Throughout the life cycle of the Call of Duty Zombies storyline, some great conspiracies and fan theories have risen like the undead, causing a stir of thought and a clash of evidence within the COD Zombies community to try and uncover what the truth might be, and if there is any validity to some bold story-changing claims.

Fans love Call of Duty Zombies, and as such, it’s great to see their passion pour out in online communities to discuss lore and potential theories and conspiracies surrounding certain aspects of the decade-long series. With nostalgia bound, it’s time to take a look at the best COD Zombies conspiracies and fan theories that just might be true.

6 Ultimis Richtofen Fights With Primis While Gersh Fights With Ultimis

Gersh Takes Ultimis Richtofen’s Place in Another Cycle

Those who remember the poster of Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Ascension map will remember the confusing reveal from creative director Jason Blundell who stated that the man who everyone thought was Richtofen, was in fact not Richtofen. Many theorized that this was Anton Gersh, who Dr. Monty states fought with the Ultimis crew for a bit while Richtofen was off doing something else.

Perhaps now players know what Richtofen was off doing during that time, as the loading screen for Revelations shows Primis arriving at The House in Agartha with Ultimis Richtofen instead of Primis Richtofen. This could showcase an alternate cycle in which Ultimis Richtofen filled the shoes of Primis Richtofen, and only returned in Ascension after his mission had been achieved. Yet, whatever that mission is, remains a mystery.

5 Shangri-La Takes Place on Mars

The Jungle Utopia May Be On An Entirely Different Planet

One of the biggest theories surrounding Call of Duty Zombies involves the Shangri-La map, and how it doesn’t take place in a random jungle, but instead, takes place on the planet Mars. Shangri-La is known to be an imaginary paradise in an exotic jungle, and there are a few things that support the theory that Shangri-La is located on Mars.

The first piece of evidence supporting this theory is the Eclipse that features when players go back in time in Shangri-La. What blocks the sun isn’t Earth’s Moon, but instead a giant rock, one that looks oddly similar to Phobos or Deimos, Mars’ moons. Also, more obviously, is the fact that a secret easter egg in Tag der Toten takes players to a dock, where the Shangri-La theme begins to play as they witness Mars in the distance, lining up perfectly with where Phobos would be in orbit.

4 Bus Route B

TranZit’s Long-Rumored Secret Bus Route

A theory that has plagued the community for years, Bus Route B originates from the Black Ops 2 map TranZit, in which many players theorized that there was a secret Bus Route that could be taken instead of Bus Route A. Bus Route B is alluded to in TranZit’s bus map, and many expected for years that there was alternative locations and a super easter egg involved with TranZit to unlock new areas.

However, this ambitious claim never materialized outside of fan speculation, and while Bus Route B may exist on the map, it’s certainly not a physical place that players can get to. However, potential remakes of TranZit with superior hardware might make Bus Route B a possibility.

3 The Victis Crew Are Alive in the Dark Aether

Time Moves Differently in the Dark Aether, So Victis May Fight On

As Nikolai closed the multiverse and banished it all to the Dark Aether to birth a new universe free of corruption and suffering, one innocent crew would remain behind, shrouded in darkness and undead. The Victis crew consists of Marlton, Stuhlinger, Russman, and Misty, and the four of them may still be fighting valiantly across the Dark Aether to keep themselves sane, alive, and free of the Dark Aether’s corruption.

In a radio found in the map Classified, players can uncover a voice recording of Stuhlinger calling out to Richtofen. This voice recording comes from 1963, and Victis would have been in Tag der Toten for around 13/14 years. Time moves differently in the Dark Aether, so perhaps Victis is indeed still alive, fighting to get out, or slowly becoming something darker.

2 Primis Nikolai Was Corrupted by Dark Aether

Primis Nikolai Betrays His Friends, Allowing the Dark Aether to Win

When the cycle breaks, post-Revelations Richtofen elects Primis Nikolai to be the new leader of the group, as he is the only one of them who still has his soul and could do the one thing Richtofen could not. Noklai’s grand plan involved killing all of Ultimis and Primis to banish the multiverse into the Dark Aether. While his intention was to have the universe begin anew, he might have been corrupted by the Dark Aether into fulfilling the Apothicon’s bidding.

The heroes of the Great War are all killed, and the powers of Dr. Monty waver in the birth of a new universe free of Keepers and Apothicons alike, so who’s to say that Nikolai wasn’t seduced by the Dark Aether and forced to kill the great heroes to provide the multiverse with its greatest bout of chaos yet: swallowed into the Dark Aether itself, a playground for chaos and corruption.

1 The Identity of the Blank Portrait

Kino der Toten’s Blank Portrait Could Mean Many Different Things

As one of the first mysteries to hit Call of Duty: Black Ops, the blank portrait in Kino der Toten has spun the heads of many theorists and fans over the years. As players might know, the Ultimis crew each have a portrait in Kino der Toten, except there is a fifth and blank one to which nobody knows the identity.

The map Classified may have an answer to this, as a secret easter egg reveals a blank portrait inside the Pentagon as Primis Nikolai. However, this may just be a “gift” from Samantha, and the real answer may never be revealed. Could it be Maxis, who didn’t have a character design until Black Ops 2? Or could it be Pablo, the original test subject of Richtofen before Dempsey? With fractured timelines and multiverse shenanigans making a mess of things, the truth may never be revealed.