Fallout Season 3: Where is the US President?
The second season of Fallout is over, ending with an explosive finale in which some characters sever ties, others have to deal with an impending war, and others abandon New Vegas completely to travel elsewhere. Furthermore, the season two finale of the Prime Video series answered many questions while simultaneously raising some new ones, the answers to which we eagerly await in Fallout season 3.
One question that’s on everyone’s mind is: Is the US president (Clancy Brown), whom Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) met in the lead-up to the Great War of 2077, still alive in Fallout Season 3? And if so, where is he? There are various clues online that might answer these two questions.
The first and so far only appearance of the last US president in Fallout takes place in the pre-war period. Cooper presents the cold fusion facility to the president, hoping that he will share the potential for unlimited, clean energy with the world and thus prevent a resource-driven nuclear war.
Given the history of US presidents in real life and the hope that they will do the right thing, Cooper’s decision seems naive. In episode 8, he quickly pays the price for his trust in the president: Cooper is arrested by the House Un-American Activities Committee and separated from his family. Thanks to a brief phone call Cooper has with the billionaire Mr. House (Justin Theroux) before his arrest, we learn who put Cooper in this situation.
“I told you, there are far worse people than me, Mr. Howard,” House says to Cooper on the payphone. “I admire you for trying to play the hero. I really do.” Ominous music begins, and Fallout cuts to an earlier scene in which Cooper hands the cold fusion device to the president.
We don’t see the president again in Fallout Season 2. However, there are hints that he either works with or for a Deep State organization called “The Enclave.” Because of his connection to this mysterious organization, we may not have seen the last of the president.
Fallout Season 2 with various Colorado clues
Colorado is mentioned repeatedly in the second season of Fallout. Cooper and his wife Barbara (Frances Turner) discuss the mountainous state, and when the ghoul finds Barbara’s cryo-pod, it contains a postcard from Colorado indicating that she and her daughter Janey are there. We also see what appears to be the Enclave’s headquarters in Colorado, nestled in the snowy mountain landscape. All roads seem to lead to Colorado, and the ghoul will likely head there in Fallout season 3. It’s precisely there that he might find not only his family but also the President of the United States.
The second season wasn’t the first time Colorado had been mentioned in the series. In a Prime Video feature titled “A Special LIVE Report from Galaxy News” (see video above), released before the premiere of the first Fallout season, Vault-Tec promotes the advantages of living in Vaults. The hour-long special might seem like a staged promotional stunt before the first Fallout season. However, after twelve minutes, the Vault-Tec spokesperson casually mentions the US president.
“Living in a vault is a dream come true and the only way to be safe—unless you’re the President of the United States or something like that and have a mountain in Colorado to retreat to and rule the world from,” the spokesman said. “That applies to very few of us. There’s only one like that. And his various advisors will certainly be doing well. But not you! You won’t be doing well if a vault is beyond your budget.”
When Fallout was first released, it was a tongue-in-cheek remark that was easily forgotten. Now, however, it could reveal exactly what we can expect in Fallout Season 3. The idea that the president is alive, living in a secret underground bunker and controlling events in the wasteland sounds absurd. But the Fallout series has never shied away from criticizing America’s power brokers – and from showing that organizations like the Enclave and the government made the wasteland’s existence possible in the first place.
