BioWare's Dragon Age franchise may not have had a mainline entry in a good few years, but the popular series is starting to gear up for the release of the highly anticipated Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. One of the more recent additions to the overarching canon was Netflix's Dragon Age: Absolution, which introduced new characters and settings while also containing several satisfying callbacks to the wider Dragon Age series. However, the return of Meredith as an antagonist left some fans a little frustrated.
Each previous Dragon Age game unsurprisingly intersects, creating connections between characters, storylines, and recurring locations. This makes sense, especially as the games are set not too far apart from each other in Thedas' timeline. However, there are some elements that players might prefer not to see again, like recurring villains. There might be some exceptions, like Solas' return in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, but encountering an enemy that was supposedly dealt with in a previous game echoes one of Marvel's persistent problems.
Dragon Age's Returning Villains
For the first time in the series, Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will be a direct sequel to its predecessor. With almost a decade since the release of Dragon Age: Inquisition, gamers have been waiting a long time to continue the story of BioWare's beloved RPG, and expectations are high. The chance to delve back into Solas' complex story after his time as a companion in the previous title is an exciting proposition for most fans, and his return – this time as an antagonist – makes sense. However, there are some villainous characters that have made a reappearance that don't fit into the storyline quite so neatly.
Corypheus' return as one of the main enemies in Dragon Age: Inquisition may have confused some fans, who believed that the ancient Darkspawn menace had been well and truly dealt with by Hawke and Varric in Dragon Age 2. Unbeknownst to them, Corypheus was able to transfer his essence and survive the encounter, so his reappearance in Dragon Age: Inquisition makes some sense. However, former Knight-Commander Meredith's reveal at the end of Dragon Age: Absolution seems much more unlikely.
Dragon Age's Marvel Problem
After being defeated in Dragon Age 2, Meredith was said to still be a petrified, red lyrium-encrusted corpse in Dragon Age: Inquisition. It seems strange then for her to turn up alive (although still encased in lyrium) in Dragon Age: Absolution. Not only that, but she was revealed to be the guiding hand behind Hira's betrayal and is now intent on starting a war with Tevinter. This circumstance sets her up as a recurring character in the Netflix series' sequel, as well as potentially in Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, given the game's setting. While some fans enjoyed the callback to Dragon Age 2, others felt that Dragon Age: Absolution missed its chance to establish a unique villain instead of relying on already-established characters.
With the return of these antagonists – and the slight revision of past storylines – Dragon Age looks like it's developing a Marvel problem. The massive entertainment franchise has more than a few narrative threads to keep track of, so it's no surprise when previous aspects that were established as canon are tweaked to allow for new stories. Marvel can also have a bit of a reliance on bringing back the same villains again and again instead of trying to come up with new ones, which can be frustrating for fans who want fresh faces to rail against. Although Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will see the return of Solas, there will hopefully be some new enemies that haven't been inexplicably raised from the dead as well.
Dragon Age: Dreadwolf is in development.