From Season 3 finale’s terrifying Man in Yellow explained

In the explosive From Season 3 finale, The Man in Yellow makes his live-action debut, but this isn’t the first we’ve heard of the character… quite literally.

He’s one of many jaw-dropping twists in Episode 10, ‘Revelations: Chapter Two’, which kicks off with Boyd and Sara double teaming Elgin to find out where Fatima is, leading to one of the show’s biggest reveals yet: the origin of the smiley monsters.

Up until this point, the MGM+ horror series has kept us on tenterhooks, wondering whether the lingering mysteries would ever get solved. But this all changes in the finale, where the cryptic build-up finally starts to make sense.

One detail we probably won’t find out until the very last chapter is who (or what) is the entity behind Fromville. Though perhaps The Man in Yellow has something to do with it. Warning: spoilers ahead!

What we know about The Man in Yellow

The Man in Yellow appears to be the head honcho of From’s monsters, giving him the power to walk around in the daylight. The reason for his nickname is simple: he wears a yellow suit. 

One thing is certain: he’s a villain. Right at the end of From Season 3, Jim takes some time to himself to gather his thoughts after finding out that Jade and Tabitha are reincarnated versions of Miranda and Christopher. 

He heads over to their abandoned caravan wreck, only to be confronted by what looks like Julie from a different timeline. “I think this is when it happens… I need to rewrite the story,” she says in a panic.

While Jim tries to make sense of it, The Man in Yellow turns up and kills him, but not before saying, “Your wife shouldn’t have dug that hole, Jim.”

It’s a ‘Leonardo DiCaprio pointing meme’ moment for From fans, as this means he’s the man on the radio from Season 1. 

His presence is also hinted at in From Season 3 Episode 2, when Henry shows Tabitha Miranda’s (in other words, her own) paintings of Fromville. 

As the camera scans the collection, it focuses on an artwork showing The Man in Yellow surrounded by a red aura, perhaps representing the bloodshed he’s caused. 

The Man in Yellow vs The Boy in White

Another characteristic of The Man in Yellow is that he really doesn’t like the Fromville residents learning about the secrets of the town, so you could say he’s the opposite to The Boy in White. 

He doesn’t make an appearance until Tabitha and Jade tie the various threads together. In the From Season 3 finale, they realize that the bottle tree was created by the “anghkookey” kids. 

This leads to the reveal that the numbers in the bottles actually represent a tune, which Jade plays on the violin beside the tree. When the ghost children turn up, Jade and Tabitha remember that they are reincarnated versions of Miranda and Christopher. 

You see, the monsters were once human, but they sacrificed their own children – now the “anghkookey” kids – in exchange for immortality.

Tabitha and Jade were once among the first residents of the town, and they tried to save the children but failed.  

“Jade and I were here from the beginning,” says Tabitha. “We tried to save those children, set them free because… one of them was ours. She was our daughter.”

It’s not until they figure all of this out that The Man in Yellow makes his appearance, with Jade’s tune seemingly serving as the catalyst. “That was a hell of a song,” he says. “That Jade sure knows how to play.”

Before killing Jim, he announces, “This didn’t have to happen, you know. Knowledge comes with cost. I did try to warn you.” Essentially, his radio communication in Season 1 was a warning – if they keep digging for answers, they will pay.

Although they’re both still shrouded in mystery, The Boy in White acts as a stark contrast to The Man in Yellow. 

Where the latter actively works to prevent the residents of Fromville from uncovering the town’s secrets, The Boy in White seems intent on guiding them towards the truth, albeit cryptically. 

He’s the one who pushed Tabitha out the lighthouse and into the real world, saying, “It’s the only way.” This led to her meeting up with Henry, learning more about her connection to Miranda, and finding out about the other bracelet. 

If it weren’t for this, maybe she wouldn’t have discovered the truth in the finale. The Boy in White also stopped Victor from cutting down the bottle tree in Episode 9.

When Victor asked why he wouldn’t give them clear answers, the boy said he “tried to with Christopher… I think you need to learn for yourselves. It’s the only way you’ll understand.”

This echoes what he said to Tabitha. Perhaps The Boy in White serves as the leader of the “anghkookey” kids in the same way The Man in Yellow does for the monsters. 

It could be that he’s too scared of outright telling the residents what’s going on in case it awakens the evil entity. 

Dr. Mabuse theory

Since The Man in Yellow’s appearance, a solid fan theory has emerged: that he’s a mirror of Dr. Mabuse, a fictional villain created by author Norbert Jacques. 

Dr. Mabuse is a master of disguise and is primarily known for his ability to transfer his consciousness into others. Through this method of “body transference,” he can manipulate and control people from afar, rarely involving himself directly in criminal activities. 

Instead, he orchestrates his schemes through a network of agents, allowing him to remain a hidden and elusive figure while pulling the strings from the shadows. 

This certainly does seem to be the case for The Man in Yellow. Perhaps he was the one who convinced the monsters to sacrifice their children in the first place for a sinister higher purpose. 

The name wasn’t pulled out of nowhere, either. Throughout From Season 3, the medical equipment brought in from the ambulance is manufactured by a company called Mabuse. 

Another clue relates to the fact that there are suggestions in the Dr. Mabuse book series that the “real” version of the character possesses hosts and manipulates them. 

Maybe this is the reason why the residents of Fromville have been experiencing so much torment in From Season 3, from Randall’s repeated cicada encounters to Elgin’s interactions with the Kimono Woman. 

A From fan put forward the theory on the show’s subreddit, writing, “I saw this pointed out back when the ambulance with Dani Acosta first arrived. The medical equipment had the name Mabuse on it. 

“Dr. Mabuse is a character from a series of German movies that began in 1922. I don’t think it’s a direct retelling, but taking parts of those stories and that character.”

They went on to say, “The Man in Yellow (MIY) is the nemesis, the evil entity, in contrast to the Boy in White (BIW). These are two entities opposing each other. 

“The MIY uses the monstrous town folk who sacrificed their children, as well as the specters of adult humans, or at least their appearance. The BIW is seeking justice/redemption for the children who were sacrificed, the innocence harmed. 

“Both use the people in town, manipulate them in their own ways. Those in Fromville are just the pawns in their battle against each other. MIY may very well be demonic in origin, while the BIW may be angelic.”

Another agreed, “Totally noticed the Mabuse thing this time. Didn’t think anything of it before but the scene with Randall was so obviously front and center, in fact I think that was the main purpose of that scene other than showing Randall’s mental state.”

Others aren’t quite as convinced, including this person who said, “Nice spot and reference but I sincerely believe obvious stuff like this is just for us to find and notice the inspiration. It’s not going to be what happens or what’s going on or who that is.”

From Seasons 1-3 are streaming on MGM+ now. You can also read more about the “Jill Green” dedication, and check out our recaps for Episode 1, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, and Episode 7.