With just one brief teaser so far, Shrek 5 has already sparked many theories, and there’s one about Shrek’s daughter, Felicia (Zendaya), that, even though it makes sense, I’m not sure how to feel about it. The trend of long-awaited sequels keeps gaining strength, and a franchise that has now ed it is Shrek. The world of Shrek comes from William Steig’s 1990 children’s picture book of the same name, and it came to life in 2001. The success of Shrek established DreamWorks as a strong competitor to Pixar and spawned a franchise with spinoffs, specials, TV shows, and more.

Shrek introduces the title ogre (voiced by Mike Myers), who, to get his swamp back, has to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz). With the help of Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek achieves this, but he and Fiona fall in love. The rest of Shrek movies have continued Shrek and Fiona’s love story as well as his personal development. Now, over a decade after Shrek Forever After, the saga is returning with Shrek 5, of which plot details remain a mystery, but one theory gives a convincing story, though I don’t know how to feel about it.

Shrek 5 Theory Suggests Felicia Will Fall In Love With A Human, But He’s A Villain

Felicia Might Fall For The Wrong Guy

Shrek 5’s plot could be about and how Felicia will be involved in it, and one Reddit theory puts her at the front and center of the conflict.

With Shrek’s kids now being teenagers, it’s assumed that Shrek 5 will see Shrek and Fiona doing their best to deal with them in this new phase. As the author of the theory points out, every Shrek movie has a quest, with Shrek, Donkey, and now Puss as well teaming up, and the one in Shrek 5 will revolve around Felicia and a potentially disastrous decision. The theory suggests Felicia will now be a student at Worcestershire Academy (or, really, any university where ogres could co-exist with humans) and fall for a human boy.

The author of the theory suggests Felicia will fall in love with Lancelot, who would return after his brief appearance in Shrek 3, but that doesn’t quite fit the timeline. Lancelot would have to be a lot older than Felicia, and that would step into very controversial territory. Back to the theory, it doesn’t have to be Lancelot, but Felicia could meet and fall for another charming human boy with hidden intentions. Even though Shrek and Fiona aren’t the rulers of Far Far Away, they are still royal, and that could be of interest to Felicia’s boyfriend.

Felicia’s human boyfriend could be plotting to take some control in Far Far Away, though not exactly take the throne as that is Artie’s and Shrek isn’t involved with that anymore. Surely, this would be a very heartbreaking experience for Felicia, but it would bring her closer to her family and maybe even teach her more about her family’s backstory, so it’s still fitting with the tone of the Shrek movies.

Shrek 5 Can Reverse Shrek & Fiona’s Story Without The Villain Part

A Mirror Of Shrek & Fiona’s Beginnings

Another possibility for the plot of Shrek 5, with Felicia as a main character, is one that would essentially reverse Shrek and Fiona’s story. The idea is the same as in the above-mentioned theory: Felicia will fall for a human, but the difference is that her boyfriend won’t be a villain. Felicia might be on her way to having her own fairy-tale romance without her partner turning out to be a traitor or having hidden intentions, and, instead, their obstacle will be Shrek.

Shrek could now be mirroring King Harold’s attitude and opposing Felicia’s romance with a human.

When Shrek and Fiona met her parents in Shrek 2, her father, King Harold, opposed their marriage, to the point where he asked the Fairy Godmother for help. Shrek could now be mirroring King Harold’s attitude and opposing Felicia’s romance with a human, whether because he still thinks humans can’t be trusted, he suspects there’s something shady about him, or, simply, because he’s being an overprotective parent, which wouldn’t be that surprising.

In this case, the voice of reason would be Fiona, reminding Shrek how they went through the same thing with her parents, and how it all eventually worked out for them. Just like the theory above, this would bring Felicia and Shrek together, with the latter opening to other possibilities and accepting that his children have grown up, and the former understanding her father and forming a trusting bond with him.

Shrek 5 Theory Would Continue The Franchise’s Family Theme

This Theory Fits Shrek’s Biggest Theme

Shrek has gone through a lot since his first movie, and luckily, he has also changed over the years. In his first movie, Shrek is a lonely ogre who insists on isolating himself and never interacting, let alone bonding, with anyone. It isn’t until his swamp is invaded that he comes out of it and makes a deal with Lord Farquaad, which leads him to meet Fiona. Shrek learns that there’s no good in isolating himself and that he, like everyone else, is also deserving of love and friendship.

Shrek 2 began Shrek’s struggles when it comes to family. As mentioned above, Shrek and Fiona meet her parents in Shrek 2, with the Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming trying to end their marriage. It’s in this movie that Shrek learns to embrace his ogre nature and what makes him so unique, while opening up to being part of a bigger community and family. Shrek 3 sees him finding Arthur so he takes the throne of Far Far Away, while also learning that he’s going to be a father.

It gives Shrek a family challenge that will also force him to become a better father.

Shrek 3 is key in Shrek’s journey as it’s about maturing and opening himself to fatherhood, while Shrek Forever After teaches him a much-needed lesson on gratitude when he’s taken to an alternate timeline where he was never born, and so he never got his family and friends. The theory of Felicia falling in love with a human (whether villain or ally) continues the franchise’s family and personal growth theme, as it gives Shrek a family challenge that will also force him to become a better father.

I’m Not Convinced By Shrek 5’s Felicia Theory Even Though It Makes Sense

Shrek 5 Can Do A Lot Better

As much as this Shrek 5 theory makes sense, I’m not entirely convinced that it would be a good idea. Surely, it would be fun to see Shrek as an overprotective father learning how to accept that his children aren’t babies anymore, but the idea feels very repetitive. The Shrek saga already had its human men with hidden intentions – Lord Farquaad and Prince Charming, both of them interested in being with Fiona, and it later saw Fiona’s father struggling to accept her marriage to an ogre. The Felicia theory would repeat all this but with a twist, and it wouldn’t feel fresh.

I’m convinced, however, that Felicia will have a key, main role in Shrek 5, but it’s to be seen what her story will be. I’m also very intrigued about where her siblings are and if they will have main roles in the story, as well – and, if not, I really want to know why. Shrek 5 might continue to be a mystery for a while, but there are already some interesting ideas in many fan theories.

Source: Reddit.