There are multiple times we see the symbolism of the Cube in Exo's mvs. Things you (maybe) didn't notice:-
-We find it first appears as a box given to Kyungsoo in Overdose intro (Overdose theory!) as they are trapped in a maze. He sees a vision and empties the sand in it.
-A surprising link I found was in Obsession's concept photos. (Obsession Theory!) I noticed that Baek and Suho stand in and out of a cube literally made of glass & light:
-Tempo is wholly based on this cube and SM further makes things complicated for EXO-Ls 👻. Notice the white text at the bottom of this teaser image:
They solve the puzzles in different rooms which are in the bigger "cube": Jongdae+Chanyeol📝, Ksoo+Xiu♟️, Kai🎹 / Sehun🥂 / Jongdae in the bar, Baek+Suho💡 in the room with a bed (another cube imagery!)
The image below clears all doubts that the 🟥 is nothing but the maze we see in Overdose and Lucky one. (Lucky One theory!)
Another smaller red cube is seen at the very centre of the maze. I'll talk more about this in a different post dedicated to Tempo.
-Notice how the logo of EXODUS (theory) - 2nd album is awfully similar to the Necker cube which appears in Don't Mess Up My Tempo Album:
The lyrics of Exodus can be interpreted in two ways 1) they are in a maze in that era 2) this was the past and they escaped it:
I'm still trying to understand the concept of the best kpop group♡. Thank you for reading and have a nice day ;)
Hear me out🎵 before we begin let me tell u I've read some theories for this particular post and I'll give credit where it's due. Let's decipher clues!
• In the EXODUS Coming soon trailer (2015), we see objects rearranging as the group "rebrands" for a new era. It shows us that 10 members have escaped the maze but 2 are still stuck in it (Twitter user @baehuntella) and would not continue with their quest to purify the RF. The Pathcodes show each member's situation and potential role in the lore after their "mass departure" (exodus) from the maze.
SM chose this section of the storyline for obvious reasons in 2015 and since then they have modified the og plot and character roles for the current members.
• One thing many have failed to notice is the logo animation for this album:
Looking closely we find that it is very similar to this scene in Tempo!:
This means— a) they have solved the puzzle in the red cube (Exo & the Cube theory!) or b) they are yet to do it and are in the drugged state, being manipulated by the RF which leads to Pathcodes. I'm not sure as of now that Pathcodes are real or a simulation (due to symbolism) since we are yet to know how they were separated on Earth if it is real.
If a) is true then Exodus comes after Tempo in the story.
• For the pathcodes, our fandom has come up with brilliant explanations <3
Since the exo k & m concept was still continued then (b sides of the album), it was surprising that they had all mems for Call me Baby mv. One thing we got to know is that the subunit concept was sort of temporary as we see that Growl and Wolf were Exo mvs and not of different subunits and all mems could meet
That might mean the RF was purified or they were captured before their alter egos were created (Obsession Theory!) in 2014.
The bright Exo logo at the end might be a symbolic representation of exoplanet. The spacecraft crash lands on one of the other extra terrestrial planets on which Power takes place. Notice how the exos don't have their powers in dftf which they acquire in the form of orbs in Power mv. Hence, Power happens after Dftf.
Now I'll talk about two main theories which lead to different conclusions for this section of the storyline:–
#1 The Emergency landing promo pics show them on different planets each representing the 6 members' (no Yixing🥲) powers. The album logo shows a radar locating the 9 members. It is also present in the vcr above. As part of their promotions, they released a game called EXO Ship Saga in which each mem has a different planet. The theme seems pretty straightforward: they travelled to different planets, maybe used escape-pods because they were going to crash land in the vcr above.
This theory might be able to explain the story of parallel universes as well as the ending of Power with Baek falling in an ocean.
#2 After reaching the planet shown in Power, they were scattered to different cities on Earth (Pathcodes) as comets seen in the beginning of Dftf. As of now, many of us are confused which of these happen in the chronology (they land in cities or on planets). They must have tried to evacuate it since the Red Force has come to know they are all together and have acquired their orbs. Let's go with the second theory: I believe Pathcode comes after Power.
Why? Proof: in Tao's pathcode, he was reading a newspaper and it said that 10 comets were visible near earth (ot10 era) hence they landed in different locations in Pathcodes.
The comet Kyungsoo saw in Dftf mv could be the one appearing in Let me In and explains their isolation in Sing For You.
At the end of Dftf mv, they approach a portal and there is falling snow in space?! This could be another hint that Sing For You comes later in the story and not before Dftf.
• In Ep 02. One giant leap teaser video, Kyungsoo is the only one who looks back with a robotic sound. Also, he is the only member emersed in green light in the concept pics of Dftf. Smth definitely seems off but we'll leave it at that for now.
From 2:56, they dance in the spaceship with some blinking red lights behind. These could be cctvs as I pointed out in Rover (mini theory) and Obsession. In this era too they are under surveillance.
• SM included easter eggs from previous releases (code numbers) which means a lot as the group has matured artistically alongwith more involvement in production and shares a great bond with their fans (releasing this album for EXO-Ls with Yixing🐑 during the drought❣️).
There were other things I wanted to discuss but due to the confusing timeline I tried my best understanding plot holes. This mv is undoubtedly connected to many others and with the possibility of parallel universes, it has become complex.
Of course I asked more questions than solving them hehe but I love Exo. Do share your thoughts & THANKS FOR READING! Also, missing SeKai😭❣️
𝚃he plot of is quite straightforward with the boys already being captured and put in a complex maze. The intro to the mvs shows us that they are trying to figure out how to escape the maze. An interesting thing that you might have noted is that they are not shown to use their powers explicitly or the escape might have been very simple, especially Jongin having the ability to teleport himself and "other energy" — The War repackage, Power merch as seen on Kai character cards:
Another instance is that Chen is unable to turn on a lamp in the maze.
(more under the cut)
• The intro gives us important clues, let's go through the scenes:
Everyone seems unhappy. Minseok and Junmyeon look for clues on the walls of the maze to find a way out. Kyungsoo gets a box(?) and opens it to find sand which correlates with his power of Force (also known as Earth-bending) which he empties upon seeing glimpses of their future (hands behind screen). This scene is connected to the very next in which Yixing is lying down with (lol idk how to say this) sand going up.
From Mama intro: "two worlds that look alike" but they cannot meet until the Red Force (believed to be a corrupt organization) is purified so they are in the same place (LaySoo, XiuHo, SeTao) but do not see each other.
•Baekhyun has his back towards the map to the maze:
Why is he not trying to get out even though the answers are behind him? Many believe this is because he wants to protect himself as he is the Heart of the tree of life. Baek does not want them to leave the maze.
a little Edit: in the behind the scenes video, even Tao passed this place where Baek is sitting but the shot did not make it to the final cut so maybe this little deduction was crap idk hehe
• Does Obsession happen after Overdose? In Lucky One theory mv we see how they are captured and subdued by the ladies. Twitter user @erisxekso posted this:
• They dance in 2 settings one of which looks like the inside of a cube. Notice how the subunits M & K dance in different cubes as discussed earlier. There is plenty of evidence for correlating Tempo and Overdose. Visit Exo & the cube Theory↗ where I have pointed out various links and how significant the cube is in Exo's lore. The red lights suggest it an illusion or plane created by the RF.
• SM leaked overdose mv (little different outros from the official ones on yt) which provides us an important detail. Here are both m ver and k ver in primitive form lol. We see that Luhan and Kai seem to be near the exit of the maze but a mechanism closes the exit so they are unable to escape through the dead end. Yes, we are yet to know what happens next.
_Clue: time-bound puzzle which is another instance of how Tao is unable to stop, reverse or speed up time.
Amino user vip.imnida posted a brilliant theory based on their physical ver of Overdose Album. Basically, they traced a faint line on it which is a path connecting the centres of each hexagon present in the big maze. I agree that the codes on the centre of each hexagon correspond to a member or their location.
• I'm sure you've noticed at 1:52 of the K ver mv, Jongdae passes a bolt of lightening to Yixing who tosses it upwards. It has been explained that he is the healer in the grp so he does not get hurt but tosses it out of the way. In the M ver, Baek passes his power to Junmyeon(?) who gives it back to him. waaa this is confusing I think this relates to Chanyeol's scenes in What is Love mv / Debut Teaser 20. He is reading a book of prophecy:
At the margins, this page shows Suho's symbol pointing towards Baekhyun's and an arrow pointing from it to Yixing's. They're also drawn inside the triangle with Kai's symbol in centre. Yes! They are connected and we will discuss this imp motif soon :)
• Some believe that another clue could be the iconic head drum choreography 😭 (1:35 and 2:58 timestamps) they are literally dancing to the beat of the RF. We have seen in Lucky One how they were subdued by the nurses.
An important deduction is that Lucky One is the prequel to Overdose since the title is a glaring hint: they were drugged and "it's too much." Also, are they calling the doctor who has ties with the red visored nurses?
• Jongin explained in the behind video:
• I found this analysis:
The lyrics describe a love so potent that it becomes impossible to escape, likening it to a dangerous drug. The repeated calls for a doctor underscore the severity of this 'overdose,' suggesting that the protagonist is aware of the peril but is unable to resist the allure of this all-consuming passion.
Agreed. Yixing's Honey might be connected to Overdose lore-wise because of the honeycomb patterns in both mvs. There are some minor references which Exo have made in their music since the beginning. He IS captivated. atp I'm too dumb to dive deep into it when SM be ijbol_ing all these years at fan theories.
It is important to understand that SM has neither confirmed nor denied any theories so it is all open for speculation^^ (hoping they release a book or movie on this 😭 seriously). I haven't been able to decode certain clues with SM using elements for aesthetic.
[INFO] EXO-CBX to hold press conference about SM unfair treatment on June 10, 2024.
"The agency of EXO Baekhyun, Xiumin, and Chen (hereinafter referred to as EXO-CBX) INB100 announced that it will hold an emergency press conference on the afternoon of June 10.
INB100 said, 'In June last year, EXO-CBX smoothly completed legal actions such as termination of exclusive contracts and filing complaints from the FTC through a joint statement with SM Entertainment.'
'At that time, both sides resolved the situation through negotiations because they thought it was more important for EXO to work normally, and according to the agreement at the time, the artist's individual name and activities as EXO-CBX were established by INB100,' he explained.
'However, SM Entertainment is asking INB100, the agency of EXO-CBX, to release "10% of the artist's individual activity sales" while ignoring the negotiations that have been the premise of the agreement,' INB100 said. 'INB100 has sent proof of injustice, but SM Entertainment has not answered for more than two months.'
In response, INB100 announced a press conference on the afternoon of the 10th, saying, 'I'm going to file a complaint against SM Entertainment's unfair treatment.'"
Source
Baek follows x exo's Twitter handle now!! Leadernim announced in Dec last year that they will release music and perform together in the last quarter. We still need to know the end of those alter egos. Exo dark concept supremacy>>>
You can check out my theories (I'll post more soon): Obsession, Symbolism of the Cube, Kai Rover, Lucky One
• Let's analyze the EXODEUX Trailer (I'll point out clues and try to decipher them!)
We see the phases of the moon. In some way this represents how half side is bright and the other dark (that could mean that EXO has to endure the fight since both parts are their own):
Crudely we understand that they have to remain in a state of balance to be the legends but RF has somehow disturbed this balance.
The trailer was released on 8 Nov '19. What if X-EXO came alive on the blood moon (total lunar eclipse)? The phenomenon had been observed sometime in Nov 1909, 1928, 2022. A solar eclipse is shown and then we see destruction. I'm confident that EXO regain powers from this as seen in Power, What is Love. And since X-EXO are their halves or smth they get powers too.
Exo Planet #4 - The EℓyXiOn vcr shows us how the exos were being chased by some unknown beings who had the same powers as them. Kai opened the portal doors and rescued them just in time. Now we know these beings were X-EXO.
Okay so first they show us what is the result of X-EXO's actions. We find that from 0:11 some member's dna turns black (at first I thought it faded and crumbled) and then Kāi is shown — it could be a hint that it's him who is corrupted as he also fades.
Then appears THE TREE OF LIFE?!! And a fire which renders it dry 😦(the mv seems to be set on exoplanet). We can see how the eye of the RF coveted the heart of the tree as was prophesied in MAMA intro.
Since we see Chanyeol's power directly harming it, I'm convinced what I discussed about him here might be true... Next we see a sandstorm and then booming thunder (Respective x-exo members shown in reverse order then)
I'm sure u must have noticed all this but from 0:32, something very interesting happens: a red drop is shown to separate from a source of water and it shines as it ascends. Suhø's (abs gjjdjd) shot is briefly interrupted by Baëkhyun - hmm.
Even in the photobooks, they have pics next to each other. This could mean that they're together in on smth. (Notice Suhø's hand on his throat, I'll discuss about this later in this post)
In the EXplOration Dot vcr, we find Baëkhyun looking at a screen. I'm pretty sure he is monitoring the other members. This leads to another theory of a binary between him and Suhø.
Back to EXODEUX, exo's powers prove to be very destructive since they've fallen into wrong hands. At 0:56 we see them facing a red celestial ball very much like our sun but creepy. Is this the eye of the RF? Another possibility is that it could be one of the two suns created as shown in Power intro because the legends separated into M & K. Once again we see Suhø and Baëkhyun facing each other:
We get a closer look at their eyes and all seem to have blue eyes:
Hold it! Chën has one blue eye and one dark brown!!! (he has red and white lashes too)
The conclusion I make from these clues is that jongdae has learnt how to regain that balance we talked about. So my earlier assumption as discussed in part i might not be correct and it is Chen who has won the fight. At first Chën looks confident but slowly as the game progresses, it is Chen who becomes more confident - he put his feet on the table.
• Let's analyze the mv now. The first fight shown is of Baek and his evil counterpart in a match of fencing. We see that the audience is dark hooded figures with red eyes:
One thing I noticed is that when Baekhyun is shown alone, there are white lights turned on and the stands for the audience are empty. But when Baëkhyun is alone, the lights are off and some red lights glow overhead (cctv cams?).
Baëkhyun looked like he hurt himself in the fight (some people theorize he wears a face-chain to cover his wound):
I would safely assume that nobody won or lost the match. This is because both are seen facing each other even in the final shot of this set.
• Moving on to Sehun; he tries to aim arrows at his evil double Sehůn. We see how many times he has tried but missed his target. There is a similar blue target behind Sehun too:
In EXODEUX we look closely at the aesthetic of X-EXO's eyes and all of them have dark makeup or scars - all but Sehůn! His eyes are clean and pure from the influence of the RF.
In the teaser poster below, Sehůn (case 94) is the only one on whom the target is not locked!
He is never seen with his double and is trying to fake it and trick the RF!! While the other X-EXO mems look sinister/appear expressive, Sehůn seems unbothered.
He is the only member who has concept pics with a blue background. Furthermore, his nails are almost clean and not like the other X-EXO ppl.
Sehun is also the only Exo member to appear in the EXODEUX Trailer at the end. All of this is too much of a coincidence and I believe he already fought his counterpart, won and has come to save EXO as we see in his mv remake (2014):
• Now let's talk about Suho's scenes. Suho is looking around in an art gallery full of pictures based on water and waves. He is suspended mid-air in the place but a new shot shows it is much more deeper than that both literally and figuratively: he is trapped underwater and his evil counterpart is the one trying to drown him.
Suhø is standing in water with 7 unknown hands reaching out to him - this could be a biblical reference to the seven deadly sins. Since the album was released in 2019, this is a nod to my fav group's 7th anniversary. Come to think of it he has red hair styled as devil's horns (junmyeon looks so perfect oml)
A lot of us noticed that in the beginning, he is shown trying to control the members as if they are puppets (yeah well I've watched this mv in slow-mo many times)
At 1:55 we notice a choking Suhø (junmyeon confirmed this) - the imagery is very creepy. This is because if Suho drowns, his double would choke too.
Sehun shoots arrows at his evil counterpart and gets hurt himself.
The recurrent theme is that whichever side - the good or the evil one tries to harm the other, both suffer the same fate. Why? because they are halves of each other as we discussed in the beginning of this post.
Getting back to the mv, the planets start to align as this happens.
This is just like the narration in MAMA intro: ...The day the grounds beget a singe file before one sky...
The teaser posters have this "Warning" on them:
A messy world order
Anomalies due to twisted orbits
Moving on, we find out how the X-EXO are nothing but agents and creation of the RF. Notice how the screen inside Suhø's head is very similar to the ones in and outside Chen's room.
•I'd like to talk about the red glowing marks on some of X-EXO ppl. Only Sehun's and Chanyeol's evil doubles do not glow. This could be another clue that Sehůn is good. The other X-EXO mems are corrupted. Instead Yeøl appears in inverted and oversaturated colors looking demonic.
• Another thing I noticed at around 3:06 of mv Jongdae and Suho sing this for the first time:
"The turned-on exit light" instead of "The turned-off exit light" as in chorus.
The ending shows a burning planet (initially I thought it was Earth but then I noticed it looked a bit different). SM confirmed it is "half of" exo Planet. Additionally it has a deep red glow ofc hinting this is because of the RF. There is still hope for exo to recover and defeat their enemies.
Thanks for reading!🍒 I'll probably make some compilation post for these theories.
• Let's first dive into the main theme before exploring other details. Obsession makes us wonder whether X-EXO are evil clones. On the contrary Baek mentioned something similar in their behind the scenes video (pls click on individual screencaps to read):
The boys are involved in this good v. evil fight as we know. Now that we have the theme of alter egos confirmed I wanted to mention there is a song on the album called Jekyll (지킬) the idea is borrowed from R. L. Stevenson's book and makes it easy to connect the dots. The lyrics of the song make it clear about the main plot of this era so we move on...
• Chen plays a game of chess with his evil counterpart. At the end there are certain pieces that remain - knight, knight, 4 pawns idk how this is valid since if a king is in checkmate the game ends conventionally.
I believe Chen and his counterpart are the knights. Now knights + pawns = 6 members in comeback. This might mean that Chen is in control and knows things which the other 5 don't since they are just "pawns" for the time being. He is also the only good guy remaining or smth out of these 6 and others might have been corrupted or defeated??!
I believe Chën won.
There are multiple footages of their chess board too: it might mean each of their actions is being watched by the RF. But I'm still not sure why they have the screens in their room (since Chen has the power of Thunder which could roughly go with electricity?). Is Chen keeping an eye on Chën?
• Moving on.. Chanyeøl is the one in center when the song begins. He is also the only member with eye-catching continuous patterns on his outfit. Something about Chanyeol seems a little off. I have started thinking of reasons for his behavior and vulnerability which I'll surely discuss another time :)
Clearly they emphasize how Chanyeøl is the leader of X-EXO or smth, like the most destructive force. In the mv all of X-EXO (except Sehůn) glow red but we see that only Chanyeol (special emphasis on red eyes) looks like that. This makes me think he is consumed by his evil ego:
Chanyeol and his X-EXO counterpart engage in a physical battle using fire:
At one point Chanyeøl is engulfed by fire as they fight and later we see Chanyeol radiating flames. He is also seen on the red side of the ground, encircled by the fire - hence it is clear he loses the fight. More explained about the fate of doubles in part 2
THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!! 😀
• Kai is a biker and his scenes with Kāi reminds us of bullfighting. In the first gif below, we see how Kai tries to dodge his matador counterpart:
There are negative versions of Kai and his evil counterpart (maybe they fight in two different worlds since we know Kai teleports like in MAMA). I'm unsure who wins the fight since both appear with subdued expressions in inverted colors.
I'll also mention that in the performance video of EXO AND X-EXO, Kāi and Kai interact:
• In this picture we see there are 12 rooms → for the original 12 "legends". Only 6 members took part in this comeback so the other rooms are empty (Luhan Tao and 🥴 belong to the rooms below but were trapped in the maze). Notice how Kai is in the center of the OT9 rooms — he is the key to something. From Japanese, Kai translates to Recovery in English: it could mean protection and restoration of the tree of life to its prosperous state since "tree of life and the heart slowly grew dry" in MAMA intro. This is something very important to revert to as we unravel their clues to the story.
•We see exo playing video games/reading comics in some teaser photos of other releases, the vcr from their EXplOration Dot (Day 1, Seoul) and even Power mv and merch reflects this vibe - which makes sense that the battle at such a physical level is fictitious (and being endured mentally). These might be dreams the boys have after the RF drugged them or possibly influenced them in some way.
Another thing is that the drugs induced by the RF (Lucky One) might have smth to do with the creation of alter egos. The boys try to fight the evil versions of themselves but they were created so that RF takes control over the good Exo who foil their plans and to exploit their powers.
Part 1 | Have a Xiumiñ first❣️
• Let's analyze the EXODEUX Trailer (I'll point out clues and try to decipher them!)
We see the phases of t
_oh well that's all for now, I will create a part 2 to incorporate it all. Have a nice day!!⭐
The mv is heavily lore-based as we know. Okay I'll try my best to point out clues I found were significant.
𝐓hey are being taken by the nurses in red visors (unmistakeably agents of RF) on stretchers to a unit. The boys are bound and show resistance. Some of them have very prominent dark blue eyes presumably after being drugged:
(their visuals shine even in poor quality of the video — tf sm doing bare minimum for our boys)
Suho said that the members lose their powers in Lucky One. The make-up and overall look exos have in the mv signifies how they're being experimented on with the color drained from their cheeks. also EXO being glass skin ambassadors in this vid
They have been kidnapped and have lost their powers. (I read this somewhere that Exo came on TV in the June ep of Music Video Bank and explained the main story of Lucky One; Baekhyun emphasized on while the other members use their powers, Kai dances when he is cornered 😭😭).
•We see Lay's dream - since his eye is in focus — how the members use their powers but I think Kai is unable to first see where he wants to teleport since that's how this stuff works.
•Kyungsoo sees Lay being carried out of the room and he uses his power - Force to shatter the glass panes. This might be an action which made them realise the danger they were in and make their escape. He is unmoved and appears with a blank expression most of the time (so do the others).
In the end he seemingly makes it out but we see how he has reached the centre of the maze very similar to Overdose mv. The agents are tracking the boys and only Kyunsoo's location doesn't glow??! We have 12 lines that might mean he tricked the RF.
It is important to mention that I think Overdose is probably the sequel to Lucky One. I also find it interesting how kyungsoo is the only one who is alone obviously they're 9 but why is it always HIM? I have thought about making a separate post on how Kyungsoo interacts in the mvs and his role in the story.
•Another clue we get at the end is that the hues change and appear similar to the aesthetic of 'Kokobop'. The same colors appear when Baekhyun is drugged.
This is one clue that Ko ko bop happens after Lucky One! The second clue I found is the drug the nurses inject in Baekhyun (and probably everyone else). In Kokobop also the members appear dazed and sleep in weird places, they are drugged and imagining stuff like giant burgers.
•Ohkay so our H2O buddies Suho and Xiumin are seen trapped in white chambers.
But we have to remember it's all in BnW. And they are the ones who combined their powers to make 🧊 and glasses (Xiumin) of water (Suho) for themselves, maybe to overcome the effects of the drugs
Oh! I just found out how they were the ones banging on the walls of the Overdose maze in the mv!! They are also known as counterparts in the lore. So this similarity and interaction is definitely not a coincidence. It's interesting how their role is significant in the overall concept they have and maybe I'll talk about them separately in a different post!
Now I want to mention some ~clues~ which I don't have much interpretations for, at least yet:
We see how Baekhyun encourages(?) Chanyeol to use his powers — as they enter a room — while he himself is not shown to use his in the mv.
Lastly I wanna mention, because I can't think anymore my brain is clouded with so much info & finding clues; is that Chanyeol's Red hair (he looks fire oml) is not just an aesthetic but matches the concept. In a way it explains his role in Power and Obsession (I'll try to explain some other things in another post!) Also, shoutout to @faakeid on Mind Dissociation theory!
Other theories: Obsession Theory | KAI Rover
Thank You so much for reading!❤️😭 I would really appreciate it if you share your POV🌺 *I'm new to Tumblr, joined this month🙂
okay this is a wild idea I got when watching clips and mv of Rover: Kai said he's a spy in the mv.
What if he's infiltrating the RED FORCE HQ??! I'll base it on the red lights in the mv and the barber shop being the secret entrance. The lyrics do have "catch me if you can..." and also we see him using his power of teleportation in the mv! We see some cams with red lights ↓ (cctvs like in monster mv?) so I think I'm on to something.
Kai also said he had bruises because he was slapped and was a wanderer using different IDs to enter the shop (can we link this to For Life? Well in that mv it was Junmyeon who seemed homeless or smth 😭 and not Jongin):
I believe this connects to his scenes in Lightsaber mv as his arm was bleeding. Edit: What about the lady with red hair (& red nails) in the mv?! I still don't know what role the ballerina and the rabbit watching Kai(?) play but these were just my thoughts!
OTHER THEORIES: Obsession | Lucky One | Exo & the Cube