A Kurt Russell fan just connected 'The Christmas Chronicles' to 'The Thing' in the best way possible
Over the years, Kurt Russell has amazed his fans with a wide range of iconic roles, but one that stands out is his portrayal of Santa Claus in Netflix's holiday hit 'The Christmas Chronicles'. However, there's been a growing and rather amusing fan theory that ties his role as jolly ol' Saint Nick to one of his earlier, much darker characters, R.J. MacReady from John Carpenter's 'The Thing'. This theory, which first popped up in 2020, has resurfaced in 2024, and fans are still loving the connection.
It all started with a post from a social media user on X (formerly Twitter), where the fan speculated that MacReady, Kurt Russell’s character in 'The Thing', survived the horrifying events of the 1982 sci-fi horror movie. According to the theory, after the chilling climax of 'The Thing', where MacReady and his colleague Childs (played by Keith David) are left unsure of their fates, MacReady is actually saved by none other than Santa Claus. The theory goes on to suggest that Santa, impressed with MacReady’s survival skills, rescues him and brings him to the North Pole. Once there, MacReady kills Santa (because, why not?) and assumes his role, eventually becoming the Santa we see in 'The Christmas Chronicles' films.
The fan who shared this theory tweeted in 2020, "Did you know R.J. MacReady survived the end of 'The Thing' because he was picked up by Santa and brought to the North Pole. MacReady then killed Santa for being a b***h, assumed Santa’s role, and his adventures are chronicled in 'The Christmas Chronicles' films."
Did you know R.J. MacReady survived the end of "The Thing" because he was picked up by Santa and brought to the North Pole. MacReady then killed Santa for being a bitch, assumed Santa's role, and his adventures are chronicled in "The Christmas Chronicles" films. 🤔
— Slim Khezri (@slimkhezri) December 1, 2020
For those unfamiliar, 'The Thing' leaves audience with a cliffhanger ending, as MacReady and Childs, after a grueling battle with a shape-shifting alien, are left together in the frozen wasteland, uncertain of whether they’ve been infected by the alien or not. It’s a chilling, open-ended finale that has kept fans guessing for decades.
But the connection between 'The Thing' and 'The Christmas Chronicles' doesn’t just stop at the theory. There's also the fact that Kurt Russell carries over a similar look in both roles. In 'The Thing', MacReady sports a rugged, bearded appearance, which he later maintains when he dons the role of Santa Claus in 'The Christmas Chronicles'.
Back in the day, John Carpenter's 'The Thing' may have received some negative reviews by the side of fans as well as critics, however, it helped Kurt to bag some spectacular roles including Elvis Presley in 'Elvis' and Dexter Riley in 'The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.'
Around the same time, Kurt starred in many John Carpenter movies such as 'Escape from New York' and its sequel 'Escape from L.A.' Then, Kurt even showed his acting skills in the 1986 kung-fu comedy action film 'Big Trouble in Little China.'
Speaking of 'The Christmas Chronicles 2' which saw the light of day in 2020, it stars Kurt's longtime partner Goldie Hawn. Along with the duo, it also features Darby Camp, Judah Lewis, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, in significant roles.
One can simply stream the Christmas movie 'The Christmas Chronicles 2' on the streaming giant Netflix right now. On the other hand, Kurt's movie 'The Thing' is not available to stream on any platform.
Throughout his incredible acting career which spans over six decades, Kurt has created magic on the small screen and the big screen. When we talk about his future projects, he will soon be starring in movies like 'The Smurfs' and 'The Rivals of Amziah King.'