Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Season 2 of Castlevania: Nocturne.Castlevania: Nocturne‘s new season may center on Richter (Edward Bluemel), Annette (Thuso Mbedu), and Alucard’s (James Callis) mission to defeat Erzsebet Báthory (Franka Potente) as she tries to harness the power of Sekhmet, but the most compelling storyline of Season 2 is about Maria Rennard (Pixie Davies). Picking up where Season 1 left off, Maria is in a bad place after her father, the Abbot (Richard Dormer), tried to sacrifice her to the vampires only for her mother, Tera (Nastassja Kinski), to take her place, getting turned into a vampire herself. This tragedy sets Maria on a dark path. In Season 1, she was a young vampire hunter and revolutionary, and she still is that. However, Season 2 shows her struggling with a darkness that can be seen in her powers.
There are many different kinds of magic in Castlevania: Nocturne. Annette and Erzsebet use powers from deities, though they get those through different means. Tera, Richter, and Juste (Iain Glen) use elemental magic. Yet Maria is the only character who has the ability to summon creatures from the Otherworld and command them to assist her. She shows a deep connection to these creatures, mourning them when they are killed by her enemies. But, as Maria goes down a dark path in Season 2, the creatures she summons change as well.
Maria’s Emotions Affect Her Powers in ‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ Season 2
Understandably, in Season 2, Maria is not the compassionate and innocent person she once was. Though she is young, her life has been turned upside down. Maria feels betrayed by the father who abandoned her, and even Tera, in her new vampire form, has a corrupting influence. Maria is at an all-time low, and as she experiences negative emotions, it brings out the worst in her powers. Rather than the friendly, beautiful creatures she summons in Season 1, Maria conjures dragon-like beasts and other dark, monstrous creatures. The change in her powers is directly related to Maria’s anger, showing how her emotional state impacts her abilities.
The dark turn in her abilities shows how powerful she can be. In Season 1, Maria is an unassuming member of the team, but Season 2 shows she might be the most powerful of the group. In the latest season, she stretches her powers to the extreme by summoning larger, stronger creatures, pushing her limits. But she struggles to control them. In her most rage-filled moment, Maria kills the Abbott by summoning a dragon that catches the attention of a mysterious grim reaper that takes the souls of the dead, referred to as Old Man Coyote. This scene shows the extent of her abilities as Maria fails to send her attack dragon back to the Otherworld without help from Juste. Maria’s Season 2 story proves that although this darkness in her didn’t come out until tragedy struck, she has always been capable of more.
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Maria Doesn’t Go Fully Dark in ‘Castlevania: Nocturne,’ but That Doesn’t Mean She’ll Never Go Dark
Despite the dangers her powers represent, Maria is able to overcome the dark nature of her powers. Juste Belmont helps her understand the connection between her emotions and powers, teaching her to harness her good memories to control her powers. Even in the finale, when she brings back the dragon creature to fight Erzsebet, Maria has much more control than before. Significantly, her abilities don’t return to the seemingly harmless creatures they were before, reflecting her growth, yet they are much less terrifying when Maria knows better than to give in to her emotions.
Season 2 ends with Maria in a stable place as she chooses to stay in France and continue her work there, yet her powers remain a threat. Since Maria lost control once, it would be easy to do it again. Worse, as she watches the beheadings and insists that anyone who helped the vampires deserves death, the series suggests that there is still anger in her that could impact her powers. The emotional aspect of Maria’s powers shows the character’s complexities as she deals with grief, loss, and pain, but they also prove that she is more powerful than she seems.
Castlevania: Nocturne is now streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
Richter Belmont, a descendant of the legendary vampire-hunting family, takes center stage as he confronts a resurgence of nightmarish creatures threatening humanity. Set in a richly detailed gothic universe, the series follows Richter’s journey as he hones his combat skills, discovers hidden truths about his lineage, and allies with other hunters. Each episode weaves together thrilling battles and deep lore, showcasing the relentless fight against the sinister forces that lurk in the shadows.
- Release Date
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September 28, 2023
- Seasons
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2
- Story By
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Clive Bradley
- Franchise(s)
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Castlevania
- Directors
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Sam Deats
, Adam Deats - Showrunner
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Clive Bradley
, Kevin Kolde
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