Morgan Freeman Wasn’t God In Bruce Almighty – He Was Satan
Jim Carrey’s comedies, while entertaining and funny, are often simple in their premises, but one theory completely changes one of his lowest-rated comedies on Rotten Tomatoes for the better. Jim Carrey is best known for his comedic work thanks to his style of physical comedy, satire, and impressions, though he has also found success in more serious and dramatic roles. Still, Carrey’s legacy will be his comedy roles, of which many, while being box-office hits and getting a warm reception from general audiences, haven’t been the critics’ favorites, and among them is Bruce Almighty.
Directed by Tom Shadyac, Bruce Almighty tells the story of Bruce Nolan (Carrey), a TV reporter who hasn’t been having the best of luck. Bruce complains to God, and, to his surprise, God (Morgan Freeman) answers his complaints by offering him a deal: Bruce will have all the powers of God for a week, but he can’t tell others about it nor can he alter free will. Bruce Almighty was a box office success but got mixed reviews from critics, with a 48% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but if one theory is correct, critics could have looked at it differently.
Bruce Might Have Not Met God, After All
Although Freeman’s character literally introduces himself as God, a Reddit user believes it’s all an act and he isn’t God but Satan. Their theory suggests that, based on the actions of Bruce once he got those powers and the deal itself, Bruce was dealing with Satan rather than God. The author explains that Satan would have seized the chance of a mortal gradually hating God to create some mischief on Earth and tempt him, as he would be a lot more vulnerable.
Through this, Satan would have also manipulated Bruce into creating chaos without him having to do much (or anything, really). The author explains Bruce’s powers and what he used them for, such as some painful revenge on a bully by making a monkey come out of his butt and lighting his work rival Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) on fire in a deleted scene, are more fitting with Satan than God. However, it’s important to remember that God gave Bruce his powers, and however he decided to use them were unrelated to how God would. The author adds that it's unlikely God would give his spot to a news reporter going through a crisis, and that would be more fitting with Satan’s actions.
Morgan Freeman Could Have Been An Evil Genie In Bruce Almighty
Another possibility is that Morgan Freeman’s character in Bruce Almighty wasn’t God or Satan, and instead, he was an evil genie. The author of the theory mentions at the end to think of Freeman’s character as “an evil genie”, which makes sense given the events of the movie. A genie grants a person’s wishes, which often have chaotic results to give the lesson of “be careful of what you wish for”, and that’s what Freeman’s God did.
The problem with this theory is that, typically, a genie comes from an object he has been trapped in and so grants the person who frees him one or more wishes, and Freeman’s God doesn’t come from any object – he simply meets Bruce in an empty warehouse.
How Morgan Freeman Not Being God In Bruce Almighty Makes The Movie Better
Morgan Freeman as a very chill and fun God in Bruce Almighty was great, but watching the movie with the idea of him being Satan posing as God makes it even more entertaining. Satan posing as God to mess with a mortal is more fun than God deciding to give his powers to a mortal going through a crisis and makes more sense as Satan would definitely take any chance to mess with mortals, Earth, and God.
However, Satan’s plans might not have gone as he expected, as at the end of Bruce Almighty, Bruce learned a powerful lesson about being grateful, kind, and empathetic, and all chaos in the city stopped. Still, the theory gives a different perspective to Bruce Almighty that enhances the viewing experience.
