Home Alone Fan Theories That Are Really Fun to Think About

This is a gem and if you’re a legitimate Home Alone fanatic, it has enough detail and description that it can provide you with some serious entertainment. It goes to great lengths to describe a possible subplot that theoretically shapes the entire film, in which Old Man Marley is Kevin from the future, and he’s there to alter his own tragic childhood. Buckle up for this journey of a concept from spookycookies:

"Ok get ready for this one guys, because the 1990 Christmas classic Home Alone has a well hidden subplot that shapes the entire plot of the film. Kevin's neighbor aka the 'Shovel Slayer' old man Marley is in actuality Kevin McAlester from the future and his purpose in 1990 is to alter his own tragic childhood.

Many of the events in Home Alone are part of a divergent timeline, and due to the decision to omit any scenes that directly tie any kind of sci fi elements, we as the viewers miss out on witnessing the events taking place in timeline A's 1990 Christmas. While the film DOES begin in timeline A, Marley's actions drastically alter the outcome of Kevin's holiday and spin off into a new timeline that we will call timeline B.

First I will explain what originally happened in the Christmas of 1990 and the events that lead Kevin of timeline A to time travel and as an old man, reshape the week where he was left home alone...

In timeline A everything that happened the night before the flight to Paris still occurs, except without Buzz and Kevin noticing "Old man Marley" because he simply did not exist. Kevin still fights with his family and is still accidentally left home alone while his family flies to France. Now here is where the non-existence of 'Marley' seriously changes the course of events:

After the wet bandits attempt to break into the basement and Kevin scares them away by turning on the lights, he crawls under the bed and is overcome with fear. This is normal since what 8 year old wouldn't be scared to death over possible home invasion. But Kevin then makes the most important decision of his life: not to be afraid. He then proceeds to march outside and shout at the top of his lungs, "I'm not afraid anymore." (in the film this scene ends with Marley showing up, but more on that later.) Since nobody was out on the street to scare Kevin. He woke up the next day unafraid of the world around him. That morning when Kevin's mother contacts the police to check on Kevin, he isn't afraid to answer the door. When the responding officer see's that Kevin has been abandoned he takes the child from the house leaving the home empty and available for the Wet Bandits to ransack.

When the McAlester's [sic] return from Paris and reclaim Kevin they find that their entire neighborhood had been robbed. With their household in financial ruin (and flooded) the family enters a very rough era that ends in Kevin's parents divorcing and his brothers and sisters living in different households. Because Kevin had knowledge of the prowlers he saw the night he declared he wasn't afraid but never said anything to the police about it, (given the way Kevin speaks to adults and his young age any info he could have given the police about his initial encounter with the Wet Bandits wouldn't have been much help to the police's already strained investigation,) Kevin blames himself for tearing apart his family but is able to grow up and start his own family without issue despite being emotionally distant during the holidays.

As Kevin's son reaches adulthood the old wounds from the Christmas of 1990 start to open up and Kevin's new family begins to unravel as did his parents. With his wife leaving him and his son resenting him for it, Kevin feels emotionally cornered and blames all of his life's woes on that Christmas in 1990. At this point, we are at least 30-40 years into the 2000's (and we all know how futuristic the 2000's were going to be in the opinion of early 90's cinema...) Kevin decides that the only way to fix his life is to change the events of the past. Old Kevin, resigned to never return to his ruined future abducts his wife and son and forces them to travel back to the 1980's.

Once there, his family obviously grows more distant and a fight erupts between Kevin and his son that ends in them not speaking. His son goes on to have a daughter of his own who Kevin cannot even visit. Old Kevin buys a house near where his parents would move to and waits until the Christmas of 1990.

The events in the film that are of timeline A still occur, only this time, "Old man Marley" is present and Buzz points him out early in the film. He shovels the streets at night as a means to keep an eye on his childhood home and look for evidence of the Wet Bandits.

On the night that the Bandits do show up, young Kevin still scares them away by turning off the light, but when he decides to man up and go outside, Old Kevin scares him back upstairs. The next morning Kevin is too afraid to go to the door when the police arrive and thus we enter timeline B. In this new chain of events, Old Kevin follows Kevin to the drug store when he goes to buy his new toothbrush. Thinking quickly he cuts his hand and uses it as an excuse to not only buy band-aids but to scare Kevin out of the store and back home. Old Kevin needs someone to be in the house to prevent the robbery.

Young Kevin and Old Kevin meet at church on Christmas Eve and Old Kevin shares a bit about his life to his younger self, who becomes more confident that he can defend his home. At this point in the film, Old Kevin reaches an epiphany with the help of his younger self and realizes how important his family is despite any fear he many have for hurting them.

Young Kevin goes and protects the house from the Wet Bandits and leads them across the street to the Murphy's house. When the Harry and Marv corner the boy, Old Kevin steps in to not only protect his younger self but to get a shot in at the two men who ruined his life.

This is an interesting one, from Reddit user drewgarr, who makes note of the fact that in Home Alone, there’s a scene in which Kevin’s mom, Kate, says “[I will get home even] If I have to sell my soul to the devil himself,” and that’s when Gus (John Candy) notices and approaches her in the airport.

The theory points out crossroads located at the Scranton airport, and the myth regarding crossroads in terms of demons. In short, you can give an offer to the devil near a crossroads and the devil will show up and deliver it in exchange for your offering – in this case, Kate’s soul.

This is obviously the opposite of the theory that pegs him as the devil, but Flandangle on Reddit sees it this way:

"John Candy's character of Gus Polinski, Polka King of the Midwest, is an odd quirk to the film overall. He satisfies the role of a weird Deus Ex Machina that finds a way to transport Kevin's mother back to Chicago for Christmas when she can't get any flight there at all.What's interesting is what happens immediately before Gus Polinski enters the scene. Kevin's mother is getting increasingly frustrated at the airline employee when she cannot get a flight and says the following:

'If I have to get on your runway and hitchhike......if it costs me everything I own......if I have to sell my soul to the Devil himself......I am going to get home to my son.'