Tenet’s Secret Inception Link Is More Complex Than Being A Sequel

Tenet is not just an Inception 2 movie and that’s a good thing. Ever since the first details of Christopher Nolan’s high-concept sci-fi Tenet began to be released, there has been an assumption that it is linked to Inception. After all, the concept of a plot hinged on reality and physics-challenging futuristic technology, spy influences, and heists could be referring to either, and Tenet‘s initially guarded marketing campaign seemed provocatively vague by design. Fans were not the only ones to assume that it could be a sort of back-door sequel to Inception.

The reality of Nolan’s Tenet is far more complex. Centering on John David Washington’s The Protagonist, the blockbuster is a stunning, genre-busting espionage/sci-fi hybrid with a star-studded cast and some of the most impressive set-pieces of any modern movie. The story of the movie Tenet follows The Protagonist on a mission to save the world from a future enemy intent on kicking off World War III and destroying the world. Armed only with the word “Tenet” and teamed with Robert Pattinson’s fellow specialist, he must race against time – and seek to understand it in a whole new way – to save humanity.

Although several significant factors such as odd sound mixing and a more-than-too-confusing plot ensure that Tenet is not one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies, it still garnered plenty of buzz because of its high profile and production value. Rather, Nolan’s real masterpieces are still the likes of earlier films Inception and Interstellar. What’s interesting then, is the strong parallels (and possible universe connections) between all three of these Nolan movies.

How Tenet Connects To Inception

While Tenet is not a direct Inception sequel, John David Washington himself has confirmed the films are related. Specifically, the actor suggested Tenet is an “in-law” of the earlier movie; an intriguing proposition that means very little unless you start to think about the central idea of Tenet in a slightly different way. It’s not just a series of heists designed to save humanity, it’s a mind-heist targeting The Protagonist himself.

From the moment The Protagonist wakes from his gruesome recruitment test and is given the word “Tenet” and the mysterious hand gesture by Martin Donovan’s Tenet associate, he sets about attempting to uncover the real truth about Tenet‘s inversion, time travel, and the future’s plan to destroy the world. The entire plan by Tenet (the organization) is to implant ideas so that The Protagonist comes to the realization that he must start the organization himself in the future and dedicate himself to defeating the future antagonist’s plot. That moment on the ship is the second time an idea is implanted in his head – the word tells him not only what to call his organization but also how to enact the final battle plan. Two simultaneous ten-minute missions meeting at the middle (hence the word “Tenet”) and the gesture of two hands locking together. The first idea implanted is that The Protagonist must be willing to give up anything for the cause, which he does by choosing to “die”.

Everything else that follows in Tenet‘s time travel timeline – from following Sator back to his own origin story in the Russian closed city through to finding out that he hired Neil in the future (by traveling further back in time) – is designed to implant the irresistible idea that The Protagonist must start Tenet himself. His training and the very principle through which he’s called “The Protagonist”, his test, the ship exchange, Tenet‘s heists that introduce the idea of a temporal pincer movement are all elements of a grand inception enacted on The Protagonist by his future self. There’s even an explanation that The Protagonist’s ignorance at certain points is key to him succeeding, precisely because the idea has to form in his own mind rather than him just being told. That’s the true link between Inception and Tenet and it’s far more impressively achieved than if Tenet was simply an Inception sequel.

How Tenet and Inception Connect To Interstellar

There’s also the Nolanverse theory linking Tenet, Inception, and Interstellar. This theory argues on a more canonical level that the three movies aren’t just thematically resonant, but directly related on a single timeline. Loosely, the theory holds that Neil and Barbara from Tenet are Cobb and Mal’s children from Inception, and that Interstellar is set in the apocalyptic world of Tenet‘s creating. While the first piece of this theory is a bit of a stretch, the second part which links Tenet and Interstellar seems more probable. Ultimately, however, the most significant link between all of Christopher Nolan’s films is their similar approach to high-co science fiction. Tenet, Inception, and Interstellar may not be part of a shared universe, but they are certainly part of a shared creative mind.

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Simon Gallagher
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Simon is a veteran editor who has been writing online since 2010 – long before anyone wanted to read his work. He loves Clueless. Like, a lot.

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