History WMG / TheBlacklist

Eventually, the need for both money to support himself, as well as allies to protect him from the military, causes him to sell secret documents that he is able to access to some unsavory people, thus beginning his StartOfDarkness. Essentially, Reddington is Bradley/Chelsea Manning before the internet and with fewer morals.

Early in his criminal career, he became unknowingly connected to a massive conspiracy to kill millions of people. iUpon fnding out about it, he started working to prevent it by becoming one of the biggest criminals in the world and establishing connections to thousands of criminals and other people and started out planning a massive gambit to destroy the conspiracy. With him turning to the FBI being him starting to execute the plans. With Zamani actually knowing about the plans and having been convinced to sacrifice his life to stop the conspiracy from happening. Basically being the ultimate example of EvenEvilHasStandards.

He didn't abandon his family, they were slaughtered and left for him to find. There was a massive coverup of the blood bath. Red went rouge to seek revenge and uncover the truth ever sense.

This explains the story with Ressler in "Mako Tanida" and Red's empathy with loosing loved ones. Red and Dembe are bonded over their families blood spilled at their feet, as this is the implied story due to Dembe's slave past. This also explains Red's ballet flashback with who we can only suspect is his daughter, especially in conjunction with the dancers gossip. Also explains destroying his family home. All of his body guards and Keen (even if she doesn't remember fully) have this in common and he will never fully trust someone who hasn't had this experience.

Or Keen's mother, to distance herself from Reddington's new reputation kept that information from her child.

*** Further proven in "Tom Connolly" when the episode mentions about her mom being an ex-[=KGB=] agent. The episode also mentions that Liz killed him in self-defense.

It would explain both the blood test, why Reddington cares about Liz as well as Red's father claiming that Liz is his grandaughter

[[WMG: Reddington is trying to prevent an massive event that will kill millions.]]
Early in his criminal career he became unknowingly connected to a massive conspiracy to kill millions of people. Finding out about it he started working to prevent it by becoming one of the biggest criminals in the world and establishing connections to thousands of criminals and other people and started out planning a massive gambit to destroy the conspiracy. With him turning to the FBI being him starting to execute the plans. With Zamani actually knowing about the plans and having been convinced to sacrifice his life to stop the conspiracy from happening. Basically being the ultimate example of EvenEvilHasStandards.

[[WMG: Keen's father was Reddington's protege]]

** Like i said, leaves the writers no room to expand the story, if they get cancelled before the end of the first series i can see them going for it but not if they have a second. Plus with writing you always discard the first two things you think of because they are the first two things the viewer will think of and you want to keep them guessing.

He was an intelligence officer in the US Navy who abandoned his very promising career and family out of the blue. While on the job, he probably discovered something that would have made the US goverment look very bad if it was found out, so to protect himself and his family he goes on the run.

[[WMG: 'Reddington' is actually [[spoiler:Katarina, Liz's mother]].

[[WMG: 'Reddington' is actually [[spoiler: Katarina, Liz's mother]]

* Debunked. It's Liz (see above).

[[WMG: The Series Finale blacklist number will be No.1]]

[[WMG: Alternatively, Reddington himself is No.1]]

Reddington is playing a Thanatos gambit - setting pieces into place and adjusting the situation so that his inevitable demise happens at the perfect moment to crack open and expose the Alliance in a position where they can't defend themselves, and let the court of public opinion do the rest.

** Her mom died a few years ago after she was made.

[[WMG: Elizabeth Keen is No.1]]

Reddington's entire gambit revolves around his plans with Elizabeth, not with himself. As one of the rare people he actually has enough attachment to to lose his cool when they're in danger, she's one of the most dangerous to him. On the other hand, there are Blacklisters Reddington is perfectly willing to let go and even work wish, as long as they don't set him back - even Berlin could have become his partner, and he was pretty high up on the list...Reddington could be ''grooming'' Liz.

* Lau is actually a cover identity of Wujing, who is pretending to help the Gotham mob so he can rip them off. Being caught by SelfDemonstrating/TheJoker was part of his plan and that pile of money was entirely false, the ''real'' pile of money is safely hidden away. He escaped The Joker's KillItWithFire ("Everything burns..") and returned to his operations (he IS a master of espionage, after all, faking his death is his bread and butter), with the mobsters' money.

[[WMG: The series is set in the same universe as ''Film/TheDarkKnightSaga'']]