Theory: Lucas Is Big A on 'Pretty Little Liars'

As the #BigAReveal (don't judge me for my hashtags — with Pretty Little Liars they're all but obligatory) draws ever nearer, more and more theories are popping up all over the Internet. PLL evil genius/showrunner I. Marlene King does her best to fan the flames with cryptic tweets that send the #PLLArmy running in circles, and I'm not going to lie: It's chaotic out there. I spent some quality time on the Pretty Little Liars subreddit today, and there were pages upon pages of theories — some plausible (Mona's been Big A all along), some deliciously unlikely (you know, the good ol' "Aria is A" standby), and some downright crazy-pants (semi-identical twins may somehow be involved) — though you never know what could end up being true on a show like PLL, which is why I'm looking at the theory that Lucas will be the Big A reveal.

The more theories I read, the more I kept coming back to one in particular (and yes, it's been circulating since around Season 3): The LucAs theory. Some people find the idea of LucAs obnoxious, mostly because they'd rather it be someone who's had a bit more screentime (a la the perennially popular AriA and HAnna theories), but if you think about it, it actually makes a lot of sense, on many different levels. Let's review:

He's Got a Major Axe to Grind

Ali tormented him hard, spreading rumors that he was born with both male and female genitalia — it would make sense if he wanted revenge for all the years of torment.

He's Also Got the Skill Set

Come on. Lucas has got it all: He's super smart (and tech-savvy — though at this point, it seems like everyone in Rosewood is) and he's a photographer, which definitely comes in handy on the surveilling side of things. Being Big A takes lots of brains, and Lucas has smarts to spare.

He's Been Shady in the Past

Lucas may seem adorably nerdy and lovelorn, but he's got a dark side, too. He was caught doing A's dirty work more than once, and his intentions have not always been 100 percent clear. One astute Redditor pointed out that he was caught with MZM pills in his bag... which is the same drug used on Emily that caused her to black out back in Season 3. Sounds a little too weirdly specific to be an accident, no?

There's the Mona Connection

Their friendship went deep (he cried when she disappeared) and we still don't know exactly what that means. Mona looked like she might have turned to the good side before the mid-season finale, but what with the new information that she might have faked her death, she's as untrustworthy as ever — and a close relationship with her doesn't necessarily bode well for Lucas, nope, not any more than contraband pills do.

It's All in a Name

One of the most popular pieces of evidence currently circulating the evidence is actually quite simple: Lucas' ostentatious surname "Gottesman" translates to "Man of God," which some theorists take as a nod to the fact that A has a major propensity for playing God. Coincidence? Or something more? I suppose we'll find out pretty soon.

Images: Eric McCandless/ABC; Giphy (2); saii79, hannasrivers, tinawildes/Tumblr