Lore in Destiny 2 continues to dive deeper into the game's universe in service of bringing players to a grand finale at the end of Year 3. With Season of the Worthy comes the return of the unpredictable Warmind Rasputin in a desperate attempt to defend Earth from the Almighty's impending collision. Since Rasputin has returned to the Guardians' aid for season 10, many fans are wondering if this signals the return of the SIVA as well.
The introduction of SIVA into Destiny began towards the end of the first game, and now the self-replicating nanotechnology seems to be making an ill-fated return to Destiny 2 with Season of the Worthy. For those who remember the sacrifice of the Iron Lords, SIVA's return isn't exactly a homecoming celebration.
Nanomachines in Destiny
SIVA in Destiny is a network of Golden-Age era nanomachines developed by Clovis Bray as self-constructing, self-replicating tools. Each SIVA unit could survive independently and maintain itself without any outside assistance or human input, with the technology's main use being for colonization of cities and planets through a fully self-contained neural network connecting every piece of SIVA together. An early Golden Age general saw the research and development of early SIVA prototypes and determined these nanomachines could also be used for Rasputin's military purposes, much to the dismay of Clovis Bray researchers on the project.
SIVA nanomachines are versatile tools used for a variety of purposes, but can only be programmed to handle one singular objective until completion. During the Golden Age, hundreds of thousands of SIVA units were deployed across the galaxy to assist with the construction of buildings, weapons, ships, etc. for humans. With its unique ability of being able to reproduce without management or assistance, SIVA could tackle any project thrown at it by developing enough devices in order to complete an objective.
Loss of the Iron Lords
That self-replication technique that made SIVA prominently useful also made it incredibly dangerous. Assuming SIVA fell into the wrong hands, the nanomachines could be given any directive and the technology would need to carry out the order to completion, regardless of the motive or purpose. Being an all-rounder technology capable of nearly anything, SIVA could enact destruction like a plague just as easily as it can begin creation. It's why the Iron Lords of Destiny lore lost their lives, protecting humanity from the threat of a raging SIVA.
Lord Saladin is the last man standing from the Iron Lords who went after SIVA several years before the Rise of Iron expansion in the original Destiny after the Iron Lords sought SIVA in an attempt to rebuild and bring about another Golden Age for humanity. Players learned from Rise of Iron that the mysterious end of the Iron Lords was due to rampant SIVA being weaponized by Rasputin and attacking them in the Cosmodrome. Jolder, the last of the Iron Lords, closed the door on Saladin, as her and the rest of the Iron Lords met their ends in the Iron Tomb where SIVA remained sealed for years after the Collapse. Then the Fallen discovered SIVA again.
Fallen Devils discovered the lab of a former Clovis Bray researcher, which led them to the Iron Tomb facility where the SIVA were enclosed. The Devils broke in, and Fallen soon found themselves harnessing (or being harnessed by) SIVA and spreading across Earth's Cosmodrome and Plaguelands region. Guardians journeyed to the Cosmodrome in Destiny and fought SIVA-affected Fallen and mutated Iron Lords to seal away the SIVA threat one last time.
SIVA's Return
With Rasputin's relevant return in Season of the Worthy, in the back of Saladin's mind has to be the looming possible threat of SIVA's return. Fans have already noticed in the Eververse store that there's several SIVA-themed ornaments on sale, meaning Destiny 2 at bare minimum still recognizes and is including SIVA into the game. Of course, this likely might not extend beyond cool Guardian exotic designs, but it could be the slightest hint that SIVA may see a return in Destiny 2's latest season. It wouldn't be the first time that something as simple as exotic ornaments in Destiny 2 told a larger story.
Repeatedly, Season of the Worthy has referenced Rasputin as the desperate savior for humanity, as the Almighty hurtles itself towards Earth and the Traveler. Even more recently, data mines have discovered that SIVA is making a return in some form to Destiny 2 this season. The uneasy alliance with Rasputin was a point of contention for several Guardians, especially Vanguard Commander Zavala. Now with this information, it could only spell more bad news for the guardians. Assuming Rasputin has to take last-minute action to protect Earth from the Almighty, the usage of SIVA may come into play.
As to how Guardians and humanity react to the use of SIVA remains to be seen, but with the death of the Iron Lords long ago, Guardians should understandably be hesitant to trust Rasputin. With what fans know currently about SIVA, and Osiris' encounter with Rasputin in his chamber, Rasputin may only care about self-preservation instead of humanity's survival. SIVA's return should be a significant, foreboding hint that Rasputin may not be the savior humanity is looking for.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
