Army of the Dead 2 could reveal that Zeus and Vanderohe, possibly the last surviving alpha zombie in the end of Army of the Dead, are one person.
Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Army of the Dead.
Army of the Dead 2 could confirm that Omari Hardwick’s Vanderohe is actually the alpha zombie Zeus (Richard Cetrone). Army of the Dead 2 is the upcoming third movie in Zack Snyder and Matthias Schweighöfer's genre-mashing Army series. The first two movies, Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves, have spawned a variety of fan theories surrounding the respective fates of the main characters.
Perhaps the most famous of these theories is the time loop that Vanderohe talks to Ludwig Dieter (Matthias Schweighöfer) about in Army of the Dead. Upon seeing the mass of skeletons gathered outside the Götterdämmerung, Vanderohe wonders about the possibility that their crew is stuck in a time loop, doomed to keep repeating the same heist over and over again.
Army of the Dead’s time loop, if it’s real, could also mean that Vanderohe and Zeus are one and the same person as theorized (via Reddit). Much like the many other theories surrounding the Army series, this one is supported by various clues that Snyder left behind for audiences to ponder. Here are the biggest clues and theories about Vanderohe being Zeus.
After the intro sequence in which Zeus escapes the military convoy, the opening credits of Army of the Dead show Zeus and the zombies taking over Las Vegas. Zeus is shown walking towards something that seems to mesmerize the alpha zombie. The camera reveals that it is a statue of the Olympic god Zeus, right as the song Viva Las Vegas reaches its climax. And during this moment, Omari Hardwick’s name pops up onscreen. Considering how both Snyder and Schweighöfer use a variety of visual clues to hint at possible futures and plot lines throughout both Army of the Dead and Army of Thieves, it’s unlikely that Omari Hardwick’s name being juxtaposed with the statue of Zeus is just a coincidence. Indeed, it could very well have been the first clue about Vanderohe’s final tragic fate.
Vanderohe somehow survives the radioactive fallout from the nuke that leveled Las Vegas. This is because Vanderohe was bitten by a zombie, which is the only logical explanation for how he not only walks away from lethal levels of radiation but also manages to drive to Utah to get on a plane to Mexico. It’s unclear whether or not Vanderohe was bitten by a regular zombie or Zeus himself. But even if the bite wasn’t from an alpha zombie, Vanderohe’s exposure to radiation could’ve mutated the virus inside him enough to transform Vanderohe into the only alpha zombie left.
After realizing that he’s been bitten, Vanderohe’s conscience will likely push him to surrender himself to the authorities. This means that he ends up back in Area 51 to be studied by government scientists, likely under a fake name, as the case is obviously top secret. This is consistent with what Snyder and screenwriter Peter Aperlo have revealed about Zeus not being a true villain. In the podcast Vodka Stream, Snyder has confirmed that Zeus’ real name is Richards. More importantly, Snyder goes into Zeus’ origins and explains that “he did volunteer for something, but it wasn’t what he thought.” Meanwhile, as detailed in Peter Aperlo’s book Army of the Dead: A Film by Zack Snyder: The Making of the Film, the following is revealed:
“The motivations for (Zeus) fighting back always come out of him being defensive rather than offensive.... Zeus has aspirations and hopes and dreams, if you will, but he wants to be left alone. There's a line in the movie where Lilly the coyote says, 'you guys keep acting like this place is their prison. It's their kingdom.' That lets you know his motivation. Zeus and the Alphas could easily climb out of the city, but they choose to stay.”
This is exactly how a twisted zombie version of Vanderohe would act. In fact, Zeus chooses his alpha zombies very carefully, which is also consistent with Vanderohe’s tactical thinking. Furthermore, this could mean that Zeus is aware of the time loop and was staying in Las Vegas and making alpha zombies to kill Vanderohe and prevent himself from causing the outbreak. This is why Zeus’ confrontation with Vanderohe had a ceremonial tone, as Vanderohe removes his belt and Zeus removes his mask before engaging, both recognizing the inevitability of the encounter. After Vanderohe ends up in the Götterdämmerung, Zeus even chases down the survivors, likely in an attempt to prevent any other potential causes of the outbreak.
Another possibility is that the nuke that was dropped on the city of Las Vegas actually causes the time loop. Nuclear explosions produce tachyons, particles that can go back in time. Meanwhile, the Götterdämmerung protected Vanderohe from being vaporized in the blast along with most of Las Vegas. The mythological origins of the Hans Wagner safes in Army of Thieves, combined with the physics-bending effects of a nuclear explosion, is just the right formula for causing tears or loops in the fragment of spacetime. Because Dieter pushed Vanderohe into the Götterdämmerung, Vanderohe survived – but was also replaced with another version of himself from a different time. This could explain why Vanderohe never gets bit by a zombie in the whole movie but ends up with a bite in the epilogue. And if this is true, then not only are Vanderohe and Zeus the same person, the alpha zombie virus also comes from a version of Vanderohe from a different dimension or time. As Dieter says about the Götterdämmerung, it’s a “doorway to another realm.”
Alpha and omega, respectively, signify the beginning and the end, which is why Vanderohe’s omega tattoo indicates a direct connection to the alpha zombies. Although Vanderohe’s omega tattoo, along with Zeus’ mask and cape, could be references to the DCEU’s Darkseid, Batman, and Superman, they also hint at Zeus and Vanderohe’s interlocked fates. Zeus’ superhero-inspired costume means that he’s not really a villain. Meanwhile, Vanderohe’s tattoo indicates that he is the omega to Zeus’ alpha. Army of the Dead’s epilogue also supports this.
Army of the Dead ends with Vanderohe quoting the book The Hero’s Journey by mythologist Joseph Campbell, who said, “It is by going down into the abyss where we recover the treasures of life. Where you stumble, there lies your treasure.” Vanderohe remembers this quote because of how he just fished out a fortune from the abyss that was zombie-infested Las Vegas. At the same time, this could be a reference to Zeus’ true origins as well as his motivations for staying inside Las Vegas. Down in the abyss, near the vault that guards the treasures of life, the alpha zombie Zeus awaited the arrival of Vanderohe, the omega. And where Vanderohe stumbles, Zeus grasped at his own treasure or goal of killing Vanderohe and ending the time loop. Whether or not these clues and theories point to the truth, it could all be resolved soon in Zack Snyder’s upcoming Army of the Dead 2.
