The “Who Is Adam?” ‘Yellowjackets’ Theories You Have (and Haven’t) Been Obsessing Over

Cannibalism, schmannibalism. The biggest Yellowjackets mystery is the identity of Adam, Shauna’s very own Manic Pixie Dream Boy. If you, like me, are totally obsessed with this show about soccer players who turn savage in the woods and try to have normal lives years later…you know what I’m talking about. Something is up with this guy, and his adorable act can’t hide it for much longer.

It’s gotten to be such a thing that Melanie Lynskey, who plays Shauna, has been tweeting about Adam theories and drumming up even more intrigue.

So, what is this dude’s deal? He lied about where he went to school. He has no internet presence. His name, “Adam Martin,” is so generic that it’s probably fake. He has tattoos on his back that may or may not be the symbols in the woods. There’s also that look Shauna’s daughter gave him in the club, almost as if she recognized him. Here are all the most compelling theories, from me and the internet at large.

Adam is Travis’s little brother, Javi Martinez.

This is the most likely theory…maybe so much so that it’s a red herring. We see Javi drawing and bonding with Shauna after the crash. He could have been living off the grid, like his brother, and arranged the meet-cute to connect with a childhood crush. “Martin” is just a stone’s throw from “Martinez” too.

But I dunno, it seems a little too easy. Why hide his identity from Shauna? Wouldn’t she be happy to see him? Also, Javi’s brother just died. Wouldn’t he be sad?

Adam is, somehow, Shauna’s son.

Obviously, this is gross but…so is barbecuing human flesh. What’s another taboo between friends?

Adam is Travis’s son.

He could be Travis and Natalie’s son. He could even be Travis and Jackie’s son. There’s definitely a vibe brewing there, right? Shauna’s past with Jackie has to come back to haunt her somehow, and this would be a fun twist.

If I’m being totally honest, I don’t think he’s anyone’s son. Shauna says that Adam is “younger,” but I don’t think he’s that young. But if he’s anyone’s son, Jackie is my favorite candidate. Remember when teen Shauna told Jeff that she would raise their baby to hunt him down and kill him out of spite? Would be pretty ironic if Jackie did that to her.

Adam is just a Yellowjackets stan.

It’s not the sexiest theory, but there’s always the possibility that Adam is as obsessed with the survivors as we are and just wanted to get close to one.

Adam is, somehow, related to Ben Scott.

It seems likely that assistant coach Ben didn’t make it out of the woods—but not impossible. What if he is Ben’s son or Ben’s little brother or even related to Ben’s writer boyfriend we just learned about? It seems unlikely that he would seek out Shauna, not Misty, but you never know. I’m as curious about what happened to Ben as I am about what happened to Jackie, so I’m keeping this mental tab open.

Adam is the blackmailer.

That’s what Shauna thinks after setting a glitter trap at the end of episode 8, but that definitely seems like a red herring. It’s totally Jeff, right? He’s too vanilla for this show. He simply must have some secrets.

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