Forrest Gump Is Secretly Dead – Theory Explained

Forrest Gump follows the titular character’s inspiring life story, but here’s an explanation for the fan theory that he’s secretly dead in the film. The 1994 drama stars Tom Hanks as Forrest, an intellectually slow but sweet man from the fictional town of Greenbow, Alabama. He lives through a great deal of history, meeting Elvis Presley and multiple presidents, serving in the Vietnam War, and much more.

But despite all of his success, the landmark historical moments he lives through, and the influential people he meets, what he wants most is to be with the love of his life and childhood friend, Jenny (Robin Wright). He always thinks of her, though it often seems he’ll never actually win her heart throughout Forrest Gump. Even in the face of that sad possibility, he still makes amazing and impressive strides in his life. Things always work out somehow, allowing him to excel at whatever he decides to try his hand at.

But there’s an in-depth fan theory posted by u/ragerblade on Reddit that offers an explanation for how everything always miraculously works out for Forrest. The theory posits that it’s not real and he’s dead for most of the movie. The hypothesis argues that the titular character dies as a child in the scene where he’s being chased by bullies on bikes, theorizing that he’s caught up to and beaten to death. According to this thought process, the braces breaking off of Forrest’s legs in the way they do, which is impossible by real-world standards, is actually symbolic of his breaking free from his Earthly existence. This is when the theory explains Forrest has become a sort of angel, and the rest of Forrest Gump fleshes out what his idealized life could’ve been had he survived.

As the Reddit post also acknowledges, there are plenty of other plot details that just aren’t realistic. Examples include Forrest’s impressive knack for ping pong without ever having trained and his ability to graduate from college and join the Army despite his low IQ. After all, despite his football scholarship and the draft during the Vietnam War, he still wouldn’t meet the intellectual requirements that both paths would require. In addition, he acts as an “angel” for other characters throughout the film. For instance, Jenny severely struggles on and off in her personal life, which causes her to come back to Forrest on her own timetable. Even so, he accepts her back every time. He’s an angel for her, a pleasant memory of a childhood friend who genuinely loved and supported her that manifests itself as she abuses substances to find escapism throughout Forrest Gump.

The theory is certainly interesting and extensively thought out. And there’s a slew of little pieces that help support the idea that the beloved character doesn’t actually live past his childhood years. But given the film as a whole, it’s very unlikely that the hypothesis is true. The film centers around a life of resilience and tenacity, one where Forrest overcomes his low IQ and all of the other obstacles in his way to achieve more than many people would ever dream of. If Forrest’s teenage and adult existences turn out to be some kind of twist in the vein of The Sixth Sense or Joker, where he isn’t actually alive or certain events don’t even truly happen, it would defeat one of the film’s main messages. The idea that much of Forrest Gump is a mere illusion doesn’t completely add up, especially since that would undermine exactly that which makes it work so well.

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Lindsey DeRoche
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Lindsey DeRoche is a TV and movie features writer for Screen Rant. She received a BA in English, with a concentration in writing, from Plymouth State University in 2018. She’s had a passion for reading, writing, TV, and movies since her early years.

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