Dragon Age is a very character-driven series that would not be the same without its companions. From elves to dwarves and qunari, the series has sported people from many kinds of Thedas' cultures. With the fourth game in development, fans are very excited to learn more about not only the companions, but which characters from the previous games may make a return.
One such character fans really want to see make a return is Zevran from Dragon Age: Origins. He has had minor appearances in the other games through a quest in Dragon Age 2 and on a war table mission in Inquisition. Some fans are very doubtful that Zevran could make a significant appearance, but there are some ways BioWare could make it happen, and for good reasons. The case of Zevran appearing in Dragon Age 4 is bigger than one may first think.
How The Antivan Crows Can Play A Role In Dragon Age 4
Zevran is a character mixed up with the Antivan Crows of Thedas. The organization consists of the most elite of spies, thieves, and assassins and are famous all around Thedas. Their headquarters are in Antiva, which sits to the east of the Tevinter Imperium. Due to their proximity, they likely get a lot of Tevinter-based jobs and attention. This was particularly proven in the book Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights, with two of the stories, "The Wigmaker Job" and "An Old Crow's Old Tricks," being about Antivan Crows doing jobs in Tevinter, and then there is another called "Eight Little Talons" about the crows and their plans on how to tackle the coming qunari invasion.
With Dragon Age: Tevinter Nights taking place after Inquisition and likely before Dragon Age 4, it is very interesting to see how active the Antivan Crows are, and fans have taken these short stories as a sign of more Antivan Crow-related content to come. The fact that they are going to react to the qunari invasion is also a big deal because many believe the qunari invasion to be one of the big events of Dragon Age 4. This has made fans believe there could likely be an Antivan Crow companion or at least an alliance with the organization. The fact that Antiva is not far from Tevinter has also made some wonder if Antiva can be visited in Dragon Age 4. After all, Dragon Age: Inquisition took players to far more places than just regions of Orlais. They also visited regions of Ferelden, which was to the east of Orlais just as Antiva is to Tevinter.
What If Zevran Died In Dragon Age: Origins?
It has been shown throughout Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition that death in Dragon Age: Origins or Dragon Age: Awakening does not always mean a character will not return. Major examples of this are Anders and Leliana. There are a number of ways Zevran can die in Origins, from the very first time players meet him to his possible betrayal in Denerim.
BioWare created a very fascinating story of a dead Leliana in Dragon Age: Inquisition, but that ultimately had to do with her faith and Zevran is not a character cut from that same cloth. One way for him to make an appearance in Dragon Age 4 despite seeming to die in Origins is actually a very simple, fun, and in-character idea for a rogue Antivan Crow. The idea is that Zevran did not die, but actually played dead. However, this was not thought of for Dragon Age 2, and if Zevran died in Origins, his quests did not appear in future games. If developers really felt he would be special to Dragon Age 4's story, though, they could easily come up with ways for the tricky rogue to somehow survive.
There is another, much more likely scenario that BioWare can use for Dragon Age 4. It would be similar to what was done with Alistair, Loghain, and Stroud in Dragon Age: Inquisition. Basically, Dragon Age 4 could have a major Antivan Crow ally that changes identity depending on the players' previous choices. If Zevran died, then the Antivan Crow could be a new character or a minor one from previous content. If Zevran is alive, then he fills the role of that character instead.
Why Zevran Should Make An Appearance
Outside the Antivan Crows likely being involved in Dragon Age 4, Zevran is simply a fan-favorite character whose appearance would be loved by fans. Even Zevran's voice actor mentioned wanting the character to return. A lot of characters in Dragon Age: Origins have had their stories expanded upon beyond just the one game. Alistair and Sten have been in the comic books, Shale and Wynne were in Dragon Age: Asunder, Leliana and Cullen played big roles in Inquisition, and Oghren was a companion in Dragon Age: Awakening. That is special attention for nearly every Dragon Age: Origins party member except Zevran. With that in mind, it feels almost necessary for him to appear in Dragon Age 4.
Zevran has skills and contacts that would be incredibly valuable both in a qunari invasion and against Solas. Between Solas and the qunari, there are likely spies all across Thedas, and it will be hard to determine who and who not to trust. Zevran is a character players will automatically know they can be at ease with because they already will know him well. Over the years, Zevran has likely become stronger and wiser, too. He could even become a Talon, the highest rank among the Crows, and replace one of the few that died in Tevinter Nights. A lot of Antivan Crows are also elves, and that could be useful against Solas, whose entire network is mostly elves as well.
Dragon Age 4 is in development.