One of the most exciting - and unexpected - announcements at The Game Awards 2022 was Hades 2, the sequel to Supergiant Games' roguelike Hades. While some fans theorized that Hades would receive an expansion pack or DLC, especially after it gained massive popularity, few were expecting a full-on sequel given the developer's history. However, fans of Hades came away from the first official trailer to Hades 2 with one burning question about the whereabouts of Zagreus, protagonist of the original Hades and son of its title character.
Hades, released out of Early Access in 2020, focused on protagonist Zagreus' attempts to escape from the realm of the dead. Zagreus had a contentious relationship with his father, and generally felt he was ignored and lacked a purpose in life. His escapes focused around his desire to see the surface world and reunite with his long-lost mother, Persephone. The core gameplay consisted of Zagreus facing down challenging bosses and gaining new blessings from various Olympian gods each time. While little was shown of Hades 2's gameplay, it seems to feature a similar loop - but starring a new female protagonist, with Zagreus nowhere in sight.
Hades 2 Stars a Brand-New Protagonist
Instead of Zagreus, Hades 2 will star Melinoe, a nymph or goddess associated with the Underworld who is believed to cause nightmares and madness. Like Zagreus, she is a figure who has little official mythology, and thus is ripe for interpretation by Supergiant Games in the Hades sequel. The developer confirmed on Twitter that its interpretation of Melinoe is a sibling or half-sibling of Zagreus - presumably a child of Persephone, although possibly by a different father - and is a powerful sorceress with strong magical abilities.
Other new characters appeared in the trailer, including at least one Shade - the spirits of the dead residing in the underworld. Apollo, a Greek god, was shown giving his blessings to Melinoe, much in the same way that his Olympian family members blessed Zagreus in the first Hades. Apollo was not one of the Olympians who appeared in the original Hades, leading many fans to hope he would make an appearance in DLC or future entries. Fans have also begun to discuss how the Titans, ancient progenitors of the Greek gods, may play a larger role in Hades 2 - possibly as antagonists who Melinoe must fight.
Zagreus May Have Retired From Escaping Hades
At the end of Hades, if the game is played to completion, Zagreus organizes a reconciliation between Hades and Persephone, and repairs his own strained relationship with his father. Hades even assigns Zagreus a new job where he is encouraged to try escaping the Underworld in order to expose flaws in Hades' security system. Fans theorize he may not star as the protagonist of this sequel because he is now content in his role. However, fans hold on to hope that Zagreus - alongside potential love interests Megaera and Thanatos, as well as other fan-favorite characters - might make a return as NPCs.
The first official trailer for Hades 2 revealed little, focusing primarily on Melinoe and only briefly featuring other characters. Yet Zagreus' lack of appearance should not be taken as a sign that he will not appear at all, as there are a number of roles that Zagreus could play: a mentor to Melinoe, a combat trainer, or simply a side character enjoying his "retirement." Other characters not yet confirmed to be returning include Orpheus, Eurydice, Megaera, Thanatos, the other Greek gods, as well as Theseus and his Minotaur companion. Hopefully, Zagreus' fate will be revealed in future trailers for Hades 2, or at least confirmed when the game enters Early Access in 2023.
Hades 2 is in development, with Early Access planned for 2023.