I say 100 red johns with tongue and cheek.
The name "red john" was made up by a newspaper because
Rj was killing young red heads.
The name or person red john may of never existed with just one person using others to do their bidding.
A hypnotist. I think show blatantly displays many different styles of red john.
A computer hacker never seemed to fit Macalisters bill.

Heller on returning to the Red John story line , his followers and the Ba...

Heller: "I never say never, but I would say I think the audience and the story demands that we step away from that trope for a while".

That proves there gonna go back to it after the hiatus of lovey dovey shit.
What would you think if there was 100s of red johns?
With one mastermind pulling all the strings using others to do their bidding?
I wouldn't complain

I feel a little ridiculous posting a theory about Red John at this point, but in the spirit of a 7th season, technically, it's still possible, and I can't believe I'm gonna say this but...I think
Ray Haffner is Red John


There are SO many reasons why, and we all know the majority of them

Just wanted to add that I find the most compelling clue about Ray is that he is the ONLY character on the show who has a connection, and/or access and information to ALL of the organizations in question:

VISUALIZE, FBI, CBI, BLAKE ASSOCIATION



1.  VISUALIZE supposedly turned Ray's troubled youth around -- or maybe it actually unleashed his love of power and killing.  Ray's early time at Visualize coincides with Elliston Farm murders, thus it would be very easy for him to have been the killer.....where he painted his first smiley face.  Ray's also the right hand guy to Visualize power monger BRET STILES 

2.  Ray is a former FBI BOSS -- would be very easy for him to have "friends" in the FBI.  


3.  Ray specialized in TAKING DOWN ORGANIZED CRIME -- thus it would be very easy for him to know about and have a hatred for THE BLAKE ASSOCIATION wanting the organization to be exposed

3.  Ray became CBI BOSS right after fake RJ Timothy Carter's shooting, attempting to take over the CBI would conveniently give him future control of the Red John case -- until Jane gets the old team back -- but not before Haffner tells Jane that he'll pay for giving Haffner a hard time.


THUS:  RAY HAFFNER'S journey as RJ RED JOHN, in order, from the beginning of RJ to now, has gone like THIS:    VISUALIZE, FBI, BLAKE ASSOCIATION, CBI



And so far, Jane's hunt for Red John has taken him from: 

CBI, BLAKE ASSOCIATION, FBI and I predict for Season 7…..VISUALIZE 

THIS IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF RAY HAFFNER!!  Jane is working his way into the inner world of Red John!


SO, IT ALL BEGINS and ENDS with VISUALIZE!!  Visualize is where Ray became Red John, and Visualize is where Jane will catch Red John, AKA RAY HAFFNER, who is alive and well with Stiles hiding out


ALSO: Ray's an expert in wire tapping and "creative" surveillance -- and surveillance has been an ongoing theme on The Mentalist.  Surveillance is how Red John always stays two steps ahead of CBI team and Jane.
 


FUN FACT:  REED EDWARD DIAMOND's initials are RED

I read that the show starts up again in fall of 2014!!
This could change but still cool.

Like the previous poster said season 7 is an Encore season.
They didnt have to call it that but they did.
Encore most definitely means revisiting the past and going out with a BANG!
If Led Zepplen came out with an encore song at their concert they would play "stairway to heaven"
As the mentalist will play their hit single "red john".

People who think the Rj storyline is over didnt watch season 6 close enough.
Season 6 was full of deception and cons just like every other season.
To take this season at face value would be asinine.

Jane did nothing to take down Rj. He was not secrative and had a lack of emotion compared to other seasons.
*Every clue starting with the Dvd was fed to Jane. Breadcrumbs.
Rj wouldnt give Jane a list with his name on it and sit back and wait like the show wanted us to believe.
It started with Partridge "tiger tiger".
Then Lisbon being spared and marked. Because she was the "marc" in all of this.
Then there was Tinsley which was so important and the check mate among clues. How did jane get this clue?
Red John sloppily let Tinsley alive along enough to give up the infamous tattclue.
Again fed like breadcrumbs.
* If this was any other season Jane would have said this is what Red John wanted us too see!
This was a game and Jane played by Red Johns Rules.

Then Janes house. The fact we have no idea what happened still proves this will be revistited.
Especially in terms of Haffner and Styles.
No way nobody in that room including Jane did not have a plan besides sit and wait.
The gunshot and bomb are the money shot of the con.
How many people have faked their deaths on this show? 563?
Who knows what happened but Styles and Haffner are most likely alive.
Styles even said he would return.
Haffner may be dead but we have no idear.

If you watch the old eps you will conclude that Red John is NOT in the Ba.
His followers were like brainwashed Visualizeites speaming about Red Johns "plan" and that he was on a "mission of love". This is not the Ba by any means.

It is 100 percent PLAUSIBLE that Red John used Jane to take down the Ba.
Its plausible that Red John was against the Ba from the clues we have.
A cult like group of followers on a path of love ARE NOT A GROUP OF CURRUPT COPS!
Rebecca Anderson did not die WITH A SMILE ON HER FACE so that some bigwig lawyer can sit back and chill.
And no its nothing to do witn bad writing.
If a show had great writing for 85 pecent of its existance then its plausible to think it will continue with this trend after the smoke clears.

And taking 3 minutes to post does not mean i dont have a life.

My expectations from Season 7 based on the label Bruno Heller leaked:

ENCORE- not a word usually associated with TV series, especially these days when shows get cancelled faster than you can say "bluebird". So what does it mean? The word itself is derived from French and it means "again". Interestingly enough the Italian version is Da Capo translated to "from the beginning". In relation to the show that would be Red John again, and explanations from the start. Does it mean EVERY clue? Some of the questions only exist in our minds, so NO, but the major ones, YES.
Encore is mostly associated with large arena concerts... and they are PLANNED. Meaning, the artist will not perform their "best" songs during the main frame. To further ensure further the demand for encore they "end" the concert with a mellow song forcing the audience to feel like they haven't got what they paid for... yet.

WHY WAS McALLISTER CHOSEN TO BE THE RED JOHN?- Because he was the least likely suspect. To understand the previous statement you have to analyze the opposite of that. What would have happened if they wanted Red John alive, but they also wanted the audience to believe you killed him... for good? You chose a patsy. Because if you chose a heavily suspected character like Partridge or Stiles for example; that would be CONVINCING. Would I watch the next 14 episodes after that? NO. For me, and quite possibly, for the rest of the RJ fanbase the show would have ended on the high note. Remember! the Jisbon was not a "thing", at the moment. Those who wanted to see them together would not be "in the bag"... yet. However, even with the low expectation of McAllister being Red John they made sure the reveal is done in a preposterous way, so the fans will have hope for the real deal. Let's face it, every suspect from the list can "come back" except one: McAllister.

WHY THE LONG INNUENDO?- To answer that question I have to go elsewhere, again. There was a movie that had the greatest surprise for me. (The movie itself was not to my liking so I won't mention the title). It had this long back and forth conversation between the 2 main character inside the car. It was perfectly calm and non confrontational. Then BOOM out of nowhere.. The first time I saw the T-Bone accident. Speechlessly, it caught me off guard. I have seen that many times later replicated, but none to the same effect. It only worked the first time, and no small thanks to the calm before the storm, set up. T-Bone is what comes next in Season 7.

JISBON vs. RED JOHN.- I can't understand the split in the fanbase like this is some sort of competition. Why cant the two coexist, especially when one depends on the other? Red John is coming back, because he wants to punish Jane, for the last time. The temptation is too big to be ignored. The only question is; How serious is the Jisbond? Perhaps they really fall in love. (Unlikely) Or Jane knows Red John is alive and uses Lisbon as a bait. (If you think that's not possible, then you watched the wrong show) Or they are both in it (Most likely, and perhaps a little bit attracted to each other- "like" brother and sister) Why the charade? Once again, let's look for the answer elsewhere. In many crime noir-pulp fiction stories the killer is one step ahead of the man in pursuit until... HE ISN'T. The cards must turn in good guys favor to catch the perpetrator. This is the scenario where Jane is, for the first time, not one but two steps ahead of Red John.
1. Jane knows Red John is alive, but Red John doesn't know he does, and
2. Jane is the one who set up the trap, and he will be waiting for the bastard.

Guys, it's summer! The Mentalist won't be back until January 2015! Get a girlfriend and enjoy life! haha