An impostor Red?

Bare with me on this one....it's a long one. I'm really diggin' a new theory and it ties into a very popular theory among fans. The popular theory being this...Perhaps the character we know as Red isn't really Raymond Reddington but someone else posing as Red. There have been bits of information given in season 1&2 that suggest this could be possible, such as plastic surgery, The Alchemist etc.

If the Red we know isn't the real Red ... who is he? What's this person's motivation for posing as a wanted criminal?

Here's my take... The real Raymond Reddington was shot and killed by Liz on the night of the fire. He was a brutal criminal much like the Reddington described by Ressler in the pilot episode. Ressler: "Raymond "Red" Reddington attended the Naval Academy. Top of his class. Graduated by the time he was 24.

He was being groomed for admiral. Then in 1990, Reddington's coming home to see his wife and his daughter for Christmas. He never arrives. This highly respected officer up and disappears from the face of the earth until four years later when classified documents start showing up in Maghreb, Islamabad, Beijing. These leaks were traced to Reddington. This guy's an equal opportunity offender, a facilitator of sorts, who's built an enterprise brokering deals for fellow criminals. He has no country. He has no political agenda. Reddington's only allegiance is to the highest bidder. "The concierge of crime."

Perhaps there was a second man in the house the night of the fire. This man is Liz's bio father. For reasons not yet revealed, this man took on the identity of Raymond Reddington. In my opinion, there are stark differences between the real Reddington Ressler described and the fake Reddington. The Reddington we know on the show is a caring person who took Dembe and Liz under his wing. He has shown loyalty and even preached about it "Loyalty above all else". He also suggested he was once a "normal family man". There have also been scenes that show Red avoiding questions about his past. Maybe he doesn't answer these questions because he simply doesn't know the answer because he's not the real red.

There have been various remarks about his looks changing. Even Naomi makes this remark when she sees Red after many years apart. Perhaps Naomi was married to the real Reddington. Is this why she's in the Witness Protection Program? Is this why she asserted that she kept her end of the bargain and never said a word about Liz? She also also told Liz, "He's not who you think he is. He wants something from you." Naomi seemed angry with Red when they finally spoke face to face. Perhaps we mistook her demeanor around Red as anger when it could be explained away by the idea the two had never been romantically evolved at all. Naomi also stated, "It's more like a sister/brother relationship." That statement doesn't sound like they were ever lovers. Is this why we can't can't place Jennifer and how she is connected to Red? Maybe Jennifer is the Real Reddington's daughter. I also recall the tender moment Red had with Naomi before she left. That scene could mean all sorts of things.

Tom also told Liz that Red isn't who he claims to be. Tom also whispered in Liz's ear in the season 1 finale, "Your father is alive." This could be true if her real father is just posing as Reddington.

Liz asked Red point blank, "Are you my father?" He answered, "No". Was that a lie? Maybe. Perhaps the real Reddington was not her father but...the man posing as Reddington is!

The best part of this theory is that satisfies both sides of the daddy issue. The fans who believe Red is not Liz's father are correct and fans who want Red (or the impostor we have grown to love) to be her father also end up being correct. Some fans who want Red to be Liz's father and would they be let down to find out the real Reddington is not her father? Nope! Because the fake Red we have grown to love is the Reddington we want to be Liz's father.

Remember the scene in which Red is trying to extract Liz's memory and the location of the Fulcrum? Liz remembers that Red was present the night of the fire. She comes to the conclusion that Red is only involved in her life to find the Fulcrum. She tells him that his concern is about finding the Fulcrum and not for her. Red was visibly upset when she tells him this. I think he was upset that she thought of him as a monster and doubted his intentions. This would upset him because his intentions are noble and not at all something the real Reddington would do.