Star Wars: The Last Jedi has sparked intense debate among fans, making it one of the most polarizing films in the series. Initially, I felt frustrated and confused after watching it, perceiving it as an attempt to push the boundaries of Star Wars’ already thin fiction. The film seemed to be striving for credibility, allowing it to criticize the very foundation it was built upon. I was also disappointed with how it treated one of my beloved fictional characters. However, as time passed and I witnessed the disappointing disaster that was The Rise of Skywalker, I began to appreciate The Last Jedi for its ambitious vision, even if I didn’t fully agree with its execution.
Interestingly, I had not given much thought to either of these movies until I completed the Diablo 4 campaign. The narrative of Diablo 4 revolves around a rebel character with questionable methods but an ultimate goal that any reasonable person (i.e., the player) can support. Even if you didn’t start out empathizing with this character, you likely found yourself aligning with Lilith as the story progressed. The character dialogue reflects this sentiment, questioning the purpose of the fight at certain points. The writers at Blizzard may have intended to create a Thanos-like character, someone who identifies a legitimate problem but handles it in a heartless and ruthless manner. However, that is not how I interpreted it at all. I am ready to embrace the Mother. Lilith is not like Thanos. Firstly, she exists in a dark, Satanic world that combines elements of pseudo-Judeo/Christian beliefs. The rules of this world are far from grounded. Diablo’s lore has never aimed to comment on actual religion but rather borrows enough elements to establish a believable and credible lore. After all, it does involve the devil! In the lore, Lilith is the daughter of Hatred, and everyone has predetermined perceptions of her. Regardless of her actions or intentions, she is the offspring of a Prime Evil, a Demon born in Hell – the epitome of evil. Typically, that would be the end of the story – an evil being in an evil place doing evil things and needing to be stopped. Simple and straightforward. However, Lilith is more than that. She is also the Mother of Sanctuary, which resembles Earth in the Diablo universe. She, along with a rebellious Angel, grew tired of the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and Burning Hells and gave birth to the ancestors of humanity, hoping to break the cycle and create something beyond endless war. Initially, this plan succeeded, but eventually, it failed. Their act of true rebellion, meant to escape the eternal conflict, never truly achieved its goal. Humanity was born, and a third realm was established, becoming a new battleground for war and influence between both realms. However, the Angel, Inarius, experienced a change of heart and convinced himself that he could still find a place in Heaven. He believed that defeating the demon Lilith was the way to achieve it. But it didn’t work. Lilith remained steadfast. She still considers herself the guardian of Sanctuary and genuinely wants to uplift humanity rather than seek worshippers. Her argument revolves around the notion that humanity must be prepared for the impending war against the Prime Evils, working alongside her progeny against her own kind. It’s a twisted and harsh perspective, but within the confines of this fictional world, it is not an unreasonable one. Yet, the heroes continue to oppose her every step of the way, solely because she is the Daughter of Hatred. Even if her goals are not unreasonable, they suspect that she has a hidden agenda that will eventually make things worse. One of the most captivating and yet frustrating moments in the game occurs when your character becomes trapped in a dream where Lilith presents her thesis one last time to the player. She does not downplay the gravity of what she asks, attempting to appeal to the logical side of the protagonist. However, by this point, the protagonist has been influenced by the heroes and refuses to consider Lilith’s proposal, defaulting to the typical ‘rah-rah, you’re evil and must die, rah-rah’ rhetoric that the rest of the team has been peddling. This moment was illuminating, and it felt like Blizzard had given up and abandoned any pretense. There was never any chance that the hero of the story would align with the villain or reach a compromise. So why spend all this time developing a compelling villain and giving her the opportunity to make an argument (enough to sow doubt in my heart) – only to follow the same predictable path as Star Wars and state that evil is bad because it’s bad, without any possibility for change? To further add to my dismay, there is a misguided Angel whom we are supposed to believe is the hero in this tale. The first character you encounter in Diablo 4 (who doesn’t want to kill you) is Iosef. He saves you from being sacrificed, but you don’t see him again throughout the entire game. However, he reappears at the end, leading an execution squad to kill Lorath, your companion (the equivalent of Diablo’s Deckard Cain). You have no choice but to fight them off, and Iosef ends up dead. I like to think that their deaths symbolize the banality of the entire situation. Even Iosef, initially a helpful and kind character, turned against you because you deviated from the prescribed actions dictated by the supposedly infallible religion he follows. The Church and its devout Angel-followers are portrayed as the good guys in the story. Despite sharing the same objectives as our heroes, they oppose the outcome and label us as heretics. It serves as a reminder that in this world, there is no clear-cut “good” or “evil”; everything is relative, and you inadvertently chose the wrong side.
Season 1 offers the possibility of continuing the narrative, leaving room for the heroes to grapple with their choices and potentially venture into less predictable territory.
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Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
