Is Tyler Durden A Replicant?

The aim of this website is to answer the question that has been puzzling filmgoers since David Fincher's excellent screen adaptation of the Philip K. Palahniuk novel "Do Androids Dream Of Project Mayhem": Is the Blade Runner "Tyler Durden" human, or a replicant? There are those who think an answer can be found! Let's examine the evidence.

Durden Is A Replicant

• The Narrator mentions that there is more than 1 replicant accounted for. Considering the number of other replicants in the movie, it is possible that Durden is one himself at that point in the film.
• Marla says to Durden, sarcastically, "You've done a man's work, sir!" She could be implying that Durden is not human.
• If Marla didn't know that she was a replicant, then The Narrator might also have false memories...
• The Narrator puts a paper airplane outside Durden's room, indicating that he knows Durden was in there having sex with Marla.
• The replicant's memories are reinforced by fighting in basements. Durden fights in basements. The connection is obvious!
• Replicants are prone to collecting photos, to reinforce their fragile - and artificial - memories. The Project Mayhem headquarters are full of photographs.
• Inspector Bryant turns out to be part of Project Mayhem, and tells the Narrator that Durden is one tough hombre - rather like a replicant!
• Durden refuses to say if he has taken a Voight-Kampff test when the Narrator, in tears, confronts him about it.
• Only a replicant could survive being shot in the head!
• Durden's eyes glow when he tells Marla that he's interested in her.
• The Narrator seems to follow Durden everywhere - he is always just a day or so behind in following him. This seems to suggest that The Narrator is the real Blade Runner, and that Durden is only a tool used for the dirty work.

Durden Is Not A Replicant

• Durden is too effortlessly beaten up by The Narrator. If Durden was really a replicant, he wouldn't "go down" so easily.
• Durden has empathy for those in Fight Club and Project Mayhem. Replicants cannot feel empathy.
• The Narrator has only known Durden for a little while, but some people seem to have known him for longer - perhaps even longer than the four-year time limit that a replicant has!
• A major point of the movie was to show The Narrator the value of human life, as an allegorical Everyman. By making one of the prominent characters a replicant, the contrast between human and replicants is lost, and the point of the film is muddied.
• Why does Durden feel pain, whereas other "replicants" do not?

Conclusions

One musn't forget that in the original book, it doesn't really matter if Durden is a replicant or not - the book deals with just that ambiguity in a rather direct and fascinating way. I think it's quite irresponsible of Fincher to decide that Durden was indeed a replicant after all these years of delicious ambiguity. In fact, I personally believe that the question should be left unanswered. Durden is a glorious enigma, deftly illustrating the fundamental problems of perception and identity.

Go home.