The Dragon Age series has become known for its mages; notably, its apostate companion mages that tend to betray the player in the third act of the game. One such character was Anders of Dragon Age 2, who set off a mage versus templar war by exploding Kirkwall's chantry without telling Hawke. Anders is similar to Morrigan of Dragon Age: Origins and Solas of Dragon Age: Inquisition: He was a starting mage companion in Dragon Age, who was keeping a secret of great consequence at the end of the game.
However, unlike Morrigan and Solas, Anders' story has been shelved since he was last seen in Dragon Age 2. Of all the Dragon Age 2 companions, Anders' location and what he is doing (if he is alive) is utterly unknown. Some fans are wondering if his story will reemerge in the events of Dragon Age 4. There is already a lot of narrative opportunity set up for the next Dragon Age game, from a Qunari war to Solas tearing down the veil, but there are certainly chances for Anders to be mentioned or even show up.
What Happened To Anders After Dragon Age 2
There are three fates Anders can get at the end of Dragon Age 2 that will influence his future story. Firstly, he can already be dead as players did get the choice to kill him after the Chantry exploded. Secondly, he could have survived and been romanced by Hawke. Thirdly, he could survive and not be romanced. These three factors did change what is said about him in Dragon Age: Inquisition by both Hawke and Varric.
If Anders is not killed in the second game, then Varric shares some details with the Inquisitor about what happened to him. If Hawke sided with the mages, then Anders fled with the Circle of Magi from Kirkwall. However, they eventually kicked him out of their group because they blamed him for their situation as fugitives. On the other hand, if Hawke chose to side with the Templars, then Anders simply left the city all alone. According to Varric, this is all he knows and does not care to learn more (evidently having bitter feelings about the betrayal).
Any other information on Anders comes from Hawke, and only if they have romanced him. What they say is that they adventure alone because Corypheus' effect on the minds of Wardens also affected Anders. Later, if Hawke survives the Fade, Varric later shares that Hawke will reunite with Anders if Justice has not already driven him mad, or if he hasn't already been killed.
Cut Content From Dragon Age: Inquisition
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Concept artist for the Dragon Age series, Matt Rhodes, gave fans some insight into what could have been through concept art that shows Anders as a frail hermit in Dragon Age: Inquisition. On his websites, Rhodes wrote "This did not make it into the game. It was just one of those things that got painted between Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition." However, this concept art did shock many fans, as Anders does not appear to be well off and is missing an arm.
Based on both this concept art and what Varric and Hawke have shared about Anders, whatever happened to him since Dragon Age 2 does not seem to be good. However, this is all just conjecture and no one really knows what has happened to Anders. After all, his concept art is not canon and likely will not be used in Dragon Age 4, since Rhodes put it out on the internet.
How Anders Can Appear In Dragon Age 4
Between Morrigan, Solas, and Anders, the latter is the least-popular apostate companion in the series. BioWare seems to be aware of this, which is why Morrigan and Solas have been given much more relevance in the series as of late. This is also because Anders can be dead in a lot of people's games. Solas and Morrigan have not canonically died in any way, while Anders has, depending on player choice.
However, killing Anders did not necessarily kill what made him blow up the Chantry in the first place. Anders became extreme due to a spirit of Justice that got corrupted into Vengence while possessing his mind. That spirit was released back into the Fade, not dead like Anders if players killed him in Dragon Age 2. This means that players, one way or the other, can possibly meet Justice again in Dragon Age 4. This is especially possible considering that the veil between the Fade and Thedas will be torn down by Solas and let spirits run amok. In this sense, the death or meeting of Justice can put a second end to Anders' story.
If Anders was not killed, there is an easy guess as to where he ran off to in order to stay safe from Templars and the Chantry. This is a place that loves magic and its power, to the point where they think mages should rule over non-mages. This place is Tevinter, and BioWare has already revealed that Dragon Age 4 will explore that area of Thedas.
Anders already had some inspiration about Tevinter, loving that it has free mages and gives them resources and respect. He sometimes even voiced this warm curiosity about Tevinter culture throughout certain scenes in Dragon Age 2. Throughout his years in Kirkwall and with Hawke, he became more zealous to the point where it is not hard to imagine him running to a controversial land such as Tevinter for asylum.
With such logic to Anders and Justice's characters, it would be a great disappointment to not see either of them play out some role, however minor, in Dragon Age 4. Plenty of other characters that can canonically die in previous games have still had major roles in the series from the games, such as Loghain, Alistair, Leliana, Fenris, Zevran, Shale, and Wynne. So Anders making an appearance in Dragon Age 4 really would not be a stretch of the imagination.
Dragon Age 4 is currently in development.