In the shadowy underbelly of Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, where elite boarding school scandals brew like fine wine and family secrets fester like open wounds, fans have unearthed what might be the most explosive theory yet: Is Percy, the ever-loyal family chauffeur, actually James Beaufort’s biological father? The internet, that relentless hive of speculation, is buzzing with conviction that the brooding heir to the crumbling Beaufort empire isn’t the silver-spoon spawn of tyrannical tycoon Mortimer Beaufort at all. Instead, this mind-bending rumor posits Percy as the true paternal figure, a revelation that could rewrite James’s entire arc of privilege, pain, and forbidden romance. From cryptic “secret keys” unlocking hidden vaults to Cordelia Beaufort’s unwavering trust in the driver during her final days, and Mortimer’s seething disdain for his son that borders on outright loathing—the clues, fans argue, are everywhere. Now, as Season 2’s gut-wrenching finale still echoes across social media, star Damian Hardung has finally broken his silence on the “mind-blowing” chatter, teasing just enough to fuel the fire without dousing it. In a recent chat that has theorists in a frenzy, Hardung calls it his favorite fan guess, hinting at blood tests, car crashes, and buried truths that could shatter the Beaufort dynasty forever. With Season 3’s volcanic trailer already dropping bombshells like Mortimer’s arrest, is this the twist that finally topples the house of cards?

For those still navigating the treacherous halls of Maxton Hall‘s world—Prime Video’s German-language juggernaut that’s outpaced even The Summer I Turned Pretty in global obsession—the series thrives on its cocktail of class warfare, steamy tension, and paternal poison. Adapted from Mona Kasten’s Save Me trilogy but with showrunners boldly veering into uncharted territory, the narrative centers on Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten), the scholarship firebrand clashing against the gilded cage of Maxton Hall College. Her electric enemies-to-lovers tango with James Beaufort (Damian Hardung) isn’t just teen drama gold; it’s a scalpel slicing into inherited trauma and the rot of unchecked power. James, the lacrosse-star heir with a jawline sharp enough to cut glass, embodies the toxic allure of old money—brooding, brilliant, and brutally undermined by his father, Mortimer (Fedja van Huêt), whose manipulations make J.R. Ewing look like a Boy Scout. Enter Percy (Hyun Wanner), the soft-spoken chauffeur who’s more confidant than servant, a spectral figure gliding through the Beauforts’ opulent estate like a ghost with a grudge. In the books, Percy’s role is supportive but sidelined; in the show, however, subtle tweaks—like lingering glances and unspoken loyalties—have supercharged his presence, birthing this paternity bombshell that’s got Reddit threads and TikTok stitches exploding.

The theory didn’t erupt overnight; it simmered from Season 1’s first rev of Percy’s Bentley. Fans zeroed in on the “secret key” James discovers—a ornate heirloom Cordelia (Clelia Sarto) slips to Percy in a hushed midnight exchange, her eyes brimming with regret and resolve. Why entrust a lowly driver with what appears to be access to the family’s financial vaults, if not to safeguard her children’s future from Mortimer’s clutches? “It’s not just a key; it’s a lifeline,” one viral X post rants, racking up thousands of likes. “Cordelia knew Mortimer would destroy them—Percy was her insurance policy because he’s their real dad.” Then there’s the maternal bond: In Episode 4 of Season 1, Cordelia shares a poignant fireside tale with Percy about a love she “had to let go,” her hand brushing his in a moment too tender for mere employer-employee rapport. Fast-forward to Season 2, where her terminal illness amplifies the intimacy—Percy at her bedside, whispering encouragements while Mortimer storms off in fury. Fans see echoes of a star-crossed affair: Perhaps Cordelia, pressured into a loveless marriage for the Beaufort steel fortune, found solace in the humble driver, conceiving James and his twin sister Lydia (Sonja Weißer) in stolen nights. Mortimer’s hatred? Not just patriarchal control, but embittered cuckoldry, explaining his sadistic sabotage of James’s dreams—from tanking Ruby’s Oxford shot to engineering family fractures.

Social media has turned this whisper into a roar, with #PercyIsDad trending alongside #SaveRubyJames. On X, one user dissected a Season 2 scene where Percy adjusts James’s tie before a gala, the touch lingering like a father’s pride: “Mortimer never looks at him like that—Percy does. Coincidence? Or canon?” Another thread, amassing over 50,000 views, ties it to the show’s deviations from Kasten’s novels: “The books keep it vague, but the car crash in S2 Ep1? That’s new—and it’s no accident.” Ah, the crash: James, reeling from a row with Mortimer, totals his Porsche in a rain-slicked ditch, waking in a hospital haze with Percy at his side, not Dad. Ruby, piecing together the secrecy, confronts him later: “You could’ve died, and you didn’t even tell me?” James brushes it off with his signature deflection—”It’s nothing”—but fans smell foreshadowing. Blood work from the ER visit, they speculate, could unearth DNA discrepancies, especially if Percy was the one rushing him to the ER, his panic paternal rather than professional.

The theory’s apex hit with Season 2’s finale, a masterstroke of misdirection that left jaws on floors and keyboards ablaze. As Cordelia’s casket lowers into the earth, Lydia scatters lilies in tearful tribute, only for the camera to pan to Percy—alone at the grave days later, laying a bouquet and clutching a chain necklace that mirrors one James wears, a subtle prop nod to shared blood. “That’s not servant loyalty; that’s grief,” a fan edit caption declares, synced to a swelling indie track. Mortimer’s arrest scene, teased in the Season 3 trailer, piles on the paranoia: As cops swarm the estate, seizing ledgers laced with embezzlement and affairs, Percy’s silhouette lurks in the background, key in hand. Does it unlock exoneration for James—or exposure? “If Percy’s the bio dad, Mortimer’s empire crumbles not just from fraud, but from fraud on the family tree,” one Reddit megathread posits, with upvotes soaring past 10,000. The “Will they? Won’t they?” of Ruby and James now layers with existential dread: Can their cross-class love survive if James isn’t the billionaire heir he thought, but the son of a servant?

Enter Damian Hardung, the 27-year-old Berliner whose chiseled intensity has made James a heartthrob icon, stepping into the fray with the coy charisma of a man who’s read the scripts—but won’t spill. In a fresh Elite Daily interview alongside Herbig-Matten, dropped just days after the finale, Hardung spotlights the Percy plot as his “favorite wild guess,” laughing off the specifics while fanning the flames. “The one with Percy and the car crash—that’s the unconfirmed one that blows my mind,” he admits, referencing the S2 opener. “Ruby doesn’t even know about it because James is all, ‘Eh, keep driving.’ But that hospital blood draw? Fans think it’ll prove Percy’s the real deal. I can neither confirm nor deny—it’s too fun to tease.” He doubles down in a Us Weekly sit-down, calling fan theories “a riot” and dubbing the Percy angle “great,” especially since it amps James’s trauma arc. “We’ve got him hitting rock bottom—therapy sessions, chess games with Dad turning into emotional warfare. If Percy’s in the mix, it flips everything: Is James fighting for a legacy that’s not his?” Hardung, who drew from personal stints at elite schools (he lived in New York on scholarship as a teen), relishes the depth: “It’s not just romance; it’s a kid unraveling his identity. That theory? Smart as hell.”

Herbig-Matten chimes in with equal intrigue, her Ruby’s outsider gaze sharpening the lens: “James hides so much— the crash, the key, Percy’s weird loyalty. If it’s true, it humanizes him beyond the rich boy trope.” Off-screen, the duo’s banter mirrors their characters’, with Hardung joking he’s “basically the same person” as Wanner, Percy’s portrayer. “We swap dad jokes on set—ironic, right?” Wanner himself, in a low-key German mag profile, plays it coy: “Percy’s more than wheels; he’s the quiet storm.” Showrunner Ceylan Yildirim, steering Season 3 toward Kasten’s Save Us finale while sprinkling originals, hints at “family revelations that redefine blood.” Filming wrapped in December 2025 across Bavarian castles doubling as Maxton Hall, with Hardung crediting the cast’s “grueling night shoots” for authentic grit. “James’s vengeance vow in the trailer? It’s personal now—especially if Dad’s not Dad.”

The ripple effects? Monumental. If Percy paternity lands, it upends Maxton Hall‘s class critique: James’s rebellion against Mortimer becomes patricide lite, his romance with Ruby a bridge not just over wealth gaps, but legitimacy ones. Mortimer’s hatred—fueled by a bastard son siphoning his spotlight—explains the venom: Why crush James’s spirit if not to erase the evidence of betrayal? Fans draw parallels to Succession‘s Logan Roy, but with a soapier twist, predicting Season 3’s underground parties will crack under DNA drama. “Imagine James at a masked bash, key in pocket, confronting Percy: ‘Was it you?’” one X poll probes, splitting votes 60-40 in favor. Skeptics cling to book canon—Mortimer’s the bio dad, full stop—but the show’s tweaks (that crash, the grave scene) scream adaptation liberty. Hardung, wrapping promo for his Wheel of Time gig, shrugs: “Books are sacred, but TV? We evolve. This theory changes everything—or nothing. Tune in.”

As Maxton Hall barrels toward its 2026 swan song, Hardung’s wink has only amplified the hysteria. Merch mocks the mystery (“Keys to the Kingdom? Or the Garage?”), fanfics flood AO3 with Percy backstories, and Berlin watch parties dissect every frame. The actor, now a red-carpet staple, reflects on the whirlwind: “From obscure auditions to this—fans making us better. Percy’s my fave because it hurts so good.” In a series where love conquers all but truth destroys, this rumor isn’t just wild; it’s volcanic. Will the driver drop the wheel and claim his son? Or is it a red herring to distract from Mortimer’s deeper sins? One thing’s clear: James Beaufort’s world is fracturing, and Percy’s shadow looms largest. Stream Seasons 1-2 on Prime Video, lock your doors, and brace—because in Maxton Hall, the real drive is toward devastation.