Why is Illidan "coming back"?

[Therougetitan]

He did indeed - and shortly after that Illidan DID indeed return to the game, in the Well of Eternity instance.

People have been craving MOAR Illidan and seem to kind of assume that WoE appearance wasn't "it", but I don't think we have firm word that Illidan will come back in the current timeline.

People who say this don't even pay attention. Illidan was already on the 4.3 PTR before Blizzcon, he was talking about future plans.

Also heres a tweet from himself saying it yet again
https://twitter.com/ChrisMetzen/stat...48227557363712

[Hitei]

People who say this don't even pay attention. Illidan was already on the 4.3 PTR before Blizzcon, he was talking about future plans.

Also heres a tweet from himself saying it yet again
https://twitter.com/ChrisMetzen/stat...48227557363712

Blizzard likes to have a bunch of hooks around to use when they feel like it. It doesn't mean that there are plans for those things currently. (See Tirisfal Glades)

[Planetarism]

In-game-universe evidence/reason..?? > Refer to undoubtedly helpful lore-filled posts ^ above, and, ..actual/RL-related reason? Well, simple, a great character, both in terms of narrative themes, & graphical/fan appeal, is usually a pretty damn good idea to want to recycle/get the most use out of as much as possible, so..

[Super Kami Dende]

Coz a bad storyline must exist where fan obsession begins to trump reason.

Looking for Reason in a fictional world is quite futile. Literally ANY story could be made to bring him back, who is to say it has to be a bad one.

[Arbs]

Cuz Metzen said so...

Basically this

[Alltat]

Considering how many thousands of times player characters are resurrected, the idea that humanoid villains don't necessarily stay dead just because you killed them isn't particularly far-fetched.

Illidan could make for a pretty good Black Prince type character.

[caboomdoom]

/watch?v=3A3noCrf6Pk This will give you a nice overwiew.

[Tenjen]

he had a lot of demon in him by that point and less powerful Demonhunters have been resurrected from much worse than what he had happen to him (blasted lands)

[Spotnick]

Didn't he do his comeback in the well of eternity dungeon?

I don't know if we'll see him again, although we have Onyxia to prove anything is possible.

[Jaded5542]

Didn't he do his comeback in the well of eternity dungeon?

That was the "past"

[Fus Ro Yay]

Metzen stated that fans want him to return, and Metzen likes the idea; even considering it as somewhat of a redemption story. I believe he said it at the last Blizzcon.

this is true, i remember spilling my soda when i watched him say it, he even asked the crowd how they felt about it :b

Burning crusade didn't give Illidan the story he deserved.

[Deleted]

What evidence is there to suggest that Illidan Stormrage is going to return? Have I missed something? Don't get me wrong, I love him, but seriously when we defeated him in BT it looks like he died. Surely if he'd survived Majev wouldn't have gone insane?

Metzen said it's likely they'll bring him back. As for evidence, well it's not rock-hard evidence, but it's a hint.

Jubeka: Such strange creatures. Why do they remain so long after the legion has left?
Kanrethad: ...there's a slight flaw in that supposition.
Jubeka: Oh?
Kanrethad: The Observers were in the service of Illidan... not the Legion.
Jubeka: Well, he's gone too... so why are they still around?
Kanrethad: How should I know?

And yes you are right in that he died, that is why they want to bring him back. They can't bring him back if he isn't dead. As for how he will return, we've brought back several characters in this game. There is Loramus Thalipedes, the Demon Hunter from the Blasted Lands questline. You find his body parts and resurrect him at an Altar of Storms. There is Tony Two-Tusk from 1000 Needles, you kill him and then his spirit convinces you to bring him back with voodoo. There is a Draenei in Icecrown, who gets eaten by a Frost Wyrm. His body parts are used for abominations, so you go get his body parts back, stitch them back together and resurrect him. The player brings Teron Gorefiend back in the Shadowmoon Valley quests.

Especially Loramus' resurrection shows us, it's probably not that hard to bring back a Demon Hunter. Take his body to an altar and do some ritual.

[Deleted]

Illidan had many chances to redeem himself and he screwed up every single time. He's not a hero nor an antihero just a power hungry villain or freelancer. And he wasn't even top cheese, not a real antagonist but always a bigger baddie's lackey who did some good when Tyrande was around. He played an important role in the legion's defeat (twice!) but that's it. After absorbing the skull, being banished and making a pact with Kil'Jaedan it was all about power again. "In truth it was i who was betrayed". And that was it, he didn't give a damn about anyone anymore. Bringing him back as some hero on white horse would be just beating said horse... which would be dead.

[Krekko]

We dont really know what happened to him. We only know that we defeated him in BT and Maiev has "taken care" of him. We dont know what happened to her either.

All there really is to it is this.

Illidan is a loose end, more-so than anyone else.

There was never any definitive "End" to him, as say, the Lich King, or Deathwing. There's no head on a stick, no part of his body dangling from rafters, none of that.

We left his body in her charge, dead, or alive.

Then with her, the rest is kind of mumbled as to what happened to her. There is no clear and definitive "Well, she went off, burned his body, cried a little, then mourned for years and years" kind of deal.

Outside of Vanilla WoW he was the only "Final Boss" we've yet to actually have that full kind of closure on.

[Fus Ro Yay]

on the subject, why did we Kill/stop/defeat him in bc (except of gameplay).. was there a reason behind it?
in wc3 he was the antihero that saved our world, then ran to hide from sargeras. he just wanted to be loved ;_;

[furydeath]

illidan + lich king + fusion dance = heroic mode first for patch 6.4 :O

[becomeister]

Illidan had many chances to redeem himself and he screwed up every single time. He's not a hero nor an antihero just a power hungry villain or freelancer. And he wasn't even top cheese, not a real antagonist but always a bigger baddie's lackey who did some good when Tyrande was around. He played an important role in the legion's defeat (twice!) but that's it. After absorbing the skull, being banished and making a pact with Kil'Jaedan it was all about power again. "In truth it was i who was betrayed". And that was it, he didn't give a damn about anyone anymore. Bringing him back as some hero on white horse would be just beating said horse... which would be dead.

i watched him save the world three times now...

[Deleted]

Bet he is comming back the same way xavius came back. Sargeras gave him a bit of his power too after all.

[Deleted]

He played an important role in the legion's defeat (twice!) but that's it.

Yeah that's it. Nothing of great importance. He only saved the world twice from those who wanted to destroy it.

[AeneasBK]

Would prefer Hello Kitty Island Adventure to Illidan coming back.

OR.

Give me back my Uther, then the world can fricken burn for all I care.