Theories and speculation for the podcast series Malevolent. Note that only spoilers from seasons 3 and 4 are hidden – all spoilers from season 1 (episodes 1-12) and season 2 (episodes 13-20) are unmarked.
Kayne is Nyarlathotep
- A common theory among the fans is that Kayne is actually the Lovecraftian Outer God Nyarlathotep. Reasons for this speculation are:
- Nyarlathotep is known for appearing to humans as a slim, tall, joyous man, which seems to fit Kayne.
- Unlike most other Outer Gods, who are normally mindless or indifferent rather than actively malevolent, Nyarlathotep is eagerly cruel, often using deception and manipulation to achieve his goals. This seems to fit Kayne pretty well.
- Nyarlathotep may have been partially inspired by Nikola Tesla, and Tesla is commonly associated with him. When Kayne vanishes, we can hear what seems to be an electrical current.
Kayne is The Christian God
- A theory that has become more popular as of episode 28, some fans speculate that Kayne is actually the Christian God for a few reasons:
- The name Kayne is an alternate spelling for the biblical figure Cain.
- He name drops Lilith in his first appearance.
- In Coda, he mentions "being way up in the nosebleeds" when watching John attempt to fight against The King.
- In episode 28, when John says "Jesus fucking Christ" Kayne responds with "Present and accounted for!".
- In Episode 27, Arthur states "But if it has, none of that comes to benefit those who speak on the behalf of a selfish God like the one so many of my kind follow. Or… or if they do, he’s an insignificant child playing games, the way… Kayne would.", drawing another comparison between the two.
Kayne is Harlan Himself
- Exactly as it says, some theorize that Kayne is simply Harlan himself!
- Kayne does mention "knowing how this will end", and it would make sense for the guy who's writing the series to know what will happen next.
- He also mentions in his first appearance that everything that's happened and will happen is the result of choices, but that it's "It’s not your choice, or his choice…" which can be taken as a reference to the fact that many of the choices Arthur makes are the results of patreon polls, and it would make sense for the creator to know this.
- His comment in Coda; "You know, someone oughtta tell them that coins don’t land on their sides. Your friends suck at following the rules.", is taken as a reference to how things usually turn out worse for Arthur and John when the patreon polls end in a tie. Sounds like something the creator made alude to.
The deal John made with Kayne was to break apart the King in Yellow and send his pieces to earth.
- Essentially Yellow is not simply John without his memories, nor did he come from Arthur's deal. He's another part of the King created as a result of John's deal. John wanted to ensure that The King would be rendered powerless and harmless, and this seemed the best way to do it. So essentially there is no King anymore, just shards with a fraction of his full power, attached to humans. How many there are is hard to say, one line implied that John was half of the King, so Yellow may simply be the other half. However, other lines implied John is a smaller piece, or specifically the King's heart, so there may be dozens, even hundreds. John may have also hoped that if these shards go through the same thing he did, that they would go through a similar transformation. It's also entirely possible that the shard attached to Larson isn't Yellow, but another shard altogether.
Arthur and John will eventually wind up in The Dark World together and have to find a way back to Earth
- This has been common speculation within the fandom, especially during season 3, where John and Arthur discuss the dark world and if they can find each other if they both wind up there. Many fans are excited at the prospect that, because The Dark World is described as a sort of afterlife, our protagonists may end up coming face to face with some of the people and creatures they've killed. Other fans have speculated that Arthur may go looking for Faroe, and/or may refuse to leave once he finds her.
- To expand upon this, it's possible that if Arthur *does* find Faroe, she might not recognize him. John lost all his memories while in the Dark World, so that might be a normal result of being there for a certain amount of time. It's also possible she might remember her father, but Arthur's older, much thinner, and heavily scarred now. She might even be scared of this gaunt man with all the scars...
Kayne is a completely original creation.
- He's not actually based on any pre-existing god, neither in the Cthulhu mythos nor real world religions. He's his own thing.
Kayne is Lucifer.
- Some fans have started to theorize that Kayne might actually be the Morning Star himself, citing the following bits of evidence:
- He named himself after the First Murderer, which seems like something Lucifer might do.
- Much like in the theory that he's the Christian God, he name drops Lilith.
- His general role as a trickster who likes to make deals to suit his own ends falls in line with many pop cultural depictions of Lucifer.
- In episode 28, he states "You were caught between The Devil and the deep blue sea... and you chose The Devil. Turncoat.", though it's hard to tell in context if he's referring to himself.
Arthur is Jesus Christ reborn.
- A theory that gained some popularity after episode 28, some fans speculate that when Kayne says Jesus is "present and accounted for", he's referring to Arthur. Many fans also point to how many seemingly implausible things he's survived.
Kayne is both God and the Devil.
- Supporters of this theory will usually cite the evidence we have that Kayne is The Christian God and that Kayne is Lucifer, as well as the phonograph recording in episode 12, where Kellin states that God and the Devil are one and the same.
Percival is both a Free Mason and a member of the Order of the Fallen Star
- And because of Arthur's kindness towards him, he's going to help Arthur find the Order, and finally hear the end of that story.
Daniel is going to be an antagonist.
- When Arthur goes to see Daniel not only will he refuse to help, but from thereon he will actively be a hinderance to Arthur and John's goals, perhaps even being a member of The Order of the Fallen Star and friend of Larson.
Daniel is the friend that Percival normally travels with.
- After meeting with Daniel, Arthur will be brought to meet other Freemasons, where it will be revealed that Percival is a member, and that Daniel is the friend he was talking about on the train. There will be a fair amount of confusion over Arthur giving Percival a fake name on the train.
Alternatively, Percival's usual traveling companion is Larson.
- This might play into how Larson was able to discern which train Arthur was likely to take, as he may have taken the same train multiple times with Percival. Additionally, Percival may or may not know that Larson is out to get a guy named Arthur Lester, although it's unlikely Larson would have given a significant amount of information. It's possible Percival suspected something was up with this "Will Henley", though he likely didn't connect the dots.
