As the year comes to an end, one of Netflix’s most beloved and pioneering animated ventures, The Dragon Prince, returns to conclude the second arc of its overarching storytelling journey with the seventh season of the series. Turns out, the resounding success of the sixth season, released earlier this year, has given makers the confidence to add a third arc, consisting of three more seasons, which means, contrary to the initial assumptions, the seventh season is not going to be the final chapter of The Dragon Prince after all. Following the tradition of the primal source of magic being the theme of each season, the seventh one is going to be based on the final fount—dark magic. Beyond this, we can only guess what thematic signifier the final three seasons will use. However, at this stage of the narrative as a whole, there are crucial plot points from earlier seasons that will shape the crisis and overall storyline in the seventh season, and even though the journey will continue, there will definitely be some momentous changes, which we would like to discuss briefly while also taking a look at the trailer of the upcoming season as well.
Aaravos summons spirits of the fallen
The trailer of the seventh season mostly replays snippets from previous seasons, offering mere glimpses to the conclusion of the second arc. But even within that brief duration, major details are revealed that could provide hints for not only the upcoming season but for the newly planned final arc as well. Aaravos, who has finally been released from his cosmic prison thanks to Claudia’s dark magic ritual, is seen summoning the spirits of departed beings and using them to do his bidding. This makes the already tense situation for Callum, Rayla, and co. all the more troublesome, as now they might have to face their close ones whom they have lost in the past. For example, King Harrow, or Dragon King Avizandum, might appear as undead spirits and, acting as thralls of Aaravos, might end up battling their own children, which will pose an emotional crisis for the band of teenage heroes. The spirit realm might also act as one of the themes in the final arc after the conclusion of the seventh season.
Will Callum die?
Callum’s struggle with abandoning dark magic and occasionally finding himself drawn to it will reach a definitive end in the seventh season, as he confronts his nemesis, Aaravos, who was responsible for gifting dark magic to humanity in the first place. There have been hints shared in previous seasons that Callum will need to counter darkness by being a part of it. Knowing how corrupting the influence of dark magic is and how easily Aaravos can control him through its connection, Callum had asked Rayla to kill him if he ever loses himself to it. The trailer hints that Callum will have to take a calculated risk that might make him a puppet to the fallen Startouch Elf, and to stop Aaravos, Callum might have to sacrifice himself for the greater good. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the makers will bring a tragic end to his arc, and I am guessing the connection to the spirit realm will prove vital in Callum’s return to life.
Will Ezran and Zym Be Able to Restore Peace?
The sixth season of The Dragon Prince concluded on a tragic note, as Aaravos’ dark influence prompted Sunfire mage Pharos to guide the blind Sun dragon, Sol Regem, to unleash hellfire on Katolis and destroy the human kingdom. Despite Soren’s last-ditch attempt to save the kingdom by freeing his captive father, Viren, to counter the dragon’s assault, there is no way to evade the horrific repercussions. All the desperate attempts made by Ezran, Zym, Callum, and Rayla to return Xadia to its past glory, when humans, elves, and dragons lived in harmony, have been thwarted by the machinations of a vile, crooked mind and the weaklings under his influence. An inevitable sense of futility will surely grasp the duo of King of Katolis Ezran and Prince of Dragons, Zym, as the duo of best buddies had tried everything to bring their community together, helping them to overcome the past trauma—but after a tragedy of this scale, they will find their communities at each other’s throats all over again. The conflict between Ezran’s father, King Harrow, and Zym’s father, Avizandum the King of Dragons, had been exploited by dark mage Viren to escalate things to a full-scale war, and just when their sons were trying to show Xadia the way to move on and coexist in peace, everything fell apart in the most horrid way possible. The upcoming season will focus on Ezran’s struggle to find a way to bridge the rift between humans, elves, and dragons—and Zym, along with his mother Zubeia, will play a vital role by assisting Ezran in his efforts.
Will There Be a Redemption Arc for Claudia?
In his final days, Viren had tried to find his road to redemption, reflecting upon his past after surrendering himself to the kingdom of Katolis. Although the gravity of his actions had made Viren truly irredeemable, a sense of tragedy was evoked in the minds of viewers seeing the dreaded, immoral dark mage trying to do penance yet inevitably getting drawn into the depths of dark magic at the end. While the binaries of good and evil are murky, one thing that identifies the ones on the so-called ‘wrong’ side of affairs is the way they justify every vile decision on the pretext of protecting or avenging their loved ones, sidelining freedom of choice and having no consideration for others. This is where Aaravos and Viren stood on common ground, as both of them think themselves to be righteous, justifying putting others in peril for selfish reasons. In Claudia’s case, she blindly followed in her father’s footsteps and rampantly used dark magic by murdering other life forms to use them to fuel her actions. Like Viren, she considered putting others in harm’s way to be valid as long as she was protecting her family, and right from the first season, her gradual moral degradation was reflected through the change of her hair color.
In the sixth season finale, Claudia’s complete surrender to the corruption of dark magic frightened Viren, and he decided to abandon her to make amends for his harrowing past. Upon learning of Viren’s final fate, Claudia, who had contemplated shunning the dark magic after all, refused to let go of her despicable ways and ended up freeing Aaravos. Although Claudia’s actions can never be justified in any way, and from the clip shown in the trailer, it seems she is gaining even more power by using dark magic as well—we should keep in mind that she has been misguided all her life by her own father. Claudia prioritized her family but didn’t learn to respect the sanctity of life, and even when she had the chance to turn a new page, she was manipulated by the likes of Aaravos. While it is understandable that there might be an argument regarding whether Claudia deserves to be redeemed at the end, I think there is no debate over the fact that she was ultimately used as a pawn throughout her life—by both Viren and Aaravos. Claudia’s fate, and her course of action, will be of significant importance in the context of the final season of the second arc.
With Viren gone, the only family Claudia has is her brother, Soren, but he has proved himself to be one of the most honorable and noble characters, dedicated towards Ezran’s vision of a harmonious and peaceful Xadia, and as a result, the siblings are at odds with each other. Their worldviews stand in stark different, and there doesn’t seem to be a path to reconciliation until someone lets go of their ideology for the sake of their family.
Wild Cards In The Game
The sixth season had highlighted three major presences who could completely turn the tide of the upcoming conflict: the first, Viren’s former mentor, Kpp’ar, whose soul remains trapped by Viren for decades. Kpp’ar had wielded Aaravos’ Staff of Ziard in the past, and if he manages to escape from his confinement, he could show Callum and co. a way to defeat the godly Startouch elf. Earthblood Elf mage Mukho and his Mushpals, who helped Zubeia to heal from her fatal wounds sustained in the corrupted city of Lux Aurea, could prove to be a valuable addition for Ezran and co. in the upcoming clash with Aaravos. Lastly, Kosmo the Celestial Elf, who was able to transcend and become Timeblind—and gained the ability to not only perceive past, present, and future but also interact with events across timelines and manipulate the outcome. This suggests quite clearly that things could go terribly wrong in the seventh season, prompting Kosmo to use his ability to set things right. Also, a Startouch elf is seen present with Ezran and co. at one point in the trailer, which hints Aaravos’ past will factor in a major way in the seventh season. All in all, there are multiple possibilities when it comes to how the final chapter of the second arc of The Dragon Prince can shape up, and we cannot wait any longer to see it all unfold next week.
