The truth of who dropped the nuclear bombs, Vault-Tec or the government, wasn’t fully revealed in the Fallout show, and the full revelation would completely change the Ghoul’s story in season 2. For years, Fallout‘s nuclear apocalypse was thought to be the product of the Sino-American War, which was fought between China and the United States over natural resources. The show seemingly contradicted that when it confirmed a Fallout theory about Vault-Tec’s role in the apocalypse, but that too has been thrown into question. The truth of the cause of the apocalypse would redefine both the Ghoul’s journey in Fallout season 2 and the entire franchise.
At the end of Fallout season 1, the Ghoul declared that he was on a quest to find his family, Barb and Janey Howard, due to the Ghoul’s backstory as Cooper Howard. That quest is seemingly taking him to New Vegas, which also opens up the possibility that he could unravel the mystery behind the city’s destruction. That isn’t the only mystery the Ghoul could solve, though, as his search will likely also finally clear up who dropped the bombs that destroyed the world.
The Vault-Tec meeting was a major revelation for the Fallout franchise, but it actually raised more questions about the start of the Great War than it answered. While Barb did show that Vault-Tec would be willing to drop the bombs and start the apocalypse, it wasn’t outright shown that they did in fact drop them. It’s still possible that the apocalypse really was just an escalation of the Sino-American war as stated in earlier Fallout games. Adding to the confusion is the fact that there’s evidence to support either sequence of events, and there’s no clear indication of which is the truth.
In support of the idea that Vault-Tec dropped the bomb is the fact that the Fallout show made such a revelation at all. While the reveal of Barb’s willingness to destroy the planet was crucial to her relationship with Cooper, it also strongly foreshadowed another revelation that they would actually drop the bombs. On the other hand, there are also indications that Barb was surprised when the bombs fell, suggesting it was the government’s doing. If Barb knew when the bombs would drop, she surely would already have been in a vault with Janey and not have allowed her to go to the party with Cooper.
The Ghoul’s story in Fallout season 2 is completely dependent upon the truth of who actually dropped the bombs. If it was the governments of the world, then Barb was just as much a victim as anyone else, and his quest to find her is likely just him trying to reunite with his wife and daughter. If it was Vault-Tec or another pre-war company, then he’s likely trying to save Janey and take revenge on Barb. It changes not only the Ghoul’s motivation for seeking out his family after 200 years, but it will also influence how he handles things once he actually finds them.
While the truth of who dropped the bombs will be supremely important to the Ghoul’s story and the future of Fallout, it’s not the only reason to be excited about season 2. There are still several plot threads that need to be resolved, like the Brotherhood of Steel’s power over cold fusion and the destruction of New Vegas. Those, along with the potential to see who truly caused the apocalypse, should make Fallout season 2 incredibly important to the franchise.