Ever since Inception was released 14 years ago, we’ve all been desperately searching for answers over the cliffhanger ending – but one fan theory may have just solved it.
The mind-bending film hit the big screen in 2010, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as professional thief Dom Cobb, who is able to enter people’s dreams and steal information from their subconscious.
Sir Michael Caine, Elliot Page, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard made up the cast while Christopher Nolan served as director.
At the very end end of the film, Dom reunited with his children and spun his totem – a spinning top which spins indefinitely in a dream and topples in real life, signaling whether or not he’s in reality – but the screen cut to black before viewers got to see if it actually fell.
Immediately after the credits rolled, everyone shared their own thoughts on what the ambiguous ending meant but this new theory has turned everything upside down.
In the MovieDetails Reddit sub, EndlessEdvoid blew all our minds when they suggested that the spinning top wasn’t actually Dom’s totem – instead directing users towards his wedding ring.
Leonardo DiCaprio led the way in Inception (Picture: Warner Bros)
Sharing multiple screenshots from different parts of the movie, they penned: ‘The debate between people regarding the ending of Inception, was it real or not can be ended by looking at the wedding ring Cobb’s wearing.
‘In the real world he has no ring whereas the ring is present in the dreams. In the final scene he has no ring so the “happy ending” is reality.’
Flocking to the comments section below, many others rushed to agree with EndlessEdvoid, while moving the theory along slightly.
WillowNiffler replied: ‘Dom’s wedding ring is his real totem, whether he knew it or not. When Arthur doesn’t let Ariadne hold his die he makes it very clear that a totem has to be an item that is unique to you. The spinning top was Mal’s totem.
Dom was seen spinning his totem – without his wedding ring on (Picture: Warner Bros)
Seriously though, was it about to topple at the end? (Picture: Warner Bros)
‘Dom only wore his wedding ring in his dreams because that was the only place he could still be with Mal.’
Joker-boy456 shared: ‘The reason I always thought the ending was real was because when introducing the top, he says that it’s Mal’s totem, not his. His ring was his real totem.’
‘Also, the top was his wife’s totem, not his. So the top would never have told him if it was reality. The answers are in the details like this ring,’ 47-Rambaldi theorized.
Vanillaacid posted: ‘The top was never his totem, it was his wife’s. It doesn’t matter whether the top wobbles or falls or not, it’s purposely deceiving.’
Dom switched from wearing the ring and leaving it behind throughout the flick (Picture: Warner Bros)
As Arctan323 added: ‘The ring is his totem. The spinning top is a misdirection, that’s his wife’s totem, but unconsciously we accept it as his since he uses it so much.
‘It’s also important that noone knows how your totem works, which is why Cobb never mentions his ring [sic].’
Christopher has always kept tight lipped over the ending, vowing that nothing else mattered other than what Dom decided was real.
This hasn’t stopped everyone from trying to get to the bottom of those final few seconds – but don’t bother trying to get Leo’s thoughts, as he confessed that he has ‘no idea’ about his character’s fate.
During an appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast in 2020, he was joined by his Once Upon A Time In Hollywood co-star Brad Pitt, who was asked to unpack the plot of his movie, Ad Astra.
He has no idea about the ending either (Picture: WireImage)
‘I’m not going to explain it to you. I can’t explain it either,’ the Ocean’s Eleven star quipped, leading Leo to admit that he felt the same over his own blockbuster.
‘That’s like Inception for me. What happened? I have no idea,’ he chimed in.
‘You’re just focused on your character, man. I do get involved [with the story], but when it came to Christopher Nolan and his mind and how it was all pieced together, everyone was trying to constantly put that puzzle together.
‘It depends on the eye of the beholder, I guess.’
We’ll just stick with the ring theory…
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