The Fallout TV series got off to a good start when Amazon and Bethesda announced the show would be brought to life by the creators of HBO’s hit series, Westworld. Fan anticipation only increased from there after leaked photos revealed a set for the Super Duper Mart: an iconic and recurring fictional supermarket chain in the world of Fallout. Now, a new set of leaks not only confirm the showrunners’ eyes for detail but strongly suggest that the series may brush aside traditional Fallout lore in favor of a new mythology.
This information comes from Twitter user LoneVaultWanderer (an ex-Bethesda community manager), who recently shared what certainly seem to be set photos of one of Fallout’s iconic vaults.
In those pictures, you can clearly see a propaganda poster featuring the famous Vault Boy, a nursery, a hallway, a classroom, and what appears to be a common area converted into a farm. Many commenters are already praising the set makers, as the show’s locales look like they were ripped right out of a Fallout game. More importantly, eagle-eyed viewers think the leaks have potentially spoiled elements of the show’s setting.
In the final leaked image (the common area photo), you can clearly see the number “32” plastered on the set’s column. This label is mirrored on the walls in the nursery set. Since vaults in Fallout games typically have their numbers stamped everywhere (usually on doors) audiences have concluded the show’s vault in question is “Vault 32.”
Interestingly, some reports seem to be suggesting that the vault in question is actually being referred to as “Shelter 33.” So far as we can tell, though, the use of the phrase “shelter” rather than vault may be based on a misinterpreted translation from another source. It’s a little less clear where the number 33 is coming from, though there were some early reports/leaks that suggested the show’s vault number could end up being “33.” Based on what we’ve seen and heard, though, we’ll be referring to the set as Vault 32.
If you never heard of that vault before, that’s because it has yet to show up in any other piece of Fallout media. Longtime fans probably remember the sterile Vault 112 (which trapped everyone in a simulation), as well as the infamous Vault 22 and its deadly spore zombies. Any one of Fallout’s existing vaults could have been used for the show, but the creators have seemingly opted for one that fans have never heard of, let alone visited.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the vault (or the show) is non-canon, but rather that it’s simply going to utilize a location we don’t know much about based on the existing story and lore of the games. However, that vault number might hint at where the show will take place geographically. Well, aside from the series standard “nuclear wasteland,” that is.
After posting the leaked images, LoneVaultWanderer theorized that the Fallout show will be set in New Vegas or possibly somewhere else within Nevada. His reasoning is based on some good old inference. According to the Fallout wiki, vaults are numbered based on their relative location. All the vaults in Fallout 3 and 4, which take place in Washington D.C. and Boston, Massachusetts, respectively, have higher-numbered vaults such as Vault 101 and Vault 111. Meanwhile, Fallout 2 and New Vegas take place in and around Nevada and feature lower-numbered vaults like Vault 8 and Vault 11. In fact, players can find Vault 34 in New Vegas, which implies the upcoming Fallout show’s Vault 32 might be somewhere nearby.
Granted, this numbering system isn’t an exact science. For instance, Vault 111 is separated from Vault 112 by over 400 miles. Still, it provides enough information to draw the reasonable conclusion that Vaults 1 through 34 are dotted throughout the West Coast. Assuming the showrunners stick to that pattern, it’s a safe bet that the Fallout Amazon series will take place somewhere in that general area. Maybe now audiences will finally be able to visit the Super Duper Mart teased via in-game New Vegas ads.