The upcomingMass Effect 4has been hinted to be a return to the legacy of Commander Shepard, with its reveal trailer heavily implying that the Destroy ending of the original trilogy has been canonized moving forward. Considering just how many permutations exist between all three of those titles, however, it seems nearly impossible to account for the fate of every single character from a previous game inMass Effect 4.
Despite the chaos of tracking all their places in the galaxy, BioWare has shown some conviction when it comes to locking in concrete lore if the reappearance ofLiara inMass Effect 4’s traileris anything to go by. Many of the fates of the franchise’s cast are dependent on how much Shepard engaged with their loyalty missions and individual storylines, but there are varying places where each character could find themselves at the start of the next game.
The Potential Fates of Mass Effect’s Original Companions
Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko
Only one of these Alliance officers can be alive by the end of the first game, as there’s amandatory death inMass Effect’s Virmire mission. Whoever survives that mission will once again be able to join the party inME3and see Shepard’s mission all the way through, but they can also be killed in an armed stand-off with the player if the relationship with them turns hostile instead.
Liara T’Soni
After being a consistent presence in the trilogy,Liara’s return inMass Effect 4is guaranteed due to her appearance in the game’s announcement trailer. Assuming she continues her role as the Shadow Broker, she might be one of the most influential people in the rebuilding galaxy.
Tali’Zorah vas Normandy
After making it through the first game, Tali could have perished inME2’s Suicide Mission like any other companion or met a tragic end onRannoch inMass Effect 3. If the Quarians are practically wiped out due to Shepard having sided with the Geth, Tali takes her own life as a consequence of the player’s actions. She’s instead positioned as a key member of her race’s redevelopment if these deaths are avoided.
Garrus Vakarian
While he’s most commonly one of Shepard’s most loyal allies of the trilogy, Garrus could have been left behind in the second game. Apart from the Suicide Mission, he could have been left behind to be overwhelmed during his time as Archangel on Omega. He would presumably have returned to assist the Palaven military after the Reaper threat was vanquished.
Urdnot Wrex
Two major confrontations determine Wrex’s place in the galaxy, as he could have died as early as Virmire inME1if Shepard failed to talk him down. He can similarly be embroiled in a stand-off with Shepard if he is deceived about thegenophage being cured inMass Effect 3, but otherwise, he remains a prominent Krogan living in glory on Tuchanka.
Possible Outcomes of Companions Introduced in Mass Effect 2
An inevitable aspect of this game is thatMass Effect 2’s companions risks death in the Suicide Missionat the finale of the story, with Shepard even being able to lose the entire squad and die as a result. This can happen due to insufficient upgrades to the Normandy and making poor decisions when assigning companions to different mission roles. If they all survive, however, many of them could still be around inME4.
Miranda Lawson
DuringMiranda’s questline inMass Effect 3, she can be fatally wounded by Kai Leng due to Shepard failing to warn her, or shot by her own father as she breaks away from Cerberus and her dark past by trying to save her sister Oriana. If she survives, she can be seen helping the Alliance with the galaxy’s reconstruction after the Destroy ending. It wouldn’t be surprising to see that Miranda has become a full-on reformed turncloak who continues to aid these forces with her anti-Cerberus experience in the next game.
Jacob Taylor
Now a father in a relationship with Dr. Brynn Cole, regardless of any potential romance with Shepard, Jacob may have settled down and continued to step away from combat as the galaxy rebuilds. While he was already implied to have switched sides to the Alliance for good, he could follow a similar path to Miranda given their shady history together.
Mordin Solus
Depending on whether theGenophage cure is released by Mordin inMass Effect 3or not, he will have made a noble sacrifice to right his wrongs or died in vain at the hands of Shepard’s betrayal. Alternatively, he could be alive as the result of deception letting the genophage go on, and continuing his research with the Salarians. The dramatic payoff of his death and popularity of the Krogan makes the latter arc unlikely for Mordin’s future, but it would also facilitate his return.
Jack
As a teacher at Grissom Academy, Jack’s fate depends on whether Shepard ignores her mission inME3. If she wasn’t assisted, she was captured and turned into a Phantom enemy, but having helped her results in life-or-death outcomes for her students instead of herself. Depending on whether her biotic pupils met their ends or not,Mass Effect 2’s reformed Subject Zero Jackcould be upbeat or more grim than ever if she reappears.
Grunt
After returning forMass Effect 3’s Rachni Queen mission, Grunt could have died fighting on Utukku. If he survived, however, he is last seen celebrating on Tuchanka with Wrex. If he kept up that relationship with one of the most prominent Krogan, the next game could see Grunt as one of the clan leaders of his species' future.
Thane Krios
Due to his terminal illness and inevitable fatal injury fromKai Leng inMass Effect 3, Thane is one of the characters who have met their end by the trilogy’s conclusion. As such, he is extremely unlikely to return.
Samara and Morinth
The Asari Justicar Samara can infamously be killed courtesy of Shepard’s decisions if she is betrayed in favor of her evil daughter Morinth inME2. If she survived, then continuing her Justicar crusade against her own Ardat-Yakshi daughters could have seen Samara taking her own life inME3. Avoiding those tragedies, she either continues her duties or seems to have settled down in peace with her daughter Falere, both scenarios leaving the door open for her long history of adventures to not be over yet. Her daughter, on the other hand, cannot survive the events of the third game. IfMorinth was chosen over Samara inMass Effect 2, she later appears as a Banshee enemy in the trilogy’s finale.
Legion
This Geth is guaranteed to have perished for the sake of their race, either through a vain attempt to kill Shepard or sacrificing itself to distribute its personality into the entire Geth collective. It can also appear as an enemy inME3if it was sold to Cerberus in place of ever being recruited in the previous game.
Zaeed Massani
This mercenary veteran could have died while saving a Volus ambassador during his anti-Cerberus arc inME3, but otherwise, he has been shown living a relaxed life on his own terms as a freelance soldier in the wake of the trilogy’s end.
Kasumi Goto
It’s unknown if the lack of a reappearance from Kasumi after being near an explosion inME3indicates her death or simple lack of interest in revealing her survival to Shepard, but she came out of the shadows to be an active helper on the Crucible efforts if she favored the player.
The Limited Possibilities of Mass Effect 3’s New Companions
During the final assault on Earth, this game has a generic death sequence that can apply to any companions in the current squad if the player’s EMS score is insufficient. This death scene at the hands of the Reaper Harbinger is the only way to see the likes of Liara die in the entire trilogy, so it’s considered especially dubious in canon. Barring this, the characters that were added inME3can basically all live on.
James Vega
As a loyal soldier who will follow Shepard to the dramatic end, the only meaningful difference in James' arc is the influence of his commander’s morality on his attitude. Given thatShepard’s legacy inMass Effect 4has already been acknowledged by its trailer, James is likely to be deeply inspired by their example if he returns.
Javik
Depending on whether he uses the Prothean memory shard, Javik has two different personalities by the conclusion. Reliving the memories sees him desiring to end his own life after the mission, but leaving them alone instead leads to apositive arc for Javik inMass Effect 3. He ironically becomes more outgoing, intent on collaborating with Liara on a book and being worshiped among the Hanar without the burden of the shard. If the grim nature of his darker path is to be trusted, then the friendlier Javik is the only one with a chance of appearing inME4.
EDI
It’s implied that EDI is killed in the Destroy ending due to being a synthetic lifeform, but the status of her consciousness, not necessarily being tied to her corporeal android body, still leaves room for her return.
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