Amazon’s Fallout adaptation is very much canon to the overall series timeline, which means you’ll need to pay attention to the finer details and plot points to keep up with that’s going on. So if you’re wondering why Moldaver kidnapped Hank in Fallout season 1, here’s what you need to know.
Before we go on, do be warned that this article contains major spoilers for the entire first season of Fallout.
Why Moldaver Attacked Vault 33 and Kidnapped Hank in Fallout
Essentially, Moldaver attacked Vault 33 in Fallout and kidnapped Hank as revenge against him for dropping a nuclear bomb on Shady Sands, and to stop him from helping Vault-Tec get their hands on the cold fusion reactor that could potentially produce infinite energy for the world. In addition to that, she also needed Hank for his Vault-Tec employee code to activate the cold fusion reactor that she had developed during the pre-war period.
Why Does Moldaver Need Hank for the Cold Fusion?
During the pre-war period, we get to know Moldaver as Ms Williams, who reveals herself as a scientist and researcher who was close to developing an infinite energy source for the world. But because this would go against Vault-Tec’s plans for selling the Vaults when the end of the world comes, they bought up her company and every other company she’d ever worked for, and took control of her research.
When this happened, the cold fusion reactor becomes proprietary for Vault-Tec, meaning that you need a Vault-Tec employee access ID and passcode to activate it. 200 years later, Moldaver finally manages to track Hank down, and tries to get him to give her his passcode so she can activate the reactor. This likely isn’t the only reason for the kidnapping, though, as there’s more to the story.
The Bombing of Shady Sands
Moldaver also established herself as the leader of Shady Sands in the New California Republic, and while her initial goal was to use Hank for his passcode, she likely also wanted to hunt him down for revenge for what he did to Shady Sands.
As we get through the episodes, it’s eventually revealed that Lucy’s mother had actually taken her two children out of Vault 33 and escaped to Shady Sands to get away from Hank and Vault-Tec. The corporation was revealed to have dropped the nuclear bomb and started the Great War, which led to the entire world turning into an apocalyptic wasteland. Vault-Tec wanted to ensure that the Dwellers of Vault 31 would eventually be able to breed with the denizens of Vaults 32 and 33 — which were labeled as breeding pools for Vault 31’s most loyal Vault-Tec employees — and Lucy’s mother wanted no part of that.
The problem was that Hank himself was a loyal Vault-Tec employee, and he was determined to preserve the vision of the corporation and squash any threat that showed itself. This meant following his wife to Shady Sands, taking his children back to Vault 33, and dropping a bomb on Shady Sands, which also killed his own wife in the process.
Years later, Moldaver finally gathers her NCR raiders to take over Vault 32, where they were able to infiltrate Vault 33 to get to Hank. Instead of killing him on the spot, however, she took him back up to the surface world.
Before this arc gets to develop any further, Hank is able to flee to New Vegas, and it’s likely that we’ll get even more details about Hank’s connection with Moldaver in the next season.
And that’s why Moldaver wanted to attack Vault 33 and kidnap Hank in Fallout.
