Yellowjackets Creators Reveal Adam Was Almost Javi in the Future

Certain shows inspire passionate fan theories on Reddit and other sites, and Yellowjackets fit the bill with its dual timelines and tragic storyline. But as it turns out, one of the most popular fan theories for the Showtime series almost played out onscreen.

In an interview with Variety published on Wednesday, Yellowjackets creators Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson and co-showrunner Jonathan Lisco revealed which fan theories nearly made it into the show, and which were way off base.

"When all those people are saying something about the show, somebody is going to be right," said Lisco. "It was really interesting how the audience predicted certain things that we either did in the show, or that we noodled in the writers' room and dispensed with."

One such theory had to do with the character Adam (Peter Gadiot), with whom Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) has an affair in the 2021 timeline, and Javi (Luciano Leroux), one of the dead soccer coach's sons.

"We did entertain the notion that Adam was basically Javi coming back to torment Shauna in a way, or torment the Yellowjackets,” Lisco said. "We fairly early on dispensed with that idea. It did not feel organically right to us. It didn't feel to deliver on the promise of what we actually wanted to dramatize with her affair and their marriage."

"We chose not to, but some people called it and were, I think, eager to see it happen," he added. "Then it creates the scenario where, 'Well, did we disappoint those people or did we delight them?'"

Ultimately, the theory didn't fit the show's overall tone. "It felt infinitely more tragic to us,” explained Lyle. "It being Javi come back is fun in a way, but it feels a little mustache-twirly, which is not necessarily the place we want to go."

Back in April, Christina Ricci also dismissed a fan theory while on The Tonight Show, confirming that the characters do not eat Shauna's baby.

Yellowjackets is available to stream on Showtime.

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Deena ElGenaidi's writing has been featured in Nylon, MTV News, Insider, The AV Club, and more. You can follow her on Twitter @deenaelg.