TheMass Effect 4trailer showed original trilogy companion Liara T’Soni exploring a frozen landscape before finally recovering what appeared to be a part of Shepard’s N7 armor. Many fans took this to be a hint that Commander Shepard would be returning as the next game’s protagonist, canonically surviving the events ofMass Effect 3as a high EMS Destroy Ending implied.
Other fans speculated that Liara herself could be making a comeback as the player character this time around. There are certainly several reasons that bringing back Shepard could be tricky, but Liara also comes with her own pros and cons. With Shepard and Liara being the two major candidates forMass Effect 4’s protagonist, here’s a breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages of each.
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Shepard: Pros
Commander Shepard is the classicMass Effectprotagonist, and the release ofMass Effect: Legendary Editionshowed just how beloved their story still is. Shepard’s return inMass Effect 4could be a great way for BioWare to bring the series back to its roots afterMass Effect: Andromeda. As the heroic leader of the Andromeda Initiative, Ryder struggled to step out of Shepard’s shadow. The best solution toMass Effect’s protagonist problem might be the most obvious one.
Bringing back Commander Shepardwould allow players to instantly immerse themselves in the old character again, withMass Effect 4truly feeling like the next chapter in the story rather than a spin-off or reboot. However, bringing Shepard back also raises some major issues.
Shepard: Cons
Shepard has survived near-death experiences before, and bringing back Shepard once again could risk making the character’s plot armor seem so strong that no threat actually feels believable.Mass Effect 2already opened with Shepard being killed by the Collectors before their body was recovered by Liara and given to Cerberus to begin Project Lazarus. IfMass Effect 4relies on the idea that Liara discovered Shepard’s body and revived them after the ending ofMass Effect 3,Mass Effect 4might feel like it’s retreading old ground.
Mass Effect 4can likely only bring back a version of Shepard who made certain decisions in the original trilogy as well. TheMass Effect 4trailer shows a dead Reaper, and BioWare’s twitter account has posted concept art of Mass Relays being rebuilt. These details point to the Destroy Ending being the canonical ending of the original trilogy. Players who don’t think their version of Shepard would have killed EDI, the Geth, and all other synthetic life to destroythe Reapersmay have no choice but to accept a different version of Shepard going forward.
There have been a few details indicating thatMass Effect 4might take place centuries afterMass Effect 3as well. The trailer opens with a shot ofthe Milky Way and Andromeda, which BioWare project director Michael Gamble described as intentional. Art showing a new ship named Mudskipper also appeared to show an Angaran squadmate, a species not contacted until the Andromeda Initiative arrived at its destination. Both details suggestMass Effect 4may take place after the events ofAndromeda, placing it at least 600 years afterMass Effect 3.
If Shepard returns as the player protagonist at a time when only long-lived characters like Liara are still alive, it might make romancing Liara in the original trilogy far more rewarding byMass Effect 4, undermining the otherMass Effectromance options. Bringing back Shepard also misses an opportunity to explore theMass Effectuniverse from the perspective of a character who isn’t a human soldier, something BioWare considered when developingMass Effect’s cancelled Han Solo-inspired spin-off.
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Liara: Pros
Liara is already a well-established character, and mostMass Effectfans would have little problem roleplaying as her. Having just one character link the events ofMass Effect 4to the original trilogy and having that character be the protagonist could be a useful way forBioWareto avoid canonizing too many of the events of the first three games, instead leaving it up to the player to choose through dialogue.
Although her character is fleshed out over the original trilogy, Liara’s moral ambiguity might also make her a good RPG protagonist. InMass Effect 1she was a naïve scientist, but byMass Effect 3she’s the Shadow Broker, a ruthless information dealer.
This could give players the chance to determine her character in the next game without it feeling like it contradicts past portrayals, similar to the wayGeralt works inThe Witcher 3. As the series’ first alien player character, it could be interesting to explore the Milky Way from a non-human perspective.
Liara: Cons
Liara’s greatest strength – her familiarity – is also one of the biggest problems with her becomingMass Effect 4’s player character. Players would have no control over her appearance or gender, her role asthe Shadow Brokerrisks making her character’s backstory feel too prescriptive, and overall players risk not being able to project themselves onto Liara in the same way they could with Shepard.
Making Liara the protagonist could risk being the worst of both worlds, not allowing the story of the next game to quite break free from the events of the original trilogy, but not directly continuing the original trilogy’s story with Shepard either. Liara has the potential to be a great protagonist, but that potential also comes with a lot of risks at a time when BioWare may not be willing to gamble on another critical disappointment likeAnthemorMass Effect: Andromeda.
Shepard’s return would raise a lot of questions about original trilogy canon, plot armor, and the character’srelationship with Liara. Those questions might be worth answering, however, to bring back the series’ original star. This way, BioWare can continue the story of the Milky Way through the eyes of the character that players put themselves in the shoes of over the first three games.
