Since the start of Stranger Things, Ted Wheeler has been sidelined. Though he did have some of the best one-liners and facial expressions, he remained disconnected from the rest of the characters. But now some fans believe that there might be more to Ted that we don’t know.

Joe Chrest plays the character of Ted Wheeler who is the dad of Mike and Nancy. Now there is an online conspiracy theory that Ted Wheeler is secretly part of the CIA. Let’s delve into this theory.

Ted Wheeler is a CIA Agent Theory

According to this theory, Ted Wheeler’s job is to observe what’s going on in Hawkins and with his kids. Fans have pointed out observations from the previous seasons to back up this idea. For instance, Ted does not hesitate to help the CIA agents and is more concerned about whether Eleven is Russian than anything else. In a flashback scene from season 2, Ted appeared relaxed and comfortable while talking to the CIA agents while they bug their home.

In one scene, Mike Wheeler mentions that his father told him the Department of Energy is creating “weapons to fight the commies,” which turns out to be true. But how does Ted know about such a secretive government operation?

While we don’t know what Ted does for a living, his job seems to pay well—possibly something in the tech industry. Mike’s interest in technology, being the leader of the AV club, and his knowledge of the latest gadgets, could suggest he got these skills from his dad. In Ted’s first scene, he’s fiddling with a TV, and being tech-savvy would certainly be useful for a spy.

Ted being a CIA agent would certainly surprise the fans as he has been portrayed as an oblivious father who often falls asleep on his chair. However, this fan theory suggests that this is all a facade. His distant and easygoing attitude is a deliberate act to keep himself emotionally detached from his family. This act helps him to stay focused on his secret job and prevents enemies from using his family as leverage against him.

Actor Joe Chrest seems to back up this conspiracy theory during an interview with Devon Ivie at Vulture. He said,

“A lot of the cast, pretty much from season two, have been encouraging the Duffers to get Ted more active in the show. The speculation is that he’s with the CIA — is he part of it? Will it merge with the story? I’m very curious about that. With season five, I’d like to see, as would a lot of us, more of Ted. But as the show has progressed, I’m starting to feel like we’re not going to see that. There’s so many stories to tell right now that need to be tied up. It doesn’t seem like there’s room for a Karen-and-Ted story.”

What are your views on this theory? Let us know in the comments section.