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A new “A” is out for blood in the Pretty Little Liars universe. HBO Max’s PLL spinoff, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, follows a new group of teenage little liars in the town of Milwood. They begin to receive strange text messages from someone known as “A,” and the mystery escalates when A starts killing people. As longtime Pretty Little Liars fans know, A could be anyone at this point. Here are some popular fan theories about A’s true identity in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin.

[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Episodes 1 through 5.]

A masked figure known as A in Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin
A masked figure known as ‘A’ in ‘Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin’ | Karolina Wojtasik/HBO Max

Angela’s son or boyfriend

A is a killer in the present day, but this mystery is obviously an extension of what happened in 1999. Viewers have seen glimpses of Angela Waters’ (Gabriella Pizzolo) life before she died at the New Year’s Eve party. She experienced bullying and betrayal from Davie Adams (Carly Pope) and her friends, and now those same women and their daughters are being stalked. Is someone close to Angela seeking revenge?

One fan on Reddit theorized that A is Angela’s son. It’s possible she was pregnant (likely by assault) before her death. On the other hand, A could also be a former boyfriend of Angela’s, as another fan suggested. Perhaps he’s one of the older men on the show, like Wes (Derek Klena).

Sheriff Beasley

Sheriff Beasley (Eric Johnson) is definitely hiding something, as Noa (Maia Reffico) discovered in episode 1. But is he a killer? Many fans have theorized that Milwood’s sheriff could play a role in the A/masked killer mystery. One theory suggests that Beasley might have a connection to Angela — perhaps a secret friend. Of course, some fans don’t believe Beasley would kill his own daughter, Karen (Mallory Bechtel).

Faran’s dad

A more surprising suspect would be Faran’s (Zaria) father, Corey (Zakiya Young). Another fan on Reddit shared some pretty compelling evidence that Corey is A — for example, he only killed people who had poor intentions around Faran, like Karen and Tyler (Brian Altemus). Plus, A watched Faran closely while she kissed Henry (Ben Cook), possibly protecting her. Corey was once a classmate of Angela’s, so it’s possible he started a plan to get close to one of Angela’s bullies, Faran’s mom, and then take down all the bullies.

Wes

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Wes is around 35 years old, which is just a few years younger than the mothers. Rather than Angela’s son or boyfriend, some fans wonder if Wes could be her younger brother. Perhaps he wanted to avenge his sister’s death, but took his time to plan something. He waited until the mothers had teenage daughters, just like Angela, to start punishing them. It’s also possible he’s working with someone, which explains how Wes saw the masked killer with Tabby (Chandler Kinney) in his car.

A and the killer are not the same person

Many fans have speculated that the masked killer is likely a man due to their size and strength. That significantly narrows the suspect pool. However, as a Reddit thread points out, we can’t rule out the possibility that the killer actually isn’t A, but an accomplice. A could be the person texting the Milwood teens and sending ominous notes to their mothers while the masked figure does the dirty work of killing people. If that’s the case, the suspect pool for A opens back up to include women, such as the mothers.

For now, fans can only guess about A’s (and possibly the separate killer’s) identity. However, showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa told Decider that viewers will learn who A really is by the end of the season. We’re halfway through season 1 now, so the big reveal is likely just around the corner.

New episodes of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin premiere every Thursday on HBO Max.

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