'Fallout' Dropped a Vital Cameo From the Video Games
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Fallout.
WHILE WE DIDN'T think Fallout would have much crossover with the video games, the show managed to sneak in a cameo from a notable Fallout: New Vegas figure.
For fans of the show who may not be aware, Fallout: New Vegas is the sixth game in the video game franchise, first released in 2010. Set in Nevada and California, the game's main storyline is focused on the area formerly known as Las Vegas. Now called "New Vegas," it's one of the few civilizations in the wasteland. New Vegas is protected by a number of factions, each of which own a piece of property (including the U.S. government). Toward the end of the game, the player eventually has to decide who will control the future of New Vegas.
One of more formidable factions in the game is led by Mr. House, who ended up appearing in the Fallout series—but looked pretty different from his in-game depiction. In the show's Season 1 finale, we see a flashback to a group of potential investors discussing ideas and strategies at a Vault-Tec meeting. While none are given names, video game fans likely recognized at least one name: RobCo, owned by Mr. House. He's an important figure in the future of the franchise. And since the show is set in California, it's only right that there's a hint to what's to come.
Whether you're looking for a refresher or are learning about the game's lore for the first time, here's everything you need to know about Mr. House, and what his Fallout cameo could mean for the future of the show.
Who Is Mr. House in Fallout?
Robert Edward House, better known as just Mr. House, was born in 2020, and he launched his own robotics company, RobCo Industries, at the age of 22. House's business acumen made him a wealthy man; he gained controlling interests in various companies across the wasteland, including REPCONN–another company eagle-eyed fans likely also spotted in the Season 1 finale–and the Lucky 38 Hotel & Casino, which he ends up occupying in Fallout: New Vegas.
When House learns that Vault-Tec plans to decimate America to ensure profits, House decides to protect himself and Las Vegas, using his robots and defense technology to keep any warheads from attacking the city. He also worked to protect himself, placing his physical body in a life support system, and wiring his brain into a supercomputer. Mr. House disappeared from society, but lived on in the control of his robots.
During the Great War (when the bombs actually fell), he suffered issues with his technology, which inevitably placed him in a coma. It's only during the events of New Vegas that he wakes up again.
From there, the game begins and players have to decide whether to help Mr. House continue to keep his technology going, or if they should free Las Vegas of his control.
Why is Mr. House in Fallout?
He's in the show–understandably–because he's one of the major players in the pre-war world. Vault-Tec wanted to serve the interests of anyone with power and money, determining they were the best ones to rebuild society. And Mr. House, a tech genius and wealthy businessman, naturally got a seat at the table to decide America's future.
While we can't be sure exactly where Fallout is headed next, we know the show takes place in the late 23rd century, after the events of Fallout: New Vegas. Whether Mr. House shows up again in the show or not would determine what ending of New Vegas was canon (there's an opportunity to kill him in the game), so it's unclear if we'd see him again. The show's Season 1 ending finds Overseer Hank (Kyle MacLachlan) approaching New Vegas, so the show will certainly be taking that setting head-on—but it's unclear in what, if any, capacity Mr. House will be present.
Since the show appears to still have flashbacks to uncover–we still don't know how Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) came to become a ghoul, or how his realization of Vault-Tec's involvement in the Great War plays out–it's possible we'll see Mr. House and other pre-war callbacks, even if we don't see them all show up again in the future. There could be Vault-Tec employees kept alive from 200 years ago, or ancestors of pre-war people.
When Season 2 premieres, we'll see Lucy (Ella Purnell) and Cooper Howard embark on a new mission: finding the real people who are calling the shots, and locating Cooper's family. We'll likely see even more people involved in the show's pre-war past, but they may or may not be invented for the show. Regardless, it'll be fun to watch all that alternative history unravel.
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