The Complete History And Cultural Evolution Of The Always Has Been Meme Origin

The always has been meme origin traces back to a 2016 Reddit post on r/me_irl featuring a hand-drawn MS Paint comic of two astronauts discovering the shape of Earth, which eventually exploded into a dominant macro template on Twitter and Reddit in mid-2020. Understanding its viral lifecycle requires examining its transition from obscure comic subculture to ubiquitous geopolitical and pop-culture shitposting format.

Tracing the Roots of the Astronaut Discovery Macro

The foundational infrastructure of internet meme culture relies heavily on rapid iteration, relatable surrealism, and visual adaptability. Before attempting to recreate, trace, or analyze this specific macro format, digital historians and content creators must understand the historical timeline of the asset.

• Essential tools and platforms: Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Imgflip meme generators, Reddit (r/me_irl, r/dankmemes), Twitter/X, and Know Your Meme documentation archives.
• Mandatory prerequisite knowledge: Familiarity with 2010s shitposting culture, iterative template evolution, and the basic mechanics of exploitable web comics.
• Estimated research duration: 30 to 45 minutes to grasp the complete historical lineage and technical anatomy of the macro.

Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Always Has Been Meme Origin

Step 1: The Initial 2016 MS Paint Conception

The visual genesis occurred on March 7, 2016, when a Reddit user submitted a crudely drawn MS Paint comic to the subreddit r/me_irl. The four-panel comic depicted two astronauts looking out at Earth from space. In the original version, the first astronaut realizes that the Earth is completely covered by the fast-food chain Wendy's, prompting his crewmate standing behind him with a pistol to utter the chilling phrase, "Wait, it's all Wendy's?" followed by the response, "Always has been."

Pro-Tip: The crude, low-fidelity nature of the original 2016 drawing was intentional, mimicking the ironic shitpost style popular on Reddit during that era.

Step 2: The Ohio Becomes All-Encompassing Shift

Following its brief 2016 appearance, the comic remained dormant for over two years until it re-emerged in late 2019 and early 2020 with a geographical twist. The punchline shifted from a fast-food monopoly to the American state of Ohio. In this iteration, one astronaut looks at the globe and realizes that every landmass and ocean has been completely consumed by Ohio. The armed astronaut behind him confirms the terrifying cosmic truth: "Wait, it's all Ohio?" followed by, "Always has been."

Warning: Avoid confusing the Ohio variant with the original Wendy's iteration; while Ohio popularized the format, it was merely an intermediate stepping stone to global ubiquity.

Step 3: The Universal Expansion and Mainstream Explosion

By June 2020, the template underwent a massive standardization phase. Creators stripped away the Ohio-specific context, replacing the Earth with virtually any recognizable cultural, historical, political, or scientific concept. The format stabilized into a reliable two-panel or three-panel image macro featuring a shocked astronaut asking about a fundamental truth of the universe, and a cynical astronaut holding a firearm confirming the deceptive reality of the situation.

Step 4: Template Standardization and Replicability

To successfully utilize or analyze the template, digital marketers and meme historians must recognize its strict structural syntax:

1. Identify a widely accepted societal truth or niche obsession.
2. Frame the realization as a shocking discovery made from outer space.
3. Use the exact linguistic pairing of "Wait, it's all [X]?" and "Always has been."

Common Research Pitfalls and Historical Misconceptions

• Root Cause: Assuming the meme originated during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
  
  
  • Actionable Fix: Verify timestamps on archival platforms like Reddit and Know Your Meme to acknowledge the 2016 MS Paint foundation.
• Root Cause: Crediting the Ohio iteration as the absolute first instance of the template.
  
  
  • Actionable Fix: Differentiate between the original Wendy's comic and the subsequent geographic variants that drove mainstream adoption.
• Root Cause: Misquoting the exact punchline syntax (e.g., writing "It has always been" instead of "Always has been").
  
  
  • Actionable Fix: Adhere strictly to the concise three-word phrase that provides the comedic punch and pacing of the macro.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who created the original Always Has Been meme?

The original comic was posted to Reddit in March 2016 by user Polandball_Swe, utilizing MS Paint to illustrate a surreal joke about the fast-food chain Wendy's taking over the planet Earth.

Why did the meme feature Ohio?

In late 2019, internet users replaced the Wendy's logo with the map of Ohio as part of an ironic running joke on social media claiming that the entire state was slowly taking over the universe.

What makes the Always Has Beens format structurally successful?

The meme relies on subverting expectations by taking an absurd, highly specific hyperfixation and treating it as an immutable, cosmic law of physics enforced at gunpoint.

Is the armed astronaut wearing a specific spacesuit?

The astronauts are generic white-suited figures drawn in a deliberately unpolished style, which allows any character's face or hat to be easily Photoshopped onto them for customization.

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