For the longest time, we thought we understood the past. The end of Fallout season 1 told us that Barb and Bud had the idea of dropping the bombs themselves. If they knew when the apocalypse would start, they could make sure everyone who needed to be in the vaults was already there. However, Fallout season 2 episode 5 suggests that it may not have been them.
Well, it may not have been Vault-Tec. As we continued with the storyline in the past, Cooper Howard got to Las Vegas, where he learned the real identity of Dr. House. We already knew that there was a body double, but nobody else realizes it. It’s not surprising the real House is acting in the shadows, and not just because of some of his experiments.
House is trying to predict when the world will end. What he knows is that Vault-Tec likely isn’t going to drop the bombs, so who does?
Dr. House isn’t the one to end the world on Fallout
Something that seems obvious is that House isn’t the one to drop the bombs. We know that he protects Vegas with his own missile system, and it’s possible that he isn’t on board with the idea of the bombs dropping at all. After all, this would affect his business, and he needs to ensure that the “house always wins.”
He wants the cold fusion technology to help himself, as he wants to live forever. Isn’t that something many geniuses want? Can we completely blame him for finding a way to protect himself?
Is it possible that Bud ended up with the technology and the way to live forever? After all, we saw his brain running around in a robot, and it sounds like this was something House was considering for himself.
Did Barb and Bud drop the bombs? Unlikely
Barb and Bud were the ones to come up with the idea to drop the bombs. The reasoning is simple: they know when it’s going to happen. Sure enough, we know in New Vegas that Vault-Tec managed to get to the vaults they needed to be in. Not only did we learn a version of Bud was running around Vault 31, but now we have confirmation that Barb and Janey made it to the Management Vault, which is in New Vegas.
However, I still don’t believe it was them who dropped the bombs. They’re not the ones in control, and that all comes from the Fallout season 2 premiere, which saw Hank getting in touch with someone he called “Sir.” Many assumed at first that he was speaking with Dr. House, but what if there is another player?
Hank knows where Bud is, so he wasn’t speaking with him. He also knows where Barb is, and she’s still on ice. In the past, Hank was walking around with the briefcase, and he went to speak with someone who wasn’t Dr. House, which suggests that there is someone at the party Hank is creating a sneaky deal with, likely linked to Bud.
So, yes, Bud may have partially been involved in the plan to drop the bombs, but there is something bigger going on for Hank — and potentially for Steph, who says the “experiment’s over” for Vaults 32 and 33.
China dropped the bombs on Fallout
In the games, it’s heavily implied that China drops the bombs. The TV series hasn’t heavily implied it yet, but it’s possible that the series will continue the way of the games. We’ve seen the United States fighting against China in Alaska during Fallout season 2 episode 4, and it would make sense that a war would turn nuclear with the right technology.
However, we also have the Enclave, who have focused heavily on radicalizing the world. Could they have been responsible for the apocalypse? There’s so little that we know about the Commonwealth, but it’s clear they want total control, and we could find out that Cooper accidentally gave information to the Enclave that led to the bombs dropping at an earlier date.
Right now, House things Cooper is going to be the one to drop the bombs, but is he capable of something like that? Probably not, but he could have accidentally led to it, which is why he’s now so hellbent on finding his family to make sure they’re safe.
There are three more episodes to Fallout season 2, and with some hope, we’ll find out who dropped the bombs before the end.
Fallout airs on Wednesdays on Prime Video.