The Fallout series hints that Vault-Tec is responsible for nuclear war.

The Fallout series, based on the post-apocalyptic game franchise, is making fans fascinated with the fresh concept they brought on-screen. Without adapting the games’ characters and stories, the show has successfully inculcated the Fallout universe events in the show. With the show renewed for another season, fans are excited about what more would the show be serving next.

 
Fallout – Ella Purnell as Lucy MacLean [Credit: Amazon MGM Studios]
However, one particular scene from the first season is making fans scratching their heads as the show has dropped a major hint on who was actually responsible for dropping the nuclear bombs during the Great War. But that speculation met with a setback due to its events, which they believe needs to be clarified. 

Who is Responsible for Dropping Nukes in Fallout?

For years, fans have been long been speculating on which side of the Great War dropped the nuclear bombs first. Given that the United Nations and China had conflicted for a long time with each discreetly building their weapons for protection, it has long been a mystery.

The Sino-American war became official when China was successful in invading Alaska, leaving the Americans to get back into action. Up to that point, many blamed the war for nukes but the new Fallout show subtly drops the hint, suggesting Vault-Tec’s involvement in it. 

As Fallout explained in its finale episode, Vault-Tec, the company behind the creation of 122 vaults to provide underground shelters in wars, discusses curating uproar among the netizens to sell their vaults. 
Amazon Prime Video, Fallout (2024)
The scene features a board room where Vault-Tec execs attempt to sell their vaults to the many powerful entities of the fictional world. Walton Goggins’ Ghoul, who was previously Cooper Howard before the nuclear war, was the spokesperson at Vault-Tec with his wife, Barbara Howard (Frances Turner) serving as executive.

The corporation was responsible for aiding paying customers by providing them with their vaults. While it was surely a profitable business, it would have been futile had the nuclear war never happened, leaving them with no control over the future of humanity. 

Around the time when the government was negotiating to reduce the tension, Barbara Howard and Senior Vice President Bud Askins seemed quite excited about creating chaos in the world. While the series plot seems plausible, fans are not convinced by this theory. 

Fans Argue Over the Fallout Series Major Plot Change!

A still from Fallout
Vault-Tec surely had evil plans, as they would not only form a monopoly over humanity but also perform illicit human experiments within the Vaults under the cover of nuclear war. While Cooper’s memory leads us to a major surprise, it is yet to be implied that the company is the one responsible for dropping the nukes. 

A user took to X to express their words, arguing that the show doesn’t confirm the company’s direct link with the nuke apocalypse. They wrote, 

“They did NOT say, for absolute certain, that Vault-Tec dropped the bombs first. They had the idea, but that’s not definitive proof…For one, why would Barb let her daughter be so far away from a vault when the bombs fell?”

Check out the other tweets here.

Yep. I fully interpreted this scene as being more for Cooper showing how far Barb / the Corpos™ had fallen, more than exposition for the viewer (outside of existing fans who already know Vault-Tec = shit).

— Rob (@VaultOfDaedalus) April 20, 2024

Yeah there could have been a cabal within vault-tec that arranged things. All this is an intentionally vague plot device to keep us speculating.

— LoneVaultWanderer (@LoneVaultWander) April 20, 2024

She’s not head of Vault-Tec and we know Vault-Tec has a habit of keeping secrets from Vault-Tec

— Tom👨🏼‍💻🧠📖 (@Prometheus505_) April 20, 2024

This was the point of the scene. They are well aware that Vault-Tec has always been seen as a likely culprit in dropping the bombs, The Nuke in Megaton is a perfect example, with the Vault-Tec symbol. All the scene is supposed to do is provoke conversation & speculation.

— SwiftFate (@SwiftFated) April 21, 2024

Exactly, massive curveball potentially.

— Kaan Bayazit (@Razzerian) April 20, 2024

The argument is credible since Barbara’s husband, Howard, and their daughter, Janey, were on the surface on the day of the fallout. The opening episode of Season 1 follows Howard and Janey at a party when mushroom clouds appear over the city, signaling the arrival of the apocalypse. Although Vault-Tec’s involvement is not explicitly confirmed in the show, it is implied that the company has a hand in the outcomes.

Season 1 of Fallout is now streaming on Prime Video.