Alternative Character Interpretation in Thomas & Friends.
- In "Break Van," Donald seems to be smiling as he back up onto the siding next to the signalbox he destroys. This has led some to believe he crashed on purpose as part of a gambit to ensure that Douglas stayed on Sodor if only one of them could. Further muddying waters is that in the original book, Donald doesn't say what he is sorry for. This on top of Douglas' quip to James.
- Douglas: Anyone would think that Donald had his accident on purpose!
- While we are on the subject, the Spiteful Brake Van himself, already a colossal asshole, becomes even darker when you consider that he is far more cunning and malicious compared to most of the Troublesome Trucks, who are more mischievous that anything else. When Donald and Douglas first arrived, it was not exactly a secret that Sir Topham Hatt only wanted one of them and was thinking about sending the other back... potentially to be scrapped. The Brake Van may have been aware of this fact; if so, his behavior towards Douglas shifts from simply being a dick to outright monstrous, because now he is deliberately trying to get Douglas sent away while probably knowing full well what will happen afterwards. It also adds another layer of why Donald goes absolutely berserk on him and why Douglas was not too broken up about crushing him to pieces (even if it was an accident).
- In "Dirty Work", did the Fat Controller actually buy Diesel's lies hook, line, and sinker and then later discovered the truth? Or did he know Diesel was lying from the start and sent Duck away to lull Diesel into a false sense of security to then be Hoist by His Own Petard? Also, did he do so rather than call bullshit on Diesel to avoid having the big engines go on strike again for taking Duck's side? The second option is implied by what the Fat Controller says in "A Close Shave".
- It's become popular to assume that the Fat Controller is an Abusive Parent to the engines, judging by how their responses (whenever they have an accident) is shame and fear, often needing him to reassure them when it wasn't their fault. Granted, this is the side-effect of him being a stern parent, though whether or not it counts as abuse is in the eye of the beholder.
- Following the departure of Edward and Henry from the main cast, some fans believe Edward’s out-of-character decision to leave his friends behind and spend the rest of his life living at Wellsworth with Philip, may have influenced Henry to request his transfer to Vicarstown, due to him leaving without any reason for doing so. Henry moves to Vicarstown to live with Rosie, despite never interacting with her previously. Fans interpret the situation as Edward being a bad influence by making the others believe that it’s okay to ditch your friends to be with someone you only just met, or even implying that Edward and Henry hated living at Tidmouth Sheds to begin with, and only left because they got the chance to. There’s also the possibility that Henry was informed about Rebecca and that he had to give up his place for her, as Sir Topham Hatt wanted her to live with Gordon. Another headcanon has been that Henry moved due to him having a new job of more frequently taking trains to the Mainland, requiring him to live closer to the Mainland, and that he eventually plans to leave Sodor and move to another railway, much like Hiro (who was shown to be friends with him) did.
- New main cast member Rebecca has been said to have come from another railway, according to her official bio, but due to the “N.W.R.” logo already being painted on her tender, this has led fans to believe her previous home was the Southern Railway (the railway her basis worked on) and that she originally wore the SR’s green livery with yellow stripes, and that when she was purchased by Sir Topham Hatt, he likely may have asked her to be repainted in a livery that made her able to stand out, and that Rebecca likely chose her current yellow livery due to its brightness.
- Due to no proper In-Universe explanation, some fans try to come up with their own theories on Rosie's repaint. Some feel it may be to do with her new job being based at Vicarstown, choosing the new colour due to feeling that her old livery is an embarrassment, or that she simply wanted to look different.
- Even Henry's rebuild during the events of "The Flying Kipper" may be subject to this as well, with some wondering how the process of said rebuild went. One common fan interpretation is that Henry's smokebox was likely the same size as a LMS "Black Five" Class 5MT's smokebox, and that his existing smokebox was modified to fit onto his new body, and may explain why his memories and personality stayed the same. Some even believe that Henry chose the Black Five as his new shape because he simply liked the design.
- Is Diesel 10 really evil? Or he is actually a Well-Intentioned Extremist who just wants the diesels to be loved like the steam engines are?
- In "Thomas Comes to Breakfast", the narration clearly stated that Thomas was only moving because the cleaner accidentally fiddled with his controls, and while some fans accept this, other fans tend to believe that Thomas brought the accident upon himself in the first place since he thought he could go without his driver.
- Regarding James' bullying of Phillip in "Apology Impossible". Was he just doing it for the sake of it? Or was it an attempt to get even with him for annoying him?
- In "Cranky Bugs", did Percy pull Cranky over by mistake, forgetting he was still attached to him? Or did he intentionally pull him over as revenge for his ungratefulness to him and Thomas for saving him?
