What of Relcuse?

Surley the death of his once closest friend and basically brother should have some effect on him, even if they did turn against each other.

So do you think this will have any effects from Mr. Big Scary Lord Recluse?

Despite their differences, one would think that Recluse would be a bit furious at Darrin for killing Statesman, if for no other reason then Recluse was saving that pleasure for himself.

But, Statesman and Recluse are truly immortal/eternally young (ok States isn't anymore), these two were fated to outlive the entire human race if it came down to that, yet in the end they'd still have each other.....imagine Earth being a desolate wasteland and only Recluse and States were left alive simply because of their immortality? Quite possibly that could be considered a fate worse then death. All their hatred and attempts to destroy each other, and what is left? A desolate planet, the human race gone.....

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

Yeah I think that he is probably mad that he didn't get to kill Statesman himself or we could find out in the next 2 SSAs that it was his plan after all, who knows. I would like to think that maybe Recluse is a little sad that Statesman is dead.

I never thought the two actually "hated" each other. Hate's a pretty strong word, and obviously States didn't hate Recluse if he thought of his former best friend in his last moments. As much as they clashed and had different ideals, I don't think hatred would be the best word to describe the relationship they had.

I imagine Recluse being incredibly pissed, not only that he lost of the honor of defeating his biggest opponent, but that someone that was once so close to him is now gone forever. I imagine it would unnerve Recluse quite a bit, actually.

Recluse's only real issue with Statesman was all the texts he sent him about nailing his sister. That's the reason Recluse doesn't have a cell number to call in his Strike Force. Had to get rid of it.

We'll have to see what Arachnos is up to in part 6. Having run both sides of part 5, I wasn't sure if Arachnos was trying to stall the heroes or get the information first. Recluse could still be a silent accomplice in this.

If he isn't, it'll be interesting to see what his reaction will be. Recluse was always driven to prove that he was better than Statesman in whatever way possible, and now he's at least outlived him. He might even be pleased that finally his ex-bff is out of the way for good or he might be mad that the killing blow was stolen from him. I figure he'll want to kill Darrin Wade either way - to send a message to the world at large that Lord Recluse won't die as easily as Statesman did, or as a bit of his own vengeance for the death of his former best friend. Seeing as the latest vidoc (and Ms. Liberty) is starting to push the question of whether Recluse is redeemable or not, I think it might be more of the latter. I'm curious to see which way they go with it.

I think Statesman and Recluses relationship can be summed up as being much like Professor X's and Magneto's. Though, Magneto goes good a bit more often.

Though...hmmm...Recluse goes good due to Statesman dying. Statesman then returns from the dead. They team up together for awhile. Then Recluse goes back to being a villain.

what is the Praetorian version of Recluse?

The Well of the Furies doesn't care about good or evil - just power. Darrin Wade proved he had the will, the determination, and the means to take power from Statesman for himself. Whether or not Wade can hang onto that power remains to be seen.

Lord Recluse isn't likely to let Darrin Wade get away with the murder of his former friend and long-term enemy - Statesman.

Not because there's any great love loss between the Lord Recluse and Statesman, but because Wade's victory over Statesman casts doubts on Recluse's strength as the leader of Arachnos. Someone like Wade took down Statesman, when Recluse has tried and failed on numerous occasions...

Of course Lord Recluse could state he had planned this eventuality all along, for Statesman to meet an ignominious end at the hands of a non-Incarnate, but I always figured Recluse personally wanted to crush Statesman with his own hands.

The other reason that Lord Recluse, and quite likely Emperor Cole, would want to go after Wade is that Wade has discovered the long-lost and secret ritual that Sister Arilia used against both Imperius and Romulus. Wade used this ritual against Statesman with a little power-stealing thrown in for good measure.

Both Recluse and Emperor Cole would kill Wade to keep that secret knowledge from being exposed, and of course to ensure that only they would know the secret of disposing of Incarnates.

Recluses' boyfriend got killed, so I imagine he'll cry in bed for a while, then try to kill Darryn Wade under the pretext of wanting his power.

Seriously, though, Recluse and Statesman are not joined at the hip, and it's to the story's detriment to always bring one when the other is mentioned. That alone is responsible for much of Recluse's failure to be a legitimate villain after all this time. If he had actual, meaningful ambitions of any kind, I could buy his villainy, but all the man seems to care about is killing the Statesman. It's as if he took over Arachnos and uses its vast resources for no reason above and beyond killing the Statesman. He doesn't seem to have a plan beyond that, and this kind of "spurned lover" storytelling is not conducive to a major villain. Ever notice how many people drop the "Lord" part of his name these days?

Now that the Statesman is dead, what would Recluse do? Probably invade. If we view him as a legitimate villain with broader ambitions who was only fixating on the Statesman as the one true stumbling block to his context, it only makes sense. The Statesman is gone, and now there's nothing stopping Recluse from taking over, or at least attempting to.

---

Truth be told, I'd love to see Recluse do a face turn, with "He may have been an enemy, but he was still my friend!" angle. Honestly, as much as he's the head of Arachnos, the way the story is written, he's mostly just a figurehead anyway, and his Patrons fight each other constantly anyway. I say have Recluse walk out and let the Patrons fight it out for control. It can't make chaos within Arachnos ranks any worse than it is. And if they need an arbiter to keep them in check, that's what Arbiter Daos is for. Have HIM sit at the helm. instead of standing in the lobby.

I'd sell it thusly: After many years of fighting the Statesman, Recluse finally realises that he this rivalry has become part of his life, and part of what defines his purpose. Losing that purpose causes him to stop and think about his life, to think about what he's really trying to achieve, and to realise that there's nothing to be gained in this madness but more pain and more loneliness. He's surrounded by people, but they don't love him, or indeed even like him. With all the power and control in the world, he'd still be alone in his ivory tower. The one person who could understand him is now dead and gone, the one stable purpose he had is now missing. What, really, is the point of carrying on? What does Recluse want out of life, anyway?

The Letter Writer says that of all the Incarnates, Recluse is the smartest. Instead of resigning to his fate of being mind-controlled by the Well or trying to renounce his powers, he looks for a way to defy the well, but keep his Incarnate powers. If anyone has the answer on how to reach the power we need to fight back the coming storm without being the Well's puppet, it would be him, and that would bring a LOT of leverage if he decided to negotiate with the heroes.

Especially now that the Statesman is dead and the heroes have a more hated enemy. Especially since it's been so long since Recluse did anything major. Especially since Marcus was still his friend and he would hate Darryn as much as they do, and offer to help fight him. It could actually make for a very powerful scene between a disowned Recluse working alone and a grieving Miss Liberty. It could bring a clash of their resentment for each other, mixed with their respect for a fallen hero. It could bring an actual subtle human emotion to the table.

Recluse has the look, feel and mannerisms of a good villain, but he's lost street cred as one. Now would be the best time to turn him into a hero, or at the very least a rogue and have it stick. Arachnos can remain behind him, Daos can get a new look and pull the reigns on Arachnos now that Recluse is gone and "survival of the fittest" is not the order of the day. I would buy that. Hell, I'd like to see it!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.