How did Mal get involved in all the dream invasion stuff to begin with?

A: It’s seems pretty clear from the context of the movie that Mal and Cobb were married and
engaged in legitimate dream exploration together before Mal’s death. After her death, Cobb was
forced to use his knowledge of dreams to become a thief.

How do the never-ending staircases work, and how was Arthur able to use one without
Ariadne, as the architect, there to alter the architecture?
A: The never-ending staircases are paradoxes (logical fallacies that can’t exist in reality). Though
Ariadne designed the levels and probably designed the staircase, in the level where Arthur uses it
he's the dreamer. Similar shortcuts were worked in, in advance, to the snow dream by Eams.
Ariadne tells Cobb about them when they need a faster route to the fortress.

What causes the loss of gravity in the hotel dream world?

A: As it is in real life, the dreamer's dream can be affected by things happening outside the
dream. If it gets cold while you’re sleeping, sometimes people dream of ice or snow. If a
person falls out of bed, sometimes they’ll dream of skydiving or falling in their dream. So when
the van in the dream level above the hotel falls off the bridge, the motion of those inside the van
is thrown off, and that feeling of falling carries over into the dream, making it as though there’s
no gravity in the hotel level below the van. This effect does not, however, seem to extend any
further than one level in a dream within a dream within a dream.

Arthur blows up an elevator to create a Kick in anti-gravity. How does that work?
A: Since there is no gravity, Arthur disconnects the elevator from the cables and then uses an
explosion to propel it, as it would be propelled if there were gravity. When it hits the bottom
they're shaken around, creating a Kick. Arthur uses the elevator because he needs a way to insure
that the Kick occurs quickly and to everyone at once so he doesn't have to do them one at a time,
in much the same way the falling van drops them together.

After he’s shot and killed, they resuscitate Fisher Jr. Why couldn’t they save Saito in the
same way?
A: This one had us stumped but Max Miller offers this explanation in the comments below:
"Saito is shot on the first level of the dream, but doesn't die until the third. If they resuscitated
him on the third level, it would only bring him back to the second where he was still dying, and
if he survived that, then it would only bring him back to the first where he was dying the fastest
anyway. Meanwhile, since Fischer was shot on the third level and sent to Limbo, his "bodies" on
the other two levels were totally fine. The kick from the defibrillator timed correctly with the
falling sensation he experienced after Ariadne pushed him off the building was enough to bring
him back to normal level 3 so he could complete the mission. If she had just shot him again
down in Limbo, he probably would have woken up for real and the mission would have failed."

Aren’t you supposed to be alone in limbo? Why are Cobb’s projections of his wife and kids
there?
A: Our understanding is that limbo only contains things you’ve built in it, which could explain
why Cobb’s limbo has so few projections. The projection of his wife is something he tells Mal at
the end that he’s tried to recreate over time, so it could be that she’s more than a projection and is
actually an intentional creation of his. Similarly, Saito could have created the guards which
populate his limbo.

If the world with crumbling buildings is Cobb’s limbo, what is the place he ends up in with
Saito?
A: Two different theories possible, let’s break them down one at a time:

Theory 1 The simplest answer here would be that this world isn’t actually limbo but a deeper
level which perhaps Cobb has mistaken for limbo or misrepresented as limbo. You have to die to
go to limbo and neither Cobb nor Ariadne dies in the ice fortress, they merely go to sleep
again and enter Cobb's dream, which only resembles the world he and Mal built in limbo because
Cobb has created it. (Their kids weren't with them in their original limbo, so if this were limbo
again, why would they magically be there with them to live happily ever after?) Also, Cobb
could have deliberately been planning how the whole level worked out - he used it to detach
himself from Mal, create a projection of Fischer to compel Ariadne to get out and not go into
limbo and stayed as the whole thing crumbled to get to the real limbo to help Saito. And maybe
that's the reason Fischer can be revived. He wasn't really shot dead.

Theory 2 But since Ariadne tried to kill herself to escape it, and we know that killing yourself in
any level but limbo will only send you to limbo, it seems as though Ariadne must have believed
she was in limbo. If the crumbling city level really is a form of limbo, could that mean both
Cobb and Saito in limbo, but in different limbos? If dreams are the machinations of the
subconscious, and limbo is the subconscious that Cobb has built, the locations are one in the
same. It’s the same reason why Cobb can no longer work as an architect. Perhaps Cobb and
Saito’s final locations are the same place. If so, how does Cobb find Saito’s fortress? How does
he end up on that beach? We’re full of questions on this one, but given the context of the movie
this theory seems like the most likely of the two.

Why is Saito so much older than Cobb in the final dream level?
A: It's likely that Cobb and Saito are in limbo for the same amount of time, however Cobb knows
he's in limbo, so perhaps this keeps him from aging visibly. Saito on the other hand seems to
have forgotten where he is, and so the passage of time (which could have been decades since
time runs faster the deeper you go) has more of an affect on him. Similarly, the first time Cobb
and Mal end up in limbo they aged because they've forgotten where they really are and accepted
it as their reality.

Does Cobb’s totem keep spinning at the end or is it about to fall off the table?
A: The fact that the film cuts away before we know for certain suggests that they want us to keep
guessing. But we think it kept spinning. Here’s our reasoning: Note that at the end of the film
Cobb’s kids haven’t aged. They match exactly his memory of them. A memory which must
almost surely by now be out of date, since he’s been away from them for many months. Though
he finally sees their faces, otherwise they look exactly as he envisioned them. They're even
wearing the same clothes. In reality, his kids would now be older and different than his memories
of them. This could suggest that Cobb is still in the dream and the top does indeed keep spinning
after the credits roll.

Alternate Theory Aaron points this out in our comments section: "In the opening moments you
get a glimpse of Leo's hand. Specifically, he's wearing his wedding ring. Now, if you follow the
rest of the movie keeping an eye out for this you will notice that he only has the ring on when
he's in the dream world. At the end of the movie he isn't wearing the ring." If the ring only
appears when he's in a dream and he's not wearing at the end of the film, that could be
confirmation that in fact, the top does stop spinning after the credits and Cobb is at last in the real
world.

If the top really does keep spinning at the end and Cobb’s reality really is a dream, then
why didn’t it keep spinning when he tried it earlier in the film?
A: Assuming for a moment that Cobb is still in the dream when the movie ends, it doesn’t
necessarily mean he was in a dream for the entire film. The Cobb we see at the end could in fact
be a man still trapped in limbo. This seems unlikely though since the film seems to indicate that
Saito and Cobb killed themselves to escape it, right before waking up on the plane. See alternate
theory.

Alternate Theory Ivan in the comments below suggests that it's still possible that the entire movie
could be a dream because the totem may only work to ensure you're not in someone else's dream.
"Think about it, YOU know your totem's trick exactly so if you were in your own host dream
then you could replicate it perfectly. It is only when you are in someone else's dream that your
totem does not behave in it's trick form since that host cannot architect it so. This is why nobody
knows the trick functionality of anyone else's totem!"

How do Cobb and Saito survive limbo for such an extended period of time? Isn’t your
mind supposed to burn out in there?
A: The film never actually says your mind will burn out there, merely suggest that you'll become
lost there and be unable to find your way out. The real obstacle to getting out of limbo seems to
be realizing that you're in limbo. At the end of the film, it takes an appearance by Cobb to remind
Saito that the world he's in isn't real, and once he realizes Saito reaches for a gun and,
presumably, shoots himself in order to escape. It could be that your brain only actually is
damaged out if you stay in Limbo for the full term, or if you stay there after the machine
connection powering the dream is disconnected.

If the dream they enter at the end of the film belongs to Fisher Jr., then why does Cobb
enter the limbo he built with his wife? Shouldn’t it be Fisher Jr.’s limbo?
A: The snow fort dream is not Fisher's. That dream belongs to Eams. Each level is dreamt by a
different member of Cobb's team, and then Fisher's subconcious is brought in to fill it. The first
level is dreamed by Yusuf, who then stays behind to drive the van and initiate a kick to bring
them back. The second level is dreamt by Arthur, who then stays behind to put them in the
elevator and initiate another kick. The third level is dreamed by Eams, who again stays behind to
plant explosives on the building, which drops them and initiates another Kick. The final level is
Limbo. Limbo is a shared environment not limited to a single subconscious. Limbo contains
nothing, excep the remnants of whatever might have been built by someone who has been there
before. Cobb has been there before, so limbo contains the buildings he and his wife built over the
50 years they spent there.

If Mal and Cobb grew old together in Limbo, and we see them as an elderly couple, why
are they young when at the end of the time in limbo they kill themselves on the railroad
tracks?
A: The most likely explanation for this is that Cobb's memory of their youth was merely a
fantasy of his, and in truth they aged together as we saw. This is supported by the film. The first
time we see Cobb envisioning them killed by the train, they're young. A close up shot of their
hands clasped reveals their hands to be young as well. Later when Cobb tells the real story of
how they escaped limbo, we see their hands clasped on the railroad tracks and they're older and
wrinkled, just as Cobb and Mal are when we see them walking through the city while Cobb talks
about them growing old together. It seems likely this is the true version of the story and the
version in which they're younger is part of the delusion Cobb constructed which was visited by
Ariadne.

How did Cobb and Mal end up in Limbo in the first place?
A: The movie suggests it was an accident, caused by Cobb's desire to keep going deeper and
deeper into the dream until he went too deep. Several different ways this could have been
accomplished, perhaps they used the same type of sedation as Yusuf used and then intentionally
killed themselves just to see what would happen.

Why did Cobb perform Inception on Mal?

A: Cobb and Mal were trapped in Limbo for 50 years, unaware that their world wasn't real. Cobb
eventually discovered the truth, but Mal refused to accept it. In order to get Mal to kill herself
and return to the real world, Cobb performed Inception on her, planting the idea that the world
wasn't real in her mind. This worked, they killed themselves and escaped Limbo. Unfortunatley,
the idea remained in Mal's mind and once they returned, she was unable to accept that the real
world wasn't a dream.

Who were the dreamers for the different levels?

A: Level one, with the van, was dreamed by Yusuf (Dileep Rao). Level 2 in the hotel was
dreamed by Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Level 3 with the snow fort was dreamed by Eams
(Tom Hardy). The final level was Limbo and dreamed by no one, since it's a place of shared
consciousness.

How does the Architect have control over someone else's dream?
A: The Architect designs the dream levels in the real world, and then teaches the level design to
the dreamer.

How does the Forger work?

A: Eams is the Forger. This name has two meanings. In the real world he can forge identities
using his contacts and his ability to fake documents. In the dream world, he can alter his
appearance and take on the personality of someone else he's studied, probably using much the
same methods used to construct buildings.

Was Ariadne somehow aware of the numbers Fischer would come up with or did she
change the hotel's floor plan so that 491 would be below 528?
A: It seems impossible that they could have known in advance, they must have left a blank place
in their design to be filled in with the numbers as they learned them. If anyone has any other
theories on this, sound off in the comments!

Why did dying wake dreamers up early in the movie, but later in the movie it sent them to
Limbo?
A: The film explains this as being due to the types of sedatives used on the dreamers during the
final sequence. When normal sedatives are used, death wakes you up. But in order to go three
dream levels deep, heavier sedatives must be used, causing this unwanted side-effect.

Why didn't Arthur wake up when the van drove off the bridge?
A: When the van drives off the bridge, Cobb says they missed the first Kick. This is
understandable since Cobb, Eams, Ariadne, and Fisher Jr. are two levels below it and can only be
awakened by a kick in the level above them, where Arthur is. But Arthur is in the level directly
below the vans, and the rules of the movie do seem to suggest that he should have awakened by
that Kick. Perhaps experienced dreamers have some control over whether a Kick wakes them
up? We're a little baffled by this one, let us know if you have a better theory.

Alternate Theory CB reader Jordan offers this possible explanation: Ealier in the movie Arthur
tells Ariadne that if Yusuf kicks too early then they won't wake up. While normally in order to
wake up you must recieve a Kick in the level above, this isn't true when using the special
sedative. Instead with the sedative it takes two synchronized Kicks. In order to be Kicked when
under the sedative you had to be kicked in both levels simultaneously. Arthur didn't have the
second Kick ready when the van drove off the bridge, so he wasn't awakened by the van falling
off the bridge.

Why did Ariadne jump off the building in Cobb's limbo if Eames was going to wake her up
with his Kick in the level above?
A: Ariadne may not have been certain Eames' Kick would work, so she was attempting to kill
herself by jumping off the building. Even though we'd been told killing yourself inside the dream
would only push you into limbo, Cobb has just told her that once he got to limbo with Mal they
escaped by killing themselves so Ariadne knows that death is a way to escape, even though in
this case it wasn't necessary.

Alternate Theory Because of the sedative it may require two, synchronized Kicks in two levels to
wake someone, instead of the single Kick normally used.

When Arthur plans his Kick, why is it important for everyone to wake up at the same
time?
A: We're not entirely sure it is. It's more important that he wake them up quickly when it comes
time for the Kick, to time it to occur at the same time as the Kick in the level above. By putting
them in the elevator he can give them a Kick all at once, and synchronize it with the other Kicks.

What did Cobb putting a spinning top inside the safe mean?
A: The safe is a creation of the subconscious that Cobb exploits, in this case Mal. The safes are
constructed so that the dreamer believes that it is a safe place for them to store their secrets. The
top is Mal's totem, which she uses to determine whether she's in a dream. If it never stops
spinning, that tells Mal that she's in a dream. By placing a constantly spinning totem in the safe,
Cobb is placing an idea (and a very simple one) inside her subconscious. It's not that she saw the
totem spinning, but that it was always spinning in her subconcious mind. This is why she thought
she was trapped in the dream world.

Why did Cobb need to use Inception on Mal to convince her to kill herself? Couldn't he
have simply snuck up on her and shot her?
A: Concievably. But perhaps Cobb, madly in love with Mal, simply couldn't bring himself to do
it. Remember, he was barely able to shoot a projection of her. It might be all but impossible to
kill the real Mal, no matter how important he thought it was to do so.

Updated 7/16 At 7:52PM PST

A Kick: By upsetting the equilibrium of a dreamer you can wake them from a dream and return
them to reality. If you’re dreaming a dream within a dream, each level of the dream has to have
its own Kick in order for the one on the higher level to work. So Arthur blew up the elevator to
wake them up from the snow fortress dream so they could then be woken up by the car hitting
the water.

Limbo: A place where dreamers may end up if they go too deeply. It’s a place where time runs
quickly and people seem to forget reality. We’re told a person flung there might burn out their
mind, though somehow Saito, Cobb, and Mal all survive it and escape. Because of the drugs used
in the dreamers in Inceptions final mission, we learn a dreamer can in this one instance also be
flung into limbo if they’re killed in the dream.

Inception: The practice of entering dreams and planting an idea in someone’s head. Normally
Cobb and his team only invade dreams to steal secrets and they aren’t sure if Inception is really
possible.

The Architect: The person who constructs the dream world inside the mind of the Dreamer. In
the final dream of Inception, Ariadne (as played by Ellen Page) is the architect.

The Dreamer: The person whose dream you're actually in. When creating a dream within a
dream, each level must have a different dreamer. In the final sequence, Yusuf dreams the first
level, Arthur dreams the second one, and Eams dreams the third level with the snow fort.

The Subject: The person whose subconcious is actually brought into the dream, usually for the
purpose of extracting information from them or on rare occasions in order to plant an idea in
their mind. In the final sequence, Fisher Jr. is the subject.

Totem: An object constructed by someone who plans to invade a dream, whose exact weight and
composition only they know. This object can be used to help verify whether you’re in the real
world, or the dream world. Cobb uses a top which, when spun inside a dream never stops
spinning. Ariadne constructs a chess piece, which she plans to use as her totem.

Projection: A person created by the subconcious mind of the subject. Projections are not real.
They function like white blood cells and should the subject begin to realize that the dream he's in
isn't his, Projections respond violently and attempt to seek out the Dreamer and destroy him.

Now it’s your turn. Think you have better answers? Have questions we haven’t already posed?
Post them in the comments section below.