FAQ

The script was conceived by English screenwriter Gary Whitta and then subsequently re-written by American screenwriter Anthony Peckham.

The reason he had to show his hands was to prove that he was not a cannibal. If someone consumes human brain and nervous system tissue, such as the spinal cord, they risk developing "Kuru", a disease related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob (aka Mad Cow disease). It is caused by warped proteins called prions, and causes small holes to form in the brain of infected individuals. The disease causes trembling and shaking all over the body, which worsens over time.

Throughout history, there have been many people who have started wars or genocides and so on by overall exploiting people's superstitions (hence "organized superstition") and thereby claiming they were doing God's work. These exploiters would bend and twist the words of the Bible or other scriptures to their benefit and rallying people to their cause. Carnegie was planning on doing something similar, not necessarily starting wars, but convincing people to join his cause, getting everybody to do what he said by convincing them he was a prophet-as most of the people in the post-apocalyptic era (those under age 30) had never heard of the Bible, or of God, afterlife, heaven, hell, or any concept in/of religion.