'Critical Role' Shocks Fans With Its First Ever SPOILER

Critical Role fans were left stunned last week after a member of the Mighty Nein was permanently [...]

Critical Role fans were left stunned last week after a member of the Mighty Nein was permanently killed off during an intense battle.

The popular webshow follows a group of voice actors as they play through a Dungeons & Dragons campaign run by DM Matt Mercer. After completing a 100+ episode campaign in 2017, the show started a new campaign this year featuring a new group of adventurers called the Mighty Nein.

This week's episode opened with half of the adventurers missing after they were captured by slavers during the previous episode. (The cast members playing those characters are away on hiatus due to other commitments/having a baby). The remaining members went in search of their friends and encountered a dwarf named Keg (played by guest star Ashly Burch) who told them the missing party members were likely taken by slavers known as the Iron Shepherds.

The group caught up to the slavers but found themselves outmatched by Lorenzo, the leader of the slavers. At the height of the battle, the Mighty Nein's blood hunter Mollymauk Tealeaf (played by Talesin Jaffe) knocked himself unconscious using his Blood Maledict ability. The Blood Maledict can debilitate opponents with various conditions, but at the cost of the Blood Hunter's HP. In this case, Lorenzo wasn't put off by the Blood Maledict's effects, and quickly stabbed Mollymauk in the chest, killing him. Lorenzo left the rest of the Mighty Nein alive, but warned them that they would join Mollymauk if they crossed him again.

Mollymauk's death shocked fans, as it marked the first time a Critical Role character was permanently killed off in the middle of a campaign. While both the Mighty Nein and their Vox Machina predecessors had some close calls in the past, they were always resurrected by a cleric or another spell. Unfortunately, the Mighty Nein's cleric was among those initially taken by the slavers and the group doesn't appear to be close enough to a settlement that would have the resources to bring Mollymauk back to life.

Mollymauk's fate was seemingly confirmed yesterday on the companion show Talks Machina (in which the cast breaks down the previous episode and answers fan questions) when Jaffe mentioned that he rolled up a new character over the weekend.

However, Mollymauk's death does add multiple layers to the campaign and could serve as the catalyst for a whole new story arc. After all, Lorenzo is solidified as the Mighty Nein's first true antagonist, and the party suffered their first true defeat after 26 episodes of close calls and narrow victories. The Critical Role cast has usually benefited from having superior numbers in any combat encounter, but the group definitely learned that even a clever plan can't make up for a power disadvantage.

Still, Mollymauk's story may not be over. The character's backstory involved a ritual gone wrong and a spontaneous resurrection (albeit with no memories of his past), so we could see Mollymauk return someday, possibly as an NPC or even as an antagonist. We'll have to wait to see whether Mercer has any surprises in store for the players (and audience) in future episodes.

Critical Role airs every Thursday on Geek & Sundry's Twitch channel and Alpha. Geek & Sundry uploads the episodes on their YouTube channel the following Monday. The Critical Role cast will also be at SDCC this weekend and will host a special panel at 6:30 PM on Saturday.

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