The Blacklist: 5 Debunked Theories About Reddington’s Identity (& 5 Plausible Ones)

“Everything about me is a lie.” That is how Raymond “Red” Reddington, the notorious most wanted career criminal known as the concierge of crime describes himself to people on the series The Blacklist. In the series, Red has decided to turn himself in and help a special FBI task force take down some of the most notorious blacklisters, including ones they didn’t even know existed. In exchange for helping bring justice and prevent crimes and death, Red is left alone to continue to build his empire and often uses the FBI to get rid of people in his way.

But there’s one thing the show makes clear in its later seasons: he isn’t actually Raymond Reddington. He assumed that identity long ago. So, who is he?

10 Raymond Reddington: Debunked

One thing we do know for certain—or that we think we know, at least—is that the person who portrays himself as Raymond Reddington on the show isn’t actually the real Raymond Reddington. At least, not the person who was once known as Raymond Reddington and was given that name at birth. It’s clear that, whoever he is, he used a talented plastic surgeon to recreate his face to resemble that of the real Reddington.

9 Dom’s Son/Katarina’s Brother: Plausible

If Red were Dom’s son, that would also mean he was Katarina’s brother. It seems sometimes that the way Dom speaks to him is the way a father might talk to a son. It could make sense that Red is actually Liz’s uncle, which would explain why he feels so indebted to his sister to protect her and has a familial bond with Dom. Katarina’s brother could be the one person who would step in and tell Ilya he would go under the knife instead to save his sister.

8 Liz’s Father: Debunked

The “is he, isn’t he” Liz’s father question was a major point of the first few seasons of the series. At one point, Liz was certain that he was—even a DNA test proved it. Then she was certain he wasn’t, which is understandable given that it’s Raymond Reddington, after all. Faking a DNA test is as simple for him as toasting some bread.

He was clearly close with and important to Liz’s mother and cares deeply for Liz, but chances are he is not the father.

7 No One Of Note: Plausible

Could it be that all this time we think the man pretending to be Raymond Reddington is a twin or a secret lover or a brother, when, in actuality, he’s just some guy who got caught up in the situation and was hired to, or decided to, take on this persona?

Maybe he was a clever criminal who thought he may have been caught or killed. Ilya offered him money to change his face, as well as the chance to build his empire in this new way, taking over all of the business the now deceased Reddington left behind. He was forever grateful to Ilya and continued his operations with law enforcement believing he was dead or on the run.

6 Ilya Koslov: Debunked

Viewers thought the mystery had finally been solved and Red was actually Ilya Koslov, a childhood friend of Liz’s mother Katarina and a man who was fiercely loyal to her—and clearly had romantic feelings for her. They remained close in adulthood, with Ilya willing to do anything to help her.

In one flashback scene, he even suggested becoming Reddington. The resemblance made it all too real, as well; the actor who played a young Ilya looked like a young Reddington. But then we met the real Ilya today, who Red remains close with. So, that’s not him.

5 Ilya’s Brother: Plausible

This theory totally makes sense. All signs were pointing to Raymond being Ilya Koslov, only to reveal the real Ilya Koslov, who Raymond remains close with to this day. He seems, in fact, very close to him. Like it’s a totally personal relationship.

Is it possible that the man pretending to be Raymond is actually Ilya’s brother? Maybe he had a brother, even a twin, who was willing to go through the transformation. Or maybe he is Ilya, and the man who claims to be Ilya today is actually the brother. It’s a twisted story, but it seems to make sense.

4 Tom Keen’s Father: Debunked

If there was ever a thought that Red might have been Tom Keen’s father, or related to him in some way, that was totally debunked. Tom was sent to watch Liz, and, when he began to develop romantic feelings for her, Red was not happy. Yet, he did not really know Tom prior to that, and they weren’t related in any way other than through mutually beneficial business dealings. Plus, we’ve already met Tom’s mother and his father.

3 Someone of Significance to Liz: Plausible

One of the biggest questions of the series is why Red is so hellbent on hiding his true identity from Liz. Dembe has often urged him to reveal the truth to her, as has Mr. Kaplan. So, clearly, it’s something terrible, but it’s something that they all felt she deserved to know.

It has been hinted that Red did something terrible to her mother, so the guilt might be why he has dedicated his life to protecting Liz. Still, his connection to her seems far more personal. It has the father-daughter feel to it even though we know he isn’t her father. Is it possible maybe he is a sperm donor who really is her father? Or related to her in some way?

2 Raymond Reddington’s Twin: Debunked

This one would be the cheesiest way to make the big reveal. First off, there was no evidence anywhere that the real Raymond Reddington ever had a twin. Second, even if he did, how does that explain the admitted plastic surgery in order to make “Red” look like Raymond? If he were an identical twin, this wouldn’t have been necessary.

Maybe it was a long-lost fraternal twin that didn’t share the same physical looks as Red but did share the DNA? In any case, we don’t think this will be how it ends.

1 The Real Raymond Reddington: Plausible

Alright, so it was noted above that this theory has been debunked. But, upon closer inspection, maybe it’s still possible. Is it possible that the plastic surgery was done prior to the “real” Raymond’s death and the person that Liz shot when she was four was actually the imposter, not the real Raymond?

Now, this Raymond is pretending to be the imposter of, well, himself, when, in actuality, he really is Raymond? It would explain his closeness to Harold Cooper, as well, with whom the real Red served back in the day. So, don’t discount this roundabout yet totally plausible theory just yet.

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