For the players in Destiny 2, it is natural to wonder what will happen to his character, Zavala, in the future, given the death of Lance Reddick. Especially since this character plays a significant role throughout the Destiny lore. But the biggest question of how Bungie will deal with the loss remains unanswered.
What does the future hold for the role of Zavala? There are silent moments in Destiny 2 that are currently passing by. After the death of Lance Reddick, the Destiny community has temporarily set aside all Lightfall issues. The proper tribute to a great person with a familiar voice that is now forever silenced weighs more.
However, alongside the tribute, there is also the silent question of what the future holds for Zavala after the loss of Lance Reddick. After all, Commander Zavala is one of the most important NPCs in the entire franchise.
Currently, the following options are conceivable:
- Bungie could recast the voice of Zavala and just continue. However, many players currently feel that this option is inappropriate and not right.
- The second option would be to honor the role of Commander Zavala by placing it in the background and focusing on the remaining Vanguard members, like Ikora.
- However, the most dignified option for many Guardians would be the third option. Bungie could bid farewell to the character of Commander Zavala with an epic ending in Destiny 2, out of respect for Lance Reddick.
A technical and moral challenge: Although many players desire the last option in Destiny 2, the question remains whether it is technically feasible at all. One would probably have to rely on old recordings of Zavala if one does not want to say goodbye to him completely and without a word.
At this point, it is also unclear how much recording the deceased Lance Reddick already did for future Destiny content, such as the upcoming seasons in year 6 or the next DLC “The Final Shape” in 2024.
The last official information regarding the current status of the game came in mid-February from Joe Blackburn, who hinted that they are likely mostly finished by Season 23. This could thus also affect possible story content and voice lines that Lance Reddick was still involved with.
Respectful tribute proposals from the community
These tributes would have made Lance Reddick proud: While Bungie remains silent on how they will deal with the loss, players have collected their own ideas. And some of them would have made Lance Reddick very proud.
- As Destiny 2 has not yet created an emblem in honor of Lance Reddick, players selected an existing one from the Vanguard’s offerings and called for others to equip it.
- It is the emblem “Keep Going” which you received from Commander Zavala in Season 1, and you can find it in the collection under “Strikes”.
- The player Danny van Eck created an impressive 3D-printable statue of Zavala and makes this template available for free to all interested parties.
- The final proposal with over 11K upvotes on Reddit comes from MrMaster_89. He suggested that Bungie should create a weapon in honor of Lance Reddick that corresponds to Commander Zavala’s first glaive. This should be named “Reddick’s Lance” and remember him in its lore.
When could Bungie comment on a tribute? So far, Bungie has not stated how they will honor Lance Reddick and whether there will even be a tribute. However, no tribute will certainly not happen. After all, Lance Reddick was far too strong and important a person and character for Bungie.
It is respectful and customary for video game developers who were significantly involved in the creation of a work and have passed away to be honored in-game accordingly.
We assume that Bungie will share closer and then more detailed information this week in the weekly blog post about what they exactly plan. Perhaps a special action in the game will then also be revealed that is dedicated to the role of Lance Reddick as Commander Zavala in Destiny 2.
What would you consider a worthy tribute? And what option can you envision for the future of Commander Zavala? Feel free to share it with us directly in the comments.
