'Snowpiercer' Season 4 Episode 2's mysterious black smoke raises chilling theories
Contains spoilers and speculations for 'Snowpiercer' Season 4
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: With two episodes in, AMC's 'Snowpiercer' Season 4 has set the stage for its conclusion while maintaining enough suspense to keep fans hooked until the end.
The finale season introduces new rivals for Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly) and Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) after permanently bidding goodbye to LJ (Annalise Basso) and temporarily sidelining Joseph Wilford (Sean Bean).
Melanie's Snowpiercer has been hijacked by Admiral Anton Milius (Clark Gregg), a formidable adversary with dubious motives.
As the leader of the International Peacekeeping Force, Milius is the only one to show his face, while his men remain in white metal suits, their identities concealed.
As strange black smoke seeps from one of these suits, we are left wondering about this new invention in the post-apocalyptic world. Could this be what keeps them alive? Fans are left wondering as the mystery deepens.
Fans come up with interesting theories related to black smoke in 'Snowpiercer' Season 4
One fan speculates that the black smoke might be connected to the mysterious drawers we've seen since Season 1.
Explaining the theory, the fan wrote on Reddit, "The black smoke is reminiscent of the "drawers" goop. I wonder if the technology was used in order to keep those on the verge of dying from hypo alive, and they became addicted to it? Or it could be like a vapour kronole?"
Another fan added that the technology might have to do something with the Headwoods, especially since the scientist seems to share a friendly bond with the peacekeepers.
The fan wrote "Black smoke is almost certainly a headwood type of invention to make super soldiers, likely with horrific effects like melted skin or unable to speak. Think Bane, from Batman."
Another fan said, "What are you theories on the black smoke that leaks out from the 'peacekeeper' goon outfits? Maybe some cold-resistance technology and probably inferior to whatever they did to Josie and possibly the child, would explain how they're quickly laying new track and the Headwoods continuing to experiment this whole time."
Another Reddit user joined him and agreed that the black smoke could be "some sort of cold resistance experiment."
Is Admiral Anton Milius the villain in 'Snowpiercer' Season 4?
Milius is initially introduced as a ruthless character who wouldn't mind killing anyone to get what he wants. He holds Ben (Iddo Goldberg) at gunpoint and forces Melanie to surrender the engine.
However, with the arrival of Dr Nima Rousseau, we're left questioning how the creators intend to portray Milius.
Nima reveals that the US Air Force saved a group of scientists before the freeze, and they have been hiding out in a bunker for seven years. These scientists have developed a compound that could negate CW7 and create warm spots on Earth.
Under the command of Milius, Melanie's train will be used to travel to the other part of the world and launch more rockets into the atmosphere to end the freeze.
Even though Nima's revelations suggest that Milius has good motives, his behavior and methods are highly objectionable.
He appears to be the type of character who believes he can save the world through force but will likely learn the hard way that the mission requires teamwork.
His methods make him come across as quite villainous, especially after he and his men kidnap Andre's daughter.
Two episodes of 'Snowpiercer' Season 4 are available to stream on AMC+.