AboutWhat does the meme depict?

The Conspiracy Keanu meme features an image of the actor Keanu Reeves displaying a look of alarm or fear, drawn from a 1989 comedy film, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. In the specific frame used for the meme, Keanu’s character, Ted, appears petrified, which adds to the comedic effect when paired with text. The accompanying captions usually consist of paranoid suspicions or bizarre philosophical queries that echo similar themes found in other meme formats like Paranoid Parrot, Philosoraptor, and Stoner Dog.

OriginWho did it first?

The meme originated from a slideshow by New York Magazine's Vulture Blog published on December 11th, 2008, which was entitled Vulture’s Complete Field Guide to the Facial Expressions of Keanu Reeves. The slideshow featured various expressions of Keanu Reeves captured from his movies, with one specific image from the film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure where his character is fleeing from medieval knights. This image later became popular on social media, first used as a reaction image on the Fark forums on September 17th, 2010. The first image macro, featuring the classic Conspiracy Keanu format, was posted on the r/funny subreddit on June 2nd, 2011, which can be seen here.^[1]

Origin: 2011