Wild ‘The Little Mermaid’ fan theory hints at deadly dark secret

Under the conspira-sea.

Disney apparently had a multiverse long before they acquired Marvel: An unofficial House of Mouse detective sent shockwaves through Disney fandom after floating a rather dark fan theory that links the 1989 animated “Little Mermaid” with 1953’s “Peter Pan,” as seen in a TikTok clip with 6.6 million views.

“I can’t believe I just noticed this In The Little Mermaid,” self-proclaimed “movie detective” Ivan Mars exclaimed in the caption to the vid.

He frequently posts film-based conspiracy theories to his 2 million TikTok followers like some sort of cinematic “Da Vinci Code” — although users point out that many of his theories originated on Reddit.

The latest target for Mars’ cinematic tinfoil hat was the animated “Little Mermaid,” a film that’s been revived in the public conscious with the release of the divisive, live-action adaptation starring Halle Bailey, 23, which took home $48.3 million on its opening night Friday.

He specifically posited that Ariel’s mother Athena — who was killed by pirates, per the 2008 sequel “the Little Mermaid III” — was also in “Peter Pan.”

Accompanying footage shows a scene from the 1953 classic, in which Pan cavorts with a red-headed dead ringer for Ariel in the Mermaid Lagoon, which coincidentally shares a name with the place where Athena was attacked in the aforementioned sequel.

Due to the 36-year gap between “The Little Mermaid” and “Peter Pan,” fans have speculated that a young Athena would’ve probably looked a lot like her daughter at the time, according to Reddit.

And given her demise at the hands of pirates, fans suspected that Pan baddie Captain Hook may been to blame.

“Does this mean that Captain Hook killed Ariel’s mother???” spluttered Mars, echoing popular fan theories of Disney’s parallel universe.

Many cinema sleuths even suspected that it was Athena’s likeness adorning his ship’s prow.

And while maternal mortality is as synonymous with Disney as Mickey mouse ears, this is likely the first time it’s been blamed on a character from another flick.

This alleged crossover theory was supported by viewers with one commenting, “Most likely. Disney is all connected.”

“That’s why Ariel’s father didn’t let her go to the shore — it’s because pirates captured his wife!” exclaimed another, describing a major plot point in the original film.

Another wrote “I used to think Eric’s father’s ship killed Athena — which is why Triton hated the humans so much.”

“I’ve heard that Athena was a siren, and that’s why Ariel’s singing voice is so enchanting,” said a third. “Maybe she lured Captain Hook to her but he won the fight.”

Meanwhile, other TikTokkers suggested that Mars watch the ABC series “Once Upon a Time,” in which various classic Disney movie lines and characters — including Hook and Ariel — are intertwined like a Disneyfied version of Marvel’s “The Avengers” films.