Blade Runner / Deckard is a Replicant

Deckard is a Replicant Because:

  • Ridley Scott and Harrison Ford have stated that Deckard was meant to be a replicant. In Details (US) October 1992 Ford says:
    Blade Runner was not one of my favorite films. I tangled with Ridley. The biggest problem was that at the end, he wanted the audience to find out that Deckard was a replicant. I fought that because I felt the audience needed somebody to cheer for.

    Also, check out Ridley Scott's opinion on the matter.

  • The shooting script had a voice-over where Deckard says, "I knew it on the roof that night. We were brothers, Roy Batty and I!"

  • Gaff knew that Deckard dreamt of a unicorn, therefore Gaff knew what dreams that Deckard had been implanted with. (BRDC only)

  • Replicants have a penchant for photographs, because it gives them a tie to their non-existent past. Deckard's flat is packed with photos, and none of them are recent or in color. Despite her memories, Rachael needed a photo as an emotional cushion. Likewise, Deckard would need photos, despite his memory implants. Rachael plays the piano, and Deckard has a piano in his flat.

  • Gaff tells him "You've done a man's job, sir!". Early drafts of the script have him then add: "But are you sure you are man? It's hard to be sure who's who around here."

  • Only a replicant could survive the beatings that Deckard takes, and then struggle up the side of a building with two dislocated fingers.

  • Bryant's threat "If you're not a cop, you're little people" might be an allusion to Deckard being created solely for police work.

  • Deckard's eyes glow (yellow-orange) when he tells Rachael that he wouldn't go after her, "but someone would". Deckard is standing behind Rachael, and he's out of focus.

  • Roy knew Deckard's name, yet he was never told it.

  • The police would not risk a human to hunt four powerful replicants, particularly since replicants were designed for such dangerous work. Of course Deckard would have to think he was human or he might not be willing to hunt down other replicants.

  • Gaff seems to follow Deckard everywhere -- he is at the scene of all the Replicant retirings almost immediately. Gaff is always with Deckard when the chief is around. This suggests that Gaff is the real Blade Runner, and that Deckard is only a tool Gaff uses for the dirty work.

    • Blade Runner

    Murray Chapman