Published , by Bill Lavoy
Published , by Bill Lavoy
Guardians, Cayde-6 is coming back to Destiny 2 with original actor Nathan Fillion voicing the character. Perhaps the most beloved Guardian in franchise history, Cayde’s imminent return is good news for everyone. There are a lot of questions to dig through about this news, though, so let’s dive in and start theorizing.
This seems like a no-brainer, but the Final Shape teaser showed Cayde sitting near a fire without a Ghost. Ikora, who was also at the fire, had a Ghost. This would suggest that Ikora is alive, and that Cayde is dead. There’s also what appears to be Light spilling out of Cayde’s eyes, giving him an almost ghostly appearance.
This is another easy one given that we can see the same portal visible from outside the Traveler in the teaser for the Final Shape. It’s clear that Ikora and Cayde are inside the Traveler, which brings up more questions than answers. If Cayde is indeed still dead, is this Heaven, Hell, or even Guardian Valhalla? If Cayde died and went to an afterlife inside the Traveler, is this where all the dead Guardians go? If so, there are both friends and foes here. If this is where Light-wielders go when they die, we’re about to meet some characters that have only ever appeared in lore, and they aren’t all going to be friendly.
I just don’t see Cayde coming back to the Destiny universe on a full-time basis. What I suspect, and it’s pure speculation, is that Cayde will be back for The Final Shape, helping us in our battle against The Witness. I think once that’s wrapped up, Cayde will be gone again. I just don’t see the character walking back into the Tower and taking up his old role as Hunter Vanguard. Maybe I’m wrong, and part of me hopes I am, but it seems too good to be true.
This calls back to a thought I had earlier about meeting friends and foes who have died wielding the Light, but if that prediction is true, Savathûn and the Lucent Hive will be present inside the Traveler. Maybe Bungie will get crazy and have Savathûn join us in a similar way to Empress Caiatl and Mithrax? I don’t know. Savathûn's Ghost isn't dead so she can technically be revived, so I’m just throwing things at the wall here, but it’s fun to consider.
If Guardians go to this place when they die, what about Ghosts? Maybe this is where Osiris gets Sagira back, which I think would be a very cool thing. Even cooler if Cayde has been taking care of her all this time. Another longshot, but nothing breaks my heart more than when Osiris calls for Sagira, momentarily forgetting she’s gone.
We killed Uldren Sov, but when a Ghost resurrected that body, it became Crow. Now, I’ve long wanted to shoot Crow again. I get that he doesn’t remember what he did, and that we also could have a very troubled past, but that dude killed Cayde. I can’t let that go. At least now I’m glad we didn’t kill him (again) because I’m looking forward to that face-to-face meeting.
We’ve already visited our own grave and heard the kind words of Saint-14 as he memorialized us. We know that in some timeline we die. The Final Shape would make a lot of sense, as that will be Year 8 of Destiny 2, and Year 11 of the franchise. I’m speculating here with no inside knowledge or solid points to back up my thought, but I think we’re getting Destiny 3 in 2025, and what better way to transition to a new Destiny story than to kill our Guardians off in Year 8? Maybe not the start of The Final Shape, but the end perhaps?
Let me know what you think, Guardians. What theories or questions do you have about Cayde coming back to Destiny 2?