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While Moldaver’s role in Fallout is originally understated as merely the leader of a raider gang, she is eventually revealed to be the Flame Mother. Played to perfection by Sarita Choudhury (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 & Part 2), Moldaver is introduced in the first episode as the driving force behind the raid of Vault 33. She interrupts Lucy MacLean’s inter-Vault marriage to kidnap her father, Hank MacLean, and set our heroine on her journey across the post-apocalyptic wasteland.
However, further clues in future episodes would tease Moldaver’s true significance. When she is revealed to be the Flame Mother, it only complicates things further as her influence extends far beyond her ragtag group of bandits. This development in her character arc also leads us to believe that her apparent fate at the end of season one might not be set in stone.
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Amazon Prime Video’s Fallout series.
Who Is Moldaver Pre-Apocalypse?
As things quickly begin heating up in Fallout‘s second half, we discover that Moldaver was actually a survivor of the pre-war era. She becomes an associate of Walter Goggin’s Cooper Howard/Ghoul, who has flashbacks to his previous life as a Hollywood actor.
In his pre-Ghoul existence, he meets Moldaver, a scientist who invented a cold fusion reactor to supply limitless energy. This was before Vault-Tec shelved the technology as it threatened to put an end to the current way of life, which is fighting over finite resources.
This prompted Moldaver to retaliate against Vault-Tec and gather a band of followers who also opposed the corporation. Moldaver gives Cooper an earpiece with which he can spy on Vault-Tec, thereby keeping Lee and her crew informed of their schemes. Although we never quite discover how Moldaver survived the post-nuclear world, perhaps even partnering with Vault-Tec at some moment in time to secure her own safety.
Moldaver Is the Leader of the New California Republic
The origins of the New California Republic date back to the survivors of Vault 15, who emerged from the shelter around 2097. They founded the town of Shady Sands, which was destroyed by Hank MacLean, Lucy’s father, to keep the truth of the surface hidden from Vault 33 inhabitants.
As revealed in the final episode of the season, Moldaver was a leader in the New California Republic community of Shady Sands and sought revenge on Hank for his role in the devastation of Shady Sands. Moldaver survived the ordeal, but remained resentful of Hank for her Lucy’s mother, her dear friend Rose MacLean, who was turned into a Ghoul.
With Shady Sands destroyed, Moldaver became a leader to her fellow survivors and committed herself to fighting Vault-Tec’s influence. This hatred for Vault-Tec prompts her to kidnap Hank and also explains why she wanted the cold fusion reactor, which only a Vault-Tec employee like Hank could activate. However, Moldaver seemingly perishes at the hands of the Brotherhood of Steel in the final episode.
Moldaver As the Flame Mother, Explained
Along her journey, Lucy MacLean discovers that the survivors of Vault 4, who banded together to form the resistance group led by Moldaver, view her as a religious symbol of sorts. They refer to Moldaver as the Flame Mother, praying for her success in restoring a broken world. As Moldaver survived the pre-war, her followers hold her knowledge and experience in high regard, believing her to be the prophesied savior to all Vault dwellers.
Even though Moldaver supposed died by the season’s end, it justifies the New California Republic viewing her as a martyr. They may still refer to Moldaver as the Flame Mother despite her demise and even more so as she lost her life fighting for what she believes in.
It isn’t entirely out of the question for Moldaver to return for a potential second season, although the creators would have some explaining to do as far as how she could have survived the encounter with the Brotherhood of Steel. Only time will tell as Fallout awaits an inevitable second season, if the reviews are anything to go by.
