Welcome back to Pretty Little Investigation, a weekly column that will take you into the deepest secrets that Rosewood has to offer. We’ll examine every last loose thread, shady character, and unanswered question in order to crack the prettiest little mystery of all: Who is Uber “A?”

We are finally less than a month away from the final season of Pretty Little Liars, which means we’re also less than a month away from getting some serious answers. After almost a decade of clue-scavenging, anagram-solving, and theory-building, Rosewood’s ultimate villain will finally be unmasked.

As fans know, there’s no way that Uber “A” can be someone random. That’s why the show’s many red herrings are often only distractions, not plausible suspects. We’ve examined the possibility that one of the Liars’ significant others could be “A,” which would undoubtedly be a heartbreaking ending. Can you imagine the tears if it turned out to be Caleb in that hoodie?

But if we’re being honest, there’s one ending that would be even more twisted than a love interest turning into a villain…what if one of the Liars is Uber “A?” It sounds impossible at first (after all, they’ve all been tortured by “A” so how exactly would that work?) but upon further inspection, it might be the perfect plot twist. Let’s take a look at each of the girls and see how their reveal might play out.


©ABC Family/courtesy Everett Collection

We’re getting Aria out of the way first, because fans have suspected her as “A” since the beginning of the series, or, at least since she drew her name on the window of the Halloween Train with that “A” at the end.

One of the biggest clues came earlier in the series, during Mona’s string of riddles while she was in Radley. In a sing-song voice, she says, “Miss Aria, you’re a killer, not Ezra’s wife.” Of course, the Liars later figure out that this is a secret message by taking the first letter of every word to spell out: “Maya knew.” But it’s hard not to wonder why Mona chose those words to convey her message, and if it’s somehow a hint to what might happen in later episodes.

Another clue involves Eddie Lamb; the mysterious man from Radley. When he first meets Aria, he pauses, saying that she seems familiar, that he thinks he knows her from somewhere. Could that mean that Aria has been in Radley before? Perhaps…when she was supposed to be in Iceland?


Incidentally, the most recent season of PLL contains a few clues that definitely raise eyebrows about Aria. Some fans found it strange that when the Liars stumbled upon Mary Drake’s secret lair and found all the files she had been keeping on the girls, Aria’s file was noticeably missing. Then later, we see Uber “A” with a manila folder that has Aria’s name on it. It definitely makes us wonder: could that be Aria in the black hoodie, trying to cover up what’s inside her file?

Some fans speculate that Aria has actually been “A” all along, and that she blackmailed both Mona and Charlotte into working for her. But one thing to consider is that the creators of the show definitely keep tabs on fan theories (think about Sara Harvey’s death scene), and it’s possible that they’re trying to throw us off with any suspicious Aria moments.

ProbAbility: 5 out of 10 hoodies.


©ABC Family/courtesy Everett Collection

Out of all the Liars, Emily has probably been suspected the least as “A,” which would make for a really shocking reveal. One fan points out that Emily definitely has a darker side – and a jealous streak – that only come out once in a while, but those qualities could easily lend themselves to working as “A.”

Additionally, many fans noticed that Emily seemed different after the time jump. The fact that there’s a 5-year gap built into the series allows the writers to fill in the blanks for us later, which might shed some light on Emily’s experiences while in California.

Another theory alleges that Emily might have become Uber “A” with the goal of getting revenge after Maya’s death. Despite the fact that Maya hasn’t been a character since the first season, her murder has always been a mysterious cloud that has hung over Rosewood.

There’s also yet another twisted theory floating around the internet that speculates that Ali might be carrying Emily’s baby. (Remember, Emily had her eggs harvested after the time jump.) In one episode, we see Ali being wheeled down a hall on a hospital bed into a bright light, leading some fans to think that she’d been taken into surgery by “A.” Later, Ali is revealed to be pregnant. An Emison baby under any other circumstances would probably make a lot of shippers happy, but if this theory proves true, these are not those circumstances.


On the other hand, Emily is seen as one of the most loyal Liars. She cares deeply about Alison, and seems willing to do anything to protect her friends. She’d need one detailed backstory in order to truly convince fans that she’s a villain.

ProbAbility: 2 out of 10 hoodies


©ABC Family/courtesy Everett Collection

Like Emily, Hanna hasn’t popped up in fan theories too much, so it would certainly make jaws drop if she became “A.” One huge thing to consider is the fact that Hanna is really smart. Sure, she’s done some pretty careless things throughout the show’s seven seasons, but remember when Caleb found her SAT scores, and she totally aced the test? It’s important not to underestimate her.

Some fans think that Hanna has been plotting to take over the “A” game since season 1, when she became the most popular girl in school after Ali’s disappearance. She also has a lot to resent Ali for, as she picked on her the most out of all the Liars.

Another theory points to Hanna’s involvement with shady characters, such as Wren, Holbrook, and Lucas. This fan speculates that she may have been building an “A” team by keeping her “enemies” close.

However, there’s a few things that work against the “Hanna is ‘A’” theories. The biggest detail, of course, is the fact that she was literally kidnapped and tortured by Uber “A,” so it would be pretty twisted if she had orchestrated that herself. Hanna has also grown tremendously as a character, and she’s taken charge this past season to protect her friends – remember when she interrogated Noel? It seems hard to believe that she’d turn her back on the girls now.

ProbAbility: 3 out of 10 hoodies


©ABC Family/courtesy Everett Collection

Last summer, a fan theory about Spencer surfaced online, and it was a total game-changer. The theory speculated that Spencer was also Charlotte’s killer, after she possibly created her own perfect alibi with that criminology essay. It also pointed out that Spencer might have spent time in Radley, and that the infamous Maddie Ziegler dance sequence was actually a flashback of young Spencer. The kicker was the idea that Spencer could somehow be intertwined with the Drake and DiLaurentis families.

Of course, now that we’ve seen the 7A finale, we know that Spencer is actually Mary Drake’s daughter. While some people might think this could mean there’s no way she’s “A” (would the show really pull two reveals like that?) there are some other little clues to consider.

One super-dark theory alleges that Spencer could have killed Jessica DiLaurentis. There was a great deal of tension between the two women (after all, Jessica accused Spencer of killing Ali at one point) and we already know that their families are wildly tangled.

However, some fans think there might be more than one Spencer. Remember that eerie dream that Hanna had while she was captured? In the dream, Spencer came to her rescue, telling her: “If there's a way in, there’s a way out.” Some fans noticed that her signature bangs were missing in the dream, raising the question: What if that wasn’t really Spencer? Could it be that Spencer also has a twin, and that one of them ends up as Uber “A?” Think about it: twins do run in families, and if Jessica and Mary are twins, it’s entirely possible that Spencer has a twin too.

If Spencer does have a twin…there’s a strong possibility that it’s none other than Bethany Young. Consider this: Bethany was also at Radley. She’s played a huge role in the series so far, and yet…we’ve never seen her face. This theory even wonders if Spencer could be one of the twins from Ali’s creepy Halloween story (and perhaps Bethany is the other). The fan notices that Spencer actually has the same birthmark on her nose as the little girl in Ali’s tale. A coincidence? You know what they say about coincidences in Rosewood.

ProbAbility: 7 out of 10 hoodies


©ABC Family/courtesy Everett Collection

If Ali was revealed to be Uber “A,” the show would inevitably come full circle. We began the series by thinking that the messages signed by “A” were coming from Ali, so in a way, it would make so much sense if it was revealed to be her all along. We also know that Uber “A” goes by the nickname “A.D.” which are Ali’s initials. It sounds obvious, but sometimes the answer to the biggest mystery is right under your nose.


One fan on Tumblr points out that I. Marlene King has told viewers that Uber “A” used Charlotte’s death as a motivator to take over the “A” game. Out of anyone on the show, it’s clear that Ali was most affected by Charlotte’s murder, and it would be completely understandable if it sent her into a quest for revenge.

Another theory loops in that mysterious flash-forward that has been haunting us for over a year. In the short scene, we see Ali in her classroom and the other Liars rush in to tell her: “He’s coming for you.” When we all first saw that scene, we thought that meant that “A” was coming for her…but what if it’s the police, coming to arrest Ali for her crimes? Marlene has promised that we’d get answers about that classroom scene in the final season, so we know it will come into play somehow.

Of course, the biggest snag in the Ali theory has to do with Elliott/Archer. If Ali is “A,” then how do we account for the time that Archer had her locked up in a hospital? One fan thinks that they might have been in on it together, with a joint plan to take down Mary Drake and avenge Charlotte’s death.

Ultimately, the biggest clues for Ali exist within her personality. We know that she’s a mastermind schemer, and has basically controlled the Liars’ lives for the entirety of the series. And because she’s gained our trust over the years (and it certainly wasn’t easy), it would definitely be shocking and heartbreaking if she was revealed to be a villain all along. But let’s be honest: that’s the ending a lot of fans are hoping for, isn’t it?

ProbAbility: 8 out of 10 hoodies

Related: Why the Pretty Little Love Interests Might Be Uber "A"

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