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These Fan Theories About Maeve’s Daughter Anticipate Another Major ‘Westworld’ Twist
Both Maeve and Dolores are aware of what they are in Westworld Season 2, but these hosts have very different strategies now that they're awake. While Dolores is fixated on revenge, Maeve searches for her daughter. But theories about Maeve's daughter on Westworld indicate that fans don't expect this trip to go smoothly for the former Mariposa madam. And beyond Maeve perhaps being disappointed with what she finds when she gets to her daughter's location, many theories point to a twist as epic as the Man in Black/William one from Season 1.
In the Season 1 finale, the technician Felix gave Maeve the location of her daughter — Park 1 Sector 15 Zone 3. Reddit user crittermd suggested that Park 1 could be Samurai World (now officially called Shogun World). And before Season 2 premiered, that seemed to be a possibility since Maeve appears to be in Shogun World in the Season 2 trailer. But in the Season 2 premiere, "Journey Into Night," Westworld's narrative director Lee Sizemore explained Maeve's daughter's location. Lee told Maeve that Sector 15 is "not exactly for adrenaline junkies. More of a family-friendly zone. Cabins, rolling hills, all of the pastoral clichés." And so unless Felix or Lee has lied to Maeve, it sure seems like her daughter is still in the homestead area of Westworld.
But other theories about Maeve's daughter have not been debunked yet. So as Season 2 continues, be on the lookout for clues that support these fan guesses:
1She's Maeve's Biological Daughter
The theory that is picking up the most steam — with Forbes and DigitalSpy both reporting on it — is that Maeve really conceived and gave birth to her daughter. While hosts being able to produce children hasn't been covered in Westworld yet, Reddit user everythingspodcast noted that the woman host with a baby in the Season 2 intro looks like Maeve. Westworld continues to reveal more about the hosts so even though Lee told Maeve that her daughter is "just a story, something we programmed," maybe Ford or Arnold made it possible for Maeve to procreate.
2Hector Is Her Father
Even if Maeve didn't actually create her daughter, Reddit user notfromgreenland speculated that Hector could be Maeve's daughter's father. Sure, it might just be another implanted narrative, but it would explain why Hector and Maeve feel such a connection to each other.
3She's A Young Charlotte Hale
There are a ton of theories on the mysterious executive director of the Delos board, Charlotte Hale, and one of them is that she could be Maeve's daughter. As Reddit user EstellaRittenhouse outlined, if Maeve is actually able to reproduce, then she could have had Charlotte (who just may be a partial robot). In that case, the child who Maeve sees from her past might not necessarily be Charlotte. But instead, she could have been placed in her narrative to make her forget about the real daughter she had.
4Maeve Is Remembering A Real Memory
In a similar vein, Reddit user fallingmountain theorized that perhaps Maeve's memories of her daughter are real. As in, Maeve was once human, actually had a child, and her host form remembers this. This would be like Bernard's memories of his son, which are really the memories of the human Arnold that Bernard was modeled after. In this case, pepelka7 noted that once Maeve finds her host daughter, she'll realize she once had an actual daughter and go to the real world to find her.
5The Man In Black Is Her Father
If you're on board with the idea that Maeve once had a human form, then you might be into this theory from Reddit user elliot_abernathy that says that Maeve had a daughter with William and that child is Charlotte. There have already been slightly unconvincing theories that Charlotte is the Man in Black's daughter, but this take offers an intriguing twist. If William is the father of a real-life child with Maeve, that could explain why the Man in Black killed Maeve and her host child. After all, he told Teddy in "Trace Decay" that he killed them to see if he could do something "truly evil." And what's more evil than killing the host version of a child you fathered and a woman you slept with? And even if Maeve was never human, this theory could still work if she was a host who was made to reproduce since William spends so much time in the park. William also led Delos, so wouldn't his child taking over the board make sense?
6The Bible Connection
Reddit user AristocatJoke took the location of Maeve's daughter and decided to consult the Bible. They found that Genesis 15:3 (after Sector 15 and Zone 3) says, "And Abram said, 'You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.'" Perhaps this is a hint that Maeve's child isn't related to her by any biological means, but that Maeve will still treat this host as her daughter and have her follow in her footsteps as an "heir." Or, it could be a hint that the Charlotte theories are true and that she's half host (aka, a "servant in my household") since the young woman is currently ruling over Delos. Even if the Bible connection theory needs some fleshing out, it's certainly an interesting tidbit.
7Maeve Will Tweak Her Daughter
Maeve is focused on finding her daughter, but Reddit user p3t3r133 noted that when (if?) she does find her, there's a very good chance that her daughter will have no idea who Maeve is. irtizzza16 suggested that Maeve could change her daughter's settings (as she has done with herself) so that her child will remember her. But would Maeve really want to force her daughter to remember the horror of being murdered?
8Her Daughter Will Die & It Will Lead Maeve To Shogun World
Since Maeve's daughter is most likely still in Westworld, why is Maeve in Shogun World in the Season 2 trailer? TommyUmami theorized that after Maeve finds her daughter, a samurai will kill her. (The humans are no longer in charge of the hosts in Westworld, perhaps the same applies to Shogun World.) This then leads Maeve on her own path to explore the other parks. Or, she could be in Shogun World on a revenge mission.
9Maeve's Daughter Is Behind "The Door"
Entertainment Weekly outlined that the secret title of Season 1 was "The Maze" and for Season 2, it's "The Door." The Man in Black said the maze was revealed to him after he killed Maeve and her daughter since he saw Maeve be truly alive for a moment. So it's possible that Maeve and her daughter could also be the key to the door for William. Reddit user IEatBackwards suggested that "The Door" could be the door to Maeve's homesteader house where William lost his humanity and that all three characters will meet up there again in Season 2.
No matter what happens with Maeve's daughter, the host had created her own narrative by choosing to find her child. And wherever it takes her, at least Maeve seems to have free will for now.