Even if the figure in the trailer isn’t Vulpes Inculta, it’s definitely Culkin leading Legion troops.
Fallout’s season 2 trailer has dropped like an atom bomb and the resulting blast is endless fan speculation. British GQ has already spilled a few secrets vis a vis Justin Theroux’s new role as Mr House in New Vegas (it looks like Cooper Howard was House’s pre-war snoop). But what about the Legion and the NCR? They barely feature in the trailer, but we do have some breadcrumbs to follow. Strap in for some heavy speculation.
A Legion Figure Appears in the Trailer
The first hint of Caesar’s chief of spies, Vulpes Inculta is in Fortification Hill. In a scene which looks like Lucy captured by the Legion (their base is between LA and Vegas after all), we see a fox-headed frumentarii. But is it Vulpes Inculta? Chances are, it’s just a regular Legion vexillarius but that doesn’t rule out Mr Fox appearing. In fact, in the Fallout show 15 years have passed since Fallout: New Vegas, so he could be leading the Legion if Caesar lost the battle at Hoover Dam.
Who Vulpes Inculta Was in the Game
Vulpes Inculta is considered one of the most evil characters in Fallout: New Vegas. He’s one of the only five characters given “Very Evil” karma, which puts him in league with fiend lords and cannibals. As Caesar’s lord of spies, he commanded the Frumentarii, the Legion’s scouts and saboteurs and organized massacres like the Nipton Lottery.
He’s also a character untouched by the ending slides of Fallout: New Vegas. A man perfect for taking control of a Legion who lost at Hoover Dam.
Who Won At Hoover Dam?
In Fallout: New Vegas, Hoover Dam is the final fight between the NCR and the Legion. That said, there are two other possible endings: An Independent win by The Courier (the player), and a win by Mr House. Only a win for Mr House results in the RobCo founder surviving, and the interview with British GQ has spilled that House will be alive in the irradiated future:
Howard and House … have lived on “both sides of the coin,” as Theroux explains; they’ve both experienced the pre-nuclear America of the distant past, and its irradiated future-present.
So, at the very least, Mr House didn’t lose at Hoover Dam. Caesar on the other hand? Almost certainly died. The man had a brain tumour and is implied to have died in most endings.
Where Does Macaulay Culkin Come In?
Culkin has been confirmed to be in season 2 of Fallout as a “a crazy genius-type character“. That doesn’t tell us much, but Culkin looks suspiciously like this Legate the legion troops are cheering for. Check out the impressive sleuthing done by sharp-eyed redditor Benados:
So far, Culkin has been the only big name announced for season 2, and this aura-farming legate is definitely being hyped up as a big character by this shot. Put two and two together and we can guess that Culkin is leading the legion, and the two characters from Fallout: New Vegas that would likely lead the legion: Legate Lanius, and Vulpes Inculta.
Could Culkin Be Legate Lanius ?
Legate is a rank higher than vexillarius, and a rank that Vulpes hasn’t attained in Fallout: New Vegas. Legate Lanius is one of the few legates, and the only named one. Second only to Caesar, he is the obvious choice as successor, but Lanius wears a mask because his face was torn off.
Caesar: “He killed fifteen before they brought him down. He didn’t die, obviously. I had him tended to. He was maimed, most of face torn off.
Legate Culkin wears no such mask, and couldn’t be called a “crazy genius-type” either. Vulpes is both crazy evil and Caesar’s clever master of spies, and after 15 years? He’s likely a legate if not leader. So, if Culkin isn’t an original character, he’s likely Vulpes Inculta.
What About Vulpes’ Dark Hair?
Admittedly, this is where the theory hits the rocks. In-game Vulpes is clearly dark-haired, and in the trailer Culkin is not. Vulpes has had light hair at least once, but it’s shaky.
On the Jack of Clubs for Fallout: New Vegas’ Collector’s Edition playing cards, Mr Fox has blond hair. Fans love this look, and it’s supposedly based on early concept art, but the playing cards are a dubious source.
The cards also include flubs like Ambassador Crocker’s race switching, so save for some wishful thinking, it’s a nail in the coffin of the Culkin-as-Vulpes theory. Still, Culkin could be the new Caesar (maybe he’ll be called Augustus or Octavian for that reason). Either way chances are that Culkin has joined the Legion as a legate.