From Vladimir Putin to alien abductions, many imaginative theorists have been producing many ideas – some that have people thinking, “Hmmm… possibly…” and others scoffing in outright ludicrousness – about flight MH370 of the Malaysian Airlines, which disappeared over the Indian Ocean in March 2014. With the exception of a plane fragment found on Reunion Island, the plane and its passengers have not been found since, leaving families of the missing passengers clutching for hope. The disappearance, from March 8, 2014, has led to the rise of absurd  conspiracy theories and stories. For example, a teenager from a small Philippine island falsely claimed he found some of the remnants; others, perhaps avid science fiction fans, believe that aliens abducted the plane. In a survey of 1,008 American adults, nine percent believe that “space aliens or beings from another dimension were involved.” Another survey by Reason.com shows that five percent of 1,003 adults believe the disappearance was linked to supernatural activity. Online bloggers cite the fact that there have been recent UFO sightings in Malaysia, and others, like CNN host Don Lemon, perpetuate the belief that black holes could possibly be linked to the disappearance… sure.

Another evolving theory is that North Korea, a highly elusive nation, hijacked MH370. The plane was supposedly seen turning northeast, in the direction of North Korea, before disappearing.  Also, in 1969, North Korea hijacked another airplane and its passengers. With other pieces of “evidence,” the theory has been shot down by many. One reason is that North Korea had good ties with Malaysia, and had no reasonable motives to break that alliance.

And of course, the public simply had to bring Vladimir Putin into the mix. According to a CNN aviation analyst Jeff Wise, Putin commanded Russian forces to hijack MH370 and fly it to a port in Kazakhstan. Jeff Wise, who was prominent during the coverage at that time, claims that Russia had many motives to hijack the plane, one of which includes proving to United States of how they could hurt them. Additionally, he thinks that the navigation data for the plane was “spooked.”

Many other theories – such as, “Did the plane truly exist?” – have gained prominence across many websites like Reddit. While many are absurd – *cough cough, alien abductions, cough cough* – the truly creative imagination of many online theorists have been evident. Until then, let’s hope that more news about MH370’s disappearance will be found.