We hadn't always been here....
Cul-de-sac is an online fan theory regarding the animated series Ed, Edd n Eddy. Much like other infamous fan theories, this theory posits that the characters from the series are actually deceased and that the titular Cul-de-sac they dwell in is actually Purgatory. The theory goes on to suggest that the characters each died in different time periods.
The theory can be read here
. Not to be confused with the popular comic strip of the same name.
Cul-de-sac provides examples of:
- The '80s: Edd (Double D) grew up during the 1980s, explaining his fascination with science and technology.
- Abusive Parents: Kevin is believed to have had one in the form of his father who proceeded to give him a fatal No-Holds-Barred Beatdown when Kevin tried to stand up to him.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Many see the events of Big Picture Show as the kids descending into Hell to confront Eddy's Brother, and then finally moving on to Heaven at the movie's end.
- Asshole Victim: Eddy's brother ending up in Hell tends to be treated as well deserved.
- Bittersweet Ending: In the revised version—with the exception of Eddy's brother, all of the characters are children who died too soon, but after spending so much time in Purgatory, they all ascend to Heaven, able to rest and move on at last. Meanwhile, Eddy's brother is dragged into Hell, where the Kanker Sisters (here depicted as demons rather than souls of the dead) proceed to make him suffer for his crimes.
- Dark Fic: The theory suggests that each kid died in some way. Some of the deaths can easily be construed as gruesome, one example being Rolf having died because of being trampled to death by cattle.
- Death of a Child: When you get right down to it, the entire theory's premise is that most of the show's characters died as children.
- Diabolus ex Machina: The theory implies that the Kankers being literal demons explains why they tend to do this in the show.
- Driven to Suicide: One version of the theory has Jimmy commit suicide due to being bullied for his Camp Straight personality instead of him dying from leukemia. One can see it as a Take That, Audience! due to the amount of grief Jimmy is given by fans for the same thing.
- Dying Alone: Jimmy dies in his home after suffering from cancer.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Or at least, Earn Your Bittersweet Ending. When Big Picture Show is added to the mix, the story ends with all the kids except Jonny being allowed to ascend to Heaven at last, while Eddy's brother is tortured in Hell by the Kanker Demons.
- Family-Unfriendly Death: Many of the children of Peach Creek faced brutal deaths. Nazz, Kevin and Jimmy are probably the standout examples — Nazz was raped and murdered when a madman broke into her home, Kevin was beaten to death's door by his drunken father and died on the way to hospital, and Jimmy died alone in bed at the end of a long battle with leukemia.
- Freudian Excuse:
- According to the theory, Eddy is obsessed with money because his family lost everything in the Great Depression.
- Kevin's bullying and antisocial behavior are a result of having had a physically abusive home life when he was alive. Although he reinterpreted his dad as a loving man who always brought home jawbreakers in Purgatory, he didn't forget the rage and spite that his crappy life on Earth drove him to.
- Granola Girl: Nazz was more like this when she was alive, which is implied to be because she had Hippie Parents.
- The Great Depression: Eddy was born around the time of the the Great Depression which explains his obsession with getting money and his "restlessness" in the afterlife.
- Hell: Some revisions of the theory propose that Eddy's Brother at Mondo A-Go Go is in Hell whenever fanfiction writers try to adjust the theory for the inclusion of the TV movie.
- Karma Houdini:
- The serial killer who targeted Nazz didn't get any comeuppance for it, though in some revisions to the theory, he was arrested a few days later and ultimately executed.
- Likewise, the original version of the theory made no mention of Kevin's father being punished for killing his own son, though some revisions state that he went to prison and was eventually killed by one or more of his fellow inmates.
- Littlest Cancer Patient:
- Jimmy is described in some versions of the theory as a child who died of cancer in 2000.
- Johnny dies in 1922 after a long battle with tuberculosis.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Nazz pretended to be dumb as a way with coping from the trauma she sustained from her untimely, and agonizing, demise. Ed also did something similar when he was alive to cope with his family's miserable home situation; however, it apparently worked too well, as he gradually shut everything out of his life.
- Offing the Offspring: Kevin met his end when he was beaten to death by his own father.
- Our Demons Are Different: Unlike the other kids in the cul-de-sac whom are dead human souls in Purgatory, the Kanker Sisters are demons who've been sent to their Purgatory to torment them.
- Serial Killer: A serial killer allegedly broke into Nazz's house at the dead of night and raped her before murdering her and her entire family.
- Terrible Trio: The Kanker Sisters are interpreted as demons who torment the kids, rather than dead children themselves. In revisions that add Big Picture Show to the mix, they switch to torturing Eddy's brother after the kids ascend to Heaven.
- Would Hurt a Child:
- The unnamed serial killer who murdered Nazz and her entire family.
- Also Kevin's Dad, who physically abused him, and eventually gave him a beating that proved fatal while he was drunk.
