World of Warcraftrecently announcedEternity’s End,the finale of the story ofShadowlands.World of Warcraftdataminers are already deciphering files and assets, but one discovery has fans worried Blizzard may be making a huge mistake involving Pelagos, the first transgender character to appear in-game.Warning: Spoilers for the World of Warcraft: Shadowlands expansion below.
Bastion, an afterlife realm of penance and home to the angelic Kyrian, is one of thezones inWorld of Warcraft: Shadowlands. During the story, characters encounter Pelagos, a recently-arrived Kyrian who has a lot to work through before he can get his wings. Players who join the Kyrian’s covenant learn more about Pelagos after becoming his Soulbind, including that he was female in life, but took a male form after his death.
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During theevents ofShadowlandsand its subsequent patches, the Arbiter, a massive construct responsible for sorting souls into their proper afterlives, was severely damaged. Voice lines between Pelagos and Kleia, another Kyrian and Soulbind of Pelagos and the player character, seem to indicate Pelagos is to become the next arbiter, using his essence to either become or restore the automaton. This is further hinted at by the existence of an NPC named “Arbiter Pelagos.”
There are several reasons why this story arc could be bad form. Pelagos, as a trans man, was ahuge step forward for representation inWoW. Media has a bad habit of killing off queer characters to elicit response from the audience, and though it is not known if Pelagos will truly be gone if he becomes the new Arbiter, he would be irrevocably changed nonetheless. To make matters worse, the Arbiter’s current form is feminine, and though a construct, has been referred to with female pronouns, meaning Pelagos’s sacrifice could also be seen as a de-transition.
Players were mortified to discover the possibility of this story beat. The LGBTQ+ community who supportWarcrafthave been pushed to their wits’ end in the struggle for representation within theWarcraftuniverse. These players do not want to see another queer character die, or worse, be forced into a female body for the sake of the narrative. Considering themyriad controversies Blizzard is already mired in, this move would undoubtedly earn it even more bad press with its player base.
The story arc itself has the seeds of what could be an interesting narrative. Pelagos has been generally well-liked, and though he plays a supporting role in the story, seeing him fulfill this role could be a fantastic arc. However, Blizzard will need to tread carefully if it does, perhaps by ensuring Pelagos’s Arbiter form is masculine, and his essence is not simply sacrificed to bring back the old arbiter.
In any sense, it is important to realize the datamined information is neither final nor official–it is possible this could be a red herring, or it could be cut completely beforeEternity’s Endis released.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlandsis available on PC.Eternity’s Endis currently in development.
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