[Theory] The true purpose of Maxwell's Door

[Garett Skott]

We've seen that getting into the Constant is relatively easy: Wigfrid shook Max's hand, Walter tuned a radio, Wicker didn't even ask for it, but why did Wilson have to build a whole portal? Maxwell could've just created one of his spiral portals like the one Wes fell into, but instead went for a big structure that resembled his face which required multiple days of hard work, there must be an other reason the portal was built!

Let's go over what we know it does: it brough Wilson to the Constant and later to the throne. This means it can't be used by survivors in both ways, but it only brings them deeper into the Constant. It's purpose can't be to bring a survivor to adventure mode (lore-wise) because Maxwell really doesn't want you to reach him, he even accidentaly left the portal free for use (his quote is "So that's where I left that thing!"). Poor Max is getting too old.

One thing I always found weird is that the Door isn't even used as an actual door, it just summons shadow hands which drag people into the ground. You could argue that it's just not worth it to make a door-crossing animation only for that, but it happens in the short too (although it seems to be used like a door in A New Reign). That got me thinking: "How do shadows get to Earth?", they seem to be a recent phenomenon, studied only by those who actively seek it, not something that people were aware about ealier in time, and they need some kind of trigger or means of communication to act, how did they do it before Voxola inventions existed?

I present to you: the Gateway Theory! I think that the portal's true purpose is to allow shadows to get to Earth freely. The first to be ever contacted by Maxwell would be Wilson, who built Maxwell's Door, and then the shadows travelled back in time to capture the people Max wanted to get rid of because they knew too much or were easy preys. I know, talking about time-travel always sounds ridiculous, but we know shadows can do it: they chased Wanda first to the victorian era, then to that random field and, judging by her quotes, much farther. We also know that time isn't linear in the Constant, if "an eternity" passed for Max from 1906 to 1921, some characters must've been alone for centuries, which they don't seem to / never refer to have been (there is also a loading screen tip that said something about the time, but I couldn't find it). This would explain the shadow hands coming to life only after the portal is activated and how shadows can roam the Earth without Voxola equipment! If this is correct, there is still the original portal in Wilson's house and someone will have to deactivate it to stop shadows from taking more victims, could be the ending!

 

There is one hole in this theory that I've noticed: the Codex Umbra, how did it get into Max's hands if shadows arrived after he took the book? I don't have a great answer for that, but what do we really know about the Codex? Maybe it was some kind of recursive temporal paradox or ancient long lost relic.

Are there other points I've missed? Can you fill the blanks? Let me know down below and remember: it's just a theory, A DST THEORY!