I'm Convinced Hank Is Working For These Fallout Villains In The Show

Summary

Vault-Tec originated as a branch of the Enclave, indicating Hank MacLean’s potential alliance with this villainous group in Fallout.
Dr. Wilzig’s ties to the Enclave suggest Hank MacLean’s connections to this faction go beyond his past with Vault-Tec.
The Enclave’s possible involvement in helping Hank destroy Shady Sands points to a larger conspiracy involving them as the true villains of Fallout.

After what happened in Fallout’s first season, I’m convinced Hank MacLean is in league with the Enclave. Fallout season 1’s ending confirmed that Hank is hardly the good-natured father figure he was presented to be at the beginning of the show. Not only did he commit some atrocious acts as the overseer of Vault 31, but he also worked for Vault-Tec before the Great War, making him a face for one of the biggest villain organizations in Fallout’s world. Interestingly, though, they may not be the group he’s currently aligned with in the series.

As Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul pointed out in the Fallout season 1 finale, it seems Hank is on his way to find the people who have been pulling the strings in the franchise. That would imply he’s looking for the other Vault-Tec executives, who could also be in cryo storage somewhere, much like his fellow junior executives being kept in Vault 33. I think that’s close to the truth, but I suspect the full answer to the Hank MacLean mystery goes beyond his connections to Vault-Tec. If the lore is any indication, I think his true masters are the same people that Dr. Wilzig walked away from earlier in the series.

Vault-Tec Originally Worked For The Enclave

Vault-Tec Started Out As An Arm Of The Enclave

A big part of what drives my suspicions about Hank and the Enclave is their history in the franchise and the fact that it’s already been hinted at in the series. In the Fallout games, it’s understood that the Enclave – created as a wing of the United States government – was behind the entire Vault-Tec operation. The Enclave commissioned Vault-Tec to build the vaults in places all over the country. Plus, they were also the ones who wanted Vault-Tec to ensure that experiments were conducted in each of the vaults in Fallout.

It’s worth noting that this aspect of their backstory does not contradict what occurred in the Vault-Tec meeting when Barb was heard giving this now-historic order. That’s because there was a moment, shortly before her big speech, where she looked up at a shadowy figure observing the proceedings. The idea that Barb was quietly directed to lead the meeting in that direction indicates that he was the one who really made that decision. Because it’s extremely unlikely that the show is massively changing Fallout canon, I’m sure the mystery character represents the Enclave.

A Dr. Wilzig Scene Makes It More Likely That Hank Has Ties To The Enclave

Fallout Already Hinted At A Connection Between The Enclave & The MacLean Family

The Enclave still having their hooks in members of Vault-Tec – even at this point in the Fallout timeline – makes sense, especially when considering that the Enclave still has a presence in the apocalypse. As Dr. Wilzig’s introduction proves, the villains of Fallout 3 have a base at an undisclosed location somewhere on Fallout’s map. How much contact this iteration of the Enclave has with what’s left of Vault-Tec is unclear, but some sort of connection was implied, as it’s apparent that Wr. Wilzig knows something about Lucy’s family.

Dr. Wilzig said Lucy’s surname without being told of it, which all but confirms that he knows either her mother or her father. Given that he’s part of the Enclave, I’ve taken this as a sign that Hank MacLean has an alliance with them. Dr. Wilzig could have met him at some point, especially since it’s already known that despite the strict rules of the vault, Hank hasn’t exactly been confined to underground this entire time. It’s not implausible that he’s had some level of association with them over the years.

The Enclave Could Explain How Hank Destroyed Shady Sands

Did The Enclave Help Hank Destroy Shady Sands?

To me, the theory feels more credible when looking at what he did to Shady Sands. Fallout confirmed that Hank was responsible for a nuke wiping out Shady Sands, but never really explained how he pulled it off. Admittedly, the finale hinted that Vault-Tec may have launched the first nuke. My doubts about Vault-Tec using nukes to launch the Great War aside, there’s no basis for Hank to blow up Shady Sands on his own. Obviously, Vault 33 doesn’t have access to a nuclear silo, meaning he had to launch a nuke from somewhere else.

One possible nuclear source that Hank could have turned to is the Enclave. It’s not been confirmed in-universe that the Enclave possessed nuclear weapons, but they did have weapons of mass destruction (such as the orbital missiles used against Liberty Prime in Fallout 3) so it’s not unfeasible that they had some in their arsenal.

In addition to potentially having the means to destroy Shady Sands, the Enclave also had the motive. Shady Sands is a part of the New California Republic, a major Fallout faction and an enemy of the Enclave. The NCR is a fitting example of what the Enclave fears most, which is a functioning body of government trying to reclaim the United States. As a remnant of the government, the Enclave believes that they’re the only organization entitled to fulfilling this role. With that in mind, there’s no doubt they’d sign off on a plan that they thought would trigger the NCR’s downfall.

An Alliance With Hank MacLean Would Support Another Enclave Theory

Hank MacLean smiles affectionately at his daughter Lucy MacLean in Fallout season 1

If the Enclave helped Hank before with his Shady Sands problem, it wouldn’t surprise me if he sought them out for help a second time. As for why he’s going to New Vegas specifically, I considered the possibility that he could be looking for Mr. House since he ruled New Vegas and was at the meeting, but it’s hard to imagine the Rob-Co CEO, for all his flaws, still being on the side of Vault-Tec. Hank teaming up with the Enclave, is certainly plausible, though, especially if it’s true that the Enclave are the real villains of Fallout.

The mystery figure in the meeting, the Enclave being the faction that ultimately sets up the cold fusion plot, and their questionable experiments in episode 2 all fit within the theme that the Enclave is the root of most of the problems in Fallout. With their past needs in the games, not to mention their role in the origin of the vaults, makes them the most appropriate candidate to be the final villain of the series. The person to blame for the destruction of Shady Sands and much of season 1’s story standing revealed as a pawn of the Enclave would go hand-in-hand with that theory.