At long last, we’re officially under two weeks away from Greta Gerwig’s fantasy extravaganza Barbie electrifying the realm of cinema and going toe-to-toe in the battle of box office supremacy against Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. But before stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling flex their stylishly pink wardrobes and relax in the Dreamhouse, a mind-melting online theory has intriguingly suggested that the film’s actual villain might not be at all who we think it is.
Over on Twitter, where a plethora of Barbie theories are currently bubbling, user @INDIEWASHERE interestingly entertained the idea that Gosling’s Ken could actually turn out to be the actual villain in Barbie. If that turns out to be the case, then Gerwig would have pulled off one of the greatest upsets of all time — showcasing that the movie’s concrete baddie was under our noses the whole time.
This theory feels considerably far-fetched in nature, of course, but seeing as the inspiration behind this theory relates to the clip of Gosling singing “I’m Just Ken” and reflecting on always playing “second” to Barbie, then that would certainly make for a good villain origin story. On the other hand, there’s simply no denying that Ken is Barbie’s life-long companion, so imagining Ken as a villain trying to sabotage Barbie seems unfathomable.
Either way, it’s hard to argue that Ken is a central figure in the movie and undoubtedly significant when it comes to the narrative of Barbie as an entire brand. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s the actual villain, of course, but it’s gonna be hard to dislike him if so.
Barbie lands in theaters on July 21.