‘American Horror Story: Apocalypse’: Fan Theory Suggests Michael Langdon is Even More Sinister Than Expected

American Horror Story: Apocalypse is only two episodes in at this point, but fans are already trying to figure out exact what’s going on in this Murder House/Coven crossover season, especially when it comes to Michael Langdon.

On the surface, it seems like we already know quite a bit about Michael, played by actor Cody Fern. He’s the grown up version of Tate Langdon and Vivien Harmon from Murder House, the anti-Christ, and he seems to have significant power as a member of Apocalypse‘s mysterious Cooperative. However, some fans are questioning if there isn’t more to Michael than that — specifically, if he’s behind the deaths and destruction at the other Outposts.

Over on Reddit, user EdwinQFoolhardy shared a theory that puts the message Michael delivers to the show’s Outpost 3 about the rest of the seemingly safe Outposts in a whole new life. In the season premiere, it’s revealed that there are a number of Outposts worldwide, but six of them have been “overrun” and the survivors who had been holed up there meeting grim fates. When Michael arrives at the somewhat-thriving Outpost 3, he tells them just how bad things are and that they will likely meet the same fate unless he chooses to take them with him to the practically palatial-sounding Sanctuary.

Seems pretty straightforward, but the theory suggests that what’s overrunning the other Outposts aren’t cannibalistic and desperate hoards trying to survive in a nuclear wasteland. Instead, the theory suggests that it’s Michael himself who is destroying those survivor outposts. But why would he do that? Well, other than the fact that he’s supposed to be “evil”, there are a few possibilities. First, he could just be following orders. It’s possible that the Cooperative has their own agenda and maybe that includes severely limiting the number of survivors. After all, the people in the Outposts largely bought their way in. It’s also possible that Michael is lying about the status of the other Outposts. Maybe they haven’t been destroyed or overrun or maybe he’s already plucked the people he wanted to move to Sanctuary and moved on to the next on his list.

It’s also possible that the other Outposts were dramatically different than Outpost 3, with those sheltered elsewhere truly devoted to saving humanity and restoring the earth. Outpost 3 might have been the anomaly among the group, with Veneable and Mead’s rogue rules and the downright dysfunctional nature of things in the bunker. Maybe Michael destroyed the other Outposts to rid himself of “good” people, leaving only the questionable characters of Outpost 3.

Whatever the situation and Michael’s true purpose, it will be interesting to see how Apocalypse plays out. Fans have already begun to theorize that everything will be undone by the end of the season, but as American Horror Story is known for its surprising twists at this point, it’s all anyone’s guess.

What do you think? Let us know your theories and thoughts in the comments below.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.