Theory: Alternate Universe Y’rel will be the next big bad in Shadowlands
Exhibit A:
In battlenet you can select an image for your avatar and some new images have been added for shadowlands including Dennis, Jailer and Banshee Queen. Right at the bottom is Yrel, but it looks like an evil version of Yrel.
Exhibit B:
Y’rel leads a genocidal version of the army of the light in the Mag’har recruitment campaign. They’re clearly bad guys but in the recruitment campaign we just run away. There’s scope for us to fight them at some point.
Exhibit C: The light plays a role in Revendreth zone. Feels like it’s setting up for something in the same way that the drust in Ardenweld feels like it could be an enemy we face sometime this expansion.
Exhibit D: BfA set up the idea that the intentions of the light are not always pure, with the story around Illidan and that floating light creature on the space ship.
Exhibit E: The Jailer seems very interested in Anduin’s use of the light just before we escape the maw. Like he wants to use the light as a weapon somehow. Maybe he allows Y’rel into our world, or maybe we allow her in accidentally (or on purpose) as we attempt to stop the jailer.
I’m all up to beat some sense into Y’rel since I’ve never liked her and WoD has been an abomination. She might probably be a secondary bad character sided with the light though, I don’t see her as a MAJOR one since we would be most likely facing a lot of cosmological beings far more powerful from both the Light and the Void.
About A:
Yep that’s surely Y’rel in her leadership attire and the timing is really sus.
About B:
While they surely are a heavy steroid infused Scarlet Crusade bunch, it’s obvious that the Lighbound (is that their name?) are displayed as the bad guys since their only purpose at that time was to justify the Horde beign able to recruit the Mag’har, hopefully they’ll get some grey-zone treatment too in at leats few characters (we don’t want for X to be fully bad/good don’t we?).
About C: -SPOILERS AHEAD-
The Light is utmostly right in being pissed off to Revendreth considering what Denathrius and the Nathrezim did. I also want to note that the Light has only attacked the Nathrezim quarters and that Maldraxxus didn’t help Revendreth exactly because it was their fault to begin with. -SPOILERS END-
About D:
Extremists are bad, no cosmological force should be the only one left in order for the universe to be alive. This is the core of the matter, balance between the comsological forces is what allows everything to exist and balance must be preserved. The Light, Life and to a certain degree Order are the forces who are closest to this view and us as mortal beings of Azeroth being the product of such forces means that they will keep being the good guys. the Void, Disorder and to a certain degree Death are more prone to overwhelm the others for their own purposes and this makes them a better candidate for the general bad guys.
About E:
The Light shouldn’t be able to reach the Maw no matter what, despite this Anduin is able not only to call for it but to reproduce the mass ress-shield that he did in the siege of Lordearon. The Jailer is mostly interested in the boy’s potential rather than being able to use the Light, this is shown also when Sylvanas tells Zoval: “you’ve seen what he’s capable of when he believes in the cause.”
Edit:
Turning Turalyon into a blind zealot would be a terrible choice and would butcher a character that never displayed such traits even in thousands of years of fighting.
Not that it wouldn’t make sense, but do the devs really want to deal with AU Draenor again ? Ofc the Lightbound could find a way to travel to our Azeroth instead, but it would be weird, because now that the Mag’har Orcs & Breakers are gone they virtually control the whole planet, most likely
Now yeah it’s obvious Yrel’s gonna show up at some point. The idea that the Light should be the sole force in the universe goes against what we know of the cosmic truths and that could make up for some solid villain material. The interesting question is what would be the Alliance’s position on the matter
Well, as discussed a lot with Teldrassil: There is no real grey zone with genocide.
And whiping out / assimilating a culture by force, and nuking cities with Light definitely falls under the definition of genocide.
What I was saying is that there will most likely be lightbound characters which are less blind executionists (unless new lore says that there can’t be non-fanatical ones), not that the faction per se can be dragged in the grey zone.
really because he was certain in zera’s actions so much that he tried to end illidan for destroying it, hes definatly more light loyal though weather he would turn on azeroth is highly unlikly.
A demon who he doesn’t know except for what his mentor said has killed the man’s mentor while the mentor was actually trying to help to become the “chosen one”. Xe’ra was indeed tyrannical in her decision and it was not the first time but yet it’s normal to be pissed off, plus not Turalyon nor Illidan went full power against each other and Turalyon basically saw what he believed to be only chance to save us all destroyed because “I aM mY sCaRs!”.
After that he accepted Illidan’s vision on the matter and worked together with no reserves.
Plus, when Alleria came back using the powers of the Void he not only accepted that, he also defended her against Xe’ra and tried his best to convince the Naaru that Alleria was in good so much he asked her to test his faith.
Also, Turalyon also went over his hatred towards the Orcs and spared Doomhammer.
Everything in Turalyon’s story shows how far from a blind fanatic he is.
There was this moment when Xe’ra died and his golden eyes faded to brown again. This may have been a hint at how the Light can blind people. It could happen again. Who knows what could come of it, really.
But even when he was under the Naaru “influence” or empowerment he was completely un-fanatic and went even against his mentor to defend a Void user.
The Light can certainly enslave and do things the extremist way, I can’t see Turalyon doing so though. While Yrel is a perfect example of the opposite.
Agree.
I don’t like villain batting characters for the sake of constant drama.
I still think Garrosh and Sylvanas arcs could had been given better developments, without involving mana bombing Theramore or burning Teldrassil to the ground.
For clarification: I like Thrall.
I don’t support everything he did, but I liked when he admitted his mistakes to Jaina during BFA. Probably one of the few moments.
Back to Turalyon.
I believe he along side Genn are the next targets.
Here’s why:
Male characters.
Popular characters.
Meaning war hero in case of Turalyon or loved/hated as in case of Genn.
Shocking effect.
Turalyon death means Arator replaces his just like Anduin replaced Varian.
Genn death, means his daughter Tess replaces him just like Talanji replaced Rastakhan.
More resentment.
Aleria is still bitter with Sylvanas choices, especially with her decision of joining the Horde and becoming their Warchief.
This could be her final proof for her that the Horde is nothing but savages.
BFA was known for showing characters acting out of character, just for the sake of the plot. It’s reasonable to predict, more of that can happen in the future, as everything seems to be retcon for the sake of the story they want to tell in that specific expansion.
Remember: #Garroshdidnothingwrong ?
We can see in the future: #Turalyondidnothingwrong.
If everything happens according and Yrel is indeed the leader of a light crusade, she will probably get away as Sylvanas did, by the end of the expansion.
Remember: there were 3 characters involved in the planning of the invasion of the Night Elves lands.
Saurfang (dead).
Sylvanas (alive).
Nathanos (dead).
I can be wrong as always as this is just speculation.
If I happened to be a writer of the upcoming Light&Void expansion I would use Turalyon and Alleria as a Romeo and Juliet kind of characters as they are the only dicotomy of Light and Void able not to only to coexist but to be intertwined one another.
Unfortunately for Turalyon, no Paladin lives that long into story telling as it has happened to Tirion. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some more consistent writing even if I have my doubts.
