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Removed all spoiler tags due to Fridge being post-viewing.


!!'''THERE MAY BE MASSIVE SPOILERS LEFT UNMARKED HERE.''' '''''THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING.'''''

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!!'''THERE MAY BE MASSIVE SPOILERS LEFT UNMARKED HERE.''' '''''THIS IS YOUR FIRST AND ONLY WARNING.'''''
'''As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''



* When Elizabeth asks Booker how old he is, he simply responds that he's younger than forty. A look at his Pinkerton contract tells us that he was born in 1874, making him thirty eight. Elizabeth is nineteen. Doing the math [[spoiler: after you learn that she's his daughter, you realize that he and his wife had her when he was just ''nineteen.'' Imagine you're nineteen, your wife just died giving birth, and you're left to take care of the baby completely on your own -- suddenly his decision to give Elizabeth away, let alone to someone who he was led to believe had the means to take care of her, makes a lot more sense.]]
* Most black residents of Columbia came there directly from [[https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Solution_to_Your_Problems Georgian prisons.]] This being the Jim Crow era southern U.S., surely many of those prisoners were innocent... but many ''weren't'' as well, and it's worth noting that the vast majority of state-level prisoners to this day are [[https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2019.html violent offenders]]. Certainly, even in a highly racist society, prisoners would be far more disposed to arbitrary violence than the general population. [[spoiler:This further explains why the Vox Populi rebellion is so bloody and rampant, and why Fitzroy in ''Burial At Sea'' was unsure if she could control her "troops." The underclass of Columbia had a disproportionately large number of people who were ''already'' violent criminals.]]
* Remember what [[spoiler: Elizabeth]] says at the end about [[spoiler: Constants and Variables]]? "There's always a lighthouse, there's always a man, there's always a city..." [[spoiler: Most people understand that it's an allusion to how the stories in all the [=BioShock=] franchise open up. But then it occurs: not only do the stories begin the same way, but all the good endings have a consistency as well.]]
** Respectively: [[spoiler: There's always the hero (''Jack'', ''Subject Delta'', ''Booker [=Dewitt=]''), he always leaves Rapture with somebody in tow who's been isolated (''the little sisters'', ''Eleanor Lamb'', ''Elizabeth''), he always dies one way or another ([[AGoodWayToDie old age]], [[DiedInYourArmsTonight Big Daddy Coma]], [[DeathByDrowning drowning]]), and he always does so surrounded by his multiple (adoptive/)daughters.]]
** A bit of this applies to Minerva's Den too, with [[spoiler:''Subject Sigma/Charles Porter'', ''Pearl Porter'', and ''also likely dying of old age, presumably next to his wife's grave'', respectively]]
** And again in ''Burial at Sea- Episode 2'' where [[spoiler: Elizabeth herself becomes the hero, and ultimately dies making it possible for Jack and the Little Sisters to leave Rapture]].
** It's also worth noting that Elizabeth's story is strikingly similar to that of Eleanor Lamb in ''Bioshock 2''. Both were torn from their "fathers" ([[spoiler:[=DeWitt=]]]/Subject Delta) by the BigBad (Comstock/Sofia Lamb) who becomes the center of a religious cult. Elizabeth/Eleanor are then grow up being imprisoned while their captors try to force them into a supposed "destiny" that they ultimately refuse to accept. Both develop unusual "gifts" (Eleanor learns to communicate telepathically, while Elizabeth learns to make use of tears) that they use to escape their confinement, which is accomplished with the aid of their father. Finally, the father sacrifices himself to free their respective "daughter."
** The whole concept of "constants and variables" is also continuing the theme of commenting on the linearity of video game narratives. Many video games like to give the players options, but it is impossible to do without some parts being fixed, meaning that there are "constants" that will always happen regardless of your actions, and "variables" that are affected by the player. This is true of the ''Bioshock'' series as a whole. In the original game, there were "constants" (Jack's plane always crashes, he always arrives at the lighthouse, he always enters Rapture, he always has to face Steinman and Peach Wilkins, he always confronts Ryan, he is always [[spoiler: betrayed by Atlas]], and always [[spoiler: takes down Frank Fontaine]]) and one variable (whether Jack chooses to save or harvest the Little Sisters). ''Infinite'' is just more upfront about it.
* Looking back at the endings of all the [=BioShock=] games, [[spoiler: they're each narrated by someone of a different nationality. Tenenbaum is German, Eleanor is British, and Elizabeth is American. Elizabeth is the first American narrator, because she acts as a cautionary warning that America can be its own worst enemy.]]

to:

* When Elizabeth asks Booker how old he is, he simply responds that he's younger than forty. A look at his Pinkerton contract tells us that he was born in 1874, making him thirty eight. Elizabeth is nineteen. Doing the math [[spoiler: after you learn that she's his daughter, you realize that he and his wife had her when he was just ''nineteen.'' Imagine you're nineteen, your wife just died giving birth, and you're left to take care of the baby completely on your own -- suddenly his decision to give Elizabeth away, let alone to someone who he was led to believe had the means to take care of her, makes a lot more sense.]]
sense.
* Most black residents of Columbia came there directly from [[https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Solution_to_Your_Problems Georgian prisons.]] This being the Jim Crow era southern U.S., surely many of those prisoners were innocent... but many ''weren't'' as well, and it's worth noting that the vast majority of state-level prisoners to this day are [[https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2019.html violent offenders]]. Certainly, even in a highly racist society, prisoners would be far more disposed to arbitrary violence than the general population. [[spoiler:This This further explains why the Vox Populi rebellion is so bloody and rampant, and why Fitzroy in ''Burial At Sea'' was unsure if she could control her "troops." The underclass of Columbia had a disproportionately large number of people who were ''already'' violent criminals.]]
criminals.
* Remember what [[spoiler: Elizabeth]] Elizabeth says at the end about [[spoiler: Constants and Variables]]? Variables? "There's always a lighthouse, there's always a man, there's always a city..." [[spoiler: Most people understand that it's an allusion to how the stories in all the [=BioShock=] franchise open up. But then it occurs: not only do the stories begin the same way, but all the good endings have a consistency as well.]]
well.
** Respectively: [[spoiler: There's always the hero (''Jack'', ''Subject Delta'', ''Booker [=Dewitt=]''), he always leaves Rapture with somebody in tow who's been isolated (''the little sisters'', ''Eleanor Lamb'', ''Elizabeth''), he always dies one way or another ([[AGoodWayToDie old age]], [[DiedInYourArmsTonight Big Daddy Coma]], [[DeathByDrowning drowning]]), and he always does so surrounded by his multiple (adoptive/)daughters.]]
(adoptive/)daughters.
** A bit of this applies to Minerva's Den too, with [[spoiler:''Subject ''Subject Sigma/Charles Porter'', ''Pearl Porter'', and ''also likely dying of old age, presumably next to his wife's grave'', respectively]]
respectively.
** And again in ''Burial at Sea- Episode 2'' where [[spoiler: Elizabeth herself becomes the hero, and ultimately dies making it possible for Jack and the Little Sisters to leave Rapture]].
Rapture.
** It's also worth noting that Elizabeth's story is strikingly similar to that of Eleanor Lamb in ''Bioshock 2''. Both were torn from their "fathers" ([[spoiler:[=DeWitt=]]]/Subject ([=DeWitt=]/Subject Delta) by the BigBad (Comstock/Sofia Lamb) who becomes the center of a religious cult. Elizabeth/Eleanor are then grow up being imprisoned while their captors try to force them into a supposed "destiny" that they ultimately refuse to accept. Both develop unusual "gifts" (Eleanor learns to communicate telepathically, while Elizabeth learns to make use of tears) that they use to escape their confinement, which is accomplished with the aid of their father. Finally, the father sacrifices himself to free their respective "daughter."
** The whole concept of "constants and variables" is also continuing the theme of commenting on the linearity of video game narratives. Many video games like to give the players options, but it is impossible to do without some parts being fixed, meaning that there are "constants" that will always happen regardless of your actions, and "variables" that are affected by the player. This is true of the ''Bioshock'' series as a whole. In the original game, there were "constants" (Jack's plane always crashes, he always arrives at the lighthouse, he always enters Rapture, he always has to face Steinman and Peach Wilkins, he always confronts Ryan, he is always [[spoiler: betrayed by Atlas]], and always [[spoiler: takes down Frank Fontaine]]) Fontaine) and one variable (whether Jack chooses to save or harvest the Little Sisters). ''Infinite'' is just more upfront about it.
* Looking back at the endings of all the [=BioShock=] games, [[spoiler: they're each narrated by someone of a different nationality. Tenenbaum is German, Eleanor is British, and Elizabeth is American. Elizabeth is the first American narrator, because she acts as a cautionary warning that America can be its own worst enemy.]]



* One of the big complaints about ''Infinite'' was the [[GameplayAndStorySegregation preservation of mechanics from previous versions of Bioshock]], such as Vigors/Plasmids, and the player character looting trashcans for items. Well we know how the first one fits together, [[spoiler:what with Finkton's tears into Suchong's labs being a two-way window and all,]] but what about Booker dumpster diving when Columbia is still shiny and new and not yet a desolated ruin? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense- unless Booker was always spending his money on gambling and drink [[spoiler:and his baby]] and as such had to "cut corners" to get his own meals. A penniless drunkard would have no compunctions against rooting around inside a trashcan for a half-eaten bag of popcorn, would he?

to:

* One of the big complaints about ''Infinite'' was the [[GameplayAndStorySegregation preservation of mechanics from previous versions of Bioshock]], such as Vigors/Plasmids, and the player character looting trashcans for items. Well we know how the first one fits together, [[spoiler:what what with Finkton's tears into Suchong's labs being a two-way window and all,]] all, but what about Booker dumpster diving when Columbia is still shiny and new and not yet a desolated ruin? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense- unless Booker was always spending his money on gambling and drink [[spoiler:and and his baby]] baby and as such had to "cut corners" to get his own meals. A penniless drunkard would have no compunctions against rooting around inside a trashcan for a half-eaten bag of popcorn, would he?



* The Cage, or the Bird? Like the two faces of a coin, both are actually same thing from different perspectives. Back in the early 20th century, there used to be these novelty toys involving a loop of string and a card with a bird printed on one side and a cage on the other. When the loop of string is twisted and released, the card quickly flips back and forth, creating an optical illusion where the bird is in the cage. Aside from foreshadowing [[spoiler:how Songbird can be defeated]], it also illustrates ''[=BioShock Infinite=]'''s concepts of predestination and free will (which the Cage and the Bird symbolize) and their simultaneous representation in the story. This also doubles as a quantum physics reference: the illusion of the card showing both bird and cage represents a quantum superposition. Booker choosing one of them for Elizabeth to wear collapses the superposition into either one or the other. Made better by this being implied to be one of the variables (as opposed to the constants such as the coin toss).
** [[spoiler: In the end, it doesn't actually matter which brooch is chosen. Unlike the original [=BioShock=], where player choices were important to determining the ending, the choices in ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' are only there to give the ''illusion'' that player decisions impact the story, again playing with the idea of predestination, states of existence, and decision-based multiverses. Some players will put lots of symbolic consideration into a decision that will ultimately mean nothing more than a tiny cosmetic change for Elizabeth.]]

to:

* The Cage, or the Bird? Like the two faces of a coin, both are actually same thing from different perspectives. Back in the early 20th century, there used to be these novelty toys involving a loop of string and a card with a bird printed on one side and a cage on the other. When the loop of string is twisted and released, the card quickly flips back and forth, creating an optical illusion where the bird is in the cage. Aside from foreshadowing [[spoiler:how how Songbird can be defeated]], defeated, it also illustrates ''[=BioShock Infinite=]'''s concepts of predestination and free will (which the Cage and the Bird symbolize) and their simultaneous representation in the story. This also doubles as a quantum physics reference: the illusion of the card showing both bird and cage represents a quantum superposition. Booker choosing one of them for Elizabeth to wear collapses the superposition into either one or the other. Made better by this being implied to be one of the variables (as opposed to the constants such as the coin toss).
** [[spoiler: In the end, it doesn't actually matter which brooch is chosen. Unlike the original [=BioShock=], where player choices were important to determining the ending, the choices in ''VideoGame/BioShockInfinite'' are only there to give the ''illusion'' that player decisions impact the story, again playing with the idea of predestination, states of existence, and decision-based multiverses. Some players will put lots of symbolic consideration into a decision that will ultimately mean nothing more than a tiny cosmetic change for Elizabeth.]]



** Interestingly, the scene still bears a striking resemblance to the opening of the original [=Bioshock=]. Booker, just like Jack, finds himself alone on a small island containing only a lighthouse, not knowing where he is or what he should be doing. The interiors of the lighthouses in both games contain artifacts alluding to the city you're about to visit. This culminates in the player finding a capsule (a bathysphere in ''Bioshock'', a rocket in ''Infinite'') which takes them on a one-way trip to the city. The parallels make become especially notable when you remember the reveal that Booker was deliberately brought to the island by the Luteces for their own ends [[spoiler: just like how Frank Fontaine deliberately set up Jack to stumble into Rapture]].
** At the end, it is also implied that the narrative we ''thought'' was happening (that Booker is supposed to find Elizabeth and bring her to someone to solve a gambling debt) [[spoiler: is a mental construct produced by Booker himself, and the Luteces played along with this narrative to move him forward]]. This is not entirely unlike how in the original Bioshock we initially assume [[spoiler: Jack is just a normal person who stumbled into Rapture by bad luck and has to survive long enough to find a way out, which also turns out to be a narrative Frank Fontaine concocted to manipulate him]].

to:

** Interestingly, the scene still bears a striking resemblance to the opening of the original [=Bioshock=]. Booker, just like Jack, finds himself alone on a small island containing only a lighthouse, not knowing where he is or what he should be doing. The interiors of the lighthouses in both games contain artifacts alluding to the city you're about to visit. This culminates in the player finding a capsule (a bathysphere in ''Bioshock'', a rocket in ''Infinite'') which takes them on a one-way trip to the city. The parallels make become especially notable when you remember the reveal that Booker was deliberately brought to the island by the Luteces for their own ends [[spoiler: just like how Frank Fontaine deliberately set up Jack to stumble into Rapture]].
Rapture.
** At the end, it is also implied that the narrative we ''thought'' was happening (that Booker is supposed to find Elizabeth and bring her to someone to solve a gambling debt) [[spoiler: is a mental construct produced by Booker himself, and the Luteces played along with this narrative to move him forward]]. forward. This is not entirely unlike how in the original Bioshock we initially assume [[spoiler: Jack is just a normal person who stumbled into Rapture by bad luck and has to survive long enough to find a way out, which also turns out to be a narrative Frank Fontaine concocted to manipulate him]].him.



* The background material about Comstock states that he was at the battle of Wounded Knee and also used Columbia to raze Peking to the ground during the Boxer Rebellion (supposedly in retaliation for Americans being held hostage). [[spoiler:But in the game itself, Booker had never heard of anyone named Comstock at the battle of Wounded Knee. Why? Because Comstock was the name a alternate version of himself chose after accepting baptism for his sins after the battle. Which then led to the events in the story]]. Same thing goes for why Slate has not heard of him.
* Vigors and the Songbird sure are reminiscent of the Plasmids and Big Daddies from [=BioShock=], aren't they? That's because [[spoiler: a log entry implies that Fink's been viewing a tear to Rapture's biolabs. ]]
* How do you control a songbird? Put him in a cage. [[spoiler: C, A, G, E are the notes Elizabeth needs to play to control him]].
* The subtitle of ''[=BioShock=]: Infinite'' refers to [[spoiler:the infinite multiverse that [=BioShock=] takes place in]].
* Some people are probably disappointed with how some gameplay sections from the trailers aren't present in the final game. [[spoiler: Then you see the E3 Elizabeth in the ending alongside multiple other Elizabeths. The beta/E3 sections were alternate timelines from the main, meaning they may have happened after all - just not for you]].

to:

* The background material about Comstock states that he was at the battle of Wounded Knee and also used Columbia to raze Peking to the ground during the Boxer Rebellion (supposedly in retaliation for Americans being held hostage). [[spoiler:But But in the game itself, Booker had never heard of anyone named Comstock at the battle of Wounded Knee. Why? Because Comstock was the name a alternate version of himself chose after accepting baptism for his sins after the battle. Which then led to the events in the story]].story. Same thing goes for why Slate has not heard of him.
* Vigors and the Songbird sure are reminiscent of the Plasmids and Big Daddies from [=BioShock=], aren't they? That's because [[spoiler: a log entry implies that Fink's been viewing a tear to Rapture's biolabs. ]]
biolabs.
* How do you control a songbird? Put him in a cage. [[spoiler: C, A, G, E are the notes Elizabeth needs to play to control him]].
him.
* The subtitle of ''[=BioShock=]: Infinite'' refers to [[spoiler:the the infinite multiverse that [=BioShock=] takes place in]].
in.
* Some people are probably disappointed with how some gameplay sections from the trailers aren't present in the final game. [[spoiler: Then you see the E3 Elizabeth in the ending alongside multiple other Elizabeths. The beta/E3 sections were alternate timelines from the main, meaning they may have happened after all - just not for you]].you.



** [[spoiler:All the [=DeWitts=] are arranged alphabetically in order of plot importance: '''A'''nna (Elizabeth, the MacGuffinSuperPerson), '''B'''ooker (the PlayerCharacter), and '''C'''omstock (the BigBad)]]. [[spoiler:Incidentally, the player's Booker is the [=123rd=] iteration pulled in by the Luteces, judging by Robert's tally of the coin-flip]].

to:

** [[spoiler:All All the [=DeWitts=] are arranged alphabetically in order of plot importance: '''A'''nna (Elizabeth, the MacGuffinSuperPerson), '''B'''ooker (the PlayerCharacter), and '''C'''omstock (the BigBad)]]. [[spoiler:Incidentally, BigBad). Incidentally, the player's Booker is the [=123rd=] iteration pulled in by the Luteces, judging by Robert's tally of the coin-flip]].coin-flip.



* [[spoiler:The ending seems as though it would erase all Bookers, but we see this isn't the case at the end (or at least it seems that way). The Brilliance, however, is that Booker is killing every version of himself that went through with the baptism. All the ones that ran away from the baptism survived, thus leading to Anna and Booker together at the end]].
* Songbird's behavior is a lot like a Big Daddy from the first game. [[spoiler:Justified because the techniques used to make it came from a tear from Rapture. Which also explains why you could control it in the end, as some version of the same vocal commands Fontaine used at the end of [=BS1=] to shut Jack down]].
* [[spoiler:If you think about it, Elizabeth has some elements of the Big Daddy/Little Sister relationship as well. She's acting like a normal person would behave if they were guarded by a Big Daddy, and not some's been brainwashed like a Little Sister. But a MeaningfulBackgroundEvent during Songbird's death is that of a Little Sister mourning the loss of her Big Daddy. So when Songbird dies, how much of Elizabeth's reaction is due to StockholmSyndrome and how much is genuine]]?

to:

* [[spoiler:The The ending seems as though it would erase all Bookers, but we see this isn't the case at the end (or at least it seems that way). The Brilliance, however, is that Booker is killing every version of himself that went through with the baptism. All the ones that ran away from the baptism survived, thus leading to Anna and Booker together at the end]].
end.
* Songbird's behavior is a lot like a Big Daddy from the first game. [[spoiler:Justified Justified because the techniques used to make it came from a tear from Rapture. Which also explains why you could control it in the end, as some version of the same vocal commands Fontaine used at the end of [=BS1=] to shut Jack down]].
down.
* [[spoiler:If If you think about it, Elizabeth has some elements of the Big Daddy/Little Sister relationship as well. She's acting like a normal person would behave if they were guarded by a Big Daddy, and not some's been brainwashed like a Little Sister. But a MeaningfulBackgroundEvent during Songbird's death is that of a Little Sister mourning the loss of her Big Daddy. So when Songbird dies, how much of Elizabeth's reaction is due to StockholmSyndrome and how much is genuine]]?genuine?



* The Tower is a recurring symbol throughout the game. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tower_(Tarot_card) Look at the meanings of the Tower]]. And in many versions, [[spoiler:it's struck by lightning. What happens, visually, when the Songbird destroys it]]?
* It seems weird that women are so equal in Columbia when one would expect it to be a far more chauvinistic society. There is, however, some historical backing for this. One of the arguments for women's suffrage is that it would help keep white protestants in control. Considering how Comstock needs as much support he can get, he probably didn't need to hear any more. [[spoiler:When you consider how Comstock also selected his successor to be a woman and that having women active in society would help people get used to that, this was probably a no-brainer for him]].
* After Booker's initial dumbstruck reaction to first seeing Columbia, as well as his admission to Elizabeth that he had never heard of the city before taking on the job, the line "I don't keep up on current events" might seem a bit of an asspull from the writers in order to preserve the wonder of experiencing a new city firsthand... until you find out that Booker [[spoiler: is actually an alternate reality version of Comstock, the 'Prophet' of Columbia, and that in his reality the city never existed because he himself never founded it]].

to:

* The Tower is a recurring symbol throughout the game. [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tower_(Tarot_card) Look at the meanings of the Tower]]. And in many versions, [[spoiler:it's it's struck by lightning. What happens, visually, when the Songbird destroys it]]?
it?
* It seems weird that women are so equal in Columbia when one would expect it to be a far more chauvinistic society. There is, however, some historical backing for this. One of the arguments for women's suffrage is that it would help keep white protestants in control. Considering how Comstock needs as much support he can get, he probably didn't need to hear any more. [[spoiler:When When you consider how Comstock also selected his successor to be a woman and that having women active in society would help people get used to that, this was probably a no-brainer for him]].
him.
* After Booker's initial dumbstruck reaction to first seeing Columbia, as well as his admission to Elizabeth that he had never heard of the city before taking on the job, the line "I don't keep up on current events" might seem a bit of an asspull from the writers in order to preserve the wonder of experiencing a new city firsthand... until you find out that Booker [[spoiler: is actually an alternate reality version of Comstock, the 'Prophet' of Columbia, and that in his reality the city never existed because he himself never founded it]].it.



** [[spoiler: Booker is able to save the world from Comstock only by being drowned in every universe where he's baptized. In other words, he saves the world by ''dying for our sins''. Which religious figure did the same thing? Hint: the Preacher who baptizes Booker says his name]].
** [[spoiler:This time, he understood the meaning behind the ritual properly. It was not a ticket out of guilt, but a step to coping with the guilt and atoning for what he'd done and become a better father]].

to:

** [[spoiler: Booker is able to save the world from Comstock only by being drowned in every universe where he's baptized. In other words, he saves the world by ''dying for our sins''. Which religious figure did the same thing? Hint: the Preacher who baptizes Booker says his name]].
name.
** [[spoiler:This This time, he understood the meaning behind the ritual properly. It was not a ticket out of guilt, but a step to coping with the guilt and atoning for what he'd done and become a better father]].father.



** They make you play a game of heads and tails. So far it has always come up heads, just like in ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead''. This is a brilliant reference because most of what they say falls into the genre of absurdism, they are into physics like Rosencrantz, they enjoy word-play that borders onto philosophical debates, they present to you choices that actually have no effect of the game echoing the free will vs. determinism theme in ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', and [[spoiler: they have been dead for the whole game]].
** The marks on the chalk board Robert is wearing? It plays into the idea at the end of constants and variables. While Booker can have a few choices during the game (who to throw the baseball at, whether or not to kill Slate) when you get right down to it, they don't matter, because they're always going to lead to the same result. This explains why there's only ever [[spoiler:one ending for this game]], considering the original [=BioShock=] was one of the first games to popularize moral choices that led to a different ending back before the whole trend got used by every single game ever; in a way Infinite is deconstructing the entire concept, because when you have a developed character like Booker, it doesn't matter what choices he makes (the variables) because they will never change ''who he is'' (constants) and because of that, only occur. Once you get right down to it, the Luteces are probably '''fascinated''' by that, the impossibility of a coin landing on heads every single time, no matter which of the infinite number of multiverses they decide to ask him to flip in.

to:

** They make you play a game of heads and tails. So far it has always come up heads, just like in ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead''. This is a brilliant reference because most of what they say falls into the genre of absurdism, they are into physics like Rosencrantz, they enjoy word-play that borders onto philosophical debates, they present to you choices that actually have no effect of the game echoing the free will vs. determinism theme in ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead'', and [[spoiler: they have been dead for the whole game]].
game.
** The marks on the chalk board Robert is wearing? It plays into the idea at the end of constants and variables. While Booker can have a few choices during the game (who to throw the baseball at, whether or not to kill Slate) when you get right down to it, they don't matter, because they're always going to lead to the same result. This explains why there's only ever [[spoiler:one one ending for this game]], game, considering the original [=BioShock=] was one of the first games to popularize moral choices that led to a different ending back before the whole trend got used by every single game ever; in a way Infinite is deconstructing the entire concept, because when you have a developed character like Booker, it doesn't matter what choices he makes (the variables) because they will never change ''who he is'' (constants) and because of that, only occur. Once you get right down to it, the Luteces are probably '''fascinated''' by that, the impossibility of a coin landing on heads every single time, no matter which of the infinite number of multiverses they decide to ask him to flip in.



* There's a brilliant bit of foreshadowing during the rowing sequence at the beginning. The "Gentleman" says the Booker "doesn't row". The "Lady" replies, "He doesn't ROW?" (the subtitles make sure you get the emphasis). The man then replied, "No, he DOESN'T row." First play through, you just figure they're weird, especially since the woman's response of "Ah, I see your point," comes across as sarcastic. Second play through, you realize [[spoiler:that they know that in no universe do you EVER row. It's not that you can't or won't, but that you simply DON'T: it's a constant]]. Which is also an explanation for why they start panicking if you stay on the boat for some time: [[spoiler:Each Booker reaches his lighthouse and his city--it's a constant. A Booker that ''doesn't'' go? "The universe has gone horribly wrong!"]].
** the fact that Booker doesn't row also alludes to the fact that [[spoiler: his choices don't have any meaningful impact on the story. He has no agency, he does not "row"]]

to:

* There's a brilliant bit of foreshadowing during the rowing sequence at the beginning. The "Gentleman" says the Booker "doesn't row". The "Lady" replies, "He doesn't ROW?" (the subtitles make sure you get the emphasis). The man then replied, "No, he DOESN'T row." First play through, you just figure they're weird, especially since the woman's response of "Ah, I see your point," comes across as sarcastic. Second play through, you realize [[spoiler:that that they know that in no universe do you EVER row. It's not that you can't or won't, but that you simply DON'T: it's a constant]]. constant. Which is also an explanation for why they start panicking if you stay on the boat for some time: [[spoiler:Each Each Booker reaches his lighthouse and his city--it's a constant. A Booker that ''doesn't'' go? "The universe has gone horribly wrong!"]].
wrong!".
** the fact that Booker doesn't row also alludes to the fact that [[spoiler: his choices don't have any meaningful impact on the story. He has no agency, he does not "row"]]"row".



** Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Comes up a few times from a cameo, Elizabeth singing it, and a Fink record. It's fair to say that this could be considered a representation of Comstock's desires to rain fire from the skies with Elizabeth. It could also be [[spoiler: interpreted that, at some point in space and time, everybody has a desire to rule or reign. Comstock is Booker, it's clear he wants to rule. Eventually Elizabeth gives in and follows up to Comstock's wishes, and Daisy went mad while ruling the Vox Populi and now wants to take over everything for herself]].

to:

** Tears for Fears "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Comes up a few times from a cameo, Elizabeth singing it, and a Fink record. It's fair to say that this could be considered a representation of Comstock's desires to rain fire from the skies with Elizabeth. It could also be [[spoiler: interpreted that, at some point in space and time, everybody has a desire to rule or reign. Comstock is Booker, it's clear he wants to rule. Eventually Elizabeth gives in and follows up to Comstock's wishes, and Daisy went mad while ruling the Vox Populi and now wants to take over everything for herself]].herself.



* During the ending when [[spoiler:the multiple Elizabeths drown Booker, they begin to vanish. However, you'll notice the Elizabeth you've been with during the game does ''not''. And then the screen goes blank]], similar to the post credits scene. This means that the [[spoiler:Elizabeth you saved from Columbia could very well still be alive and kicking in the same way Booker is, perhaps even maintaining her powers. She might just have gotten to Paris, after all]]. Particularly fitting, given the emphasis on quantum mechanics in the game. Both the pre-credits and post-credits scenes have ambiguous, unresolved endings, and multiple interpretations of the endings could consequently be true.

to:

* During the ending when [[spoiler:the the multiple Elizabeths drown Booker, they begin to vanish. However, you'll notice the Elizabeth you've been with during the game does ''not''. And then the screen goes blank]], blank, similar to the post credits scene. This means that the [[spoiler:Elizabeth Elizabeth you saved from Columbia could very well still be alive and kicking in the same way Booker is, perhaps even maintaining her powers. She might just have gotten to Paris, after all]]. Particularly fitting, given the emphasis on quantum mechanics in the game. Both the pre-credits and post-credits scenes have ambiguous, unresolved endings, and multiple interpretations of the endings could consequently be true.



* This may be unintentional, but think about the events in ''[=BioShock Infinite=]'' and its title. You're going through alternate realities to find out the truth of an EldritchAbomination, eventually hoping to prevent it from being unleashed, and end up with a GainaxEnding. [[spoiler:Sound like [[{{VideoGame/Marathon}} Marathon Infinity]]]]?

to:

* This may be unintentional, but think about the events in ''[=BioShock Infinite=]'' and its title. You're going through alternate realities to find out the truth of an EldritchAbomination, eventually hoping to prevent it from being unleashed, and end up with a GainaxEnding. [[spoiler:Sound Sound like [[{{VideoGame/Marathon}} Marathon Infinity]]]]?Infinity]]?



* When you meet the Lutece twins in the BBQ restaurant early in the game, you can attempt to shoot them, but the bullets don't register and they'll just tell you that you "missed". At first this just seems like a joke about the nature of friendly [=NPC=]s in games, but [[spoiler: it actually makes a ''lot'' of sense with their reveal of being unstuck in time]].

to:

* When you meet the Lutece twins in the BBQ restaurant early in the game, you can attempt to shoot them, but the bullets don't register and they'll just tell you that you "missed". At first this just seems like a joke about the nature of friendly [=NPC=]s in games, but [[spoiler: it actually makes a ''lot'' of sense with their reveal of being unstuck in time]].time.



* Another theory regarding the first nosebleed: [[spoiler: Booker's first nosebleed is a side-effect of the paradox of directly interacting with this universe's version of himself. The nosebleed happens again when he kills Comstock]].
* Early in the game when going through the Hall of Heroes, Elizabeth remarks that she has read about how Comstock fought at the Boxer Rebellion, to which Slate angrily shouts "COMSTOCK WASN'T THERE!" It's more complicated than that, though: After the battle of Wounded Knee, [[spoiler:Booker turned to baptism to assuage himself of his guilt and PTSD, but whether he goes through with it or not is what creates Comstock. However, it is telling that if he does get baptized and is born anew without sin]], he goes on to create the Hall of Heroes which feature him as the glorified hero of those battles. And yet Booker, who [[spoiler:refused baptism and wasn't absolved of his guilt]], instead insists he's no hero for his deeds and doesn't even want to ''talk'' about his involvement in Wounded Knee. Once again, however, Comstock did the exact ''opposite'' of repenting. By attempting to take credit for Wounded Knee and repeating his actions by razing Peking to the ground, he's shown he's utterly ''unrepentant'' for his actions. He's actively trying to turn his vices into virtues. [[spoiler: Booker, who genuinely repents of his deeds at Wounded Knee but can't see baptism washing away the sin, later drowns and is reborn in a new and possibly happier life]].

to:

* Another theory regarding the first nosebleed: [[spoiler: Booker's first nosebleed is a side-effect of the paradox of directly interacting with this universe's version of himself. The nosebleed happens again when he kills Comstock]].
Comstock.
* Early in the game when going through the Hall of Heroes, Elizabeth remarks that she has read about how Comstock fought at the Boxer Rebellion, to which Slate angrily shouts "COMSTOCK WASN'T THERE!" It's more complicated than that, though: After the battle of Wounded Knee, [[spoiler:Booker Booker turned to baptism to assuage himself of his guilt and PTSD, but whether he goes through with it or not is what creates Comstock. However, it is telling that if he does get baptized and is born anew without sin]], sin, he goes on to create the Hall of Heroes which feature him as the glorified hero of those battles. And yet Booker, who [[spoiler:refused refused baptism and wasn't absolved of his guilt]], guilt, instead insists he's no hero for his deeds and doesn't even want to ''talk'' about his involvement in Wounded Knee. Once again, however, Comstock did the exact ''opposite'' of repenting. By attempting to take credit for Wounded Knee and repeating his actions by razing Peking to the ground, he's shown he's utterly ''unrepentant'' for his actions. He's actively trying to turn his vices into virtues. [[spoiler: Booker, who genuinely repents of his deeds at Wounded Knee but can't see baptism washing away the sin, later drowns and is reborn in a new and possibly happier life]].life.



* Many players were vexed that, after [[spoiler: Elizabeth kills Fitzroy]], the game seems to lose all interest in the internal matters of Columbia entirely and focuses exclusively on our protagonists, treating Columbia as nothing more then the place they're running around in. Why ignore the city when the first half of the game seemed so obsessed with it? Several reasons:

to:

* Many players were vexed that, after [[spoiler: Elizabeth kills Fitzroy]], Fitzroy, the game seems to lose all interest in the internal matters of Columbia entirely and focuses exclusively on our protagonists, treating Columbia as nothing more then the place they're running around in. Why ignore the city when the first half of the game seemed so obsessed with it? Several reasons:



* Comstock accuses Booker of being a False Shepherd. [[spoiler: Comstock is Booker and has led all of his flock astray]].
* There's actually been a theory forwarded on some forums that Comstock is an atheist. A lot of Comstock's heretical actions according to Christianity make sense if you view he's attempting to create a secular scientific Christian Apocalypse. He's created his own substitute for Jesus, Mary, and God with Elizabeth, Lady Comstock, and himself. He isn't waiting for Jesus to return but actively preparing for his own Apocalypse with his own raised messiah. [[spoiler: Plus, his prophecies are the result of science, passed off as gifts from God]]. Comstock may desperately ''want'' to believe in God but has no faith.
* [[spoiler: Comstock has a baptism to absolve himself of his actions at Wounded Knee. Booker does not. Comstock later takes credit for his actions at Wounded Knee, popularizing them. Booker is afflicted with horror and guilt over them. In short, Comstock never repents of his sins while Booker does. Comstock's baptism is meaningless to him, save as a means of gaining a new identity. Later, Booker has a sincere baptism that allows him to be reborn as a new person]].

to:

* Comstock accuses Booker of being a False Shepherd. [[spoiler: Comstock is Booker and has led all of his flock astray]].
astray.
* There's actually been a theory forwarded on some forums that Comstock is an atheist. A lot of Comstock's heretical actions according to Christianity make sense if you view he's attempting to create a secular scientific Christian Apocalypse. He's created his own substitute for Jesus, Mary, and God with Elizabeth, Lady Comstock, and himself. He isn't waiting for Jesus to return but actively preparing for his own Apocalypse with his own raised messiah. [[spoiler: Plus, his prophecies are the result of science, passed off as gifts from God]]. Comstock may desperately ''want'' to believe in God but has no faith.
* [[spoiler: Comstock has a baptism to absolve himself of his actions at Wounded Knee. Booker does not. Comstock later takes credit for his actions at Wounded Knee, popularizing them. Booker is afflicted with horror and guilt over them. In short, Comstock never repents of his sins while Booker does. Comstock's baptism is meaningless to him, save as a means of gaining a new identity. Later, Booker has a sincere baptism that allows him to be reborn as a new person]].person.



* Many players were annoyed they didn't have the option of a morality-based bad ending for Booker. Thing is [[spoiler: it'd be redundant because by the end, it's revealed that thanks to trans-dimensional meddling, Booker's been trekking his way through the setting of the "bad ending" of his own personal story all along, a flying city that "bad Booker" founded while under the alias of Zachary Comstock]].

to:

* Many players were annoyed they didn't have the option of a morality-based bad ending for Booker. Thing is [[spoiler: it'd be redundant because by the end, it's revealed that thanks to trans-dimensional meddling, Booker's been trekking his way through the setting of the "bad ending" of his own personal story all along, a flying city that "bad Booker" founded while under the alias of Zachary Comstock]].Comstock.



* Some people have wondered why anyone would pick the cage at the start of the game. The bird can symbolize freedom, or the Songbird. The cage can only symbolize confinement, right? Look closer; [[spoiler:the cage is empty]].

to:

* Some people have wondered why anyone would pick the cage at the start of the game. The bird can symbolize freedom, or the Songbird. The cage can only symbolize confinement, right? Look closer; [[spoiler:the the cage is empty]].empty.



* There are (at the moment) 4 [[BlingBlingBang Gold Weapon variants]] that are acquirable by pre-ordering the game and the DLC. Comstock's China Broom, Comstock's Bird's Eye, Comstock's Broadsider, and Comstock's Triple R. But Comstock is never seen with them and Booker gets a damage buff while using them. [[spoiler: Booker is Comstock's AlternateUniverse self]].
* According to the [=BioShock=] wiki's entry on Lutece, their last name comes from the French word for the Roman city that became Paris. So in a way, [[spoiler:Booker did take Elisabeth to Paris after all, albeit as a small child]].
* During the ending [[spoiler: why does the door into the lighthouse from the original [=BioShock=] lead into the land of infinite doors? Because that first game was where it all began. There's always a man, a lighthouse, and a city, but [=BioShock=] was the first game to inspire it all; millions upon millions of stories in potential games, sequels, and fanfiction all waiting behind that first ever door that lead beyond the sea]]...

to:

* There are (at the moment) 4 [[BlingBlingBang Gold Weapon variants]] that are acquirable by pre-ordering the game and the DLC. Comstock's China Broom, Comstock's Bird's Eye, Comstock's Broadsider, and Comstock's Triple R. But Comstock is never seen with them and Booker gets a damage buff while using them. [[spoiler: Booker is Comstock's AlternateUniverse self]].
self.
* According to the [=BioShock=] wiki's entry on Lutece, their last name comes from the French word for the Roman city that became Paris. So in a way, [[spoiler:Booker Booker did take Elisabeth to Paris after all, albeit as a small child]].
child.
* During the ending [[spoiler: why [why does the door into the lighthouse from the original [=BioShock=] lead into the land of infinite doors? Because that first game was where it all began. There's always a man, a lighthouse, and a city, but [=BioShock=] was the first game to inspire it all; millions upon millions of stories in potential games, sequels, and fanfiction all waiting behind that first ever door that lead beyond the sea]]...sea...



** He seems really on the nose with his confrontations with Booker in the Hall of Heroes, doesn't he? Almost to the point where it's implied that Slate knows the truth of Comstock/Booker's relationship. [[spoiler: Remember, this is the universe where Booker became Comstock, which means Slate knows full well about how his old war buddy went and got saved and ended up building Columbia. So when he sees Booker come in, sans beard and holier than thou attitude, it's pretty obvious he knows the score, even if he's not in on the specifics of how tears and alternate universes work]].
** This also explains the reason behind Slate's uprising. [[spoiler: He knew Comstock was Booker, so he didn't mind the Hall of Heroes expanding on the prophet's war record. Then, when Booker came on the scene, he thought that he had been duped for years by a man pretending to be his old friend.]]
* Before you get into the actual city of Columbia, you're stopped by a blind preacher who wants to baptize you. [[spoiler: This preacher turns out to be the same preacher that baptized an alternate version of Booker and "remade" him as Comstock, and his blindness was the only reason why he hadn't recognized Booker]]. Hilarious when you look back on the preacher's first words to you- "Is it someone new?"
* A woman yells over to Elizabeth, calling her Annabelle. [[spoiler:True, it was probably just a ruse to get Elizabeth to admit her real name - but technically, the woman got it right the first time; that is, if Anna [=DeWitt=]'s full name is Annabelle]].
* When you first see the policewoman, she appears to be primping herself while looking in a compact mirror - [[spoiler: actually, she's looking over her shoulder while giving the signal to the rest]].

to:

** He seems really on the nose with his confrontations with Booker in the Hall of Heroes, doesn't he? Almost to the point where it's implied that Slate knows the truth of Comstock/Booker's relationship. [[spoiler: Remember, this is the universe where Booker became Comstock, which means Slate knows full well about how his old war buddy went and got saved and ended up building Columbia. So when he sees Booker come in, sans beard and holier than thou attitude, it's pretty obvious he knows the score, even if he's not in on the specifics of how tears and alternate universes work]].
work.
** This also explains the reason behind Slate's uprising. [[spoiler: He knew Comstock was Booker, so he didn't mind the Hall of Heroes expanding on the prophet's war record. Then, when Booker came on the scene, he thought that he had been duped for years by a man pretending to be his old friend.]]
friend.
* Before you get into the actual city of Columbia, you're stopped by a blind preacher who wants to baptize you. [[spoiler: This [This preacher turns out to be the same preacher that baptized an alternate version of Booker and "remade" him as Comstock, and his blindness was the only reason why he hadn't recognized Booker]].Booker. Hilarious when you look back on the preacher's first words to you- "Is it someone new?"
* A woman yells over to Elizabeth, calling her Annabelle. [[spoiler:True, True, it was probably just a ruse to get Elizabeth to admit her real name - but technically, the woman got it right the first time; that is, if Anna [=DeWitt=]'s full name is Annabelle]].
Annabelle.
* When you first see the policewoman, she appears to be primping herself while looking in a compact mirror - [[spoiler: actually, she's looking over her shoulder while giving the signal to the rest]].rest.



* Preston Downs recalls in an early Voxophone where he jokingly told Comstock he's had to scalp a few white men in the past for "bedding down with the local color", and Comstock didn't so much as crack a smile. Not only is such stoic resolve totally in character for a holy man like him, but [[spoiler:it's also likely a touchy subject considering the stigma of his Sioux ancestry]].

to:

* Preston Downs recalls in an early Voxophone where he jokingly told Comstock he's had to scalp a few white men in the past for "bedding down with the local color", and Comstock didn't so much as crack a smile. Not only is such stoic resolve totally in character for a holy man like him, but [[spoiler:it's it's also likely a touchy subject considering the stigma of his Sioux ancestry]].ancestry.



* When you think about it, the game is actually very pro-spirituality, despite having Comstock existing because of [[spoiler:undergoing conversion to an extreme form of Christianity]]. Besides the whole [[spoiler:"true baptism"]] mentioned above, [[spoiler:the entire game is a morality play in modern form. We have Booker and Elizabeth, the protagonists, Comstock, Fitzroy, and Fink the embodiments of sin (ego, extremism, and greed, respectively), and the plot structure follows the everyplot of a morality play for both our leads: Hero begins in innocence (Liz in her Tower, pre-Wounded Knee Booker), Hero falls to temptation (Liz giving into her hate and despair in the BadFuture, Booker selling his daughter to pay for gambling debts), Hero finds redemption (Future Liz helping you stop the BadFuture, Booker willingly sacrificing himself to defeat Comstock forever). You know who wrote morality plays? The Catholic Church]].
* You thought "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" was just a nicely chosen song that fits with the game, complete with "city in the sky" imagery, didn't you? Right up until the [[spoiler:ending, the StableTimeLoop/multiverse collision. Booker's death in the river (or, if you prefer, Comstock's death in the cradle) took all of the timelines involving Comstock and pinched them off, creating a closed circle. What kind of circle isn't broken? ''A closed circle'']].
* The identity of Songbird is left pretty vague in the plot, probably on purpose. Is it a robot? A human turned into a monstrosity, ala the Big Daddy? But we can get a possible clue on his identity in [[spoiler: the ending. Notice that both 'Bookers' (Comstock and the real Booker) die by drowning. Songbird also dies of drowning. It's already been put forward that an AU Booker may be the Songbird, and a few Voxophones speak of the difficulty in creating him along with Fink's insight through tears to Rapture. An AU Booker, ridden with guilt, would be the perfect candidate for the father/protector figure of Songbird]]. Could this be a subtle hint by the developers as to his identity? After all, Songbird is based [[spoiler: on a big DADDY]].

to:

* When you think about it, the game is actually very pro-spirituality, despite having Comstock existing because of [[spoiler:undergoing undergoing conversion to an extreme form of Christianity]]. Christianity. Besides the whole [[spoiler:"true baptism"]] "true baptism" mentioned above, [[spoiler:the the entire game is a morality play in modern form. We have Booker and Elizabeth, the protagonists, Comstock, Fitzroy, and Fink the embodiments of sin (ego, extremism, and greed, respectively), and the plot structure follows the everyplot of a morality play for both our leads: Hero begins in innocence (Liz in her Tower, pre-Wounded Knee Booker), Hero falls to temptation (Liz giving into her hate and despair in the BadFuture, Booker selling his daughter to pay for gambling debts), Hero finds redemption (Future Liz helping you stop the BadFuture, Booker willingly sacrificing himself to defeat Comstock forever). You know who wrote morality plays? The Catholic Church]].
* You thought "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" was just a nicely chosen song that fits with the game, complete with "city in the sky" imagery, didn't you? Right up until the [[spoiler:ending, ending, the StableTimeLoop/multiverse collision. Booker's death in the river (or, if you prefer, Comstock's death in the cradle) took all of the timelines involving Comstock and pinched them off, creating a closed circle. What kind of circle isn't broken? ''A closed circle'']].
circle''.
* The identity of Songbird is left pretty vague in the plot, probably on purpose. Is it a robot? A human turned into a monstrosity, ala the Big Daddy? But we can get a possible clue on his identity in [[spoiler: the ending. Notice that both 'Bookers' (Comstock and the real Booker) die by drowning. Songbird also dies of drowning. It's already been put forward that an AU Booker may be the Songbird, and a few Voxophones speak of the difficulty in creating him along with Fink's insight through tears to Rapture. An AU Booker, ridden with guilt, would be the perfect candidate for the father/protector figure of Songbird]]. Could this be a subtle hint by the developers as to his identity? After all, Songbird is based [[spoiler: on a big DADDY]].DADDY.



* Robert proffers the free bird emblem because he is the one who sets the game in motion by [[spoiler: insisting that they make amends for kidnapping]] Elizabeth and essentially "freeing" her, while Rosalind has the cage emblem because she studied Elizabeth while she was still in the tower [[spoiler: and--because she admitted the truth to Lady Comstock--was indirectly responsible for her being imprisoned in the tower in the first place]]. It could also be an early indication of the Lutece twins' true personalities: Robert holds the free bird emblem because he is the more optimistic of the two [[spoiler: and believes that it really is possible to undo what Comstock's done]]; Rosalind, being more cynical and pessimistic [[spoiler: to the point that she wonders if there's any point in trying to change the past]], holds the cage. Alternatively, it could represent their roles in [[spoiler: transferring Anna from Booker to Comstock. Robert is from the world with the 'bird': Anna, Rosalind is from the world with the 'cage' she is kept in. Robert takes the 'bird', Rosalind provides the 'cage'.]]

to:

* Robert proffers offers the free bird emblem because he is the one who sets the game in motion by [[spoiler: insisting that they make amends for kidnapping]] kidnapping Elizabeth and essentially "freeing" her, while Rosalind has the cage emblem because she studied Elizabeth while she was still in the tower [[spoiler: and--because she admitted the truth to Lady Comstock--was indirectly responsible for her being imprisoned in the tower in the first place]]. place. It could also be an early indication of the Lutece twins' true personalities: Robert holds the free bird emblem because he is the more optimistic of the two [[spoiler: and [and believes that it really is possible to undo what Comstock's done]]; done; Rosalind, being more cynical and pessimistic [[spoiler: to the point that she wonders if there's any point in trying to change the past]], past, holds the cage. Alternatively, it could represent their roles in [[spoiler: transferring Anna from Booker to Comstock. Robert is from the world with the 'bird': Anna, Rosalind is from the world with the 'cage' she is kept in. Robert takes the 'bird', Rosalind provides the 'cage'.]]



** Comstock relates a story about [[spoiler: a dog he had named Bill]] who would "remain loyal" no matter how much he abused him. Y'know, [[spoiler: abuse like the torture Comstock put Elizabeth through near the end of the game]].
** [[spoiler: BadFuture Elizabeth (in vox recording) refers to the surgery/torture to make her obedient as a "leash" of sorts AND the vox recording compares the procedure itself to Pavlov's famous dog experiment]].
** So to sum up, Comstock wasn't raising Elizabeth as a "lamb". He was raising her as [[spoiler: a "dog", or more precisely, a vicious attack dog to be unleashed on "the Sodom below". Add fire into the mix from the whole "burning down the mountains of man" bit and you basically have a hellhound]].
* Booker's words when confronting Comstock reflect [[spoiler:his own self loathing for selling Anna]].
-->'''Booker''':[[spoiler: She's your daughter, you son of a bitch! And you abandoned her! Was it worth it? Huh? Did you get what you wanted]]?
* In the beginning of the game, the Luteces barely acknowledge Booker and ignore his questions in favor of talking to each other (or pursuing cryptic, barely related banter with him in defiance of his questions). As you learn more about the Luteces, you assume that's because [[spoiler: they're adrift in space-time and might not even be completely capable of addressing Booker/acknowledging him as real]]. So it becomes jarring when, at the end of the game, they begin looking at Booker directly and giving apropos responses to his statements... until you realize [[spoiler: that they're bothering to address him properly now because this Booker has succeeded in his mission, and they barely acknowledged him in the beginning because they didn't plan to get their hopes up over a man who would likely die]].
* We know that people have [[spoiler:possibly-fatal difficulty assimilating their memories of the world they came from, with the world they find themselves in]]. The opening quote about forming new memories explains why the Luteces only give Booker maddeningly vague hints, and let him work things out slowly for himself as he becomes more grounded - and as he develops a relationship with Elizabeth, giving him more strength to cope with the revelations.
* Regarding the significance of Constance Field. She's not related to the Songbird or the Luteces, despite what some theorists may think. No, she foreshadows something much more important: [[spoiler: CONSTANTS]].

to:

** Comstock relates a story about [[spoiler: a dog he had named Bill]] Bill who would "remain loyal" no matter how much he abused him. Y'know, [[spoiler: abuse like the torture Comstock put Elizabeth through near the end of the game]].
game.
** [[spoiler: BadFuture Elizabeth (in vox recording) refers to the surgery/torture to make her obedient as a "leash" of sorts AND the vox recording compares the procedure itself to Pavlov's famous dog experiment]].
experiment.
** So to sum up, Comstock wasn't raising Elizabeth as a "lamb". He was raising her as [[spoiler: a "dog", or more precisely, a vicious attack dog to be unleashed on "the Sodom below". Add fire into the mix from the whole "burning down the mountains of man" bit and you basically have a hellhound]].
hellhound.
* Booker's words when confronting Comstock reflect [[spoiler:his his own self loathing for selling Anna]].
-->'''Booker''':[[spoiler:
Anna.
-->'''Booker''':
She's your daughter, you son of a bitch! And you abandoned her! Was it worth it? Huh? Did you get what you wanted]]?
wanted?
* In the beginning of the game, the Luteces barely acknowledge Booker and ignore his questions in favor of talking to each other (or pursuing cryptic, barely related banter with him in defiance of his questions). As you learn more about the Luteces, you assume that's because [[spoiler: they're adrift in space-time and might not even be completely capable of addressing Booker/acknowledging him as real]].real. So it becomes jarring when, at the end of the game, they begin looking at Booker directly and giving apropos responses to his statements... until you realize [[spoiler: that they're bothering to address him properly now because this Booker has succeeded in his mission, and they barely acknowledged him in the beginning because they didn't plan to get their hopes up over a man who would likely die]].
die.
* We know that people have [[spoiler:possibly-fatal possibly-fatal difficulty assimilating their memories of the world they came from, with the world they find themselves in]].in. The opening quote about forming new memories explains why the Luteces only give Booker maddeningly vague hints, and let him work things out slowly for himself as he becomes more grounded - and as he develops a relationship with Elizabeth, giving him more strength to cope with the revelations.
* Regarding the significance of Constance Field. She's not related to the Songbird or the Luteces, despite what some theorists may think. No, she foreshadows something much more important: [[spoiler: CONSTANTS]].CONSTANTS.



* When you are on the gondola going to the First Lady airship, and you pass the Luteces, Robert is painting Rosalind, who is posing. As the painting comes into view, you can see [[spoiler: Robert's actually painting a self-portrait]]. At first it just seems like another instance of them acting quirky and weird, but by the end you realize [[spoiler: by painting himself, he ''is'' painting her, since they're the same person]].
* When Comstock is speaking, the player can sometimes hear an echoing effect on his words; it's most noticeable when he's speaking to Booker the first time he gets a nosebleed, or later in the game on the Hand of the Prophet. This effect almost makes it sound as though the sound is coming from 'behind' the player - or, in other words, as though Booker was saying Comstock's dialogue. [[spoiler: That makes perfect sense if you consider that they're the same person. The reason Booker's nose bleeds is because he's experiencing that cognitive dissonance, and 'hearing' himself as Comstock]]!

to:

* When you are on the gondola going to the First Lady airship, and you pass the Luteces, Robert is painting Rosalind, who is posing. As the painting comes into view, you can see [[spoiler: Robert's actually painting a self-portrait]]. self-portrait. At first it just seems like another instance of them acting quirky and weird, but by the end you realize [[spoiler: by painting himself, he ''is'' painting her, since they're the same person]].
person.
* When Comstock is speaking, the player can sometimes hear an echoing effect on his words; it's most noticeable when he's speaking to Booker the first time he gets a nosebleed, or later in the game on the Hand of the Prophet. This effect almost makes it sound as though the sound is coming from 'behind' the player - or, in other words, as though Booker was saying Comstock's dialogue. [[spoiler: That makes perfect sense if you consider that they're the same person. The reason Booker's nose bleeds is because he's experiencing that cognitive dissonance, and 'hearing' himself as Comstock]]!Comstock!



* In Matthew 3:11, John speaks of baptizing people with water, but also speaks of after him and who is mightier than he, with fire and the Holy Spirit. When [[spoiler:our hero, Booker]], is baptized with water, he [[spoiler:becomes the BigBad of the game]] and piles a multitude of sins upon his head. During the course of the game however, he is baptized with fire - [[spoiler:the burning of New York City]] - and with a truly holy spirit - namely, the spirit of forgiveness - which [[spoiler:his alternate self, Comstock, explicitly denounced]]. After this, he [[spoiler:is purged of his sins, and reaches his happy ending]]. Truly, the baptism of water was the less effective.
* Particularly observant players may notice something peculiar about the Luteces early on: their attire, while quirky and not so glaringly out if place are at best late-Victorian vintage, which would be considered outdated in 1912. [[spoiler:This is a subtle hint to the revelation further down the line that they're DeadAllAlong. Especially given that they're shown wearing identical clothes back in 1893]].

to:

* In Matthew 3:11, John speaks of baptizing people with water, but also speaks of after him and who is mightier than he, with fire and the Holy Spirit. When [[spoiler:our our hero, Booker]], Booker, is baptized with water, he [[spoiler:becomes becomes the BigBad of the game]] game and piles a multitude of sins upon his head. During the course of the game however, he is baptized with fire - [[spoiler:the the burning of New York City]] City - and with a truly holy spirit - namely, the spirit of forgiveness - which [[spoiler:his his alternate self, Comstock, explicitly denounced]]. denounced. After this, he [[spoiler:is is purged of his sins, and reaches his happy ending]].ending. Truly, the baptism of water was the less effective.
* Particularly observant players may notice something peculiar about the Luteces early on: their attire, while quirky and not so glaringly out if place are at best late-Victorian vintage, which would be considered outdated in 1912. [[spoiler:This This is a subtle hint to the revelation further down the line that they're DeadAllAlong. Especially given that they're shown wearing identical clothes back in 1893]].1893.



* The very first "choice" you make in the game has only: be baptized, or wander around the room forever. You MUST go through the baptism, even insincerely, to enter Columbia. [[spoiler:Columbia only EXISTS in those universes where Booker went through a baptism and rechristened himself Zachary Comstock, not to actually better himself but to simply assuage his guilt, which is an insincere reason for baptism. At which point another universe's Booker was brought in to stop him, who had to insincerely be baptized to enter]]... It's a ButThouMust moment crossing over with a StableTimeLoop. Which feeds into Fridge Brilliance part two: the thing about loops is that they're (more or less) circular. And what's the name of the song that Elizabeth sings to the scared child, with Booker backing her up on the guitar?

to:

* The very first "choice" you make in the game has only: be baptized, or wander around the room forever. You MUST go through the baptism, even insincerely, to enter Columbia. [[spoiler:Columbia Columbia only EXISTS in those universes where Booker went through a baptism and rechristened himself Zachary Comstock, not to actually better himself but to simply assuage his guilt, which is an insincere reason for baptism. At which point another universe's Booker was brought in to stop him, who had to insincerely be baptized to enter]]...enter... It's a ButThouMust moment crossing over with a StableTimeLoop. Which feeds into Fridge Brilliance part two: the thing about loops is that they're (more or less) circular. And what's the name of the song that Elizabeth sings to the scared child, with Booker backing her up on the guitar?



* As you first arrive on ''The Hand of the Prophet,'' Comstock tells Elizabeth (over the PA system) that she clearly knows that there's something weird about Booker but "can't quite put your finger on it". Quite apart from the fact that it sounds like a cheeky hint as to [[spoiler: Booker being the cause of Elizabeth's missing finger]], this isn't the first time someone in the [=BioShock=] series has used this particular turn of phrase: [[spoiler: Andrew Ryan in the first game, hinting at Jack's true origins]].
* In the scenes in Booker's office with Elizabeth, you can hear [[spoiler: Robert Lutece]] banging on the only other door in the room, demanding [[spoiler: to be given "the girl"]]. As the ending shows us, the only other room in that apartment [[spoiler: was Anna's nursery]].
* The realization of the reason why Booker knows how to play the guitar and Elizabeth knows that song by the starting tune. [[spoiler:Booker used to sing it to her as a baby]].
* Major one on Songbird. Why is it that our indestructible bird [[spoiler:can drown]]? Simple: Songbird was built for the air, it stands to reason that his body would be designed for pressures corresponding to the air. Lightweight body as well. But his body [[spoiler:wasn't built for water, thus water pressure crushes him like a tin can]].
* The game makes the player feel a lot of VideoGameCaringPotential towards Elizabeth, to the point players stopped using executions because they made her scream. [[spoiler: Especially appropriate considering you're her ''father'' throughout the game]].
* Near the very end of the game, [[spoiler: Elizabeth explains that, despite there being "a million, million" worlds, there are constants and variables. "There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man, there's always a city..." It's easy to dismiss how similar these constants might be, but you were just on a bathysphere in Rapture. So, how is this significant? While in Rapture you can observe a familiar sign from the first game, where surface travel and bathysphere use was restricted... And only those who have genetic makeup similar to Andrew Ryan could use them.]]
* The second time Booker enters a door showing him the many lighthouses, right in front of him is [[spoiler:another version of himself and Elizabeth]]. There's even a glimpse of [[spoiler:yet another iteration of them running]]. It can be inferred that [[spoiler:these Bookers were ones that couldn't handle the assimilation of new memories (which is why the Luteces were observing Booker very closely when he goes through the third lighthouse), or they ''refused'' to die for Comstock's non-existence. Our Booker was just the very first to not only be able to cope with the new memories, but also to be willing to smother Comstock in his metaphorical crib]].

to:

* As you first arrive on ''The Hand of the Prophet,'' Prophet'', Comstock tells Elizabeth (over the PA system) that she clearly knows that there's something weird about Booker but "can't quite put your finger on it". Quite apart from the fact that it sounds like a cheeky hint as to [[spoiler: Booker being the cause of Elizabeth's missing finger]], finger, this isn't the first time someone in the [=BioShock=] series has used this particular turn of phrase: [[spoiler: Andrew Ryan in the first game, hinting at Jack's true origins]].
origins.
* In the scenes in Booker's office with Elizabeth, you can hear [[spoiler: Robert Lutece]] Lutece banging on the only other door in the room, demanding [[spoiler: to be given "the girl"]]. girl". As the ending shows us, the only other room in that apartment [[spoiler: was Anna's nursery]].
nursery.
* The realization of the reason why Booker knows how to play the guitar and Elizabeth knows that song by the starting tune. [[spoiler:Booker Booker used to sing it to her as a baby]].
baby.
* Major one on Songbird. Why is it that our indestructible bird [[spoiler:can drown]]? can drown? Simple: Songbird was built for the air, it stands to reason that his body would be designed for pressures corresponding to the air. Lightweight body as well. But his body [[spoiler:wasn't wasn't built for water, thus water pressure crushes him like a tin can]].
can.
* The game makes the player feel a lot of VideoGameCaringPotential towards Elizabeth, to the point players stopped using executions because they made her scream. [[spoiler: Especially appropriate considering you're her ''father'' throughout the game]].
game.
* Near the very end of the game, [[spoiler: Elizabeth explains that, despite there being "a million, million" worlds, there are constants and variables. "There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man, there's always a city..." It's easy to dismiss how similar these constants might be, but you were just on a bathysphere in Rapture. So, how is this significant? While in Rapture you can observe a familiar sign from the first game, where surface travel and bathysphere use was restricted... And only those who have genetic makeup similar to Andrew Ryan could use them.]]
them.
* The second time Booker enters a door showing him the many lighthouses, right in front of him is [[spoiler:another another version of himself and Elizabeth]]. Elizabeth. There's even a glimpse of [[spoiler:yet yet another iteration of them running]]. running. It can be inferred that [[spoiler:these these Bookers were ones that couldn't handle the assimilation of new memories (which is why the Luteces were observing Booker very closely when he goes through the third lighthouse), or they ''refused'' to die for Comstock's non-existence. Our Booker was just the very first to not only be able to cope with the new memories, but also to be willing to smother Comstock in his metaphorical crib]].crib.



* Booker [[spoiler: becomes Comstock after being baptized and becomes a sociopath, whereas Prime!Booker doesn't and is still trying to become a better person. Baptism isn't vindication-your "sins" are no more because they were the correct course of action; it's forgiveness-your sins are no more because you turn away from them and repent-the Bible refers to this as "Casting it into the sea". Booker was desperate to escape the consequences of his actions, and likely saw baptism as a "Get Out of [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Jail]] [[KarmaHoudini Free]]" card. It's not; it's a Good Start, but you have to work from your end. Prime!Booker understands that, but [[MoralEventHorizon doesn't believe he can be forgiven]].]]

to:

* Booker [[spoiler: becomes Comstock after being baptized and becomes a sociopath, whereas Prime!Booker doesn't and is still trying to become a better person. Baptism isn't vindication-your "sins" are no more because they were the correct course of action; it's forgiveness-your sins are no more because you turn away from them and repent-the Bible refers to this as "Casting it into the sea". Booker was desperate to escape the consequences of his actions, and likely saw baptism as a "Get Out of [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Jail]] [[KarmaHoudini Free]]" card. It's not; it's a Good Start, but you have to work from your end. Prime!Booker understands that, but [[MoralEventHorizon doesn't believe he can be forgiven]].]]



* Rosalind seems markedly less inclined to emotion or empathy than Robert is, more fatalistic, pessimistic, etc. She is also content to [[spoiler:exist forever outside of time and space as a bewildering demi-god, whilst Robert would evidently prefer to give up their powers in exchange for a normal life and the possibility of having children, according to one of the voxophones.]] At first glance this looks like a simple case of playing against audience expectations, making the female the less empathetic, but on further consideration it does indeed make sense to have Rosalind be far more bitter and cynical than her male counterpart. This is a time period where a pair of women you pass by on the boardwalk are discussing how distasteful it is that their friend has a ''job''. Rosalind not only has a job, but has unlocked the secrets of an entire new subcategory of physics. And where Robert could expect to be praised for his work, Rosalind more likely often met with derision or even outright dismissal in regards to the very same scientific discoveries. Her indifferent attitude and self-centric goals are thus a logical result of the oppressive society in which she was raised, and not merely a set of arbitrary distaff traits meant to counter Robert's idealism.
* The Lutece Twins from the main game are clever foreshadowing to the fact that [[spoiler:Comstock is Booker]] as the two are [[spoiler:different enough to survive in the same universe together, unaffected, while other universe parallels cannot. This cleverly hints to Booker surviving in the same universe than Comstock.]]

to:

* Rosalind seems markedly less inclined to emotion or empathy than Robert is, more fatalistic, pessimistic, etc. She is also content to [[spoiler:exist exist forever outside of time and space as a bewildering demi-god, whilst Robert would evidently prefer to give up their powers in exchange for a normal life and the possibility of having children, according to one of the voxophones.]] voxophones. At first glance this looks like a simple case of playing against audience expectations, making the female the less empathetic, but on further consideration it does indeed make sense to have Rosalind be far more bitter and cynical than her male counterpart. This is a time period where a pair of women you pass by on the boardwalk are discussing how distasteful it is that their friend has a ''job''. Rosalind not only has a job, but has unlocked the secrets of an entire new subcategory of physics. And where Robert could expect to be praised for his work, Rosalind more likely often met with derision or even outright dismissal in regards to the very same scientific discoveries. Her indifferent attitude and self-centric goals are thus a logical result of the oppressive society in which she was raised, and not merely a set of arbitrary distaff traits meant to counter Robert's idealism.
* The Lutece Twins from the main game are clever foreshadowing to the fact that [[spoiler:Comstock Comstock is Booker]] Booker as the two are [[spoiler:different different enough to survive in the same universe together, unaffected, while other universe parallels cannot. This cleverly hints to Booker surviving in the same universe than Comstock.]]



* The design of the Downtown Emporia level counts. [[spoiler: You can either go through Harmony Lane or the Market District in order to reach the entrance to Comstock House, but much like the choice of which brooch to wear, this doesn't have much of an impact on the overall plot. No matter which path you choose, you will always end up at the entrance to Comstock House.]]

to:

* The design of the Downtown Emporia level counts. [[spoiler: You can either go through Harmony Lane or the Market District in order to reach the entrance to Comstock House, but much like the choice of which brooch to wear, this doesn't have much of an impact on the overall plot. No matter which path you choose, you will always end up at the entrance to Comstock House.]]



* Despite the close bond between Elizabeth and Songbird, she talks about how she came to resent him during her imprisonment because he seemed to keep her locked up. He also shows considerable hostility towards Booker until Elizabeth finally manages to calm him down. In ''Burial at Sea'' we learn that they first met when [[spoiler: Songbird crashed into Elizabeth's tower after escaping from Fink's lab, probably having a limited understanding of the world around him, maybe even a childlike mentality)]]. Perhaps the reason why he never helped Elizabeth escape from he prison (and, as she notes, unwittingly becomes her "warden") is because ''he never actually realized she was imprisoned.''. Since he's only ever seen Elizabeth at the tower and never seen her friends, Songbird made the mental association that the tower is just where Elizabeth lives and where he can find her. This also explains why he showed so much hostility to Booker- he legitimately thinks Elizabeth is being kidnapped and wants to help her (possibly because she had no other friends up to that point, meaning that in Songbird's mind anyone else was probably an enemy). It's only when Elizabeth manages to convince Songbird that Booker is a friend that he finally helps them.
* The first time you escape Songbird, you briefly see him attempt to follow you into the water of an artificial beach, before his eye starts to crack, forcing him to retreat, indicating that he can't properly function in aquatic environments [[spoiler: and foreshadowing his eventual demise at the game's end]].
* You ever notice how the vending machines in Columbia have automated voices that sound ''suspiciously'' like the ones used for the "Circus of Value" machines in the previous games? Fink's company built Columbia's vending machines, and as we learn in ''Burial at Sea'' [[spoiler: he had access to a tear that allowed him to view Rapture]]. He has also displayed a fondness for exploiting tears to plagiarize ideas. He probably got the idea for the vending machines from observing their use in Rapture, and may have deliberately given them the same voice.

to:

* Despite the close bond between Elizabeth and Songbird, she talks about how she came to resent him during her imprisonment because he seemed to keep her locked up. He also shows considerable hostility towards Booker until Elizabeth finally manages to calm him down. In ''Burial at Sea'' we learn that they first met when [[spoiler: Songbird crashed into Elizabeth's tower after escaping from Fink's lab, probably having a limited understanding of the world around him, maybe even a childlike mentality)]].mentality). Perhaps the reason why he never helped Elizabeth escape from he prison (and, as she notes, unwittingly becomes her "warden") is because ''he never actually realized she was imprisoned.''. Since he's only ever seen Elizabeth at the tower and never seen her friends, Songbird made the mental association that the tower is just where Elizabeth lives and where he can find her. This also explains why he showed so much hostility to Booker- he legitimately thinks Elizabeth is being kidnapped and wants to help her (possibly because she had no other friends up to that point, meaning that in Songbird's mind anyone else was probably an enemy). It's only when Elizabeth manages to convince Songbird that Booker is a friend that he finally helps them.
* The first time you escape Songbird, you briefly see him attempt to follow you into the water of an artificial beach, before his eye starts to crack, forcing him to retreat, indicating that he can't properly function in aquatic environments [[spoiler: and foreshadowing his eventual demise at the game's end]].
end.
* You ever notice how the vending machines in Columbia have automated voices that sound ''suspiciously'' like the ones used for the "Circus of Value" machines in the previous games? Fink's company built Columbia's vending machines, and as we learn in ''Burial at Sea'' [[spoiler: he had access to a tear that allowed him to view Rapture]].Rapture. He has also displayed a fondness for exploiting tears to plagiarize ideas. He probably got the idea for the vending machines from observing their use in Rapture, and may have deliberately given them the same voice.



* Why was Elizabeth not indoctrinated? Because the Luteces already showed Comstock the future where [[spoiler: Elizabeth succeeds him and begins a violent campaign against the world he so despises]]. As far as he's concerned, this is her destiny. He doesn't feel the need to indoctrinate her because he is certain that Elizabeth will eventually accept this role, even if it takes some convincing.

to:

* Why was Elizabeth not indoctrinated? Because the Luteces already showed Comstock the future where [[spoiler: Elizabeth succeeds him and begins a violent campaign against the world he so despises]].despises. As far as he's concerned, this is her destiny. He doesn't feel the need to indoctrinate her because he is certain that Elizabeth will eventually accept this role, even if it takes some convincing.



** Really this is another parallel that demonstrates Booker [[spoiler: and Comstock are the same person - after all, when Booker was sticking to the mission to take her back to New York, didn't he just assume she'd go along with it?]]

to:

** Really this is another parallel that demonstrates Booker [[spoiler: and Comstock are the same person - after all, when Booker was sticking to the mission to take her back to New York, didn't he just assume she'd go along with it?]]it?



* In Episode One, the head of Sally's doll that Booker carries around is foreshadowing for [[spoiler: the horrific fate of the Elizabeth that this version of "Booker" caused when he tried to steal her from his alternate self, and the cause of the "debt" that Elizabeth means to repay--revenge for her own accidental murder by the ''player character'']].

to:

* In Episode One, the head of Sally's doll that Booker carries around is foreshadowing for [[spoiler: the horrific fate of the Elizabeth that this version of "Booker" caused when he tried to steal her from his alternate self, and the cause of the "debt" that Elizabeth means to repay--revenge for her own accidental murder by the ''player character'']].character''.



* Speaking of Possession, It's actually a bit of a tip off on the fact that Booker is [[spoiler: Actually a version of Comstock]], as it seems it's much more useful now. [[spoiler: How this tips it off is one simple fact, Comstock was in control of Columbia, he liked to be in control, he liked to control others, he wanted to control everyone. So what a fitting vigor/plasmid for him to use.]]
* It's revealed that Atlas refers to the [[spoiler:"Would You Kindly" control phrase to command Jack]] as the "Ace in the Hole." Now, what's the most important card in the deck after the Ace?

to:

* Speaking of Possession, It's actually a bit of a tip off on the fact that Booker is [[spoiler: Actually actually a version of Comstock]], Comstock, as it seems it's much more useful now. [[spoiler: How this tips it off is one simple fact, Comstock was in control of Columbia, he liked to be in control, he liked to control others, he wanted to control everyone. So what a fitting vigor/plasmid for him to use.]]
use.
* It's revealed that Atlas refers to the [[spoiler:"Would "Would You Kindly" control phrase to command Jack]] Jack as the "Ace in the Hole." Now, what's the most important card in the deck after the Ace?



* The end reveals that [[spoiler:this Elizabeth is the same one we knew throughout the game, but why is it that she doesn't react to you executing person after person after person in exceedingly brutal and gory ways? The answer is simple, it is not just that she is more mature. But it's also that you are Comstock. Elizabeth has seen you commit atrocity after brutal atrocity. Why should goring someone with a spinning hook surprise her?]]
* In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQsbEO0bGw&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DhUQsbEO0bGw&has_verified=1 trailer]] for Burial at Sea: Part 2, eagle-eyed viewers will notice that [[spoiler: Bookerstock's hair is white.]] Now remember that while Elizabeth's Rapture Model was released, Booker's wasn't. And the only depiction of him, in the art for Part 1, shows his head covered with a hat. The reason why they didn't show Booker's game model was because fans would instantly recognize him as [[spoiler: Comstock]]. A more subtle one can also be seen in the trailer: ''VERY'' attentive viewers will notice that [[spoiler: Bookerstock's]] eye color is blue. Booker's eyes are [[spoiler: green]]. Yet more evidence that this is [[spoiler: ''not'' Booker.]]
* In Burial at Sea: Part 1, Booker's starting weapon is a Hand Cannon. Why does he use a revolver instead of a pistol? First of all, revolvers were much more widespread in the police back in the 1940s and 1950s. Second of all, a detective would not have his semiautomatic jamming on him when he attacks someone, say an escaped serial killer. [[spoiler: And third of all, it's actually a subtle hint towards his true identity.]] In the promos, Booker is often [[http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/093/c/3/booker_and_elizabeth___bioshock_infinite_by_benlo-d60ctfw.jpg seen]] using the Broadsider pistol. But in the Hall of Heroes, the [[http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18kcf4575bzo2jpg/k-bigpic.jpg Comstock statue]] is wielding a Hand Cannon. [[spoiler: No wonder Comstock would use a weapon he would want to use!]]

to:

* The end reveals that [[spoiler:this this Elizabeth is the same one we knew throughout the game, but why is it that she doesn't react to you executing person after person after person in exceedingly brutal and gory ways? The answer is simple, it is not just that she is more mature. But it's also that you are Comstock. Elizabeth has seen you commit atrocity after brutal atrocity. Why should goring someone with a spinning hook surprise her?]]
her?
* In the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQsbEO0bGw&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DhUQsbEO0bGw&has_verified=1 trailer]] for Burial at Sea: Part 2, eagle-eyed viewers will notice that [[spoiler: Bookerstock's hair is white.]] white. Now remember that while Elizabeth's Rapture Model was released, Booker's wasn't. And the only depiction of him, in the art for Part 1, shows his head covered with a hat. The reason why they didn't show Booker's game model was because fans would instantly recognize him as [[spoiler: Comstock]]. Comstock. A more subtle one can also be seen in the trailer: ''VERY'' attentive viewers will notice that [[spoiler: Bookerstock's]] Bookerstock's eye color is blue. Booker's eyes are [[spoiler: green]]. green. Yet more evidence that this is [[spoiler: ''not'' Booker.]]
Booker.
* In Burial at Sea: Part 1, Booker's starting weapon is a Hand Cannon. Why does he use a revolver instead of a pistol? First of all, revolvers were much more widespread in the police back in the 1940s and 1950s. Second of all, a detective would not have his semiautomatic jamming on him when he attacks someone, say an escaped serial killer. [[spoiler: And third of all, it's actually a subtle hint towards his true identity.]] identity. In the promos, Booker is often [[http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/093/c/3/booker_and_elizabeth___bioshock_infinite_by_benlo-d60ctfw.jpg seen]] using the Broadsider pistol. But in the Hall of Heroes, the [[http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18kcf4575bzo2jpg/k-bigpic.jpg Comstock statue]] is wielding a Hand Cannon. [[spoiler: No wonder Comstock would use a weapon he would want to use!]]use!



* A lot of criticism has been aimed at the fact that Elizabeth lets herself become mortal [[spoiler: and sacrifices herself]] just so she can save Sally and the rest of the Little Sisters. But was it really just about saving Sally? No; she did everything she did because [[spoiler: it lead to Jack eventually bringing down Fontaine. Remember Fontaine's admitted goals in the first ''[=BioShock=]'': he eventually wanted to [[TakeOverTheWorld return to the surface with his new empire]]. At worst he would have subjugated the world with an army of jacked-up (if mentally unstable) super humans. At best, he would have put ADAM on the market and [[CrapsackWorld turned the surface into a copy of Rapture]]. Much like Booker saw a future where Columbia ended up destroying the surface, Elizabeth likely saw a future where Fontaine brought ADAM to the surface and caused a decline in society like what happened in Rapture]]. The parallels are even more obvious when you compare them to [[spoiler: the revelation that Daisy Fitzroy demonized and sacrificed herself to eventually bring Comstock's end]]: this was bigger than saving just the Little Sisters, [[spoiler: this was about ''[[SavingTheWorld saving the entire world]]]]''.
** Adding to that, if we consider Bioshock 2 to be canon, then [[spoiler: the downfall of both Ryan and Fontaine]] would immediately be succeeded by [[Sofia Lamb taking over Rapture, only for her plans to then be dismantled by Subject Delta and Eleanor Lamb]], combined with CM Porter and Tenenbaum making a cure for ADAM sickness, would thus make Elizabeth's actions, cause the nightmare of Rapture to end PERMANENTLY

to:

* A lot of criticism has been aimed at the fact that Elizabeth lets herself become mortal [[spoiler: and sacrifices herself]] herself just so she can save Sally and the rest of the Little Sisters. But was it really just about saving Sally? No; she did everything she did because [[spoiler: it lead to Jack eventually bringing down Fontaine. Remember Fontaine's admitted goals in the first ''[=BioShock=]'': he eventually wanted to [[TakeOverTheWorld return to the surface with his new empire]]. At worst he would have subjugated the world with an army of jacked-up (if mentally unstable) super humans. At best, he would have put ADAM on the market and [[CrapsackWorld turned the surface into a copy of Rapture]]. Much like Booker saw a future where Columbia ended up destroying the surface, Elizabeth likely saw a future where Fontaine brought ADAM to the surface and caused a decline in society like what happened in Rapture]]. Rapture. The parallels are even more obvious when you compare them to [[spoiler: the revelation that Daisy Fitzroy demonized and sacrificed herself to eventually bring Comstock's end]]: end, this was bigger than saving just the Little Sisters, [[spoiler: this was about ''[[SavingTheWorld saving the entire world]]]]''.
world]]''.
** Adding to that, if we consider Bioshock 2 to be canon, then [[spoiler: the downfall of both Ryan and Fontaine]] Fontaine would immediately be succeeded by [[Sofia Lamb taking over Rapture, only for her plans to then be dismantled by Subject Delta and Eleanor Lamb]], combined with CM Porter and Tenenbaum making a cure for ADAM sickness, would thus make Elizabeth's actions, cause the nightmare of Rapture to end PERMANENTLYPERMANENTLY.



* Hey, remember how, no matter how long you took to track her down, Daisy still hadn't killed Fink Jr.? Remember how she monologued at Booker, gesturing dramatically with her gun? She spends most of the game being extremely pragmatic, except for this one point. [[spoiler:This is because she knows she has to be killed by Liz.]]
* Look at the names. [[spoiler:Anna. Booker. Comstock. Daizy. Elizabeth. Fink. The only main characters who don't fit the pattern are the Luteces, which makes sense because they're far, far outside of conventional existence.]]

to:

* Hey, remember how, no matter how long you took to track her down, Daisy still hadn't killed Fink Jr.? Remember how she monologued at Booker, gesturing dramatically with her gun? She spends most of the game being extremely pragmatic, except for this one point. [[spoiler:This This is because she knows she has to be killed by Liz.]]
Liz.
* Look at the names. [[spoiler:Anna.Anna. Booker. Comstock. Daizy. Elizabeth. Fink. The only main characters who don't fit the pattern are the Luteces, which makes sense because they're far, far outside of conventional existence.]]



* Elizabeth talks about how she initially saw Songbird as a friend but then came to see him as her warden since he seemed to be maintaining her imprisonment. However, in ''Burial at Sea'' we also learn that his imprinting on her occurred [[spoiler: he crashed into her tower right after escaping from Fink, probably with a limited understanding of the world around him]]. Perhaps the reason he never attempted to rescue Elizabeth was because he ''didn't realize that she was being held against her will.'' After consistently finding her at the same tower, Songbird also probably just came to see the tower as where she lived. Elizabeth, being a child and probably not understanding her situation, might not have thought to ask him for help. As she got older Elizabeth probably assumed Songbird was working for her captors and assumed asking for help would be pointless. As a result Songbird probably never recognized that she was a prisoner. So when Booker showed up and helped Elizabeth escape, Songbird fought back because he legitimately thought she was being kidnapped. Note towards the end when Elizabeth manages to convince Songbird this is ''not'' the case, he immediately begins helping them.
* There's a particular irony to the death of [[spoiler: Suchong]]. The man is obsessed with creating a bond between the Big Daddies and Little Sisters, and at first it seems like a simple case of [[spoiler: being killed by his own creation]], but it actually goes deeper. Not only is [[spoiler: Suchong]] killed by his own ambition, he dies ''not even knowing his goal has been fulfilled.'' For all his arrogance and his sense of superiority to others, Suchong [[spoiler: completely fails to create the desired bond, which is only successfully formed by an unrelated incident]]. Not only this, but he remains completely oblivious to the Bond which now exists, recording an audio diary in which he rants about his constant failures while two little sisters try to get his attention. Those two girls were probably trying to get his attention because they wanted to introduce Suchong to their new "friend" (the Big Daddy they helped earlier), only to get dismissed. All [[[spoiler: Suchong]] had to do was be nicer to the kids, and if he had taken a few minutes to listen to them, he would have seen that they successfully bonded. Instead, he ignored them and remained oblivious to the breakthrough that had just happened, receiving what would have been in his mind an unprovoked Big Daddy attack that seemed to come out of nowhere.
* Seeing the origins of the bond between the Little Sisters and the Big Daddies puts their relationship in a new light! When Elizabeth encounters the injured Big Daddy, she finds two Little Sisters who are initially scared until they realize that he is just injured and needs ADAM, one even allowing it to be extracted from her own body to help him, and this act earns his respect. The Little Sisters in the original games show a great deal of affection for their Big Daddies, and we see it reciprocated as much as is possible (i.e. Subject Delta giving them piggyback rides). Consider that both here and in ''Bioshock 2'' we learned that being transformed into a Big Daddy is an excruciating experience designed to take away their humanity, and the procedure was often if not always performed on unwilling subjects, and that when they were transformed they were basically made into slave labor (Big Daddies were originally used for maintenance and construction). Why are the Big Daddies so attached to their Little Sisters? Perhaps it's because the Little Sisters are the only ones who ''actually treat them as people'' rather than a tool to do menial labor or a brute to run from or fight. If what we saw of [[spoiler: Sinclair's]] transformation in ''Bioshock 2'' is anything to go on, having one small group of people willing to recognize your humanity might just be the only comfort Big Daddies have.

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* Elizabeth talks about how she initially saw Songbird as a friend but then came to see him as her warden since he seemed to be maintaining her imprisonment. However, in ''Burial at Sea'' we also learn that his imprinting on her occurred [[spoiler: he crashed into her tower right after escaping from Fink, probably with a limited understanding of the world around him]].him. Perhaps the reason he never attempted to rescue Elizabeth was because he ''didn't realize that she was being held against her will.'' After consistently finding her at the same tower, Songbird also probably just came to see the tower as where she lived. Elizabeth, being a child and probably not understanding her situation, might not have thought to ask him for help. As she got older Elizabeth probably assumed Songbird was working for her captors and assumed asking for help would be pointless. As a result Songbird probably never recognized that she was a prisoner. So when Booker showed up and helped Elizabeth escape, Songbird fought back because he legitimately thought she was being kidnapped. Note towards the end when Elizabeth manages to convince Songbird this is ''not'' the case, he immediately begins helping them.
* There's a particular irony to the death of [[spoiler: Suchong]]. Suchong. The man is obsessed with creating a bond between the Big Daddies and Little Sisters, and at first it seems like a simple case of [[spoiler: being killed by his own creation]], creation, but it actually goes deeper. Not only is [[spoiler: Suchong]] Suchong killed by his own ambition, he dies ''not even knowing his goal has been fulfilled.'' For all his arrogance and his sense of superiority to others, Suchong [[spoiler: completely fails to create the desired bond, which is only successfully formed by an unrelated incident]]. Not only this, but he remains completely oblivious to the Bond which now exists, recording an audio diary in which he rants about his constant failures while two little sisters try to get his attention. Those two girls were probably trying to get his attention because they wanted to introduce Suchong to their new "friend" (the Big Daddy they helped earlier), only to get dismissed. All [[[spoiler: Suchong]] Suchong had to do was be nicer to the kids, and if he had taken a few minutes to listen to them, he would have seen that they successfully bonded. Instead, he ignored them and remained oblivious to the breakthrough that had just happened, receiving what would have been in his mind an unprovoked Big Daddy attack that seemed to come out of nowhere.
* Seeing the origins of the bond between the Little Sisters and the Big Daddies puts their relationship in a new light! When Elizabeth encounters the injured Big Daddy, she finds two Little Sisters who are initially scared until they realize that he is just injured and needs ADAM, one even allowing it to be extracted from her own body to help him, and this act earns his respect. The Little Sisters in the original games show a great deal of affection for their Big Daddies, and we see it reciprocated as much as is possible (i.e. Subject Delta giving them piggyback rides). Consider that both here and in ''Bioshock 2'' we learned that being transformed into a Big Daddy is an excruciating experience designed to take away their humanity, and the procedure was often if not always performed on unwilling subjects, and that when they were transformed they were basically made into slave labor (Big Daddies were originally used for maintenance and construction). Why are the Big Daddies so attached to their Little Sisters? Perhaps it's because the Little Sisters are the only ones who ''actually treat them as people'' rather than a tool to do menial labor or a brute to run from or fight. If what we saw of [[spoiler: Sinclair's]] Sinclair's transformation in ''Bioshock 2'' is anything to go on, having one small group of people willing to recognize your humanity might just be the only comfort Big Daddies have.



* Remember the coin flip? [[spoiler:Count the tallies. Booker's (or rather ''Bookers'') flipped the coin over a hundred times. And that's assuming the Luteces are still on the first set of chalkboards]]. The exact number of the coin flip tally (at least, before ''your'' Booker's result is tallied) is 122. Now, recall the numbers on the bell code that got you into Columbia at the start of the game.
* Whenever you die, and Elizabeth is not there to revive you, you return to your apartment. [[spoiler:You then step back out, creating an alternate universe where you did not die. The tick marks on the chalkboard, and the alternate, battered, bloody Elizabeth you see at the end? They come from all the times you came to Columbia and FAILED]].
* Sure the ending renders this moot, but more than a few of us would shudder at the realization that [[spoiler: [[https://sites.google.com/site/sprage39/video-game-thoughts/bioshockinfinite/whyagoodchunkofthegametakesplacein1914 the Elizabeth we save might not be the one Songbird takes away]]]]. Along the same note, in an earlier segment of the game, is the Elizabeth that stepped through a tear and got grabbed by the police the same Elizabeth that we saved shortly thereafter? It is assumed to be, but can we really be sure that is the case?

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* Remember the coin flip? [[spoiler:Count Count the tallies. Booker's (or rather ''Bookers'') flipped the coin over a hundred times. And that's assuming the Luteces are still on the first set of chalkboards]].chalkboards. The exact number of the coin flip tally (at least, before ''your'' Booker's result is tallied) is 122. Now, recall the numbers on the bell code that got you into Columbia at the start of the game.
* Whenever you die, and Elizabeth is not there to revive you, you return to your apartment. [[spoiler:You You then step back out, creating an alternate universe where you did not die. The tick marks on the chalkboard, and the alternate, battered, bloody Elizabeth you see at the end? They come from all the times you came to Columbia and FAILED]].
FAILED.
* Sure the ending renders this moot, but more than a few of us would shudder at the realization that [[spoiler: [[https://sites.google.com/site/sprage39/video-game-thoughts/bioshockinfinite/whyagoodchunkofthegametakesplacein1914 the Elizabeth we save might not be the one Songbird takes away]]]].away]]. Along the same note, in an earlier segment of the game, is the Elizabeth that stepped through a tear and got grabbed by the police the same Elizabeth that we saved shortly thereafter? It is assumed to be, but can we really be sure that is the case?



* Related to the above, Booker jumps universes with Elizabeth multiple times. But what happened to the Bookers and Elizabeths of the universes they enter into? We do know that one Booker joined the Vox uprising and died as a martyr, but the others are left unaccounted for. And by extension, the Comstocks of the earlier universes remain alive and well. [[spoiler:At least until the ending where Elizabeth proceeds to drown each Booker that would turn into Comstock, retroactively removing him from existence.]]

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* Related to the above, Booker jumps universes with Elizabeth multiple times. But what happened to the Bookers and Elizabeths of the universes they enter into? We do know that one Booker joined the Vox uprising and died as a martyr, but the others are left unaccounted for. And by extension, the Comstocks of the earlier universes remain alive and well. [[spoiler:At At least until the ending where Elizabeth proceeds to drown each Booker that would turn into Comstock, retroactively removing him from existence.]]



* [[spoiler: Did baby Anna suffer from Tear Sickness? And that doesn't even account for her newly-severed finger...]]

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* [[spoiler: Did baby Anna suffer from Tear Sickness? And that doesn't even account for her newly-severed finger...]]



* More on the subject of Booker. Ever wonder why the Battle of Wounded Knee is called the ''Massacre'' at Wounded Knee? [[spoiler: It's implied Booker ''himself'' might be the reason why. It's revealed that Slate's soldiers gave him the ''nom de guerre'' of "The White Injun" because he collected so many grisly trophies from the dead, while Comstock's Voxaphone recordings reveal that after he was (correctly) accused of having Indian blood, he decided to prove them wrong by burning tepees down with the inhabitants (women and children) still inside. Since this took place before the point of divergence that turned Booker into Comstock, then Booker is guilty of this as well. [[TeensAreMonsters Bear in mind, that was all when he was sixteen]]]]... Furthermore, one Voxophone confirms that Booker [=DeWitt=] speaks Sioux. It's no jump to know which tribe his Indian blood comes from. Now, what tribe was at Wounded Knee? [[spoiler: Booker slaughtered his own people.]]

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* More on the subject of Booker. Ever wonder why the Battle of Wounded Knee is called the ''Massacre'' at Wounded Knee? [[spoiler: It's implied Booker ''himself'' might be the reason why. It's revealed that Slate's soldiers gave him the ''nom de guerre'' of "The White Injun" because he collected so many grisly trophies from the dead, while Comstock's Voxaphone recordings reveal that after he was (correctly) accused of having Indian blood, he decided to prove them wrong by burning tepees down with the inhabitants (women and children) still inside. Since this took place before the point of divergence that turned Booker into Comstock, then Booker is guilty of this as well. [[TeensAreMonsters Bear in mind, that was all when he was sixteen]]]]...sixteen]]... Furthermore, one Voxophone confirms that Booker [=DeWitt=] speaks Sioux. It's no jump to know which tribe his Indian blood comes from. Now, what tribe was at Wounded Knee? [[spoiler: Booker slaughtered his ''his own people.]]people''.



* More Fridge Squick for the shippers who were looking forward to a long tradition of Liz[=/=]Booker fic. You know how peaceful interaction with Liz is a lot like a very involved DatingSim? [[spoiler:Yeah, she's Booker's daughter. So yeah, if Booker was ever attracted to her {{Moe}} personality and looks? [[ParentalIncest Yep]]]]. This sheds a notably icky light on a bit of dialogue in the game, where Liz casually asks "Mr. [=DeWitt=]" if he "has a woman in his life".
* You know the BadFuture? [[spoiler:First New York, and then possibly the planet? Given who Comstock is, who's to say he'd be satisfied with redeeming ''one'' universe? Elizabeth ''outright says'' in that millions of other universes await their judgement once she's dealt with one]].
* Bit of Real Life Fridge Horror: [[spoiler:Comstock purely going evil because of his religion, while his presumably agnostic or at least lapsed alternate universe counterpart Booker seems like it would be making religion into a strawman... and then you read up on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_Theology dominion theology]], and other Christian movements towards theocratic government, particularly in the US. '''There are real people like him''']].

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* More Fridge Squick for the shippers who were looking forward to a long tradition of Liz[=/=]Booker fic. You know how peaceful interaction with Liz is a lot like a very involved DatingSim? [[spoiler:Yeah, Yeah, she's Booker's daughter. So yeah, if Booker was ever attracted to her {{Moe}} personality and looks? [[ParentalIncest Yep]]]].Yep]]. This sheds a notably icky light on a bit of dialogue in the game, where Liz casually asks "Mr. [=DeWitt=]" if he "has a woman in his life".
* You know the BadFuture? [[spoiler:First First New York, and then possibly the planet? Given who Comstock is, who's to say he'd be satisfied with redeeming ''one'' universe? Elizabeth ''outright says'' in that millions of other universes await their judgement once she's dealt with one]].one.
* Bit of Real Life Fridge Horror: [[spoiler:Comstock Comstock purely going evil because of his religion, while his presumably agnostic or at least lapsed alternate universe counterpart Booker seems like it would be making religion into a strawman... and then you read up on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion_Theology dominion theology]], and other Christian movements towards theocratic government, particularly in the US. '''There are real people like him''']].him'''.



* When you finally get to Fink's office, you find a voxophone of Songbird. In it, Fink talks about a new process he discovered that fuses man and machine and is irreversible. The context is mainly toward the creation of Songbird... but what else in [=BioShock=] does that create? The Big Daddies. Apparently, [[spoiler:he saw, using Elizabeth's tears, how a Big Daddy is constructed and how it operates]]. They even have similar traits: both are assigned as guardians to females (Elizabeth for Songbird, a Little Sister for a Big Daddy) and have lights that display their current status (green = peaceful, yellow = alert, red = hostile).
* Something to consider. The Songbird was built using techniques gained from Rapture through a tear about Big Daddy construction. So what of the technique(s) they were using to turn Elizabeth into a FallenHero that attacked NYC in Rapture? [[spoiler: Specifically, to make a Little/Big Sister]]?

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* When you finally get to Fink's office, you find a voxophone of Songbird. In it, Fink talks about a new process he discovered that fuses man and machine and is irreversible. The context is mainly toward the creation of Songbird... but what else in [=BioShock=] does that create? The Big Daddies. Apparently, [[spoiler:he he saw, using Elizabeth's tears, how a Big Daddy is constructed and how it operates]].operates. They even have similar traits: both are assigned as guardians to females (Elizabeth for Songbird, a Little Sister for a Big Daddy) and have lights that display their current status (green = peaceful, yellow = alert, red = hostile).
* Something to consider. The Songbird was built using techniques gained from Rapture through a tear about Big Daddy construction. So what of the technique(s) they were using to turn Elizabeth into a FallenHero that attacked NYC in Rapture? [[spoiler: Specifically, to make a Little/Big Sister]]?Sister?



* One of Rosalind's voxophones states, "Our contraption shows us the girl is the flame that shall ignite the world. My brother says we must undo what we have done. But time is more an ocean than a river. Why try to bring in a tide that will only again go out?" Made more chilling by the Fridge-Brilliant ocean metaphors, it is likely that the Luteces helped lead you willingly to slaughter, only to have Ryan break ground for Rapture a few decades later... ''And knew it the whole time,'' but were only interested literally undoing their part in such events, nothing more. [[spoiler: This would explain their absence from Burial at Sea: Episode 2. With the last Comstock dead, they no longer cared what Elizabeth got up to. Without their seemingly superior abilities at subtle manipulation of the worlds, she was forced to manifest in Rapture Prime and become mortal.]]

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* One of Rosalind's voxophones states, "Our contraption shows us the girl is the flame that shall ignite the world. My brother says we must undo what we have done. But time is more an ocean than a river. Why try to bring in a tide that will only again go out?" Made more chilling by the Fridge-Brilliant ocean metaphors, it is likely that the Luteces helped lead you willingly to slaughter, only to have Ryan break ground for Rapture a few decades later... ''And knew it the whole time,'' but were only interested literally undoing their part in such events, nothing more. [[spoiler: This would explain their absence from Burial at Sea: Episode 2. With the last Comstock dead, they no longer cared what Elizabeth got up to. Without their seemingly superior abilities at subtle manipulation of the worlds, she was forced to manifest in Rapture Prime and become mortal.]]



* Who was that unfortunate man in the lighthouse who had been shot in the head with a bag over his head, with the rest of the place looking like he was attacked, chased up the stairs, then dragged back down before being tied in that chair and tortured before finally being finished off? [[spoiler:Another Comstock, perhaps?]] Or just some random stranger that lived in the lighthouse and kept it going?

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* Who was that unfortunate man in the lighthouse who had been shot in the head with a bag over his head, with the rest of the place looking like he was attacked, chased up the stairs, then dragged back down before being tied in that chair and tortured before finally being finished off? [[spoiler:Another Another Comstock, perhaps?]] perhaps? Or just some random stranger that lived in the lighthouse and kept it going?



* Even if Booker and Elizabeth went to Paris, it's unlikely they would have gotten a happy ending. Remember the year the game takes place in 1912. [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI What happened to France two years later?]] Frankly, it's quite possible that the ending of this game was the only way that it could have ended happily [[spoiler: or even in a way that would be considered bitter sweet]]. Elizabeth, as she exists in all of the Universes seen [[spoiler: up until the end]] will never have a chance at a normal life. The people of Columbia aren't likely to stop following her unless the city is destroyed, and even if it is, there's still no way that all of the other countries in the world won't desire a means to control her power. Hiding it would be difficult, since she's able to create tears involuntarily. There is no good ending for Elizabeth if Comstock continues to exist, because existing as a being capable of hopping from dimension to dimension will inevitably lead to a short, violent, and frightening life without a stable home anywhere in any reality. [[spoiler: By killing the Booker who becomes Comstock, Elizabeth gives a version of both herself and Booker a chance at a normal, peaceful life. Maybe even one where she gets to see Paris, provided this version of Elizabeth isn't the one Booker attempts to give to the last Comstock in ''Burial at Sea'']].
* At Soldier's Field, two women are talking about a boy who was sent to [[spoiler: Comstock House]] and was never heard from again. [[spoiler: The horrors you encounter in the BadFuture at least to some extent still exist in 1912.]]
* If you chose to spare [[spoiler: [[BlackGalOnWhiteGuyDrama the interracial couple]] in the raffle, they will show up later to reward you with some gear.]] If you chose to [[spoiler: start the execution instead, Fink's assistant shows up and rewards you, leaving the couple's fate uncertain.]]

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* Even if Booker and Elizabeth went to Paris, it's unlikely they would have gotten a happy ending. Remember the year the game takes place in 1912. [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI What happened to France two years later?]] Frankly, it's quite possible that the ending of this game was the only way that it could have ended happily [[spoiler: or even in a way that would be considered bitter sweet]]. sweet. Elizabeth, as she exists in all of the Universes seen [[spoiler: up until the end]] end will never have a chance at a normal life. The people of Columbia aren't likely to stop following her unless the city is destroyed, and even if it is, there's still no way that all of the other countries in the world won't desire a means to control her power. Hiding it would be difficult, since she's able to create tears involuntarily. There is no good ending for Elizabeth if Comstock continues to exist, because existing as a being capable of hopping from dimension to dimension will inevitably lead to a short, violent, and frightening life without a stable home anywhere in any reality. [[spoiler: By killing the Booker who becomes Comstock, Elizabeth gives a version of both herself and Booker a chance at a normal, peaceful life. Maybe even one where she gets to see Paris, provided this version of Elizabeth isn't the one Booker attempts to give to the last Comstock in ''Burial at Sea'']].
Sea''.
* At Soldier's Field, two women are talking about a boy who was sent to [[spoiler: Comstock House]] House and was never heard from again. [[spoiler: The horrors you encounter in the BadFuture at least to some extent still exist in 1912.]]
1912.
* If you chose to spare [[spoiler: [[BlackGalOnWhiteGuyDrama the interracial couple]] in the raffle, they will show up later to reward you with some gear.]] gear. If you chose to [[spoiler: start the execution instead, Fink's assistant shows up and rewards you, leaving the couple's fate uncertain.]]



* Booker is a man obviously suffering from all kinds of trauma, PTSD, guilt, and shame over his past actions. [[spoiler: Right before he was drowned, after seeing all of the horrible things Comstock was responsible, one can only imagine how far he sunk past the DespairEventHorizon upon realizing the two of them are the same person.]]
* [[spoiler: If Anna is indeed in the crib in the post-credit scene, she would still have to live with an alcoholic father with a severe case of PTSD. Best case scenario, Booker gets his act together and raise her in poverty. Worst case scenario, Booker remains the same deadbeat jerkass who would consider selling his kid to settle a debt, even if Columbia no longer exists to buy her.]]

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* Booker is a man obviously suffering from all kinds of trauma, PTSD, guilt, and shame over his past actions. [[spoiler: Right before he was drowned, after seeing all of the horrible things Comstock was responsible, one can only imagine how far he sunk past the DespairEventHorizon upon realizing the two of them are the same person.]]
person.
* [[spoiler: If Anna is indeed in the crib in the post-credit scene, she would still have to live with an alcoholic father with a severe case of PTSD. Best case scenario, Booker gets his act together and raise raises her in poverty. Worst case scenario, Booker remains the same deadbeat jerkass who would consider selling his kid to settle a debt, even if Columbia no longer exists to buy her.]]
her.



** [[spoiler: She ultimately leads to Atlas being able to attack Rapture and put his plan with Jack into motion. She's therefore responsible for the deaths of everyone on that plane Jack hijacked, as well as the death or splicing insanity of the citizens of Rapture. The fact that this is portrayed as a good thing is slightly perplexing.]]
*** [[spoiler: In fairness, Elizabeth's final words are that she can see all the doors and what's behind them, and behind one of them she sees Jack. Without her sacrifice, there would have been '''no''' universe where Ryan and Atlas were defeated. Furthermore, depending on your interpretation of Elizabeth's words, you can see it as her ensuring that Atlas and Ryan's defeats at the hands of Jack and the Little Sisters being saved is now a "constant" since Atlas has to show up in each multiverse to Rapture ''somehow'' - So, in a way, she '''did''' manage to save the world from Rapture and Atlas countless times over.]]
* In the ending of Burial at Sea, [[spoiler: Atlas crosses the MoralEventHorizon and beats Elizabeth with a wrench. She appears to be dead and in heaven, then we see Sally gripping her hand and Elizabeth smiling. What's so bad about that? Atlas ''didn't kill her''- he beat her several times enough so she could slowly bleed to death. Fortunately, Sally's presence and seeing the Doors allows Elizabeth to seemingly die content without much suffering.]]

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** [[spoiler: She ultimately leads to Atlas being able to attack Rapture and put his plan with Jack into motion. She's therefore responsible for the deaths of everyone on that plane Jack hijacked, as well as the death or splicing insanity of the citizens of Rapture. The fact that this is portrayed as a good thing is slightly perplexing.]]
perplexing.
*** [[spoiler: In fairness, Elizabeth's final words are that she can see all the doors and what's behind them, and behind one of them she sees Jack. Without her sacrifice, there would have been '''no''' universe where Ryan and Atlas were defeated. Furthermore, depending on your interpretation of Elizabeth's words, you can see it as her ensuring that Atlas and Ryan's defeats at the hands of Jack and the Little Sisters being saved is now a "constant" since Atlas has to show up in each multiverse to Rapture ''somehow'' - So, in a way, she '''did''' manage to save the world from Rapture and Atlas countless times over.]]
over.
* In the ending of Burial at Sea, [[spoiler: Atlas crosses the MoralEventHorizon and beats Elizabeth with a wrench. She appears to be dead and in heaven, then we see Sally gripping her hand and Elizabeth smiling. What's so bad about that? Atlas ''didn't kill her''- he beat her several times enough so she could slowly bleed to death. Fortunately, Sally's presence and seeing the Doors allows Elizabeth to seemingly die content without much suffering.]]



** We see the ending of Episode 1 from [[spoiler:Comstock's perspective. Anna's head gets cut off on his side. Now, re-imagine that scene....from ''Booker's'' perspective. Whatever Comstock felt is ''nothing'' to what Booker would have felt. Remember.. "I sold you...I Sold You!"?]]
** [[spoiler: As if it even needs to be made worse, it's easy to assume what happened after that if Booker was discovered in the street cradling the ''headless corpse of his baby daughter''. Most likely he was arrested, accused of her murder and sentenced to death. And, knowing Booker, he probably didn't resist in the slightest.]]

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** We see the ending of Episode 1 from [[spoiler:Comstock's Comstock's perspective. Anna's head gets cut off on his side. Now, re-imagine that scene....from ''Booker's'' perspective. Whatever Comstock felt is ''nothing'' to what Booker would have felt. Remember.. "I sold you...I Sold You!"?]]
You!"?
** [[spoiler: As if it even needs to be made worse, it's easy to assume what happened after that if Booker was discovered in the street cradling the ''headless corpse of his baby daughter''. Most likely he was arrested, accused of her murder and sentenced to death. And, knowing Booker, he probably didn't resist in the slightest.]]



* Given that ''Literature/BioShockRapture'' makes a reference [[spoiler:to a Comstock mining empire]] existing in the Rapture timeline at some point in the early 1900s, it opens up the possibility that [[spoiler:not ''every'' Comstock was wiped from the multiverse. That there are universes where Comstock neither had the clout, influence nor support from the Luteces but nonetheless successful enough to run his own business.]] This could explain why Rapture still exists [[spoiler:even though Comstock is "erased."]]

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* Given that ''Literature/BioShockRapture'' makes a reference [[spoiler:to to a Comstock mining empire]] empire existing in the Rapture timeline at some point in the early 1900s, it opens up the possibility that [[spoiler:not not ''every'' Comstock was wiped from the multiverse. That there are universes where Comstock neither had the clout, influence nor support from the Luteces but nonetheless successful enough to run his own business.]] This could explain why Rapture still exists [[spoiler:even even though Comstock is "erased."]]"
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* When Elizabeth asks Booker how old he is, he simply responds that he's younger than forty. A look at his Pinkerton contract tells us that he was born in 1874, making him thirty eight. Elizabeth is nineteen. Doing the math [[spoiler: after you learn that she's his daughter, you realize that he and his wife had her when Booker was just ''nineteen.'' Imagine you're nineteen, your wife just died giving birth, and you're left to take care of the baby completely on your own -- suddenly his decision to give Elizabeth away, let alone to someone who he was led to believe had the means to take care of her, makes a lot more sense.]]

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* When Elizabeth asks Booker how old he is, he simply responds that he's younger than forty. A look at his Pinkerton contract tells us that he was born in 1874, making him thirty eight. Elizabeth is nineteen. Doing the math [[spoiler: after you learn that she's his daughter, you realize that he and his wife had her when Booker he was just ''nineteen.'' Imagine you're nineteen, your wife just died giving birth, and you're left to take care of the baby completely on your own -- suddenly his decision to give Elizabeth away, let alone to someone who he was led to believe had the means to take care of her, makes a lot more sense.]]
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* When Elizabeth says that she doesn't know if she travels to other worlds or creates them according to her desires, it could be a reference to the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum physics, which in fact seems to be partly true in this game. According to it, universes are constantly being created because for each possibility there is a universe in which it becomes true (although in BioShockInfinite some things that seem possible never end up materializing because there are some multiversal constants which in reality make them impossible). So, following this interpretation, each time Elizabeth decides to open a tear to another world and cross it she would be creating new universes in which she does just that, one from which she leaves and one into which she enters. Furthermore, if Elizabeth's thoughts can influence whatever her powers bring to life such as with the Siren, that would explain why the new universe to which she arrives after crossing the tear has some things in common with the old one even if they don't seem to make logical sense (like the Monument being also broken in the Vox Populi world, for example).

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* When Elizabeth says that she doesn't know if she travels to other worlds or creates them according to her desires, it could be a reference to the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum physics, which in fact seems to be partly true in this game. According to it, universes are constantly being created because for each possibility there is a universe in which it becomes true (although in BioShockInfinite VideoGame/BioShockInfinite some things that seem possible never end up materializing because there are some multiversal constants which in reality make them impossible). So, following this interpretation, each time Elizabeth decides to open a tear to another world and cross it she would be creating new universes in which she does just that, one from which she leaves and one into which she enters. Furthermore, if Elizabeth's thoughts can influence whatever her powers bring to life such as with the Siren, that would explain why the new universe to which she arrives after crossing the tear has some things in common with the old one even if they don't seem to make logical sense (like the Monument being also broken in the Vox Populi world, for example).
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Added how Bioshock 2 could fit with Elizabeth

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** Adding to that, if we consider Bioshock 2 to be canon, then [[spoiler: the downfall of both Ryan and Fontaine]] would immediately be succeeded by [[Sofia Lamb taking over Rapture, only for her plans to then be dismantled by Subject Delta and Eleanor Lamb]], combined with CM Porter and Tenenbaum making a cure for ADAM sickness, would thus make Elizabeth's actions, cause the nightmare of Rapture to end PERMANENTLY
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*** NTM the lyric "[I'll love you] ''As long as there are stars above you''" - somewhat ironic given that in a floating city, there would be nothing '''but''' stars above them.

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