Overthinking Xena: Warrior Princess #3- Gabrielle created the multiverse
On account of it being Warrior Princess Day I wanted to post a crazy Xena theory I’ve been rolling with for a long time. So ok hear me out with this. What if XWP didn’t end exactly how we think it did and we were actually given 4 different endings to the show without knowing it.
At the end of When Fates Collide, Gabrielle torched the loom of fate, it burned down, the Earth exploded, and the timeline that Caesar screwed up went back to normal. BUT WHAT IF IT DIDN’T?? What if when Gabrielle burned down the loom of fate, she actually created THE MULTIVERSE. In a weird way this theory really ties up some loose ends and helps make sense of a few inconsistencies.
Because of the multiverse being created, then the ending of When Fates Collide, and every episode afterwards (Many Happy Returns, Soul Possession, and A Friend in Need I & II) were each taking place in different universes. They are all self contained but also seem to have some plot holes, inconsistency, and their own histories to tell. So, each one of these episodes could be considered different versions of the series finale. What helps tie this together is that the final scene for each one of these episodes is a shot of Xena and Gabrielle leaving together in one way or another like a snapshot pointing out to us exactly how they are all the same moment in different timelines.
This is the first universe we see after the loom is destroyed. Gabrielle is shown, back in her Battling Bard attire, wandering a misty forest. Xena rides up on Argo, and says: “You brought the world back to us.” And Gabrielle answers: “I’m glad. I like this one better.” She then lifts Gabrielle onto the saddle with her, and they ride off into the fog.
It’s clear that they still have their memories from when the loom was tampered with. This is also the only episode where we see that they knew about what happened during that time. Because of this, I’m going to figure that this is the main branch of the Xena timeline. Everything in this timeline is as we’ve seen it throughout the show and when they ride off, that is the last that we see of our Xena and Gabrielle. This ending is the prime universe’s ending to the series.
This episode is a pretty happy-go-lucky, light hearted time. Xena and Gabrielle are delivering the Helmet of Hermes to Thebes with some religious zealots, Aphrodite, and a new/old villain thrown in. The villain, Ferragus, says how he fought Xena in the past, but neither the audience or Xena remembers ever seeing him before. The tone of the episode even feels like an earlier episode from season 2 or 3. Gabrielle’s personality is even lighter here, like we would have seen her in the early seasons, but not after season 5.
What really stands out here is how present the gods are. Aphrodite is back in full swing, Xena has the Helmet of Hermes for some reason, and monotheistic zealots are running amok without any mention of who they are worshipping. This world may have been one where Xena never slayed the Olympian gods and Eli never became the Avatar of the One God. It’s possible that the duo even avoided Alti’s crucifixion prophecy or that they never might have met Dahak in Britannia. They then would never have gone to Heaven and Hell and the twilight of the gods wouldn’t have even been brought up by Dahak in the first place.
This episode is full of plot holes and mentions a lot of things that don’t match up with the official XWP timeline. How could Xena have been married to Ares from seasons 4-6 but it was never brought up once? Why would Gabrielle sell her soul to Ares so that he could save Hope? Especially when Gabrielle is the one who was trying to kill Hope and after all she had been through up to that point? What would Ares even do with a soul? And what happened to Hope’s explanation of Gabrielle falling into a ledge in the lava pit, then crawling out later before being taken to a hospice? Even Xena’s chakram switching between the old and new versions between shots could be part of this argument.
One theory of all this could be that because Joxer was the one who wrote the scroll that the episode is based on, then he could have made a few mistakes. Most things that don’t match up are actually happening during the scenes that he isn’t present for. But what if these aren’t mistakes at all? What if these are all the specific differences between this universe and the prime one? There is also no mention here of the vigilante Xena and Gabrielle clones from earlier in the season, even though that is definitely something that C.H.A.K.R.A.M. would be on top of.
This is obviously the main episode that everyone would love to be rewritten. And a lot of it actually is really out of place with the rest of Xena’s history. She visited Japan after going to China but before meeting Alti in Siberia. After Akemi’s death, however, Xena cut off all her hair. But it was seen as long again by the time she got to Siberia which could not have been too long after China in order to line up with Solan’s birth. In Japan, Xena is also responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people because of her burning down the village. This is not consistent with her admitting that Cirra was the only time she was responsible for this. If it also already happened in Higuchi on such a higher level then Callisto should not be as big of a sore spot to Xena as she is.
While it is possible that Xena went to Japan since she hints at it in Who’s Gurkhan, this universe might differ at her meeting Akemi and burning down Higuchi. It is also hard to believe that Xena would never have mentioned Akemi until now, or even hinted at knowing her, especially since she and Gabrielle were so much alike. This ending then was truly only ever the fate of the Xena who did do these things but not for the Xena that we see leaving with Gabrielle in the other 3 episodes.
So that’s it for my multiverse theory. It was a fun idea to jump onto before we’re all sick of the multiverse. I like this theory though because it’s a fun way to end the series. It also would leave a lot of doors open for a reboot, revival, or movie. Never gunna give that up. But anywho I’m super impressed if anyone made it to the end. I hope this got a few gears ticking in someone else’s head besides just mine.
Happy Warrior Princess Day!
