For the orphans of Raised By Wolves, the craziest and most confusing series on TV in recent years, canceled by MAX when our protagonist was floating upside down after being killed, meeting Travis Fimmel again in Dune: Prophecy provides – in our imagination – several possibilities of “what if”?

There are many things in common between the characters besides the actor. Both have problems with excessive faith as well as the equally excessive interference of technology. Both are adepts of violence and will not measure means or consequences to survive and get what they want. Adding the fact that visually Travis looks very similar (the same beard, military uniforms, and only his hair in a different style), I decided to think of a crossover. I admit, I asked ChatGPT for help with part of the joke. And here is the result! I hope you like it.

First, the confusing ending of Raised By Wolves

The series produced by Ridley Scott was summarily canceled in its 2nd season, completely insane and brilliant, before the story was concluded. Marcus Drusus, in reality, the atheist Caleb, killed the real Marcus to escape Earth and start a new life on the planet Kepler 22-B. Disguised among the religious Mithraics, he is averse to faith as well as technology, because the androids were used against the atheists and the planet. Going into details would detract from the purpose of the post. It is just another detail that suggests, as fans are saying, that Marcus and Desmond Hart from Dune: Prophecy are “cousins”.

Marcus’ ending in Raised by Wolves left many fans confused, mainly because he goes through a dramatic transformation.

At the end of the first season, he has a complex journey of redemption and, at the same time, of conflict with his own discovery of faith. This is because, in an unexpected accident, he becomes a fervent Mithraic leader and begins to blindly believe in his mission. But, throughout the second season, his beliefs begin to disintegrate, especially after the death of his wife, Sue who – better sit down if you haven’t seen the series – was transformed into a tree and was swallowed by the flying serpent (which is a kind of symbiotic, representing both the force of nature and technological manipulation). Sue, as a tree, is a symbol of rebirth or of something that transcends death, but at the same time loses its humanity.

At the height of Marcus’ unlikely alliance with the android he hated, he is kidnapped and murdered by a Mithraic, but to everyone’s surprise, his body begins to float upside down, a visual representation of the change in perspective and the way he has been absorbed by the chaos that surrounds him. He is literally being turned upside down, showing that his faith has been turned upside down and that he has no control over what is happening. We are left to decide whether he is dead or a messiah. Raised by Wolves leaves this ambiguous.

Marcus’ levitation can be interpreted as a kind of rebirth or transformation, or the loss of his humanity and his faith in something greater, and his transition to a new role within the chaos he helped create. The fact that he does not have a clear answer about his fate at the end (whether he lives or dies) is intentional, maintaining the mystery and leaving room for a possible clearer resolution in the following seasons, which did not or will not come.

Raised by Wolves was truly an incredible series, full of mysteries and deep themes. It is a shame that it was canceled, but its philosophical and symbolic layers continue to leave an impact.

Desmond Hart: an enigma within an enigma

We’ve only had one episode of Dune: Prophecy, but he’s clearly averse to the religious influence of the Bene Gesserit and equally opposed to technology, which was abolished in conflicts before the series. What do we know about him?

Desmond has made an impressive 12 trips to Arrakis, but on his last mission his regiment was wiped out and he’s the only survivor. He returns to Salusa Secundus and immediately alerts the Emperor to the ‘invisible’ danger at Court.

We saw that on Arrakis, Desmond was swallowed by Shai-Hulud, the gigantic sandworm, but somehow escaped alive. More than that, he has the power to make people burn from the inside out without touching them. Very “Marcus” style, huh? But Desmond is tied to the prophecy that kicks off the series, and that was given as a warning, not a spoiler, by showrunner Alison Schapker. “It really is a mystery and who or what empowered him is one of the central mysteries that our sisters need to figure out,” she teases.

So Desmond Hart’s appearance was somehow predicted by Reverend Mother Raquella Berto-Anirul (Cathy Tyson) at the beginning of the episode. She mentions a sandworm, burning skin, blood, and the death of a nobleman. Check, check, check, and check, always with Desmond Hart in the scene. Coincidence?

The mysterious ability to burn the skin of his victims, even from a distance, is the biggest enigma so far. Desmond claims that he has been “given great power” and, apparently, it has to do with the “Tiran-Arafel”, the existential threat to humanity mentioned by several. And those who have read the book will remember that it is the reference to a “dark cloud at the end of the universe” that could have far-reaching implications for the future of humanity. In other words: does Desmond want to prevent or accelerate the cataclysm?

Above all, Desmond Hart opposes Bene Gesserit’s silent control of the universe. And he is willing to do anything to destroy them, including killing a nine-year-old boy.

AI designs Marcus and Desmond’s crossover

In an unlikely crossover developed by Artificial Intelligence, we can imagine different scenarios for Desmond Hart and Marcus Drusus, if they found themselves in an in-between world, where the mysticism of the Dune: Prophecy universe collides with the advanced technology and fanaticism of Raised by Wolves.

“Imagine Marcus confronting Desmond about the idea of ​​fate and choices, while Desmond tries to convince Marcus that blind faith (something Marcus knows all too well) can be used as a weapon,” ChatGPT suggested. “What if Marcus Drusus and Desmond were one person, but in different timelines? A man shaped by the struggle between reason and belief, who starts out as Marcus in his religious devotion until he becomes Desmond, someone more rational but equally mysterious and enigmatic,” it added.

With both suggestions declined, the next proposal was “a fusion of Marcus and Desmond to explore themes of faith versus logic, humanity versus technology, and what it truly means to be free.”

Theories and Theories

It’s still early to figure out Desmond Hart, but he’s got his foot in the door. Because of his cruelty (killing a 9-year-old boy is very Game of Thrones), the mystery increases when his reference is none other than the controversial Rasputin. Because of this, the theories about who he is or what he will do multiply. In a single episode!

For Travis Fimmel, who gave life to both, there is great freedom in the fact that no one knows anything about Desmond. “There is not so much pressure, and that gives you, as an actor, a lot of freedom to have fun,” he said in an interview. “He was written wonderfully and he is a very intriguing character to me. He is fun to play, he has many layers and an enigma within an enigma.”

At this point, Fimmel is used to men with a messiah complex. And us? We love to decipher him.

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