Sylvanas may be the new main character of WoW

[TheramoreIsTheBomb]

She's not getting this power up and feared by the Void Lords for no reason. The shifting focus has gone from Illidan, to Arthas, to Illidan again, to Anduin, to Saurfang, and now to her. I think Sylvanas may even be an early avatar of Azeroth and Death itself also influenced her birth. She will have a big role to play and I don't see her going anywhere anytime soon.

She is the Black Knight/Batman of WoW. A misunderstood and tragic figure that is neither a hero or villain.

Chapter I: Frostmourne, the Nathrezim and Jailor Connection Theory [WIP]

https://youtu.be/n-kiIYT-mco?t=121
Coming soon.

Chapter II: Sylvanas and the Jailor Theory

Sylvanas Windrunner: Secure the beach.
Sylvanas Windrunner: Prepare to invade the tree.
Sylvanas hears the weak coughing of a dying night elf, Delaryn Summermoon, and turns to her.
Delaryn Summermoon: Why?
Delaryn Summermoon: Why? You've already won.
Delaryn Summermoon: Only innocents remain in the tree.
Sylvanas Windrunner: This is war.

Sylvanas' reply is subtle but just; War brings cruelty, death and destruction. War doesn't care whether you are a soldier, farmer, civilian or even a child. Fate is cruel. She brings this point further in the conservation

Sylvanas Windrunner: I remember... a fool.

Sylvanas Windrunner: Life is pain. Hope fails. Now you understand.

Sylvanas throughout BFA intentionally causes so much death and with it she attempts to teach a lesson, one of being able to kill "hope".
Why would she need to kill hope?
The second lesson is that life doesn't matter in the end because death is coming for everyone.
I believe she doesn't just mean that literally but also metaphorically.
The machine of Death is broken since Legion and everyone who has died since has been pouring into the Maw. During that time, Sylvanas visited the Val'kyr Queen, Helya, to make a deal with her and later she attempted to bind Eyir to a mystical and mysterious latern.
Let's go back to the Broken Shore. Let's remember who died?

• Varian by Gul'dan.
• Vol'jin shortly after arriving in Orgrimmar after being wounded by a Felguard.
• Tirion died later from his injuries by Krosus and many Horde, Alliance and Legion soldiers.

This was a very big defeat for the two superpowers and a victory for the Legion ..or was it?
Let's take a look here again at who died but the main three: Varian, Vol'jin, and Tirion. We know that the more powerful the soul the more anima the individual has. What if their deaths weren't just calculated by the Legion but the Jailor himself? Think about it, how would Tirion, such a powerful paladin even with the Ashbringer succumb to Krosus' might even with the blade meant to destroy Undead and Demons? How would Vol'jin be snuck up behind by some rookiee felguard and just stabbed eloquently enough to make the strike lethal to make his Troll regeneration useless to save him? ..More importantly WHY did Vol'jin arrive by boat instead of airship? Wouldn't it be smart to have the Warchief of the Horde fight against the High King of the Alliance? Well who was sent in his stead?

Sylvanas had saved Varian's life twice upon the battle of the broken shore, first by the infernal, second by Krosus. When Varian thanked Sylvanas, she simply wished him good luck instead of welcoming his appreciation of her aid. She had to know what was coming, not exactly down to every bit and piece but more so what was happening to everyone else that had outstanding amounts of anima.
In Stormheim the deal that we know they made was to bind Eyir in the Soulcage and in return Sylvanas would be able to use Eyir to create endless Val'kyr to make endless Forsaken until it was ruined by Genn Greymane who said he had "taken her future".
Only her Val'kyr and the Horde remain her bulwark from her fate in the Maw which was her main story plot in Legion:

The Forsaken's ruthless leader is a formidable champion of her people. But with the Burning Legion's invasion, the stakes for the Dark Lady have never been higher. Should Sylvanas perish, her demise will be the beginning of her eternal damnation. All that stand between her and this doom are her Val'kyr, yet few of these spirit guardians remain. As her fate edges closer to the abyss, Sylvanas must decide how far she'll go to protect her people... and whether they're more precious to her than her soul

Let's skip all the way to 8.2.
Teldrassil has been burned with thousands dead.
Lordaeron has been plagued with hundreds dead on both sides
More notable figures have died such as God-King Rastakhan who must've had so much anima for being alive for so long AND making a deal with Bwonsamdi that empowered him with -- Yep, Death Magic.
With more anima and souls fed into the Maw the Jailor has given more and more power to Sylvanas that now she chooses to bargain with Azshara through Ashvane meeting with her to set up the meeting in exchange for Azshara giving her power and vengeance against both factions. Sylvanas during the meeting wishes for the Naga Queen to sink both fleets into the Nazjatar to their deaths which would involve the PC and many faction figures who all have craploads of anima. To complete the deal, she orders Nathanos to give Azshara the dagger so she may kill N'zoth herself and rule the Black Empire. Before we continue on this plotline let's jump to the mini-patch involving Saurfang:

Saurfang after being nearly morally wounded by Sylvanas gains enough adrenaline to continue fighting to expose Sylvanas as she truly is but not only that he is beginning to expose her motives to everyone:

Varok Saurfang: You cannot kill hope.
Saurfang gets up, then begins attacking Sylvanas once again, each consecutive blow parried.
Varok Saurfang: You tried at Teldrassil. You failed. Hope remains. You set us to kill each other at Lordaeron. You failed. Here we stand. You just keep failing. The Horde will endure. The Horde is strong.
After Sylvanas knocks him back, Saurfang splits Shalamayne into Shalla'tor and Ellemayne, swinging both back around at her. The first is parried, but the second successfully slices her right eye, leaving behind a small wound across it. An upset Sylvanas visibly recoils from the attack.
Sylvanas Windrunner: The Horde... is nothing!
The Forsaken banner-bearer at Sylvanas's side gives her an aggrieved, accusatory expression. Realizing she unintentionally betrayed her true thoughts, Sylvanas seemingly drops her facade and yells towards everyone in her presence.
Sylvanas Windrunner: You are all nothing!

Again, Sylvanas is a calculative person and someone who plots in the shadows. To have herself exposed out like this to Horde she had no choice but to tell them they are nothing -- In the grand scheme of all things. At least not yet.

Sylvanas Windrunner: If you could see yourselves as I see you. Toy soldiers in tin plate. Beasts who howl for honor. Standing as one. Savor it... Nothing lasts.

Even united together just against herself it's not enough for what she see's when she looks at them. Being one of the leaders with the most military experience of all of the faction leaders even if you love or hate her there is some credibility in what she is saying. The Horde Loyalist PC later reconciles with her at Windrunner Spire.

Again, Sylvanas is -ALWAYS- 50 steps ahead of everyone. "Saurfang may have ended the war prematurely". Sylvanas always had this in mind to leave the Horde, reveal that both factions in the grand scheme of everything that they are nothing for what is to come.
"Countless souls have been fed to the hungering darkness", that darkness is the Maw.
Sylvanas shows a hint of her emotional side, something we rarely see but it's very subtle.

Sylvanas Windrunner: I understand the cruelty of fate better than anyone.

She failed protecting her people with every advantage and effort she could throw at Arthas and even then to add salt to the wound she was raised into Undeath as a slave to the person who killed her and her people.
When Sylvanas mentions the Forsaken not heeding her teachings as they clung to life and hope, a subtle and anger invoked remark to Calia's return at the meeting.

"They will learn the truth along with all the rest.".

That truth is that the machine of death is broken and Life does not matter for as long as it's broken. They are forever slaves bound to the cruelty of fate that is being used for whatever the Jailor's needs and wants are.
However, Sylvanas, as always, had a plan.

Bolvar Fordragon: That power... will be your prison.
Sylvanas Windrunner: This world is a prison.
Sylvanas lifts the helm closer to her—but instead of putting it on, she begins to pry it apart with her hands. Her eyes glow red, black smoke billows behind her, and she screams a banshee scream. As the helm cracks in two, a force erupts and the bleak Northrend sky breaks, revealing a stormy orange sky and an upside-down tower that mirrors Icecrown Citadel. The veil between the world of the living and the Shadowlands has been broken.
Half of the helm drops next to Bolvar, who turns to watch the rift, uncertainty in his eyes.
Sylvanas Windrunner: And I will set us all... free!

With the Scourge running rampart, they too will send many to their doom and most importantly attract the heroes of Azeroth which will have to go into the Shadowlands, refill the lands with Anima, discover about the Jailor and chase Sylvanas which she knows will finally open their eyes to the true threat. Sylvanas is known to spend her resources and once they are expended she eradicates them or abandons them, just as she did with the Horde. She is doing the same to the Jailor. Once the heroes arrive to fix the engine of Death and return to the Maw they will have the strength to fight the evil that lies in the Maw before that same evil destroys everything in the cosmos if it breaks free.

To be cast into the Maw is to be doomed to a bleak eternity. it is a tumultuous, hopeless land where the vilest souls in the cosmos are imprisoned forever. Should the ancient evil chained here break free, all of reality will be consumed.

[Doffen]

She is the Black Knight/Batman of WoW. A misunderstood and tragic figure that is neither a hero or villain.

Not the hero we wanted, but the hero we deserved.

Sorry I can't resist. But maybe there are some truth in it!

[Kyphael]

I don't think so. She's going to be the Gul'dan of Shadowlands like Azshara in BfA.

She committed genocide on the night elves. If they try to twist that into misunderstood, and tragic figure, the player base is going to reject it the way they complained about Thrall during Cataclysm.

[LordVargK]

You mean the last main character of WoW?

[Caerule]

There's a lot of exaggeration and speculation in that post. Her role in the next expansion is anything but clear.

Calling her the Batman of WoW or a new Illidan is kind of silly though. Sure, she's tragic. But until other things are revealed, she is definitely a villain. And you know, if it somehow gets revealed she had good intentions? Guess what. Still absolutely evil. She threw a civilization, civilians, innocents and children, into the flames, knowing Literal WoW Hell awaited them on the other side. And started a war only to make people die. Even if her actions were vital to save the whole universe, and that's the only reason she did them, that's still evil and worthy of death. This isn't a Batman situation. Batman goes beyond the law to use violence on evil-doers.

And no, the Void Lords don't fear her directly. They do perhaps fear her unleashing death on Azeroth; their best hope of creating a Void Titan that would win them the game of Cosmic Powers.

I'm sure Sylvanas will have some antagonistic role to play. Do I believe she will be redeemed? I love Blizzard, but they aren't capable of writing a story of that caliber. They've done all the predictable moves as of late. The community is great with speculation and tries to be 5 steps ahead of everything. But it all turns out to be amazing speculation and headcanon, with Blizzard just taking the simple path. Don't expect some huge twist. It's a 12+ action game, and will be written in that way.

I'm not even sure where you're going with this "Avatar of Azeroth and Death" and that influencing her birth. That's just pure fanfiction. There's not a hint of any of that.

She's not the hero or villain of the next expansion. That'll be the Jailer.

[Schattenlied]

feared by the Void Lords

The Void Lords do not fear her, they were just trying to get Alleria to fall to their influence by playing on Alleria's own view of Sylvanas having turned into some kind of monster... They don't give a shit about Sylvanas, they just want to corrupt Alleria.

[Kathranis]

If she were the "new main character" of WoW she'd probably be the protagonist of Shadows Rising instead of a nebulous figure pulling strings in the background.

[Soon-TM]

I'm not even sure where you're going with this "Avatar of Azeroth and Death" and that influencing her birth. That's just pure fanfiction. There's not a hint of any of that.

She's not the hero or villain of the next expansion. That'll be the Jailer.

To be honest, if anyone had speculated about story taking the path it actually took with Before the Storm, it would have been ridiculed as well. Yet here we are...

[Stardrift]

Don't act like Blizzard hasn't been disneyifying all their IPs by using a "safe" formula.

Sylvanas will be dealt with in this expansion and will be forgotten about immediately after. Whether she dies or just mysteriously disappears like the rest of the cast of main characters.

[VeraeliaBlack]

Tyrande will never let her be any kind of hero. Neither will any fanbase that actually cares about a.) what she did to Teldrassil (and the trashline story they generated full of 'lol what' for that - because the fact they completely ignore Azuremyst and Exodar makes people scratch their heads about her burning the Tree to begin with, let alone the implications of basically burning half a population of a particular race to cinders unanswered; how Anduin treated Tyrande basically said that Lordaeron was for their own ends, it had very little to do with Teldrassil) and b.) her turning her back on the Horde, after she leads the Forsaken, who are now the only faction 100% without a faction leader.

She's screwed up way too much to be any kind of redemption arc. The fact that Jaina, Genn, Baine AND Tyrande/Malfurion all want her dead, plus Thrall because of what was done to Saurfang, means she's pretty much Garrosh 2.0. Ultimately, she may have not done anything wrong (man that line gets so much bait in /2), but their definition of 'morally gray' is too dark for her to have any sort of light at the end of the tunnel.

[Yarathir]

Tyrande will never let her be any kind of hero. Neither will any fanbase that actually cares about a.) what she did to Teldrassil (and the trashline story they generated full of 'lol what' for that - because the fact they completely ignore Azuremyst and Exodar makes people scratch their heads about her burning the Tree to begin with, let alone the implications of basically burning half a population of a particular race to cinders unanswered; how Anduin treated Tyrande basically said that Lordaeron was for their own ends, it had very little to do with Teldrassil) and b.) her turning her back on the Horde, after she leads the Forsaken, who are now the only faction 100% without a faction leader.

She's screwed up way too much to be any kind of redemption arc. The fact that Jaina, Genn, Baine AND Tyrande/Malfurion all want her dead, plus Thrall because of what was done to Saurfang, means she's pretty much Garrosh 2.0. Ultimately, she may have not done anything wrong (man that line gets so much bait in /2), but their definition of 'morally gray' is too dark for her to have any sort of light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm begging for Blizzard to try and redeem Blizzard. It's gonna be a laugh.

[ONCHEhap]

Sylvanas' going to remain in the spotlight until Danuser finds a new waifu.Maybe then we can get rid of her for some time

[VeraeliaBlack]

Sylvanas' going to remain in the spotlight until Danuser finds a new waifu.Maybe then we can get rid of her for some time

I dunno. They alienated a HUGE part of their fanbase when they took her out of control of the Forsaken. Most of the people I know personally who play that particular race/who follow that side of the faction line were pretty upset they've shoved her that far into left field. She'd better have a pretty big point for doing what she's done, because atm she's looking way, way too much like a potential third-faction leader than anything else. I'm curious what they're going to do with her, but honestly I'm a hardcore Night Elf player, so I'm already a little bitter about how they've treated the whole Darkshore/Night Elf storyline where she's involved.

We'll see, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I just hope she gets a better ending than Garrosh/Fandral/Saurfang.

[LemonDemonGirl]

The fact the even Bwonsamdi, a neutral (and rather calm/chill) death god even wants her dead shows how far off the deep end she went. Now she's trying to kill him.
If Danuser has his way, she'll probably succeed too

[EyeOculus]

By the titans, no. I want to obliterate her in shadowlands.

[Nize]

Seems like it. Literally damn near everything in the WoW universe right now is tied to her in some way.

[Lorde Snow]

She's not getting this power up and feared by the Void Lords for no reason. The shifting focus has gone from Illidan, to Arthas, to Illidan again, to Anduin, to Saurfang, and now to her. I think Sylvanas may even be an early avatar of Azeroth and Death itself also influenced her birth. She will have a big role to play and I don't see her going anywhere anytime soon.

She is the Black Knight/Batman of WoW. A misunderstood and tragic figure that is neither a hero or villain.

Jesus, here we go again, don't you Sylvanas Fanboys never give up???

[Dacu]

She's not getting this power up and feared by the Void Lords for no reason. The shifting focus has gone from Illidan, to Arthas, to Illidan again, to Anduin, to Saurfang, and now to her. I think Sylvanas may even be an early avatar of Azeroth and Death itself also influenced her birth. She will have a big role to play and I don't see her going anywhere anytime soon.

She is the Black Knight/Batman of WoW. A misunderstood and tragic figure that is neither a hero or villain.

She is literally helping to feed WoW's version of hell every single soul that passes through into the Shadowlands. Sounds pretty fudgin' villainous to me.

[Soon-TM]

Jesus, here we go again, you Sylvanas Fanboys never give up???

Why should they give up when the writers clearly haven't?

[Geotaku21]

I dunno. They alienated a HUGE part of their fanbase when they took her out of control of the Forsaken. Most of the people I know personally who play that particular race/who follow that side of the faction line were pretty upset they've shoved her that far into left field. She'd better have a pretty big point for doing what she's done, because atm she's looking way, way too much like a potential third-faction leader than anything else. I'm curious what they're going to do with her, but honestly I'm a hardcore Night Elf player, so I'm already a little bitter about how they've treated the whole Darkshore/Night Elf storyline where she's involved.

We'll see, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I just hope she gets a better ending than Garrosh/Fandral/Saurfang.

I honestly believe she will be the Queen Of Blades of WoW. She will meet an light side old god and fusion-ha.