Given that Arthas was working for the Lich King but hadn’t donned the Helm, if he’s just a pawn then so is Sylvanas. Like Arthas, she is working in the service of a greater being; the Jailer.
So if you’re absolving Arthas, you are also absolving Sylvanas by the same logic. You sure that’s the route you want to go?
Sorry for the double post, but typing that last bit got me thinking.
So the Jailer is allegedly a brand new character. It probably is. But then, Blizzard has openly lied before about expansion villains. So this got me thinking about the topic’s title.
What if the Jailer is the Lich King? Not Arthas specifically, not Nerzul either. What if the retcon to explain away whatever Blizzard thinks they need to explain away is that the Helm of Domination was a direct conduit for the Jailer’s will, and the Jailer itself was the entity we called the Lich King? What if the whispers Sylvanas heard were the same whispers Arthas heard, whispers of the Jailer? And both Arty and Sylvy were his puppets and not in control of their actions during their atrocities?
What if Sylvanas’s line about “this world is a prison, and I will set us all free” and her shattering the Helm were her exerting her own will, as she did once before, to break the control over her? And she shattered the Helm, thinking that would prevent the Jailer from reaching across from the Shadowlands?
I dunno. I don’t think any of that is right, but if Blizzard did want to redeem her, that would be a way to do it.
Arthas had freewill at Stratholme. He chose to kill every man, woman and child. Infected or not. Arthas was warned frostmourne was a cursed blade. He chose to pick it up anyway. Arthas chose to kill the part of him that was innocent and the part that was Ner’zhul to become the one Lich King. Everything he did from that point was his will and his alone. It was never Sylvanas’ will to become a banshee. It was her who had her soul stolen by Arthas.
I want this. It would be so perfect, and it is the only acceptable way we could get Arthas back that I could imagine.
The history of Warcraft is full of aborted and changed plots and canceled development. the list includes.
Azshara Crater Battlefield in Vannila/Burning Crusade
The Spider Kingdom expansion zone in Wrath.
The Neptulon story arc in Cataclysm.
and more.
There is no reason to believe that BFA is any different. I suspect that the original projected storyline when the Sylvannas Warbringer animation was commissioned is not the BFA storyline we ended up with.
About that, she isnt, She is working WITH the jailer not for him, at blizzcon 2019 Ion already said that sylvanas only cares and works for one person, herself, the jailer is another pawn to her
Arthas is literally the last character who should be involved in Sylvanas’ downfall.
Sylvanas being blown up by Nomi in a freak cooking accident would be more palatable than Arthas being anywhere near her defeat.
I don’t want Arthas to have a Tirion-esque role in her defeat, he doesn’t deserve anything near redemption, but I think it’d be deserving punishment for her if after she does finally die she finds out that she has to spend eternity with the person she hates most. What I would do (and I don’t expect this, but it’s what I would do) is in her death cinematic she’s getting sucked into the Maw and trying to get away, only for Arthas to appear from the darkness and grab her leg, saying something like “We’ll go to Hell together.”
But whatever they do with Arthas we can be sure that he’s going to appear in some way. He’s too big of a cash cow for them to not use him in Wrath of the Lich King 2: Windrunner Boogaloo.
I would like the souls of the dead to get the killing blow on Sylvanas. Perhaps the Jailer is not inherently malicious but was tricked by her or had some power stolen (part of her Helya bargain?) and she is trying to actively become the new Jailer to avoid torment. I’d love to see her with countless chains around her as the last boss of the raid like “hue hue hue foolish raid, you thought you beat me but you were all fools! Now I will destroy you!”
Then the souls show up and start grabbing her chains and pull her back into the Maw. We start seeing people from all races - all the soldiers and civilians who have died because of her drag her back into the maw where the Jailer (who is surprise!! not evil after all) sets the worthy free and Sylvanas suffers.
I like it because it parallels the Lich King fight and hammers home how she became what she despised, having been twisted into what she most despised by her own hatred.
Edit: I am a messy witch and love high drama cinematics, so yes, this is absolutely over the top.
Honestly? I have come to the conclusion that it’s the fact that Arthas had a good story, while Sylvanas’ story has been going steadily into the garbage since Cata with few bright spots. Because his story was good, some people have lingering positive feelings toward him, and that’s why they’re thinking about redemption for him.
If this did happen, it would simply prove that some people (and Blizzard) have totally lost all sense of perspective with the story.
He did have a good story. But they should keep in mind that it was a good story about someone who died with no redeeming qualities left to him at all.
Arthas didn’t actually create the Scourge. He just weaponized it and turned it into an Army.
When I resubbed, the battle of Lordaeron cinematic started to play. I caused to remember when it came out. The hopes for a nuanced story instead of some Garrosh 2.0. Needless to say, events have caused that to stick in the craw and I just ended.
So much wasted potential.
Actually, I like that. Sylvannas and Arthas forever locked together into their own little corner of Hell.
About that, she is. If she is acting in his interests, which she is, then she is working in his service. She can see him as a tool, potential love interests, a reputation she’s grinding for Shadlowlands pathfinder or however she wants. The term is still true.