Danny father and the dark side of Last Action Hero (spoiler)

Last Action Hero is undoubtedly an enjoyable and entertaining film, infused with a notable degree of self-awareness. However, beneath its surface, there exist darker elements within the storyline. I distinctly recall encountering a theory similar to my own on YouTube, although I unable to locate it.

Consider the portrayal of New York in the movie; a city plagued by rampant crime, where its denizens appear to exhibit indifference toward various forms of violence, including the very law enforcement tasked with upholding order. It's a world reminiscent of Taxi Driver, a place seemingly forsaken by providence, devoid of any hero or leader to combat the prevailing lawlessness in its streets. The initial encounter with Danny on the street reveals a backdrop of individuals engaged in a drug transaction, with one person attempting to intimidate Danny by reaching menacingly toward his face. Street signs bear faux titles of violent films such as "Murder in Time Square" and "She Played with Fire", immersing the audience in a culture saturated with violence— both in the physical world and within the realms of television and cinema.

In this world, there walks a young boy named Danny. His father's death occurred under mysterious circumstances for the viewer, leaving his mother to raise him alone. In coping with the trauma of his father's death, Danny seeks solace in the dichotomous realm of cinema and television, where the good guys always win. Danny, inherently a well-behaved child, nonetheless exhibits an inclination toward violence. He avidly consumes violent cartoon series and action hero narratives. Evidence of possible involvement in schoolyard scuffles can be inferred from the scars on his hands. Danny even envisions the classic play "Hamlet" as an action-packed film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

My theory postulates that Danny's father fell victim to the rampant crime wave in New York. The alternate reality depicted in Jack Slater's films serves as Danny's refuge from the harsh and perilous streets of New York—a place where his father might have had a fighting chance. Danny yearned for a paternal figure, one possessing strength and invincibility akin to Jack, making him the "right" choice, even in his fictional existence, or perhaps because of it— an individual immune to death who, not like his real father, can't abandoned him.

In their final encounter, it becomes achingly clear that Danny was bidding farewell to his true father—a farewell he may have never had the chance to utter. Jack, however, imparts upon Danny a fatherly counsel, urging him to shoulder the weight of responsibility, even in its harshest forms, thus potentially rescuing him from a life of crime that loomed in his future.

Desperate and heartbroken, Danny implores Jack to let him remain by his side, tears streaming down his cheeks. This typically forthright young boy, overcome with emotion, finds himself incapable of completing his sentences, for the pain of parting from his flesh-and-blood father cuts too deeply. With a quavering voice, he confesses, "You're the best thing... I need you to..." The weight of his unspoken words hangs heavy in the air, his last sentence to him said it all "I'm afraid I won't see you again".