Maric Theirin is an important Dragon Age character who has actually never appeared in the games, and is mostly known about thanks to the books. However, he is mentioned in the games, as he was the King of Ferelden before his son Cailan. He is also the father of Alistair, and the man who helped free Ferelden from its Orlesian occupation with Loghain. What surprised many fans is that Maric has never been confirmed as dead, he has only been "missing" since 9:25 Dragon.
Between the two books The Stolen Throne and The Calling, and the game Dragon Age: Origins, King Maric went missing on a voyage to Wycome. Loghain searched for his lost friend over two years before having to give up and presume him dead. However, there were always rumors around Thedas that he was alive and perhaps even held prisoner in Orlais. The truth has officially been revealed in Dragon Age's comics.
What Dragon Age Comics Share About Maric
Why Maric went missing is actually due to a deal he made with Flemeth back when he met her in The Stolen Throne. The deal was for Maric to help Flemeth's daughter, Yavana, bring back slumbering dragons with his blood. The royal family of Theirin has special blood, believed to date back to Calenhad (as there is a theory he drank dragon blood for power).
For a time, Maric was imprisoned by the Antivan Crows, but was freed by Yavana, after which Maric used his blood to revive dragons in a place called the Hall of Sleepers. After that was complete, Maric become a prisoner again, this time it was at the hands of a Tevinter Magister by the name of Aurelian Titus. The magister used Maric blood for both experiments and to augment his own magic.
The device that Titus uses to draw upon Maric's blood was called a Magrallen, which dates back to ancient Tevinter for the purpose of Blood Magic. At a certain point in the Until We Sleep comic, Varric, Isabela, Maevaris, Maric, and Titus all get pulled into the Fade by cracking the Magrallen, which is where Maric kills his magister captor. Maric almost decides to stay in the Fade, considering most of his friends have died, but Alistair convinces him otherwise. They return to the physical world of Thedas, but unfortunately it is discovered that the Magrallen device is also the only thing keeping Maric alive. Alistair makes the choice to destroy the Magrallen, which ends Maric's life.
What Maric's Story Could Mean For Dragon Age 4
The Dragon Age comics are known to be BioWare's own canon, so there is much still unknown about Maric in the realm of the video games. However, the comics still reveal a lot that could be included in Dragon Age 4. A major piece of information revolves around the Magrallen device. BioWare has shown that Dragon Age 4 will go to Tevinter, so it is not farfetched to theorize that a Magrallen device may appear in Dragon Age 4. With the Qunari invasion, Tevinter is in a tight spot, and will likely turn to Blood Magic to fight back.
As for Maric, it's also not impossible to imagine him making a direct appearance. He may be dead (or not, since the comics follow a different canon from what players enact), but spirits will likely be drawn to him and recreate his life in the Fade. There is also the small possibility that the real Maric's soul is trapped in the Fade somewhere due to the influence of the Magrallen device. Fans will just have to wait and see.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.