Pretty Little Liars fans are always theorizing, even now that the show’s over. Here are some theories that would’ve made the show even better.
While Pretty Little Liars was always full of mysteries and questions, the biggest one revolved around the identity of A, or most recently, A.D. The rabid Pretty Little Liars fan base would look for clues in every frame, word, and moment of the show, even including the opening credits! Using these clues, fans developed their own theories.
Some of these fan theories were mere hypotheses, but many were incredibly detailed and had plenty of Pretty Little Liars evidence to back them up. Some would argue that many of these fan theories had more evidence behind them than the actual reveals on the show!
Related: Pretty Little Liars: Breaking down the series finale’s biggest reveal
Pretty Little Liars revealed their big bad for the final time in the series finale, and many hardcore fans were underwhelmed. While the reveal was exciting and answered many of our questions, there were a lot of mysteries from the earlier seasons that didn’t fit in.
The show may be over, but that doesn’t mean the theories have to stop, especially if you were disappointed with the actual ending. We’ve picked out five fan theories we think would’ve made for an amazing final reveal at the end of Pretty Little Liars. Check them out, and let us know your own theories in the comments.
Aria is A.D…in a book, written by Ezra
Since Pretty Little Liars began, many fans have believed that Aria was the one pulling the strings. The first two pieces of evidence fuelling that theory were the facts that up until season 7, Aria was always the one who delivered the signature “shh” in the opening credits, and that the story began when she returned from Iceland.
Fans theorized that Aria had never actually been in Iceland, but had instead spent the year following Alison’s disappearance in Radley. This thought was later backed up by the reveal that Aria’s uncle had struggled with his mental health, and her parents’ fear that Mike Montgomery would go down the same path.
On top of that, in the earlier seasons of Pretty Little Liars, it often seemed like Aria had it easier than the other Liars, when it came to A’s torment. She even said it herself, A actually saved her relationship with Ezra, multiple times.
There are plenty of convincing “Aria is A” theories out there for your perusal, but this video theory by Rosewoodspoiler PLL caught our attention. Instead of simply theorizing that Aria is the mastermind behind the game, they wonder if maybe the entirety of Pretty Little Liars is actually a book, authored by Ezra Fitz, in which Aria is A.
Pretty Little Liars began when Aria returned, yes, but Aria’s story began (and ended) with Ezra. The theory is based around a connection to F. Scott Fitzgerald, and highlights connections between Aria and Ezra and the author’s work and family. There’s even a whole section about the fire imagery in Pretty Little Liars that gave us chills, and evidence based on Ezra’s lair.
It definitely would’ve been frustrating if Pretty Little Liars had ended with an “it was all a dream” equivalent, but if they’d been able to pull this off, there’s no denying it would’ve been pretty epic. Some things that happened in Rosewood were outside the realm of reality, so if it had all been a fictional story (more so than it already is), it would’ve made perfect sense!
Caleb is A.D.
One of the biggest disappointments surrounding the series finale was the fact that the ultimate A.D. was a character we’d never met. Imagine how absolutely heartbreaking and shocking it would’ve been if one of the characters we trusted the most had been A.D.!
Although there are some very convincing theories to the contrary, it would’ve been almost impossible in Pretty Little Liars reality for one of the Liars to be A.D.. One of the love interests, however, would’ve been a perfect choice.
Of all the boys and girls to choose from, Caleb has the most convincing story to back up a tie to A. His family history is shrouded in mystery, he’s the only one with the skills to pull off some of A’s technical accomplishments, and he’s always been good at making his own money, which A obviously needs a lot of. Fans got extra suspicious when Caleb married Hanna at the courthouse so they “couldn’t testify against each other.”
This fan theory reported by Cosmopolitan speculates that Caleb is actually Charles and that the Charlotte reveal was coerced. In this theory, not only is Caleb Charles, but he’s also Bethany Young’s half brother, adopted by Mrs. D. The theory does a great job of tying in elements from season 1, all the way up to Lucas’ comic book in season 7!
In case that wasn’t enough for you, this tumblr post by prettylittlelrs highlights many more clues that Caleb is A.D., even including some things the cast has said in interviews.
Alison is A.D.
So much of Alison’s story is still unknown, so it’s actually pretty easy to fill in the blanks to make a great “Alison is A” theory. Even what we do know about Ali’s time away is confusing! First of all, there’s the whole Cyrus debacle, but also her visits with the Liars in the early seasons of Pretty Little Liars. She kept telling them that she knew who A was, but would never actually tell them!
Given the reverence that Mona and CeCe seemed to have for Alison, she could have easily convinced them to help her and take the fall when necessary. Mona even appeared to be telling Alison that she did everything she asked her to, following the Mona reveal. Alison was always a master manipulator, which is obviously a very important trait for A.D.
Not only is Alison’s past mysterious, but her present isn’t all that clear either. Somewhere along the line, Alison kind of lost her identity in Pretty Little Liars. Revealing Alison as A.D. would’ve not only helped to explain that, but it could’ve given more validation to Alison’s character in the later seasons.
There are many great Alison is A.D. theories circulating, but this ridiculously detailed (it’s over an hour long!) video theory by Rosewoodspoiler PLL utilizes the twin theory from the books, and is definitely worth checking out, as it’s pretty spot on.
Spencer’s twin is Bethany Young
Hardcore Pretty Little Liars fans picked up on the Twincer vibes up to a year before the big reveal, so many of the more recent theories have centered around the identity of Spencer’s twin. One of the best theories was that Spencer’s twin was Bethany Young!
Bethany was a huge part of the story in the early seasons of Pretty Little Liars, and there’s still so much we don’t know about her. Supposedly she was the one buried in what was thought to be Alison’s grave, but Rosewood has identified plenty of bodies incorrectly before.
Bethany had scary drawings of Jessica DiLaurentis, ties to stables, which we actually visited in the series finale, grew up in Radley and even knew Charlotte. If Bethany had been Spencer’s twin, it could’ve been the perfect way to tie the entire Pretty Little Liars story together.
This amazing Tumblr theory by the-outlast brings Bethany/A.D. in as Spencer’s twin to tie up basically every loose end in Pretty Little Liars, and we can’t help but wish it were true.
Spencer’s twin is Avery Drake
One of the biggest sources of confusion and frustration within the Pretty Little Liars fandom is Sara Harvey. Her death, her past life, and her involvement with Charlotte are still largely mysterious. She was basically the catch-all for things that couldn’t be explained with the Charlotte reveal, and we have no idea why.
This theory brings Sara Harvey back into the story for the final reveal by guessing that Spencer’s twin is named Avery Drake. Avery was the name of Sara’s old friend who couldn’t make it when the Liars met with the rest of her friends. We’ve never met her, so for all we know, she could absolutely look exactly like Spencer.
While not quite as full circle as the Bethany Young theory, this Tumblr theory by prettydirtysecretliar about Avery also would’ve added just a bit more relevance to the Twincer reveal. It even tries to explain what “Maya knew!”