Is Arthas Capable of Redemption?
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pixiestixy on Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 48 Comments Tags: Lore, arthas, arthas menethil, climax, culling of stratholme, icecrown, icecrown citadel, jaina proudmoore, kel'thuzad, lich king, mal'ganis, patch 3.3, redemption, second chance, star wars, stratholme, tragic fall, wrath of the lich king
pixiestixy on Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 48 Comments Tags: Lore, arthas, arthas menethil, climax, culling of stratholme, icecrown, icecrown citadel, jaina proudmoore, kel'thuzad, lich king, mal'ganis, patch 3.3, redemption, second chance, star wars, stratholme, tragic fall, wrath of the lich king 
This post may contain spoilers for anyone who hasn't played through the Wrath of the Lich King expansion.
With the beginnings of Icecrown Citadel now on the PTR, it seems that the death of Arthas is on a lot of peoples' minds. If you've been playing Wrath of the Lich King, you're certainly at least vaguely familiar with the, well, wrath that the Lich King has brought to Azeroth. You've seen the destruction of waves of scourge under his command and the legions of indigenous peoples of Northrend enslaved under his control. But what of Arthas Menethil, the fallen paladin prince who ultimately unleashed the full power of the Lich King by merging with him?
Arthas' story is, indeed, a tragic one. The only son of King Terenas Menethil II, Prince Arthas was a promising swordsman as a youth and a member of the purest paladin group, the Knights of the Silver Hand. He may have been perhaps a bit too quick to action, but the prince became a well-known, renowned warrior who, among other exploits, defended Quel'Thalas from an attack by a group of forest trolls.
Perhaps the turning point in Arthas' life came with the rise of the plague of undeath. While investigating the plague, Arthas and his group, including Jaina Proudmoore, fight an undead army and encounter Kel'Thuzad, the plague-bringing necromancer. During this attack, Kel'Thuzad mentions Mal'Ganis. On their way to Stratholme and Mal'Ganis, Arthas learns that the plague is not just killing innocent people; but turning them into an undead army. Every soldier who had fallen while defending Lordaeron would become an undead puppet. Arthas, who wanted to be the one in control of the situation, was perhaps driven a little crazy knowing that even in his death, Kel'Thuzad had triumphed. As it turns out, this was the Lich King's intention all along.
Although the prophet Medivh and Jaina both suggest that Arthas should head to Kalimdor and not to Stratholme, Athas' headstrong manner guides him against that advice. He drives onward to another spot of his unraveling. Arthas pledged to do anything to protect his people - even if it meant the extreme step of killing those who were on the brink of becoming undead in the Culling of Stratholme. Some viewed it as murder; But I see it as the tragic fall of a hero - Arthas sacrificed his own humanity in the hopes that it would prevent the spread of the plague.Perhaps haunted by what he had done, Arthas grows ever-obsessed with the intention of eradicating the plague. He tracks the source to Northrend and, once again in the hopes that it will help protect his people, takes up the cursed runeblade Frostmourne. As we know, it has quite the opposite effect. From there, the downfall becomes rapid. Arthas begins losing his soul and his sanity. He finally destroys Mal'Ganis, but only to help free the Lich King and take control of the Scourge. Eventually, the Lich King and Arthas become one... or do they? Perhaps with the approaching climactic battles of Icecrown Citadel in Patch 3.3, we shall see.
Could Arthas' true consciousness still be buried deep within the Lich King? Or has he been so completely tainted that he never could be found again? I would draw a comparison to Star Wars' Anakin Skywalker, so consumed by the Dark Side that he lost his true self until just before his death.
Take that a step further - what if, by chance, Arthas knew that taking up the Frostmourne would eventually kill the Lich King by giving him a human form, and he was willing to lose himself in the process? Would the end justify the means?
Personally, I'd like to see the former Arthas come out once again (and it seems some of you would, too), somehow, in Icecrown Citadel. But even if he did somehow live and separate himself from the Lich King, could he redeem himself after all the horror he inflicted upon his people? If given the choice, would you allow Arthas to have a second chance?
Reader Comments (48)
i would like him to die somehow like the southpark episode recarding WoW, with his head smashed by his own old hammer XD
OK, i kind of agree with Staffan, he was evil at first, but he didn't know it. Now, he fell the same way that Kel'Thuzad fell. The Lich King ( soul trapped in his big frozen iceberg) expanded his conscience over Azeroth to find week minded mortal souls that had enough evil i them for Mr. LK to use against them. Kel fell first and then Mr. LK found Arthas's mind. That's what I believe.
OH and Finally, even though it'd be awsome for Arthas to return all good and Bad ass, I agree with Urziel, he's gone.
In my eyes, there is absolutely no way he can be redeemed. Even if he took up Frostmourne in an altruistic way, he effectively dropped a nuke on the planet, killing everyone Solidsamm holds dear (wait a minute...), because one of those people may have done it themselves.
I'd also like to point out that The Lich King was entirely helpless and under duress when he began twisting Arthas. There's a good chance that TLK would have simply been destroyed if Arthas hadn't intervened.
Supposedly, Arthas IS The Lich King now...Ner'Zhul is no more...which blows. Either way, it doesn't matter who the Lich King is this month, Arthas must die with no questions asked. There is no redemption, don't ever take sides with anyone against the family again, ever. HE MURDERED HIS FATHER!!!! Have Saurfang cleave his brains out.
If Arthas is redeemed, I demand Ner'Zhul be redeemed.
dead, plain and simple i want his ass dead, ive got a forsaken who hates arthas, a be dk who hates arthas and a be paly who also hates arthas...so i want his ass dead in the most epic way possible no redemption no exile i wan sylvannas to shoot his corpse full of arrows i want him dead. yah.
Arthas will die, and he should. But I believe he will play a concious role in his own defeat, much like Darth Vader.
Awesome post!
Arthas will be saved. That is what WoW is leading to not his destruction, but his salvation. I think a lot of the comments are spot on.
@whitesuperman26
Christie Golden may have written about his killing off the lich king inside him, but that doesn't mean it worked, and there is no reason to say the lore could be that Arthas failed in ridding himself of the lich king.
I think that arthas should be released from the lich king's control, however queen sylvanas is unaware of this and so one shots his face, he then makes a 'decently' long speech about why he did all that evil stuff ^^
I think the Arthas book answers this question pretty clearly.
As a lot of people said already I want Arthas the Lich King dead because again he was evil before he took up Frostmourne and killed Mal'ganis. My opinion is kill lich king and redeem Ner'zhul like have Thrall absorb his soul or something like that and grant Thrall all of his wisdom and powers and because of that Thrall as we all know becomes the next guardian of Tirisfal that would make sense. Ner'zhul's redemption also makes sense because his soul was ripped out of his body after he understood that something was wrong when the elements stopped speaking to him and he found out that Kil'Jaeden made them slaughter the peaceful Draenei and make them into blood thirsty savages
I think Arthas can and will be redeemed, but the redmeption will be a tragic one.
As you stated Arthas fell to the power of the Scourge, like Anakin died. Well What happened to Anakin? He died saving the galaxy. The same might happen to Arthas, you fight the LK, he suddenly gets all his power back, and gets ready to one shot everyone. Then Arthas comes into small control and stabs himself in his chest. You Hear some dialogue between the 2 and bang, you can kill the Lich King.
In a quest line in Icecrown, you find Arthas's Heart, at the end of the quest line, Tirion destroys the heart of Arthas. With the destruction of his heart, what is he going to do spend the rest of his days in solitude being hated by everyone with a magical heart, I don't think so. I think Arthas will do one great act of his rebellious attitude, and sacrifice himself, so the Lich King can die.
actually if i remember the thing that introduce the cata expansion it doesnt seem that he actually does die cause it says "as the war on the lich king continues" so im not sure but im guessing it will b revealed in the later expansion but it would b cool if he dies but ppl will b able 2 see his soul and stuff.
read the book about arthas, in the begining, it says that a little boy (arthas), an orc (nerzuhl), and arthas the death knight were seen in a dream. arthas killed the little boy (implying that the old arthas was to never return) and he killed nerzuhl, making the death knight arthas all powerful and only he controls his destiny, not the lich king OR his old self
ner'zhul soul was whisped into the LK so in simple terms it wass ner'zhuls whisped sould AKA the lich king causing all the mayham arthas was just an outlet for all of this. the arthas we knew is gone the price of lordearon is no more all taht remains of him is his body i am not in the least bit expecting arthas fighting the LK since HE IS THE LK he is souless he is heartless not a shread of human being remains in him i stand by my theory that we should slap the LK out of him somehow turn him back to ner'zhul and ner'zhul joince with athases body a way of redeeming both the former arthas and ner'zhul but make no mistake about it is ner'zhul using arthases body as his vassel just as arthas did i think thats a fair solution
Arthas was a spoiled little bitch-ass princess and deserves to die and hopefully gets destroyed by Sylvannas. Besides if u read Christie Goldens, he's this big bitchy guy who dooms his own people and all that starts because of the loss of his stupid horse, Death to the punk, arthas
Arthas was a spoiled little bitch-ass princess and deserves to die and hopefully gets destroyed by Sylvannas. Besides if u read Christie Goldens book Rise of the lich King he's this big cry babyand dont forget he was warned and this guy still dooms his own people. Hopefully this is the end of that punk
I'm not sure if this has been posted or not but theres a quest in icecrown where the lich king gets the heart off arthas. Tiorn hopes to see this as a way to reedem him but now knows that his heart is dark and plunges the ashbringer into this. I'm not sure but this probbably severly weakens the lich king becuase nearly every encounter where he fless he seems to get weakend
But now his heart is gone there is no orignal Arthas left.
Forustmournes fate questions me though is it something good for us or bad for us. Oh well we will just have to w8 and see :)
I'd like when your realm kills arthas on 25 heroic or something that his odd self split as a ghost and stand out side of ICC and maybe give us a buff?
To finish Conchuir's statement:
Arthas.... An Anakin by any other name would still be a whiny brat
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I would definately like to see arthas dead. There is no possible way that he will split with the lich king once the fight is over. After all, they destroyed his heart. So once the Lich King is dead, so is Arthas.
Even if Arthas were to live, it wouldn't be for long. Arthas betrayed his people looong before he became the lich king (as we see in CoS). He has caused his people (and the horde) many casualties. He destroyed his own home and let it be taken by the undead. He caused the scar going up Ghostlands and Eversong Forest. He made the Kirin Tor go into hiding for many years inside their city and the Gilneas to trap themselves behind the Greymane wall.
He is the whole reason we are in Northrend. If he doesn't die in the last fight in the Lich King then he will be hunted for the rest of his life by everyone on the horde and alliance who has had to suffer.