The 100: A.L.I.E.’s Mystery & Top Theories About Her Origin

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Jaha has been a prophet-like figure on The 100. But has ALIE been controlling him all along? (Cate Cameron/The CW)

Who is A.L.I.E. on The 100? Is this artificial intelligence evil or has she taken over Jaha somehow? Fans have picked up on the idea that A.L.I.E. could either be “a lie” or an “ally.” But things really go much, much deeper than that. These are the top theories about A.L.I.E., including possible spoilers if any of the theories are right.

Here’s what you need to know about A.L.I.E., the most mysterious character on The 100.


Murphy Hates Her, But Jaha Adores Her

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It’s no wonder Murphy hates ALIE on The 100. (Cate Cameron/The CW)

Murphy, understandably, hates A.L.I.E. He was locked in a bunker where he was forced to watch home videos about A.L.I.E.’s creation and her subsequent destruction of the Earth. From what we know so far, A.L.I.E. unleashed nukes on Earth and created the post-apocalyptic world they’re now living in because there were too many people. She initiated the launch codes at some point after Chris created an avatar for A.L.I.E. that looked just like his girl, Becca. But after A.L.I.E. initiated the launch codes, Chris was so overwhelmed with regret that he killed himself. That’s pretty dark and it’s no wonder Murphy wants nothing to do with this AI.

But Jaha has other ideas entirely. He’s friendly with A.L.I.E. now and sees her everywhere he goes, a la Gaius Baltar in Battlestar Galactica. What changed his mind?

Jaha told Murphy, “A.L.I.E. has been able to complete the work she began with her creator one hundred years ago.” And yet, we were told that A.L.I.E.’s core command was to make life better by fixing the root problem of having too many people. Apparently Jaha has a very different idea of A.L.I.E.’s original program than most people. (Or she’s taken him over somehow.)


Could She Be the Reason Earth Was Inhabitable?

Both Jaha and A.L.I.E. now claim that she didn’t destroy the world, she saved it. Some fans theorize that maybe, just maybe, A.L.I.E. isn’t as evil as everyone makes her out to be. She and Jaha did convert a nuclear warhead into a power source. Perhaps someone else released the nukes and she stopped them from being as awful as they could be. Maybe she is the reason why Earth didn’t get as bad as people thought it would. Remember in Season 1, the Arkers were pretty sure that Earth was still uninhabitable before they sent the teens down. But they were wrong. In fact, Grounders were able to survive the whole time. Maybe A.L.I.E. had something to do with that.


The Biggest Theory About A.L.I.E. Could Matrix Everything

Jaha gave Murphy a blue stone, which Murphy refused to use. Meanwhile, Jaha is all “hippie level” of happy and claims that he can meditate and enter the City of Lights. Jaha has kind of been acting like someone who’s on a few too many hallucinogenic drugs. He’s way too happy and content for someone in a post-apocalyptic world. That’s led to some very interesting theories that could lead you down a rabbit hole to a Matrix world.

Hypable has the best theory so far, right here. The idea is that A.L.I.E. has created or is running a virtual reality world. This is where people can experience true happiness, even in the post apocalypse. When Jaha goes into his trance, he accesses that world. Murphy could access it to with that blue stone/chip. Perhaps once you access it once with a chip, you then can access it anytime you go into a trance. Or maybe Jaha has his own chip that he carries with him all the time. This could mean that the City of Light is a virtual reality. When Jaha said that A.L.I.E. saved people, maybe she stored their consciousness, even if they died, and uploaded it into the virtual reality.


Just How Much Is She Running Behind the Scenes?

The 100 -- "Wanheda: Part One" -- Image HU301a_0271 -- Pictured (L-R): Richard Harmon as Murphy and Isaiah Washington as Jaha -- Credit: Cate Cameron/The CW -- © 2015 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Thanks to ALIE, Jaha left Murphy in a bunker for months on The 100. How much does ALIE control? (Cate Cameron/The CW)

You’ve got to wonder, if some of these theories are true, just how much does A.L.I.E. control behind the scenes? Remember when Jaha was absolutely positive that he was going to see the City of Lights? He felt that the long travel was part of his destiny? Was A.L.I.E. somehow communicating with him, even if subconsciously, even then? Let’s not forget about when Jaha saw his dead son on the ship and it convinced him that he could find a way to land on Earth safely. That hallucination was not unlike his current hallucination of A.L.I.E. Which leads to two possibilities:

1. A.L.I.E. found a way to appear to Jaha back when he was on the ship, in the form of his son. She got this whole thing rolling. If that’s the case, then how far does the rabbit hole lead? Is she controlling other people? Is she behind the Grounders’ idea that a new “leader” is spiritually chosen somehow?

2. A.L.I.E. isn’t really around anymore. Jaha’s hallucinating again — this is all in his head. He hallucinated his son, and now he’s hallucinating A.L.I.E. Something else entirely is at play.

It’s likely that A.L.I.E. truly is a down-to-the-core evil character. But these other theories give pause. Which do you believe?