The death of Oryx, the Taken King in the first Destiny game is one of the most influential events in the game’s timeline. Destiny 2 has had its fair share of significant moments, but the story wouldn’t be where it is now without the fall of Oryx on the Dreadnaught. This has impacted almost every Hive-related event in Destiny 2 and is what allowed Savathun to manipulate the Hidden Swarm in the Shadowkeep expansion. While his absence has likely been appreciated by his power-hungry siblings as well as the Vanguard, there also might be a need for another Taken King to rise.
The Taken are an invaluable asset to the Hive Gods and both Savathun, the Witch Queen and Xivu Arath, the God of War have used them for their own means since their brother was slain. While the sisters have split in motive, they each would have a use for Taken soldiers in their ranks. Commanding them can be difficult, however, and the power to Take is one that very few have. The Darkness itself is what grants it and following the death of Quria, Blade Transform the ability to control the Taken is not one that Savathun has.
Alak-Hul the Successor
Savathun’s inability to control the Taken largely comes from her alienation of the Darkness. The Witch Queen has openly stated, and shown, her wishes to break free from the Darkness and paracausal forces in general. The final mission for Season of the Lost has released her of her Worm, and she’s now about as free as she’s ever been in her life. While she’s free she still craves more power to go along with what she already has, something that controls over the Taken could satiate some.
The Darkness doesn’t seem likely to bless Savathun with the power to Take though. She’s heretical to her kind and her actions against it make her less than an ally. However, past allies of her brother Oryx and the Hive could possibly operate as brokers for Savathun and the Darkness. Savathun’s grasp on many Taken forces was still intact up until the death of Quria, Blade Transform. This could signal that the Darkness may be indifferent to Savathun, the Witch Queen using the Taken but is unwilling to gift the power itself to her.
If this is the case then Savathun has likely already been hunting for a successor to her brother’s throne. A powerful Hive warrior that would be familiar with the Taken, a suitable replacement for Oryx, and dedicated enough to the Darkness and Sword Logic to stay in the former’s good graces but rebellious enough to pursue their own ambitions. The niche would be hard to fill for others but a straightforward replacement for Savathun's purposes would be Alak-Hul the Darkblade. As the first Darkblade that players encountered, Alak-Hul was the formidable boss of the Sunless Cell strike. The cell itself was his imprisonment for rebelling against Oryx, an act that likely would have caught Savathun’s eye. His imprisonment on the Dreadnaught and proximity to the Court of Oryx would also make him familiar with the Taken and his strength would have already crafted him into a formidable leader.
While Alak-Hul was slain by Guardians during The Taking King expansion he could be brought back as part of Savathun’s new Lucent Brood. This could make him a twisted leader that has one foot in each world. As part of the Lucent Brood and the successor to Oryx’s throne he would be made into a great asset and might even be favored by the Darkness. While the latter would likely focus on Alak-Hul as a means to corrupt those around Savathun, the Witch Queen is no stranger to plots against her. She might even welcome the challenge if only to get her command over the Taken once again.
The Return of Alak-Hul
This all feels like a long shot, but there do appear to be some subtle hints to it in the launch trailer for The Witch Queen. The most noticeable is the Darkblade Knight that Guardians are shown fighting. While it could be a new Darkblade or a number of other Darkblade Knights that Savathun may have revived, this particular one is white-clad. The Lucent Brood as a whole is shown in white which pulls on their status in the Light and the powers Savathun has gifted them through it, but so far only one Darkblade has looked like this, Alak-Hul. It's a pretty deliberate aesthetic and his presence in this scene also pulls on something else.
What might be a background detail could also be hinting at Alak-Hul’s return. Fans previously found an Oryx statue in a Witch Queen trailer that depicts the Hive God as he faced the Worm God, Akka. Oryx slays Akka and this action could reflect Alak-Hul’s attempt to overthrow the Taken King. It also wouldn’t be past Savathun to force a new Hive King to sit on a throne mere feet away from the depiction of his predecessor at their height, subtly eating away at their will as an individual.
On top of this, if it is Alak-Hul in the trailer his inclusion in the room within Savathun's throne world could highlight his greater role within the Hive. Savathun may indeed need a successor for Oryx’s throne. Someone that would be loyal to her but with the ambition necessary to succeed her brother. Alak-Hul could do this well, and it may be why the Darkblade is once again fighting Guardians. If he’s returned, he’s just as much a threat as before and his status as a member of the Lucent Brood would make him even more dangerous. Alak-Hul would have new powers at his disposal thanks to the Light, in a twist of fate that Oryx probably would never have seen coming.
It's important to keep the fact that this is speculation in mind though. As far as fans know Alak-Hul was successfully slain aboard the Dreadnaught when Eris Morn sent a fire team in. His skills and power might be useful to her, but there’s also established knowledge that more than one Darkblade can exist with Alak-Hul only being the first that players encountered.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
