A Mamma Mia! theory may finally answer the long-standing question of who Sophie’s real dad is. Mamma Mia!’s story revolves around Sophie desperate to know who her biological dad is out of three of her mom’s previous relationships. After inviting Sam, Harry, and Bill to her wedding, Sophie realizes her identity is not dependent on her biological father and instead, she gains three loving step-dads. Donna does marry Sam, making him Sophie’s technical stepdad, but that has not stopped people trying to guess who Sophie’s biological dad is.
Mamma Mia!'s songs and story make it a great musical about how technicalities do not mean family and Sophie’s growing realization that Donna was the one who was a mother and father to her all-in-one. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again continues this when Sophie falls pregnant while Sky is away and feels closer to Donna more than ever. Sam, Bill, and Harry all still play a big role in Sophie’s life in the Mamma Mia! sequel but the identity of Sophie’s biological dad is still not revealed. Many questioned why Sophie never took a paternity test, but one theory has given a convincing answer as to who is Sophie’s real dad.
Sam Is Sophie’s Real Dad In Mamma Mia! – Theory Explained
Sam Has The Biggest Connection To Sophie And Donna
Sophie inherited her skill from Sam...
A TikTok theory reveals that Sam is Sophie’s real dad and the evidence lies in the song “Our Last Summer”.
Sophie sings “Our Last Summer” with Sam, Bill, and Harry when she spends the day with them on Bill’s boat. During this, each of the men reveals a talent they have which Sophie also possesses. For Bill, it is his adventuring, for Harry, it is his musical talent, and for Sam, it is his drawing. This indicates that Sophie could have picked up these talents from her biological dad, but she could have also inherited them from Donna. Donna is evidently adventurous and musically gifted.
However, art is the only talent Sophie has but Donna doesn't show. The theory claims that this talent of Sophie’s is the only one that she could not have inherited from Donna, making it highly likely that Sophie inherited her skill from Sam. The theory also points out that Donna was with Sam for the longest period of time. Canonically, from flashbacks in Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Donna only slept with Harry and Bill once each, whereas she spent a week with Sam. This makes it more likely statistically for Sam to be Sophie’s biological dad.
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Why Bill’s Genetics Do Not Prove He Is Sophie’s Dad
Many Fans Theorize Bill Is Sophie's Dad Instead
it is significant that Bill was the only one of three potential dads that Sophie had a vulnerable song with, emphasizing their connection...
While the Sam theory is popular, a common assumption is that Bill is Sophie’s dad due to them both having blonde hair and the belief that both parents need to be blonde to have a blonde child. However, although a child is more likely to be blonde if both parents are, it is still possible for a child to be blonde with only one blonde parent. The TikTok theory even points out that Meryl Streep’s own children are blonde despite only her having blonde hair, and her husband/children’s father does not.
There are flaws in the Bill theory as Mamma Mia! is fictional and casting is a part of that. The for Bill being Sophie’s real dad is strong, with even Amanda Seyfried revealing she always hoped Bill was Sophie's biological dad.
Plus, Bill was the first person Sophie was convinced was her father as she is named after his Aunt Sophia, who left Donna money, and this realization was supposed to be accompanied by a song together in Mamma Mia! “The Name Of The Game” was unfortunately cut, but it is significant that Bill was the only one of three potential dads that Sophie had a vulnerable song with, emphasizing their connection.
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Other Mamma Mia Theories About Sophie's Dad
Movie Fans Have Theories About All Three Men
Because Sam is the man who ends up married to Donna, there’s a lot of focus paid to his character by the fans who speculate about the identity of Sophie’s biological father tend to have solid theories about all three of the men.
Bill has received a lot of attention because of his creativity and longing for adventure, qualities Sophie and Donna both share as well. Aside from the resemblance between the two, one Reddit also makes a good point about the time Donna and Bill spend together. They explain, “she was probably careful with Sam, but then he left and she was really sad and hooked up with Bill, probably significantly less careful.”
Bill and Donna sleeping together is something of a surprise for her. She goes sailing with Bill because she is sad about the breakup with Sam, and just looking to avoid thinking about her broken heart. She isn’t planning on sleeping with him. That spontaneity could be what leads to Sophie’s conception as Donna’s likely not thinking about any kind of birth control in that situation.
Another Redditor, however, points out what they believe is an Easter egg in the sequel that implies Harry is the father instead. They explain, “during the labor scenes there is an Eiffel Tour on a dresser with the mirror showing her going through contractions. Donna met Harry in Paris. I think this is an Easter Egg that HE is the dad.” While that could be the case, it could also be a nod to the time Donna spent there.
Another Redditor worked out the math from conception to birth for Sophie based on Donna’s diary entries that Sophie reads aloud in the first movie. According to the dates, Harry would be the most likely dad. Unfortunately, the dates used in the diary of the first movie don’t actually line up with the events of the second movie. With those events in the second movie, Bill becomes the most likely candidate to be Sophie’s father.
It’s unlikely that, even if a third Mamma Mia movie goes forward as the cast has hinted in the past, Sophie will ever find out who her biological father is though, and fans will continue to speculate.
Why Mamma Mia! Should Never Reveal Who Sophie’s Real Dad Is
Finding Out The Truth Would Undermine The Story
As intriguing as finding out who Sophie’s real dad is, Mamma Mia! should never reveal the father’s true identity. Theorizing has been a long-standing tradition in the Mamma Mia! fan base and will continue to be with the popularity of the franchise, but finding out the real father will ruin the story.
Mamma Mia!’s focus is on the acceptance and responsibility of family and, throughout Mamma Mia! and the sequel, Sophie realizes this. Sophie learns to love the system that Donna was never able to have and realizes that is more important than finding out her true biological father’s identity.
If Mamma Mia! 3 happens, it will re-spark the dad debate and there will be more pressure for Sophie to find out. However, revealing Sophie’s real dad in Mamma Mia! 3 would undercut the message of the first two movies and take away from the important role Donna played in Sophie’s life. Mamma Mia! has moved past the story of Sophie’s dad and revisiting it will make a third movie feel unoriginal, while also chipping away at the mystery in the first two movies.
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Mamma Mia!
- Release Date
- July 18, 2008
- Runtime
- 108 Minutes
- Director
- Phyllida Lloyd
Cast
Pierce Brosnan
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRENTBUYMamma Mia! is a musical film set on a Greek island where Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) seeks to discover the identity of her father before her wedding. The film stars Meryl Streep as her mother, Donna, and features numerous songs by ABBA. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, the story unfolds as three possible fathers, portrayed by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård, arrive on the island.
- Writers
- Catherine Johnson
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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
7/10- Release Date
- July 20, 2018
- Runtime
- 114minutes
- Director
- Ol Parker
Cast
-
Andy Garcia
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingRENTBUYA sequel to Mamma Mia! (2008), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is set five years after the events of the first film and follow Sophie Sheridan as she attempts to reopen the Hotel Bella Donna after the death of her mother. The film cuts back and forth between Sophia's struggles at the hotel and Donna's past, detailing how she met each of Sophie's three possible fathers introduced in the first film. The ensemble cast features Amanda Seyfried, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Stellan Skarsgård, Colin Firth, Andy Garcia, and Cher.
- Writers
- Ol Parker
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