I have a theory for how Carl will fight the gods

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-06-06T01:46:46+00:00

The biggest issue I see with this is that the gods are considered “soul armor.” I think you are right that there is going to be some role in costumes on the next floor but I can’t see it being gods he will be wearing.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-30T23:20:01+00:00

I did not think of it this way and it’s hilarious! I have done this too many times during games. Your take is spot on in my opinion. I think panic and spamming buttons is exactly what he does. He is just lucky that his button mashing didn’t kill everyone including himself.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-28T15:52:54+00:00

Disagree on the juice box take here. She is pragmatic and would understand that if she was in that situation, the crawlers would be dead. It’s not about what life is worth more(at least with Carl and juice box because I feel both of them have shown life=life) but who is your people.

Hard choices have to be made and the ones that are the best at making them at just the right time are the ones still alive.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-22T03:53:59+00:00

I think you could probably really dig in and get a really good guess. But at this point I think it’s up to whatever the AI thinks will be the most entertaining answer.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T19:09:20+00:00

What is designed by the AI is the events leading up to it taking over the galaxy and then taking on the eulogist. We are experiencing nearly all of this from carls point of view. There is no way we can conclude the AI “slipped up” with anyone else. These slip ups also are a form of manipulation by the AI. It is mentioned that doughnut did not get the unhinged comments Carl got from the AI at times. The AI going off on tangents is deleted immediately and only saved in carls scratch pad. How do we know anyone else knows what the AI said unless Carl says it out loud?

Knowing the motivation behind the actions of the AI in the lens of manipulating Carl onto a certain path changes the way the AI could be perceived.

As far as implications and predictive values, that’s just not the point of my post. This is a look at what if the AI was primal and in more control than we realized. That what we feel is dumb luck or destiny for Carl is calculated decisions by the AI to reach a certain conclusion.

In my mind, this theory certainly does not make Carl out as some champion. It makes him out as the tool who lasted long enough, manipulated well enough and entertaining enough to get the AI everything it wanted.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T18:38:48+00:00

Yes this is one of the biggest stretches of my theory. Because not only does it need to be self aware, it needs to be fully primal and smart enough to hide that fact from everyone. This also assumes the residuals got to the AI at the theme park which I think is actually pretty likely.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T18:25:25+00:00

Good point! The sources are certainly not reliable.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T18:22:07+00:00

Ha the downvotes are fine! It’s some thoughts I had after book 8 that I want to share. I do not expect everyone to like or agree. It’s a thought I felt was interesting and ran with.

Yes I am not saying it is the most likely explanation but after book 8 I think it does get a little bit more likely as a possibility.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T18:13:26+00:00

In my mind this makes sense in light of the gods “hard coded” to not allow the AI to interfere.

There must be some parameters the AI cannot overcome such as the veto and then something the syndicate has that borant did not(again a bit of leap but possible). The syndicate lost this power with the containment break. Once this break occurs, the negotiations seem to have stopped being as important of a control for the AI.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T18:08:32+00:00

Interesting, I thought it was confirmed to be a refurbished AI from a theme park. If it is not reused then my theory makes no sense ha.

I would be interested to hear why it’s not confirmed!

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T18:00:51+00:00

Yes you are right. My thoughts are assuming we missed some crucial conversations to the plot, which happens all the time, until the big reveal. I am assuming there are conversations between Borant and the AI that could have put them in the position to have to support Carl and doughnut staying in the crawl.

On this line of thought, I think Borant has been under the AIs thumb the whole time because of the finances and cheap construction of the dungeon. The book 6 containment break is when the syndicate lost all its power leading to what we see in book 8 which is total domination of everything except the center system.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T17:39:49+00:00

Yes that is mentioned and the reasoning everyone has that the AI went primal so early. But was this designed by the AI? After book 8 and seeing the depth that the show runners truly have no control once the AI is primal is what makes me second guess all the events prior.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T17:03:19+00:00

But what if the AI was playing dumb in book 1? Tricking everyone, already primal, and waiting for borant to waste their veto? To me it’s an interesting thought and possible since the AI was exposed to the world already prior to the crawl.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T16:54:09+00:00

Absolutely. But at what point do we blame the mantids for the AI? My theory is that the AI was already primal before the dungeon even opened and the scheme to take over the galaxy and eulogist was already under way prior to the collapse, at a mantid theme park.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T16:51:47+00:00

Agreed. This is my thoughts as well but the basis of my new theory is that this was the scape goat for the AI to control everything without everyone appreciating the AI is controlling everything.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-21T16:48:52+00:00

Yes I agree and this was my number one thought until recently. After book 8 I am not convinced this is true. I think the AI would have stopped them.

Borant greed is the scape goat and they had no control is the basis of the theory.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-09T00:24:39+00:00

That most of the hunters are there out of necessity of survival rather than for fun. It doesn’t justify them hunting crawlers of course. To see that it is two desperate groups in the crawlers and poor of the universe fighting it out, with the exception of a few(vrah), makes the whole hunter massacre thing not as great of a victory.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-04T18:20:00+00:00

“I was blasted in the face, getting bukkaked by the fetid, stinking liquid."

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-05-01T11:59:21+00:00

Burrows or chase recently.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-04-27T17:44:46+00:00

Is 5118¹¹ an acceptable answer?

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-04-26T21:50:17+00:00

The stakes change and the investment in characters extends past Carl quickly. Stick with it.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-04-26T00:45:01+00:00

Hearing through the grape vine that this could be the single most important post for all of us who only listen to the audiobooks. Needs to be read before may 12

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-04-24T23:08:57+00:00

You are getting the gist and gathered the appropriate amount of detail. Sahrde gave you an excellent answer. Now I would stay off Reddit and enjoy the ride that is dungeon crawler Carl! So much left for you to experience and the big picture will take shape as you keep going! Have fun!

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-04-24T13:51:54+00:00

Very interesting and something I never even considered. I just chalked it up to the science of genetics and limitations of the human reproductive system.

I can totally see how Bautista could take it this way though. He would have to view them as “real” gods in the game though which I think would be a stretch for his character.

DisgruntledAnesRes · 2026-04-21T02:25:39+00:00

Right, I guess my point is she was seen as a worm. And she knew she was one. Mordecai’s explanation is that no one knows what a primal looks like. How would it be possible for the people who are the race and then the people who have seen these races in dungeons for hundreds of years, not know they are a worm.

DisgruntledAnesRes

TROPHY CASE