There’s no doubt that Solas, also known as the Dread Wolf, is being hyped up as the main antagonist of Dragon Age 4. His true identity was revealed at the end of Dragon Age: Inquisition, as was his plan to tear down the Veil between the world and the Fade in the hopes of restoring the ancient elven empire.
However, there is a strange disconnect between Solas’ broadly sympathetic portrayal in Inquisition and its DLCs and the villainous depiction of Solas in Dragon Age 4’s marketing material. While the Dread Wolf is being pinned as the next game’s big bad guy, the Solas seen so far doesn't strike many players as evil. If Dragon Age 4 is going to sell its plot, the hints at Solas’ true villainy need to come to the forefront.
Solas’ Past
It’s not exactly clear how old Solas is, but he was alive at a time when Thedas was dominated by the elven empire of Elvhenan, which means he’s been alive for at least four millennia and likely longer. This empire existed before the separation of the material and magical planes of reality, with the elves simply calling the Fade “the sky” while having access to far more magic than that seen by the time of the Dragon Age games.
Solas was a part of an ancient group of powerful elven mages who began to be seen as gods. When other members of the pantheon began enslaving other elves, marking them with facial tattoos, Solas began to distance himself from the group. When the other “gods” killed Mythal, one of their own, Solas led an all-out rebellion, gaining the name Fen'Harel, or “The Dread Wolf.”
The Dread Wolf was able to trap the remaining elven gods in the Fade by creating a barrier between the Fade and the world of Dragon Age. This barrier became known as the Veil, and erecting it drained Solas of enough of his powers that he entered a long slumber, walking the Fade until slightly before the events of Dragon Age: Inquisition.
Solas' Plan
The world he awoke to, however, was not the one the Dread Wolf had hoped. Erecting the Veil robbed the elves of much of their magic, and when humanity arrived on the continent and formed the Tevinter Imperium, it wasn’t long before the elven empire was destroyed and the elves subjugated to human rule. To make matters worse, the Dread Wolf was not remembered as a liberator, but a traitor to the gods whose actions condemned the elven people.
Now, Solas wants to tear down the Veil he once put up. In Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC, it’s hinted that the chaos unleashed could restore the elven empire, but could also potentially lead to the destruction of the other races of Thedas. How exactly the other races are at risk, however, has never been made clear, making a clear case for Solas’ villainy pretty hard to make with the same definitive tone found in Dragon Age 4’s teaser trailer at The Game Awards 2020.
In Dragon Age: Inquisition, Solas is portrayed as a tragic figure more than anything. His attempt to free his people inadvertently led to their downfall, and even more suffering. Despite his intentions when exercising his great power, Solas is unable to accept that he has no control over the eventual consequences of his actions. If BioWare is going to fully realize Solas as a villain, the studio’s storytellers need to show the destructive power of Solas’ ego.
The Dread Wolf's Downfall
The Dread Wolf has a tragic flaw. Despite genuinely caring for his people, he believes so strongly that he alone is their savior that he is willing to make potentially disastrous decisions on behalf of the entire elven race. What makes Solas a villain isn’t that he’s willing to make sacrifices for a greater good, it’s that his ego does not allow him to admit that despite his power he can’t truly control events in the way he believes.
BioWare shouldn’t force villainy upon Solas - he should remain a sympathetic and tragic character. However, Dragon Age 4 needs to convince fans that Solas really is a villain at all if it’s going to sell its plot. To do that, the studio should develop some of the flaws already hinted at in Solas' otherwise sympathetic story.
Solas’ backstory is full of contradictions that need to be brought to the surface in Dragon Age 4. He may have tried to liberate the elves once his fellow “gods'' started enslaving them, but before then he was evidently willing to let most elves consider him a god as well. He still acts like he considers himself a god too, trying to dramatically change the fate of the entire elven people without their knowledge. Dragon Age 4 shouldn’t try to bring out Solas’ villainy simply by having him do increasingly unforgivable things in the name of elven liberation. Instead, it should draw out the flaws that have been in Solas since the start, teasing out the difference between Solas' self-image and reality.
The Dread Wolf believes that he knows what’s best for his people, despite the destruction that core belief has wrought for the elves in the past. Though his aims seem righteous, he’s unable to step away from power despite the harm he has caused before. His quest for personal redemption by bringing down the Veil misses the main lesson that he should have learned in his years wandering the Fade. There is such a thing as too much individual power, no matter who is wielding it.
Though Solas’ villainy wasn’t particularly convincing in Inquisition, the character can flourish into Dragon Age 4’s villain if the source of his villainy can be found in the same Solas players knew all along. He shouldn’t become less compassionate, more cruel, or more malevolent. However, Solas' belief that he has the power to save the elves should increasingly reveal his most destructive flaw: his arrogance.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.