While Netflix’s Castlevania series is non-canon from the lore found in the original video game franchise, the show is filled with canon materials that have been reimagined to make the iconic figures featured in the series feel familiar to diehard fans. The love and passion that’s gone into adapting Castlevania‘s many unique characters can be especially felt with how Maria Renard is handled in Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2. This is particularly felt in Maria’s summoning abilities from the games, reimagined to give the character a magic ability that has absolutely nightmarish potential.
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While Maria goes to take her revenge on her father in Nocturne Season 2, she summons a large, horrific dragon from an otherworldly realm. The moment, while initially being framed as something to help empower Maria and avenge her mother, is masterfully twisted to show just how much of herself she’s lost to grief and, in turn, how she’s lost control of her actions in her quest for revenge. Interestingly, this isn’t the first time in the franchise that Maria has managed to summon a dragon.
When Maria first appeared in Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, her summoning magic was introduced through an almost gag-like scene where she summons a dragon after throwing a tantrum directed at Richter Belmont, who, in the games, acted as her mentor figure. It’s important to note that in the game’s canon, Maria was only 12 years old, four years younger than she appears in Nocturne, where she’s introduced as being 16 years old. Aging her up for Nocturne was a smart decision, not only to give her the opportunity to actually participate in the war against the Vampire Messiah but to explore how deeply complex Maria’s mental and emotional state plays into the beasts that she’s capable of summoning.
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Maria’s Character Arc Sets Her Up To Take the Spotlight Going Forward
While there’s been no confirmation of what the future of the Castlevania animated series looks like, it seems obvious based on Maria’s unresolved character arc in the second season. Given that there’s still unadapted source material featuring Maria, she would return and likely take center stage alongside Alucard in a potential sequel. The show has an impeccable ability to modify the existing Castlevania canon and turn these characters’ stories into a wholly original experience that still succeeds in feeling familiar to longtime fans. Many believe that Alucard staying behind with Juste and Maria in France could indicate that the series may potentially tackle the events of Symphony of the Night, or, at the very least, a creative spin on the lore from that game.
It would make sense for Maria, too, given that Richter has left to go on his own journey with Annette, and Maria’s festering hatred for vampires – even after reuniting with her mother after she was turned – begging to be explored. Seeing her truly embrace her canon future as a vampire huntress would be interesting and completely understandable for her character to take following Nocturne‘s finale.
