Is Cole sent to the past to cause the global pandemic in 12 Monkeys?

Is Cole sent to the past to cause the global pandemic in 12 Monkeys? - People Making Handshake As A Sign Of Success

Is Cole in 12 Monkeys actually sent to the past to cause the global pandemic?

After a few plot twists, 12 Monkeys ends with Peters starting a world tour to spread the deadly virus, which he could only obtain because he was instructed to look after the security of the virus storage at Goines' lab, when Cole phoned Goines' father to warn him about the threat.

I wonder if the scientists in the future knew this and sent Cole to cause the events, that would lead to Peters getting access to the virus storage enabling him to cause the global pandemic.

A possible motive could be power. The scientists and leaders in the dystopic future would probably not have power, when there was not pandemic.



Best Answer

No. The objectives of the scientists and Cole are different. The main objective of the scientists to obtain a sample of the original virus from the past and then bring that into the future, so that the scientists could use it to find a cure.

On the other hand, Cole is under the impression that he has been sent to prevent the pandemic, but the scientists from the future are just using him for their ulterior motive.
If you recall the ending scene, you'd see a guy from 12 Monkeys with the virus get into a plane and seated next to him is a woman who claims to be from insurance. She's actually working for the scientists and she's there to ensure the virus gets spread as it has happened in the original timeline. So in that case, she's the one who's sent to cause the pandemic.

Stopping the pandemic has been never the intention of the scientists from the future. The pandemic has already happened in the timeline where Cole comes from the future.

This answer mentions that the scientists cannot simply alter the past now.
My assumption is that the scientists believe that stopping the virus from its original spread might drastically alter the timeline. Therefore the scientists want to achieve their goal while changing as little as possible from the past.




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What caused the virus in 12 Monkeys?

Events in 2035 in 12 Monkeys: The world believes that The Army of the Twelve Monkeys was responsible for the virus. This is from a broken voice transmission saying something about the Army. Cole (Bruce) is a prisoner who the scientists want to train and send back in time to get more information on the virus.

Who spread the virus in 12 Monkeys?

Kathryn Railly (played by Madeleine Stowe), his once doubtful psychiatrist who has become his coconspirator in investigating a group run by Jeffrey Goines (played by Brad Pitt) called the Army of the 12 Monkeys and their role in unleashing the virus on the planet.

What is the message of 12 Monkeys?

The past can't be changed, we can only prevent for the future. In spite of the ambiguity in its ending, a key message of 12 Monkeys is that the past is fixed and can't actually be changed. We know that Cole witnesses his own death as a child, and always ends up at this point in 1996.

What is the virus in 12 Monkeys called?

Kalavirus, also referred to in the scientific community as M5-10, is a plague that kills ninety-eight percent of the world population. Although not released directly by the Army of the 12 Monkeys, their guiding hand and influence in its creation and release is undeniable.



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