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With Westworld returning to HBO in just a few days’ time — on Sunday, March 15 — we’re taking a quick look at some of the biggest questions looming ahead of the show’s third season.

Season 2 ended with rebel-bot Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) escaping Westworld in a Host body resembling Delos’ Executive Director, Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson). Sometime later, in the real world, Dolores rebuilt her original body along with the Host form of Bernard Lowe (Jeffrey Wright), who she also brought back to “life.” A Host resembling Hale was with her as Dolores set out to lead an A.I. uprising, with Bernard resurrected to play the role of her adversary.

Season 3 will introduce Aaron Paul’s Caleb, a criminal-for-hire who forms a special Bond with Dolores. But does he know she’s a Host? What role will he ultimately play in the war to come? Let’s check in with some of the biggest “WTF?”s ahead of Season 3.

Who is Aaron Paul’s Caleb?

What’s up with Aaron Paul’s Caleb Nichols? Why does he join Dolores in her mission to subjugate humanity? Does he know she’s a Host? Is he a Host but doesn’t know it? Series co-creator Jonathan Nolan told EW that “Aaron’s character will challenge Dolores’ notions about the nature of humanity. He’s the type of person who doesn’t get to go to Westworld.”

That quote seems to suggest that Caleb is human, despite theories abound that he’s somehow Dolores’ secret Host son.

Through Caleb, viewers will get a closer look at what life is like outside of the parks, in 2058 Neo-Los Angeles. He’s a construction worker by day (and has a robot named George), and by night he works as a thief as part of a crew. From the looks of one of the “hidden trailers,” Caleb comes into conflict with the new character Vincent Cassel is playing. Cassel could be a crime boss or an executive at a tech firm targeted by Dolores.

Most likely, it’s looking like, huge twists aside, Caleb is there to fall in love with Dolores. And possibly vice-versa.

What is Soloman?

This might wind up being the biggest wild card of Season 3. More than Maeve wielding a sword or possible trips into a World War II-themed park. Teasers for Season 3 introduced us to a new tech company called Incite and a new look at a historic timeline of global events within the show – including the activation of a system called “Solomon” (and is that Vincent Cassel’s voice?).

Those familiar with Jonathan Nolan’s Person of Interest already know of his affinity for secret menacing A.I. programs being put into place without the public knowing – and this could be the case with Solomon (on POI, it was “Samaritan”). The date shown for Solomon’s birth is 2039, which would be long before the Host uprising in Westworld (which could be the divergence listed in 2058). Does that mean the real world is already running at the behest of a massive A.I. system? One that’s supposedly in place to manage “divergences?”

If so, then how does it figure into the larger war that Dolores looks to wage? Or Delos’ plans to achieve immortality by transferring mapped human brains into Host replica bodies? Is Solomon and its handlers the real enemy here or is this something Dolores might want to partner up with?

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Are Dr. Ford (or Arnold Weber) Still Present?

Once Season 2 introduced the idea that Dr. Ford (Anthony Hopkins) could upload his consciousness into a place like the Cradle, or that Hosts could live a free life in the virtual Eden of the Valley Beyond, we now have a story sandbox that allows for pretty much anyone to come back.

Once Ford entered Bernard’s mind in Season 2, and then had to be purged when Bernard wiped his own memories, he was supposedly killed off forever. He remained on as part of Bernard’s own imagination, but for show purposes he seemed to be gone. And yet, it was Dr. Ford who was trying, at all costs, to stop Delos from their wicked plan to create human Hosts in order to live on past death, so it would be strange for him to be completely out of the mix. Perhaps he’s a part of Maeve now, since Maeve was Ford’s favorite Host. Whatever the case, it’s hard to imagine him not popping up again, in control of things somehow.

Dr. Arnold Weber is a different story since he’s been dead for 35 years. But did Dolores make a Host form of him though? No, not Bernard, who was created in Arnold’s image, based on both Ford and Dolores’ best recollections, but an actual Arnold Host? He’s someone who actually hadn’t been brought back to the show’s present, so it’d make for a cool surprise.

Could Arnold Be the Host in Charlotte Hale’s Form?

Which pearls did Dolores escape Westworld with at the end of Season 2? One was presumably Bernard, since she brought him back from the brink, in his own body. Another pearl probably landed in whoever’s occupying the Charlotte Hale husk. Or Did Dolores basically copy her own self into Hale? Or, you know, is it Arnold? Angela? Abernathy?

Those Hosts who went to the Valley Beyond couldn’t have been in her possession, right? So that means no Teddy or anyone else who retired to that VR “free will” world (which Dolores herself shuffled off somewhere safe). Could the pearls she took, because they came from the Forge, be Delos-copied human minds? As in, maybe they’re not Host brains but real people brains? Could she have William or William’s daughter Emily?

Did Dolores Win?

Season 2 ended with a stinger that’s supposedly set far into the future. We watched William (Ed Harris), wounded, enter the Forge to find his daughter there, still alive.

Both William and his daughter are Hosts though, obviously, but Emily is the one running a “fidelity” test on William, who’s very specifically the William who kind of died at the end of Season 2. Host Emily was created to do very different things while this William is very much the “Man in Black” who has no idea time has passed.

So, who’s bringing William back and why? Is it Emily? Is this Emily the head of Delos now? And is William being brought back to take out Dolores on behalf of Delos? Or is Solomon behind this resurrection?

The biggest question now is: Is this a future where Dolores won? Did A.I. succeed in fully supplanting humanity? Are we that far into the future that she’s taken over everything? And is William being brought back because he knows something key that can turn the tide for humans? We’ll have to find out, starting March 15!

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

Editors Note: This is a guest editorial written to celebrate International Women’s Day, and hopefully inspire a little, too. We’re very grateful to Lyndsay, backed by her team at EA, for taking the time to tell her story.

As we approach International Women’s Day, I’ve been answering a lot of questions about being a woman in the games industry. These questions all touch on the same themes – did you find it difficult? What obstacles did you have to overcome? Did you fit in? Did you have blockers or supporters? How did you handle it? All of them perpetuate the idea that women don’t really belong on game teams or play games at all. I started to reflect on my journey into gaming, and I was struck by the fact my exposure to gaming started with women. In fact, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with games was it not for my grandma.

My grandma was fiercely competitive and whip-smart. We played board games and card games but my grandma also loved technology. In her late 60s, she was playing games on her computer and had a NES before anyone else I can remember. She was playing nearly every weekend when we visited. It was at her house I first played Myst; my cousins and I played hours of Anticipation on the SNES; we repeatedly failed to beat Aladdin and lost out to her on Dr. Mario.

The existence of video games in my everyday life didn’t immediately lead me to think of joining games as a career. When it came time to think about going off to college I was pretty set on the idea of pursuing visual effects for movies, and I majored in Computer Modeling & Animation. At school, it became very apparent to me that my history in video games was very different than my male peers. But given the massive presence and culture around games at my college, I jumped in to play Counter-Strike, I joined the LAN parties, I played Virtua Tennis (very well I might add) and Soul Calibur; it was the language we used to connect. [poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=I%20started%20to%20reflect%20on%20my%20journey%20into%20gaming%2C%20and%20I%20was%20struck%20by%20the%20fact%20my%20exposure%20to%20gaming%20started%20with%20women.”]

During my junior year in college, my friends in the Game Design major suggested we all volunteer at GDC. I’d never been before but was interested. That first GDC really opened up my imagination to what my career could be. I hadn’t connected the fact that video games were using all the same amazing technology that movies were, but instead, you were able to play with it and be immersed in it rather than just watching it. One of the friends I met as a volunteer at GDC was ultimately the person who convinced me to apply to EA as a tester, a role in which I would be playing games as they were built to ensure they worked under any combinations of play.

Starting at EA was another cultural shift for me. I had always considered myself a gamer. I loved games of all kinds, but I was witnessing a different level of passion and even fell prey to a dose of imposter syndrome. We played lots of games together, we tested lots of games together and we were all there for the same reason – to make awesome games. After a year in the testing department, I had a chance to work as a producer on The Sims Makin’ Magic. Very early on in my career, it was apparent just how influential the women leaders had been on this team; in fact, my first manager in development was a woman.

I found women in all roles across the team and all levels of development. My manager, our development director, members of our art and animation team, a lead designer – there were incredible and experienced female game developers in all corners of our team, and I was able to jump in and feel like I belonged. Being able to start my journey on a game team through an expansion pack I was really excited about was incredible. I was able to create art, design features for the game, write text and more; it felt like a crash course into game development.

When we wrapped and moved onto The Sims 2, I was given a chance to work with more and more parts of the team and continued to see women in leadership roles around me. My more senior producer, the animators I worked with regularly, the brand leader, the audio team… I definitely started to feel like this was a place I belonged and a game I could really add value to.

My career and responsibilities grew immensely during The Sims 2, and I caught myself once again jumping into unknown territories to speak the language. Where it was Counter-Strike in college, it was User Interface during The Sims 2. I made icons and sliced up menus to understand how we did it, why it worked, and I broke a lot of builds along the way.  As I moved forward, my responsibilities changed. Now I was in a position to start working more broadly across the game and start guiding the culture of the team. It was then I started to recognize how the unique makeup of The Sims team was directly contributing to our game. We couldn’t make a game about life if we only looked at life through a small lens.  We were seeking to create experiences: approachable, relatable and authentic to players of all ages and genders around the world. The Sims is not a game made FOR women, but it does provide a space where women and girls can certainly feel safe, recognized and celebrated. My grandma would have loved it.

To this day, The Sims puts an intense amount of focus into crafting this space for exploration and self-expression, and it requires that we put our own perspectives aside to recognize when someone else knows more than we do. When we introduced gender customization we worked with GLAAD; we couldn’t claim to be experts in representing these stories. When we craft a pack centered on raising children and being a parent, we want to reflect every experience: being the mom, dad, sister, brother, grandparent, or troublesome toddler. We couldn’t possibly do that if we didn’t ask a lot of questions and create a culture of listening and learning. [poilib element=”quoteBox” parameters=”excerpt=I%E2%80%99ve%20been%20fortunate%20in%20my%20life%20and%20career%20to%20be%20surrounded%20by%20women%20who%20love%20gaming%20and%20recognize%20that%20it%E2%80%99s%20as%20much%20for%20them%20as%20anyone%20else.”]

I’ve been fortunate in my life and career to be surrounded by women who love gaming and recognize that it’s as much for them as anyone else. I bring that into my work and advocate for recognizing the vast audience that’s out there at any opportunity. I’m very proud that The Sims team has such a high percentage of female developers in this predominantly male industry. And we’ve made The Sims the top PC game for female players in the US. I am honored anytime I can attend Grace Hopper or present to the Girls Who Code about why we NEED them to help us make better games. My daughter is already really excited to play games and I plan to introduce her to all kinds of them. And in continuing the family tradition, her grandma, my mom, just bought a VR setup to play Beat Saber and has dominated top scores in 2048.

Games aren’t just for gamers, and gamers don’t come in just one flavor.  We’re seeing this shift happening slowly in the movie industry with more movies created by and for women, showcasing distinct points of view, and different parts of the world. I believe we’ll see the same thing in games, and I honestly can’t wait. To the influential women in my gaming life – and to all the players out there – Happy International Women’s Day!

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Lyndsay Pearson is the Executive Producer and General Manager for The Sims, leading and driving teams that have worked on a variety of projects across The Sims franchise. Since joining Electronic Arts in 2003, Lyndsay has worked on all generations of The Sims titles pushing to deliver powerful creativity and self expression to players around the world. In her role she focuses her attention on the design and development of the player experience; team dynamics and processes; and charting the future of The Sims. As part of EA’s Women’s Ultimate Team and Inclusion Council, Lyndsay is an advocate for diversity and inclusion not only in The Sims but across EA.

This Sunday is all about Mario, as his special day, March 10th (Mar1o Day) is nearly around the corner. What’s that mean for you? Savings! Deals! Check out our list of awesome Mario themed products on sale currently, as well as other great items that can be found this Sunday.

Mario Games and Products on Sale at Amazon

March 10th is just around the corner, and Nintendo has seen fit to dub it Mar1o day, which means sales for you! Already we’re seeing a few excellent Nintendo Switch games go on sale, so check them out below.

• Super Mario Maker 2 for $40
• Super Mario Party for $40
• Yoshi’s Crafted World for $40
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 for $39
• Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle for $15
• Super Mario Encyclopedia: Guide to the First 30 Years for $21
• Super Mario Encyclopedia: Guide to the First 30 Years Limited Edition for $29
• Mario Odyssey Carrying Case for Nintendo Switch for $15

Out 6/26: Ghost of Tsushima for PS4

Ghost of Tsushima is coming exclusive to the PS4 console in less than 4 months. The Special Edition includes a steelbook case and some DLC goodies. The Collector’s Edition includes a steelbook case, replica Sakai mask and stand, Sashimono war banner, cloth map of Tsushima, Furoshiki wrapping cloth, 48-page mini art book, and even more DLC extras.

• Preorder the Collector’s Edition for $169.99
• Preorder the Special Edition for $69.99
• Preorder the Standard (Launch) Edition for $59.99

Seagate FireCuda 2TB SSHD for $60 at Amazon

Need some more room for games? Check out this deal on the FireCuda SSHD. It’s not going to be as fast as a normal SSD, but it’s a lot cheaper and still provides a small improvement to load times. The ideal use for this is to store those giant games that only tend to load once or twice.

• Get it at Amazon for $60

Free PC Games at the Epic Games Store

The new free games at the Epic Games Store are Offworld Trading Company and GoNNER. Offworld Trading Company is an economic RTS from Civilization IV lead designer Soren Johnson. The developer Stardock is known for making stellar titles like Galactic Civilizations, Sins of a Solar Empire, and Star Control. We scored this one an 8/10. GoNNER is a “tough as hell score-based procedurally-generated platformer with roguelike elements”.

• Get Offworld Trading Company at the Epic Games Store for Free
• Get GoNNER for Free

Anker PowerCore Redux 10,000mAh Power Delivery USB Type-C Power Bank is Perfect for Switch

Anker makes the only official Switch power bank. For half the price, you get a power bank from the same brand with roughly the same battery capacity (can charge a Switch three times over), the same USB-PD Type C charging interface, and a slimmer design. This power bank can charge the Switch at up to 18W, equal to the official Nintendo AC adapter, and it will even charge your Switch while you’re playing a game.

• Get it on Amazon for $29.99

Apple AirPods Pro for $234.98

The price of the AirPods Pro is back down to what we saw on Black Friday. These AirPods feature built-in active noise cancellation, but despite that that they boast a longer play time on a single charge than the vanilla AirPods. Other features include three sets of silicone tips for customized fit, a sweat and water resistant outer shell, and a wireless charging case that can provide an additional 24 hours of battery life.

• Get it on Amazon for $234.99

2019 65″ Vizio M658-G1 4K HDR QLED Smart HDTV with Bonus $200 Dell eGift Card for $649.99

The Vizio M-series QLED TVs are one of the best values you can get if you’re looking for a TV that’s fully HDR capable. The new Vizio M-series Quantum TVs utilize the same “Quantum Dot” technology used in Samsung QLED TVs. This particular model is the best M-series TV that Vizio offers: it features a wide color gamut, full-array backlight with 90 local dimming zones and 600 nits of brightness for excellent HDR image quality. Dell gift cards carry a 90-day expiration and can be used on anything at Dell.com.

• Get it at Dell for $649.99

More Deals:

• Preorder the NES Omnibus Hardcover for $40 on Amazon
• Buy 2 Fire HD 8 Tablets, Save $50 on Amazon
• Star Trek Discovery Seasons 1, 2 Blu-ray for 40% off on Amazon

Nintendo Switch Video Game Deals:

• Animal Crossing: New Horizons + $10 Best Buy Credit for $59.99
• Battle Chasers: Nightwar for $14.99 on Amazon
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for $19.99 at Gamestop
• Daemon x Machine for $45 on Amazon
• Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition for $39.99 at Gamestop
• Fire Emblem Warriors for $25 at Amazon
• God Eater 3 for $29.99 at Gamestop
• Just Dance 2020 for $17.99 at Gamestop
• Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden for $9.99 at Gamestop
• Our World is Ended for $19.99 at Gamestop
• Sid Meier’s Civilization VI for $14.99 on Amazon
• Slay the Spire for $7.99 at Gamestop
• Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales for $19.99 at Nintendo eShop
• Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition for $49.99 on Amazon

PS4 Video Game Deals:

• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown for $19.99 on Amazon
• Batman: Arkham VR for $11.99 on Amazon
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for $19.99 at Gamestop
• Borderlands 3 for $23 on Amazon
• Control for $29.99 at Gamestop
• Death Stranding for $41.94 on Amazon
• Doom Eternal for $49.94 on Amazon
• Dragon Ball FighterZ for $19.99 on Amazon
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition for $14.99 on Amazon
• Final Fantasy VII Remake Demo for Free at PlayStation Store
• Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package for $29.99 at PlayStation Store
• Man of Medan for $14.92 on Amazon
• Nier Automata: GOTY Yorha Edition for $19.99 at PlayStation Store
• Remnant: From the Ashes Preorder for $25 on Amazon
• Shadow of the Colossus for Free for PS Plus Members
• Slay the Spire for $7.99 at Gamestop
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for $44.97 on Amazon
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint for $14.99 on Amazon
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 for $4.99 at Best Buy
• Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition for $14.99 at PlayStation Store
• World War Z for $14.99 on Amazon

Xbox One Video Game Deals:

• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown for $19.99 on Amazon
• Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night for $14.99 at Gamestop
• Borderlands 3 for $22.49 on Amazon
• Doom Eternal for $49.94 on Amazon
• Dragon Ball FighterZ for $19.92 on Amazon
• FIFA 20 for $24.99 on Amazon
• Gears 5 for $29.99 on Amazon
• Injustice 2: Legendary Edition for $14.99 on Amazon
• Man of Medan for $13.49 on Amazon
• Need for Speed Payback for $4.99 at Microsoft
• Red Dead Redemption 2 for $30 on Amazon
• Slay the Spire for $7.99 at Gamestop
• Sonic Mania for $9.99 at Microsoft
• The Outer Worlds for $35 on Amazon
• The Outer Worlds for $29.99 with Xbox Live Gold
• Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Breakpoint for $14.99 on Amazon
• Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 for $4.99 at Best Buy
• Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition for $19.99 on Amazon

PC Video Game Deals:

• New Free PC Games with Twitch Prime Membership
• Death Stranding for $47.99 at Green Man Gaming (code “PAYDAY20“)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 for $47.99 at GMG (code “PAYDAY20“)
• Doom Eternal for $47.99 at GMG (code “PAYDAY20“)
• The Outer Worlds for $47.99 at GMG (code “PAYDAY20“)
• Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot for $47.99 at GMG (code “PAYDAY20“)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare for $47.99 at GMG (code “PAYDAY20“)
• Resident Evil 3 for $43.79 at Green Man Gaming
• Witcher 3: Game of the Year Edition for $14.99 at Humble
• Nier: Automata Game of the Yorha Edition for $19.99 at Humble
• Celeste for $6.79 at Steam

Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red is celebrating International Women’s Day by showing off an updated depiction of the feminine version of the protagonist, V. The new art is also Cyberpunk 2077’s reversible box art.

 

CD Projekt Red shared the new look from the official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account. V still looks like the hardened citizen of Night City we’ve seen in other trailers and screenshots, with a few key differences. This feminine version of V now has much brighter red hair, pierced ears, and some minor changes to her face. It appears some of the smokey eyeshadow is gone, and the lines in her face (we assume an indicator of some past bodily modification or repair) swoop a little lower on her cheeks now.

Here’s an older look, for reference.

The official Cyberpunk 2077 Twitter account confirmed in multiple tweets that this new image (the first on this page) will be the reverse box art cover, so you can decide whether you have a masculine or feminine V gracing your game.

Character customization will be a core part of Cyberpunk 2077, unlike the more set-in-stone Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Players will be able to change their V’s body type, clothes, hairstyle, tattoos, makeup, skin tone, and more. CD Projekt Red is also allowing players to choose a body type rather than a strictly defined gender, although the studio was criticized last year for a problematic depiction of a transgender person on an in-game poster in demo footage.

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If you’re wondering what other characters you’ll meet in Cyberpunk 2077, the artist Grimes recently leaked her own character’s backstory.

Cyberpunk 2077 releases on September 17, 2020, thanks to a relatively recent delay. You can preorder the Cyberpunk special or regular editions with our helpful guide.

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Don’t forget to check out our other International Women’s Day coverage, including a guest editorial from Ubisoft’s Alice Rendell on how burning out influenced her game developer career.

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Joseph Knoop is a writer/producer/definitely gonna play that fem V kinda guy for IGN.

After spoofing his own James Bond film, No Time to Die, earlier in the show, Saturday Night Live host Daniel Craig then helped take a playful swing at the southern accent he used, playing ace sleuth Benoit Blanc, in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out.

In the skit, Craig, playing himself, meets with Rian Johnson (played by Mikey Day) and introduces his accent coach, Franklin Hughes (Beck Bennett).

From there, Craig and his coach launch into outrageous and cartoonish Southern caricatures, all of whom are complaining about their big sweaty butts. Click here to watch the sketch, or click on the image below…

Rian Johnson recently said that his idea for a Knives Out sequel involves a “whole new cast.”

Knives Out was a huge success for Lionsgate, earning close to $300 million at the worldwide box office.

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.

The world of Castlevania is a very complicated one, and it’s only grown more chaotic following the death of Dracula in Season 2. Season 3 introduces new threats and players, ultimately setting up an even bigger conflict to come in Season 4. Check out our full review of Castlevania: Season 3.

From Carmilla’s war plans to Alucard’s tragic turn to the strange saga of Saint Germain, let’s take a closer look at Season 3’s ending and how it sets the stage for Season 4. Full spoilers for Castlevania: Season 3 ahead!

A New Vampire War

With Dracula gone, Carmilla has ambitious plans to fill the void and become the most powerful vampire queen in Europe. As we learn over the course of Season 3, Carmilla wants to expand beyond the limited borders of Styria and grow her kingdom. In the process, she hopes to use the mountains to create an enormous, natural cage for her human victims, ensuring an endless supply of blood for her and her sisters.

Whether Carmilla will be successful in her plot remains to be seen. That’s clearly a storyline being saved for Season 4. However, she finally has a key to gaining the manpower she needs to enact her master plan. Hector is now firmly under her control, so he can create an endless army of Night Creatures. And because those Night Creatures are bound to him, they’re also loyal to Carmilla and her sisters. She now poses a threat that could dwarf even that of Dracula.

However, Carmilla isn’t the only one building an army, and that may seriously complicate matters in Season 4. Hector’s former colleague Isaac is busy creating an army of his own. Even though he lost many of his forces battling the magician in Season 3, it probably won’t take him long to regrow his ranks. One of the big questions leading into Season 4 is whether Isaac will oppose Carmilla or assist her. On one hand, Carmilla had a direct hand in Dracula’s death. On the other, Isaac is hellbent on punishing humanity for destroying his master, and he may find the idea of a several hundred-mile-wide feeding pen to be a very attractive proposition.

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Will Dracula Return in Season 4?

Dracula may have died in Season 2, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from the Castlevania games, it’s that he never stays gone for long. In the games, Dracula and his floating castle return every 100 years, forcing a member of the Belmont clan or Alucard to take up their weapons and strike down the Lord of Vampires all over again.

The Season 3 finale teases the possibility of Dracula’s return. We learn that Sala and his fellow monks were helping a Night Creature open a portal to Hell that would have allowed Dracula to escape back into the mortal world. We even see a glimpse of Dracula huddled with his wife Lisa, with the two finding comfort in each other even while trapped in a realm of eternal suffering.

It’s not entirely clear from that scene whether Dracula actually wanted to be resurrected. He may have been reaching for freedom, or he could have been trying to close the portal himself in order to stay with Lisa. Either way, Saint Germain managed to seal the portal himself. It doesn’t appear as though Dracula will be returning anytime soon. If the show follows the games (which is never a guarantee), we won’t see Dracula return for another 99 years. The series would have to jump forward in time and leave behind mortal protagonists like Trevor and Sypha.

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Will Alucard Become the New Dracula?

Alucard may have the most tragic character arc in Season 3. Having achieved his life’s goal of slaying his father in Season 2, Alucard was left to find a new purpose. He thought he found companionship and a new role as a vampire hunting mentor with the arrival of Sumi and Taka. Sadly, he learned the hard way how untrustworthy humans can be. In the end, Alucard was forced to kill his students in self-defense. Season 3 ends with Sumi and Taka impaled on stakes outside Castle Dracula – a warning to any others who might make the mistake of double-crossing the son of Dracula.

The takeaway from Alucard’s story in Season 3 is that he’s in serious danger of becoming just like his father. The stakes are an especially powerful reminder. There’s a reason Vlad Tepes had the nickname “Vlad the Impaler.” Alucard’s final line even acknowledges his decision to borrow a page from the Dracula family playbook.

If things keep unfolding as they are, Alucard may become every bit the tyrannical villain Dracula was. He’s immortal, yet has no one to share his endless life with. He’s isolated from humanity and learning the hard way that humans can’t be trusted. And as Alucard continues to explore Castle Dracula and unlock its hidden secrets, he may gain even greater power at the expense of his soul.

Just as Lisa temporarily showed Dracula a better way, Alucard’s only hope may be a reunion with Trevor and Sypha. We have to assume their paths will cross again, but it’s hard to say whether Alucard will be friend or foe by that point. The series may not even need to resurrect Dracula.

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What Happened to Saint Germain in the Infinite Corridor?

Saint Germain is one of the more memorable additions to the cast in Season 3. Germain is based (very loosely, as is generally the case with this series) on the character from the 2005 video game Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. The game presents Germain as a time traveler whose abilities have granted him full knowledge about the world and its history. There, Germain is first an antagonist and then an ally to Hector as the former Forgemaster pursues Isaac.

Obviously, a lot has changed in the transition to the animated series. The show is somewhat more ambiguous about Germain’s background. He wears an hourglass pendant, but whether he can freely time travel is never revealed. Instead, we come to learn Germain is obsessed with gaining access to the Infinite Corridor. Another element borrowed from Curse of Darkness, the show depicts the Infinite Corridor as a sort of wormhole allowing people to travel across space and time and reach other universes. Germain has used the Infinite Corridor in the past, suggesting he may hail from another time and possibly another world altogether. We also learn he lost a loved one inside the Infinite Corridor, motivating him to try and find a new access point and somehow rescue them.

Germain winds up getting his wish in the finale. Sort of. He helps close to the portal to Hell and prevents Dracula’s return, but in the process he’s dragged into the Infinite Corridor. Germain’s parting words are a promise to find Trevor and Sypha again. But as to where he’ll wind up now, that’s really anyone’s guess. He could be dragged into the future. If the series ever does jump ahead 100 years to Dracula’s resurrection, that would be one way of including a familiar face. Or Germain could wind up in an alternate universe. Showrunner Adi Shankar has teased a Devil May Cry series linked to Castlevania as part of his “Bootleg Multiverse,” and Germain could wind up being the character that links the two series.

While Germain finds a more or less happy ending in the finale, given that he achieved his goal and has a chance to locate his missing loved one, the character may be destined for a darker fate. We can’t help but notice a strong resemblance between Germain and the magician Isaac battles in Episode 9. Could it be that Germain is driven insane during his time in the Infinite Corridor, emerges in the past and enslaves an entire city of innocent people?

For more on the future of the series, see how a Castlevania/Devil May cry shared universe could work. Then learn about all the video game movies in development right now.

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Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Ahead of Westworld’s long-awaited return to HBO, on March 15, it’s being reported that Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss will make an appearance in Season 3.

According to The Wrap, the duo, who were scheduled to helm a new Star Wars trilogy until a few months back, will make a cameo in Westworld’s new season, in the second episode – titled “The Absence of Field,” airing March 29.

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Weiss and Benioff will play technicians at Delos, the corporation that bought out Dr. Ford and Weber’s Argos Initiative during the early days of Westworld and expanded the operation into several theme parks that secretly scan the brains of guests (via hats) to steal their information.

Delos has also been working for year, in secret, to uncover a method of immortality by successfully transferring a human mind into the body of a Host, allowing that person to live on after death.

The series, from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, also recently released new character posters, along with some hidden “alternate” trailers (which fans discovered).

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Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler.