'Westworld' Season 2 Episode 9 Spoilers: Is William/The Man in Black a Host?

One of the biggest questions Westworld fans still want answered is whether William (aka The Man in Black) is an actually a Host version of his former human self. Season 2 Episode 9 (“Vanishing Point”) brings us right to the brink of a big reveal. Here’s everything you need to know, spoilers and all.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Westworld Season 2 Episode 9.

If you’re new to this theory, here’s the basic idea.

There have been plenty of clues in the past that William could be a Host without even realizing (like the time he mistakenly thought his daughter was afraid of elephants and then got weirdly confused). In Episode 9, The Man in Black acted even weirder. That might have something to do with the fact that he just got shot, but something still feels off.

We also know that one of the the Delos corporation’s main goals with Westworld is to successfully copy a human consciousness and put it in a host. This began with company founder James Delos, which didn’t exactly work out. However, if anyone else is going to be turned into a Host, it makes sense that it would be William, the current CEO.

Building off all that, Westworld Season 2 Episode 9 finally reaches a point where even William begins to suspect that he might be a Host. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen until he’s mistakenly killed his own daughter, who he actually thought was a Host in a bit of tragic irony.

After he kills her and then realizes she wasn’t a Host, William seems to unlock some new memory or realization. He heads into the desert, takes out a gun, and prepares to shoot himself. But at the last minute he stops.

Instead, The Man in Black reaches for his knife and begins to cut into his own forearm. We’ve seen this before whenever a park technician wants to check out a Hosts programming. So it seems pretty clear that William is about to reveal once and for all if he’s a Host.

Unfortunately, before we can find out, the episode ends. That means you’ll just have to wait another week to find out for sure. In the meantime, we’ll be carefully examining everything else that happened in Westworld Season 2 Episode 9. So check back soon for even more spoilers, theories, and analysis.