once have Vanessa being Elizabeth and Gregory being the crying child

[@SpaceBear1987]

finally honestly, the evidence is so concrete but nobody wants to say this

[@Eterco]

"Friends Against Mimic" gives me "Bards Against the Throne" Vibes

[@nekofrisk1005]

It doesn’t make sense for Micheal to willingly die in fnaf 6 as it doesn’t make sense for his character. He has seen William survive and escape being burned to death before, why would he willingly sit there while they burn? I could see him willingly burning himself to pass on after he has definite proof that William is dead for good but not letting himself die before he has proof his dad is dead

[@IsaacNewbie]

Not sure if this is mentioned in the video, but in help wanted 2, there’s a poster of Helpy running away from a burning building in the minigame where you test on Helpy. Michael is commonly associated with Helpy, as he is the guy to do the lawsuits and is always in the office with Michael. This could possibly signify that Michael escaped the FNAF 6 fire.

[@axoltheotl2198]

Thank god somebody else understands that Michael is alive. The thing that tipped me off was that Henry said "You somehow found this job listing, not intended for you." This means that somebody other than Michael was running the building.

[@axoltheotl2198]

Everybody seems to overlook this one sentence. They keep assuming that Michael took up the listing and not a family member of the missing children trying to get closure on what happened.

[@nekofrisk1005]

@@axoltheotl2198 I've never actually thought of that.... but that then brings up the question of who besides Michael would Henry know that he would have a reason to believe would want to die with everyone else in the fire?

[@isukatgemz2166]

@@nekofrisk1005me dawg I was the one there (REAL)…

[@baby_mui14]

​@@nekofrisk1005 I think Henry was talking about Michael (the dying in a fire with everyone part). I think he was saying that the job wasn't meant for Mike, but he thinks Mike wants to die in fire with them.

[@Joshside-d7k]

That's... not what that line meant. He made a way out because he didn't expect Mike to be the one to be the protagonist of FNAF 6, he expected it to be some random, which is why he made a way out, so some random guy didn't need to burn to death when everything went down. But as Henry clearly says, since it is Mike, he probably does wanna be there.

[@francisplays9055]

Oh no no no no no no NO NO the undeniably canon fnaf timeline is RIGHT ABOUT THIS IT WAS 2 YEARS AGO

[@Chills-zb9lj]

Only issue I have is that if mike and Jeremy are still friends wouldn't Cassie know who mike is, rather than Gregory explaining Mike is his friend?

[@Soundblaster_the_godfathermerc]

Probably because Michael used fake names alot ever since his incident at Sister Location also his condition, I mean would you tell someone you have a friend that became a walking corpse like a Zombie yet not and has some cybernetics due to was used as a suit for a animtronic that he threw up out of him? Plus would even she believe him anyways if he did tell her about his friend, I mean he might of given hints not never a full confession, also plus you found out your father has a friend wouldn't you want to meet that friend only get denied? Thus a good reason why

[@SlimeySlimeyBoy]

I still think the following characters (Other than mike) are still around: Scrap baby (Elizabeth). She never got enough screentime and has been a giant villian throughout the book series. Plus, Cassie after the ruin ending feel deeper underground past fredbears, which is most likely Sister location bunker. Chances are, Elizabeth could be hiding down there for now. Lefty (Charlie / The Puppet) We never saw them burn in Fnaf 6, and we see nightmarione all around the pizzaplex after the fire. This video makes me think theres a third one alive to, Mike.

[@Soundblaster_the_godfathermerc]

Nightmarione said to be made out of Charlie's agony and probably remnant as well cause how else do you explain what her body is made out of, with bad intentions unlike the Charlie Bots who had Charlie's good intentions

[@higueraft571]

@@Soundblaster_the_godfathermerc >unlike the Charlie Bots who had Charlie's good intentions Except the one that was LITERALLY a raging asshole?

[@Paulin_Gueimer]

wait you actually got something cooking up, keep up with the work.

[@permutedguy]

to simplify it, he always comes back.

[@justin_boudreau]

I think you hit the nail on the head with this one, this is solid af

[@ManifoldTwo3336]

I wasn't convinced until you mentioned the underground designs, this makes a lot of sense actually.

[@KZDipped]

I last saw this when watching a ruin playthrough, so i could be wrong, but when we make it down to the pizzeria sim level, the security office looks alarmingly intact; certainly not like anyone burned to death there. Also, in this new era silver parasol claims the originwl games were made by a rogue indie developer; could that have been michael trying to take down fazbears via their reputation, telling the public what happened? That could explain why the scooper doesnt match too; he's the only one still around in all likelihood who knows what it actually looked like, he wouldn't need to model it realistically, and in fact probably wouldnt want to, to keep people from replicating the tech

[@deandrewramirez4052]

I like this theory so much imma summarize it to the best of my ablilties and present it to ryetoast in one of his pizza podcast and ofc mention you in it

[@Tragedy_Puppet]

Well, I think this theory is great and might be canon. But since they have Freddy’s head, it can be him possessed by Mike tho since in the Afton Boss Fight he said that he’s been in the FFPS Pizzeria/Fredbear’s Family Diner. And BurnTrap’s exoskeleton is not really Ruin Mimic’s exoskeleton cuz BurnTrap’s exoskeleton represents Trilogy Mimic’s. And i think Prototype G. Freddy is not the Freddy we see in Security Breach

[@marieofur8954]

Maybe its not a possession but he could have hacked into glam Freddy's system, as a way to give Gregory a guide to help him.

[@Dawid23_Gamer]

I do think that Michael could have survived another way - by not being there. While one piece of dialogue from Scraptrap kind of contradicts the idea (unless of course, he mistakes someone else for Mike or the piece of dialogue was intended for Scrapbaby), everything else would track: In the prologue of FNaF 6, the owner of the Pizza place (Michael) has gotten hold of Scrapbaby, but she manages to take hold of him and drags him away from the pizza place, and then she slowly comes back. Then, a random guy finds the job listing for being the franchisee of the pizza place, and he gets employed by Henry as plan B after he assumes Mike was scrapped by Scrapbaby. The dialogue still makes sense: The job listing wasn't intended for the random guy, Henry originally planned a way out for him but then decided that A) they know too much and B) it's too high of a risk, so he left him in there to die (tbf, Henry probably died too). The idea that Henry left a way out for Michael but assumed he won't use it is one I wouldn't have come up with though, clever. Although, Michael has some remmnant in him after he got scopped and there might be bits of Ennard holding his skin suit together, so I don't think life was an option for Micahel. EDIT: I have realized there is another interpretation where the volunteer isn't Michael but did everything, including dying to let this story end, knowingly, but this is challenged by the fact that we're told right after that the circumstances of the position were not honestly presented, so any amount of awareness of the situation is unlikely. This further calls into question Micahel being the character we play as, because unless Henry managed to outsmart the likely millions worth of security William would put in to ensure *no one* figured out what kind of operation he was running from the FNaF 5 location or all security shut off but the blueprints remained without being automatically destroyed once the security systems died, then Michael is the only reasonable person to provide Henry with the information necessary to come up with the plan to burn the remmnant.

[@firstnamlastnam2141]

"This ends for all of us." > _Despite presumably planning this for years and pooling time and resources into an elaborate scheme to do this, he proceeds to kill himself and possibly releasing the soul of his daughter, two of the only ones actually doing anything. Leaving the actual problems still there._ It doesn't really matter if this is true or not, it sucks either way.

[@higueraft571]

Actually even better: Henry reads something that utters "possibility" and "might" in the same sentence as his Plan Critical Key Info, decides "nah it'll TOTALLY work for sure", makes NO BACKUP incase it doesnt work, prays someone actually takes the Job to do the Legwork for him, and after gathering everybody (except the ones that are missing), proceeds to monologue to someone he thinks MIGHT maybe be Michael, about how he probably wants to die, before Henry promptly kills ONLY Himself (the only non-Remnant thing there) while trying to kill off the only people that have done anything while he fucked off for the past 40~ Years doing Nothing. Truly, the most powerful FNAF Character.

[@stormingchaos12]

14:50 i always interpreted this line to be the person’s name (i.e. “just follow *****’s instructions”)

[@stormingchaos12]

and this is why you always watch the whole video before commenting kids

[@cenobittten]

Excellent video. You came to the same conclusion as I did about the Sister Location room code. Its nice to see someone else reached that conclusion independently. I think it fits the message perfectly. I hadn't thought of Mike working with Gregory and Vanessa though, that's a cool theory and it makes sense. Thanks for making this video, now I have a handy video reference for this particular theory.

[@LemonExists]

15:06 Honestly, it could still be a pronoun. The obvious person for Gregory's friend to be would be Vannessa, but blocking out the pronoun leaves it a mystery.

[@RedHeadphones]

Nice theory, but you forgot one detail. In PS, we see everything from the perspective of Michael (except the decorating pizzeria phase). So, if Michael did escape, wouldn't we have seen it? Instead we see the screen getting redder which indicates the room getting hotter and Michael passing out.

[@melo-7904]

to also be fair, who exactly gets the ending cutscene (the one that states fazbear entertainment is no longer a corporate entity)

[@nekofrisk1005]

so some one else mentioned this but henry does say we (the person we play as) was not the intended person for the job listing which kinda does open up the idea that maybe we don't play as Michael in fnaf 6

[@melo-7904]

@@nekofrisk1005 that also makes a lot of sense because of the exact reasons you pointed out (being the “job listing, not intended for you” line by Henry)

[@HORROR-vt1gm]

​@@nekofrisk1005but henry than say that worker want to be there

[@Eterco]

Ok, Mike could have built Gregory as a robot child... Or alternatively... Mike is a dad. And Gregory is his actual son. It'd give another reason why he left the simulator

[@FreeFood-h9e]

Michael is literally a burnt victim to a crisp. Rotten flesh. Odor.and is defaced. I don't think anyone would want to procreate with that. Also- even if someone would want to get down with him (gross). He'd be too old to have children.

[@fl4me_on]

OMG, SO THAT WOULD STILL IMPLY THAT "AFTON" IS STILL GREGORY'S LAST NAME

[@Sleepless_dave]

That would be humorous

[@mintw4241]

Michael “corpse odor walking skinsuit” Afton?

[@Heinz-077]

Michael isn't Gregory's dad because security breach occurred after 20 something years after the events of FNAF 6

[@ib_enjoyer11037]

having been in this fandom for so long, this theory honestly solves all the issues and doubts I had regarding other modern-lore theories. keep up the good work! i hope more people see this vid, this theory definitely should be popularized

[@JoshuaA1307]

Interestingly enough, the design changes are easily explained by the “game as game” theory in which the first 3 games where made by the indie dev and the following 3 (including custom night) where made by Fazbear in order to cover up, and this lead to a massive discrepancy lore wise because of their desire to make money and hide the truth. This explains why the Scooper looks different and why the Blob has og masks with him even though it would be impossible, unless the events in the games isn’t a 1 to 1 to the true events

[@bdubsenjoyer]

There is so much more going on in the modern story of FNAF than has been revealed. The identity of the CEO of Fazbear, the mystery of the Nightmarrionne imagery and the opposing plush Scrapbaby imagery. The mystery of the Mimics unrevealed origins, Fallfest, whatever the Blob/Tangle is, the true nature of Burntrap and Glitchtrap, whatever significance the Sister Location bunker might have. There are so many puzzle pieces set up that haven’t been used in any way, I truly think Security Breach and the HW games were just the beginning of this era, and I’m truly excited for what comes next.

[@LmaoItsMitch]

19:00 Just had to appreciate that transition skill

[@Dskny10]

Lol w take

[@Ziggy_Star]

7:23 MY NAME IS EDWIN, I MADE THE MIMIC 🗣️🗣️

[@MetaSynForYourSoul]

"I don't want to get into it." A phrase i wish more FNAF KZbinrs would become well acquainted with.

[@EstherHiiragi]

I have fallen behind on so much lore, 12:32 Gregory did WHAT???? I mean fair, I also want to do that but WHAT

[@rafaelhuard]

Scott / Steel Wool rushing to change the story again after you figured out the twist: ✍️

[@blossomxxox8404]

As of recently I got back into my FNAF phase, (as I assume many of us do annually) and kept searching for theories on the newest bits of lore. By far, this is the best structured one I've seen that actually makes sense, has good proof and arguments and isn't based entirely on the books! Props to you, I subscribed. (I know my comment is quite a bit late, but I wanted to leave it here regardless).

[@qutis_brutus]

6:45 Why did you just straight up take Tinybuild's thing in the corner lol. I'm watching a FNAF theory video and Mr Peterson is just there lol. 🤣🤣

[@evandroescutatrap131]

Idk this probably has been said before but I feel the last line in the encoded message could mean "do whatever, you will succeed *anyway* ". Don't cry, don't fear, don't have hope, it doesn't matter. You're bond to save them.

[@paragonrobbie9270]

Henry: "We need this to end, the children's souls are suffering and they need to finally die." FNaF fans: "We need this to end, the characters' writing is suffering and they need to finally die."

[@technofurs]

About the scooper, you can see assets in the room where Cassie activates the scooper that belong to the pizzaplex- and that Steel Wool made (not re'used assets) wich proves that fazbear ent DID come back and work with the scooper (possibly modifying it)

[@noone-mo6gy]

I'm of the camp that Michael was never there in the first place, Henry mentioned that the job listing wasn't ours to find, which implies he already had a candidate for the job, that being Michael, But somehow we stumbled on to it and decided to take the job, all the while Michael was nowhere to be found.

[@HORROR-vt1gm]

Don't think so,henry will not burn some random human,henry say that you want to be here for a reason,henry burn place with Michael and rest,if you listening final words from henry you see why i tell that

[@bigguy4943]

I took my eyes off of the video and heard "big bear mails" and got very concerned

[@sleepy-emerald]

Last I checked, all bears are big males

[@Paragon13]

Wouldn’t it be funny if Gregory actually said “just follow *these* instructions”?

[@Hazzah_2006]

16:00 gregory might've been referring to vanessa cause in the ar emails she is called ness. Just food for thought but i think you might be right

[@joseystrife8780]

I think Michael is still alive and not as a retcon in Pizzeria Simulator there's a line that Henry? gives that implies that the position was intended for someone else and I think that person was supposed to be Michael

[@this_is_diamond_rot]

i mean, the FAM theory works, rolls off the tongue great theory dude. never even thought of this but I'm convinced

[@Unbistrackted]

Can't we treat that as a message to Michael?

[@NaionDrew]

"you dont need to understand everything I just said" as someone who followed mat pat's decent into fnaf madness since 2017 I can confidently say I understood most if not all of what you said

[@D_Dupa]

Oh This is actually pretty convincing Didn’t expect that

[@LesterDevious]

it feels like ruin and hw2 is just steel wool trying to fix the story from sb 😭

[@karito7279]

I really like this theory! For me it definitely feels better to have Michael not die in PS, instead of him posessing Glamrock Freddy after his death. In a story of characters not dying and repossesing animatronics constantly, that option feels alot more rewarding. Amazing work piecing all of that together :)

[@HORROR-vt1gm]

Is really looks weird without william if Michael alive somehow

[@higueraft571]

@@HORROR-vt1gm Simple, both survived, the fire didnt destroy ANY Remnant :V The only thing it really killed WAS Henry.

[@HORROR-vt1gm]

@@higueraft571 agree

[@umbraanimo7767]

10:35 this may be just my interpretation but line "try not do not hold out hope" is more a statement to act. I grew up this saying "to try is to fail you simply do" or something similar my memory can be poor at times. but it well simply means if you simply try you will fail you just do it. so it's say to "not Try simply do" and the Hold out hope part means to me "do not Hold out Hope someone else will save you" since I always hear Hold out hope being used in a case where someone can do nothing but wait and Hope a outside person of even will save them. To me the whole Line is says to not wait or attempt to stop the vile band but to act

[@RasmusSorensenDK]

I am pretty sure that in the spanish version of Ruin it says "mi amiga" confirming it is a woman gregory is talking about

[@tobysinbad]

I don’t mean to be dismissive but how careful about localising do you think a company is that released a game in the state Security Breach was in at launch? I recognise devs and localisers are two separate teams, but between the rush they seem to often be in and the dlc’s free pricetag I’d doubt that a translation error in one of several languages that have gendered noun suffixes were checked as seriously as they might have been. As much as I dislike this muddle of a story direction and genuinely hope you’re right, patient 46 is likely Gregory in his GGY era.

[@EddieCauseWhyNot]

Vanessa? lol no

[@higueraft571]

Like how the Spanish version of Security Breach *Patient 46 was Female?* You know, GGY/Greggory/Patient 46?

[@54rojer]

One small issue, Henry says that an escape plan WAS planned for Michael, which means he didn't actually implemented it, which means that unless Michael somehow teared through bolted metal doors then he's a charcoal

[@Exclusively_Eiden]

Are you William’s secret friend? 0:21

[@CherryCC239]

Not only does this add more to the story to help explain stuff but also- it's just satisfying from a story standpoint seeing as how Mike was the main character of the MAJORITY fnaf games

[@JameyMcQueen]

Narratively, if Michael was still alive, it would be EXTREMELY unsatisfying. I can excuse William being alive through his consciousness being uploaded into the cloud, but no one else. Michael was never a spirit haunting an animatronic. Everyone else was.

[@steffanofumo]

Not really, Micheal is a guy that somehow survived his insides being scooped and became some sort of pseudo undead out of sheer will to stop his father, makes sense he would show up again if William comes back in any form.

[@higueraft571]

>I can excuse William being alive through his consciousness being uploaded into the cloud That's the Mimic, not Afton. The reason why everyone EXCEPT Henry survived is: The KEY POINT of Henry's Plan comes from a sentence that utters "Possibility" and "might" in the same breath. There is effectively 0 evidence that Remnant is Destroyed by Fire, if not *negative* Evidence. Considering we know for a fact Springtrap was SQUARELY in the middle of Fazbear Fright's Fire, and he literally just walked out after the smoke cleared (as we see in SL) Henry, overall, is just a Very Stupid Character (and i can provide a few more examples as to why) >Michael was never a spirit haunting an animatronic. You're right, Michael was a Spirit haunting *his own Body.* ...unless there's still tiny Bits left over from Ennard, maybe, then i guess sorta-animatronic?? >Everyone else was. Except for Henry, i believe the ONLY Character that was going to be confirmed 100% Absolutely Dead in Security Breach, being a Charred Skeleton in the Burntrap Arena.

[@Sansyboi611]

could you imagine in the middle of the next fnaf game there's a point you come to where you run into michael, and he's wearing that white bear mask that's commonly used to represent what his fnaf 6 "design" would be, and there's a scripted jumpscare where in the middle of explaining things, he lifts it up and you see the horror that is whatever's left under there