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Some Wilson theories


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TIME TO SPECULATE EVERYONE 8) I guess you'd count this as backstory theories, but eh, I don't really know. 

 

Wilson's supposed to be an English gentleman, yet he lives in a tiny wooden shack in the middle of nowhere. If you notice though, he has a fancy looking armchair, an expensive radio, a wood stove (I think), and of course all his science equipment and upper class clothes. So why is his house in such disrepair? Another thing to consider is that in his field notes, he mentions going to graduate school, yet is never referred to as "Dr" so it could be assumed that he didn't complete the course. Again, why? Even if he wasn't smart enough (he's proved through building the machine that he is smart enough, though), since he's in the aristocracy the school could easily have been bribed to give him a degree.

 

Is Wilson more of an impoverished gentleman than a gentleman scientist? Did his family go broke when he was still in grad school, and only have a few remnants of their old life? Problem is, the theory clashes with information about the radio: Klei stated that it was a Voxola PR-76, manufactured in 1919 before the factory was burnt down. As they've also stated that the game takes place in the 1920s (can't find source, unfortunately) and Wilson is in his early 30s. He'd have had to have to bought it after the family went broke, so the times don't match up. Is he in such a rundown house simply because his parents got fed up of him blowing things up in their mansion, perhaps?

 

Any other theories? I would really like to figure this out. xD And if I've made any mistakes feel free to correct them, I know I'm not as thorough as I'd like to be with research. 

 

EDIT: So I found out about remittance men today and wrote a little about that http://tigerdragon1001.tumblr.com/post/112033304741/some-more-wilson-ramblings As for the scandal mentioned, I have some ideas, but I'll only give them if somebody wants to hear them in the first place. 

 

PS: Ignore any mention of "I recall reading this but can't find the source". Both instances are also shown in the source that gives his age. 

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Here's my personal fan-theory: Wilson came from a well-off family. He tried to become a legitimate scientist, but was laughed out of the scientific community for his crackpot ideas. Wilson, seeing himself as a misunderstood genius, decided to leave the ungrateful society and used the money he inherited to buy a house and some equipment. And since he's cares about science more than his living conditions, he either bought a run-down shack that was barely habitable enough so he'd have more money left for the equipment, or the house was fine at first, but he was too busy with his experiments to bother fixing stuff around the house and it soon fell into the state of decay due to neglect.

Alternatively, Wilson's departure from the scientific community was linked to some scandal, so when he declared his desire to become a hermit, his relatives couldn't be happier and provided him with money necessary for him to disappear from their lives forever. After he left, they regularly sent him a moderate amount of cash in fear that if his money ever ran out, he will return to the society and embarass himself and his family once more.

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Sorry for taking so long to get around to replying!

 

@AwesomeEmmi @Zhuzha I can't really see someone being disowned for scientific theories unless they were really out there, so I kind of doubt that theory. Unless he came up with the idea of meat effigies, or some other odd device that is implausible in real life and only works in the Don't Starve... world? Wilderness? I'm not sure what you'd call it. Hearing voices, on the other hand... I never thought that Maxwell could've been speaking to Wilson before the incident, but if he did, that would make a lot of sense. The parents probably sent him away too, lest anyone hear of their 'insane' son and ruin their reputation.

 

@mikeek I recall reading somewhere that he was supposed to be a 'proper English gent' but again I can't find the source!

 

@Ixmore Yet another question on Wilson's past! Usually gentlemen scientists were well off in the first place and so didn't need a job to provide income (at this point I'm guessing he may still have an allowance of sorts, as Zhuzha suggested), but it would be interesting to see if Wilson did have to work for a living. I'm curious myself about what he did/would do. Certainly not anything involving going outdoors! 

 

On a less dramatic note, being a hermit and being too absorbed in his experiments to look after the house, as well as buying a rundown house so that he could afford his supplies, does sound a lot like Wilson. He seems to care a lot for his appearance, but maybe this doesn't extend to where he lives? Or maybe he keeps it that way to study the odd things that grow in an abandoned house? He mentioned mushtrees growing in his bathroom, could he have let them grow on purpose, to study them?

 

By the way, Zhuzha, it's interesting that you mention a scandal since I recently thought of another theory involving a scandal, but not one related to his scientific endeavours. 

 

PS If anyone doesn't want to be mentioned/pinged here please let me know, I don't want to annoy anybody. 

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I think I agree with most people that Wilson came from a well off family. It's been mentioned that his family doesn't want anything do to with him, and that's why he lives on his own in the woods. But as to why they don't want anything to do with him is less clear.

 

It could be that his parents didn't approve of him studying science, although I don't know why that would be. Usually parents have an objection if their child wants to be an artist. Science on the other hand has a lot of applications in the workforce.

 

My current theory is that he might have dodged the draft for WWI, and his family did not approve of this.  

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@Unsound Mind I had no idea that it was official his family didn't want anything to do with him, thank you for letting me know! I agree with you on the 'disapproval of science' thing; that's why I'm skeptical of suggestions that the parents disowned him due to his studies. Oh hey, we both think he wasn't conscripted too. :razz: Although, I don't think he actively dodged it, I think he was prevented from being drafted.

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It could be that his parents didn't approve of him studying science, although I don't know why that would be.

 

Maybe a religion issue?

 

Wilson's experiments could've been mistaken for "witchcraft", leading the guy to live alone, despair, and dabble in actual magic.

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Maybe a religion issue?

 

Wilson's experiments could've been mistaken for "witchcraft", leading the guy to live alone, despair, and dabble in actual magic.

Could be so, does kinda explain him living secluded out in the woods doing as he pleases with his science. Might be just Wilson being Wilson or me being silly but his "Back off preacherman!" examination of a clockwork bishop sounds like it could hold some bitterness towards the real thing.

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Woah. He says that?

 

Gawds I want a puzzle right now. More backstory! T^T

He sure does, haha. 

 

Yeah, could only wish for more backstory for him and the other characters. I know the lack thereof is for the mystery of it all but mannn do I crave at least a tiny bit more lore.

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Yet another question on Wilson's past! Usually gentlemen scientists were well off in the first place and so didn't need a job to provide income (at this point I'm guessing he may still have an allowance of sorts, as Zhuzha suggested), but it would be interesting to see if Wilson did have to work for a living. I'm curious myself about what he did/would do. Certainly not anything involving going outdoors! 

 

On a less dramatic note, being a hermit and being too absorbed in his experiments to look after the house, as well as buying a rundown house so that he could afford his supplies, does sound a lot like Wilson. He seems to care a lot for his appearance, but maybe this doesn't extend to where he lives? Or maybe he keeps it that way to study the odd things that grow in an abandoned house? He mentioned mushtrees growing in his bathroom, could he have let them grow on purpose, to study them?

 

The devs said the game takes place in the 1920s and that was when the consumption alcohol was banned. Perhaps he did come from a well off family and the cabin was a lodge of his, but I bet he could of made a good amount of money and get a hold of stuff for his experiments by being a moonshiner. Which could explain the Skeleton (could be a guy that was threatening to rat him out to the cops)

 

  I had no idea that it was official his family didn't want anything to do with him, thank you for letting me know! I agree with you on the 'disapproval of science' thing; that's why I'm skeptical of suggestions that the parents disowned him due to his studies. Oh hey, we both think he wasn't conscripted too. :razz: Although, I don't think he actively dodged it, I think he was prevented from being drafted.

 

He never Said that Wilson family doesn't want anything to do with him, that was just a speculation of his.

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@applebottom @DawnyGoi Well, I think the witch scares had stopped by that time, but thank you for providing that quote! That's helped me a lot with my current idea. 

 

@Ixmore Very interesting theory! Given all the chemistry equipment he has he'd probably have the resources to be one.

Actually, I found a source for that! The family not wanting anything to do with him, I mean. http://dontstarve-wilson.tumblr.com/post/72699367472/o-this-is-the-email-response-i-got-from-klei 

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I don't really think that just because he doesn't have the honorific attached to his name, that it means he didn't graduate. For example, Wickerbottom is obviously the librarian's last name, but she's not known as Ms. Wickerbottom.

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 Very interesting theory! Given all the chemistry equipment he has he'd probably have the resources to be one.

Actually, I found a source for that! The family not wanting anything to do with him, I mean. http://dontstarve-wilson.tumblr.com/post/72699367472/o-this-is-the-email-response-i-got-from-klei

 

I have to say this. Can't afford the Real Mccoy? Buy Don't Starve and have a taste of the Perfect Percival.

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Theories! I can get behind this, especially if it's about Wilson.

 

One theory in particular I've been working on a while now is that Wilson is actually the son of Maxwell. And I've already cursed myself royally for thinking of it in the first place. But instead of neglecting it, I went ahead to not only find proof but also to find bits and pieces here and there to actually make it work.

 

To start off, I'll be taking a page from MatPat's (The Game Theorists) book to prove by genetics why they're related. The more obvious features are the fact that Wilson and Maxwell both have black hair. And while eye color isn't exactly something you can cover with the specific art style of the Don't Starve games, something I noticed is that they both have dangling earlobes. (If you wanna take a step further, Charlie-who we could assume would be Wilson's mother-also has dark hair and dangling earlobes. Who knew?)

 

Genetics aside, it's time to talk about surnames. Wilson and Maxwell are the only characters of which we know their full names, Higgsbury and Carter respectively. And this is where we dip into backstory, to explain not only why Wilson is out in the mountains but why he would have a different last name. A simple explanation is this: Magic vs Science. Maxwell, as we find, used to be a magician and thus magic was just a thing he did and lived for. This doesn't exactly mean Wilson would do the same, if anything he probably was smarter than the average man and thus science became what he wanted to live for. And even then, Maxwell didn't agree. Maxwell focused on his show and what he would perform, while Wilson went to school. Eventually the disagreement between the two could have led to a number of different outcomes. Either Wilson was upset over his father and left, or Maxwell didn't want anything to do with his son.

 

Wilson changed his last name, and made his way to a location far from his father and his magic shows. But what could that location be?

 

Canada.

 

Legit, Wilson went to the mountains in Canada. How do I know this? During the "All's Well That's Maxwell" update, there was a link given of which the image featured on the webpage you would be brought to would change depicting a conflict of some kind between Charlie and Maxwell. (Secrets Revealed videos uploaded by skull24, anybody?) One of the images was Charlie slipping a letter under the door to Maxwell's (what I'm guessing) apartment, and the source code revealed what the letter read:

 

Quote: "We need to talk about your...study room. There's some creepy stuff going on in there! Maybe when this is over we can take a little break. My sister said we can use the family cabin up in BC if we want to get away."

 

BC which could easily be initials for the province British Colombia in Canada. A place filled with mountains and- Oh yeah, Charlie mentioned a cabin didn't she?

 

So that's where Wilson is located in the "Forbidden Knowledge" video. The family cabin belonging to his mother, Charlie, of whom she was going to suggest to Maxwell that they vacation there. But, they couldn't because right afterwards they had their final show. Only to have the outcome of the show trap both Maxwell and Charlie in the world of Don't Starve. Unable to escape, and being a prisoner to something he had dedicated his life to, Maxwell wanted to escape.

 

Who would be the best person to trick into freeing him from his own nightmareish prison? Oh yeah, that son thing he had. While all of this was going on, Wilson was researching and experimenting to his hearts content, only to have nothing in return for quite a while. Distraught, he was on the verge of giving up until a voice sounded on a radio. Maxwell was telling his son to make a portal to come rescue him, tricking him in doing so.

 

I would also like to mention that in a part of the video, Wilson had to slice open his palm to use his own blood for the portal. My first thought was, blood...but why? Morbid, probably, the game has a pretty dark atmosphere if you really think about it. But what if the reason why he needed to use his blood is because family blood was used before to enter the world?

 

More genetic proof, I'm on a role!

 

So there you have it. Physical features, similar DNA in blood. Magic VS Science that could cause the two to disagree on a number of concerns and topics. The reason why they could be related, but have different last names. And how and where Wilson ended up when leaving his family. And why Wilson's hate for Maxwell could stem from more than the chessmaster from tricking him into a world where survival is key.

 

That's just what I think though.

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Theories! I can get behind this, especially if it's about Wilson.

 

One theory in particular I've been working on a while now is that Wilson is actually the son of Maxwell. And I've already cursed myself royally for thinking of it in the first place. But instead of neglecting it, I went ahead to not only find proof but also to find bits and pieces here and there to actually make it work.

I actually remember reading somewhere that Wilson can mean "Son of Will", or "Son of William", William being Maxwell's real name. The thing that bothers me about this theory though is wouldn't Wilson recognize Maxwell's voice? I think if Wilson suddenly found his magic obsessed dad offering to give him forbidden knowledge he'd be a tad suspicious. Then again, even without the whole magic obsessed dad factor, accepting deals like that off of the radio would be an odd thing to do without questioning first.  

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Not a fan of "Wilson is Maxwell's son" theory, but it is plausible. However, he can't be from Charlie. Because, according to Kevin, Wilson was pulled into DS world in 1921, and if that letter, TigerDragon1001 linked, is legit, he was in his early 30s when it happened. That means he was born in 1891 at least, while Maxwell met Charlie only in 1905.

I would also like to mention that in a part of the video, Wilson had to slice open his palm to use his own blood for the portal. My first thought was, blood...but why? Morbid, probably, the game has a pretty dark atmosphere if you really think about it. But what if the reason why he needed to use his blood is because family blood was used before to enter the world?

 

I always saw it as the play on the popular notion in media, that when you make a deal with the Devil, you have to sign the contract in your own blood.

 

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I actually remember reading somewhere that Wilson can mean "Son of Will", or "Son of William", William being Maxwell's real name. The thing that bothers me about this theory though is wouldn't Wilson recognize Maxwell's voice? I think if Wilson suddenly found his magic obsessed dad offering to give him forbidden knowledge he'd be a tad suspicious. Then again, even without the whole magic obsessed dad factor, accepting deals like that off of the radio would be an odd thing to do without questioning first.  

 

 

Simple. Wilson wouldn't be able to recognize Maxwell's voice because he sounds different over the radio. If you play the audio of Maxwell speaking to him via radio, and then play the audio of Maxwell's introduction when you enter the world, he sounds different.

 

Wilson didn't recognize what his father sounded like so that's why he listened to the knowledge the radio gave him. He was desperate to find some kind of knowledge to find something to do, probably because when he left his family it meant he dropped out of school which could explain why nothing worked for him for a while. He only started to regret what he had done when he noticed the shape the portal made. Maxwell's face.

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Not a fan of "Wilson is Maxwell's son" theory, but it is plausible. However, he can't be from Charlie. Because, according to Kevin, Wilson was pulled into DS world in 1921, and if that letter, TigerDragon1001 linked, is legit, he was in his early 30s when it happened. That means he was born in 1891 at least, while Maxwell met Charlie only in 1905.

 

I always saw it as the play on the popular notion in media, that when you make a deal with the Devil, you have to sign the contract in your own blood.

 

I just assumed Charlie would be his mother, since we don't really know anybody else in Maxwell's life prior to getting dragged into the Don't Starve world. Doesn't mean though that Wilson could have just been adopted by the two of them after they met.

 

Though the whole signing a contract with the devil in your own blood wasn't something I thought of. That too makes sense.

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