Devil May Cry’s Biggest Sin and How it Could Set up Season 2

Devil May Cry came out the gate swinging dynamically and with flare, but whether or not the season stuck the landing has yet to be seen. Surely, the season’s high-octane, action-driven story kept viewers engaged and interested, but the character depth is what we have come here to look into. Although there are pages upon pages to be written about Dante and his parental issues, the real star of the show is the other orphan, Mary Ann Arkham. Mary, later referred to as “Lady” by the titular protagonist, is the direct foil to Dante and represents the purely human aspect in the battle between humans and demons.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Devil May Cry Season 1!

Mary is a hardheaded and surefooted demon hunter who has vowed to destroy all monsters that are a danger to the humans in her life. Throughout Season 1, we watch as the ever-determined Mary develops further as a character. Her staggering screen time for a secondary protagonist further supports her character growth per scene. As the episodes progress, the audience is treated with Mary’s ever-evolving beliefs as the demon and human conflicts become more and more complex. Yet when it comes time for Mary to come full circle like the story has been promising us, she falls short in an otherwise solid season, and enacts the greatest betrayal, stabbing (with a tranquilizer) Dante in the back.

The Evolution Into “Lady”

Our first introduction to Mary is during Episode 2, when Vice President Baines gathers several mercenaries together and briefs them on their new target, Dante. Mary is quickly dismissed by a rowdy mercenary; however, as the meeting is being dispersed, Mary and her team trap the mercenary in the room, and we get the first instance of seeing just how keen Mary’s eyes are as she reveals that this mercenary is a demon in disguise. Our secondary antagonist follows up her keen eye with an explicit display of her strength as she then defeats the demon with very little effort. The display of strength and skill quickly denotes to the audience that not only does Mary intend to destroy every monster that she comes across, but that she is by far in a way capable of defeating any creature that has the misfortune of crossing her path.

Episode 2 then continues to show us just how serious Mary is about her job of destroying all monsters when she finally comes to face off against Dante. Mary utilizes all of her tech and skills to give Dante a run for his money and displays just how little she cares about whatever Dante may have to say once she asserts that he is a demon and nothing more. Upon defeating and capturing our protagonist, the audience is treated to a bit of background for Mary, where we see her first run-in with a demon as a child. She stood fearless in the face of danger, leading to the demon getting hit by a subway. But all of these features of Mary’s character are not present to make her look cool but exist to give Mary places to grow.

As the season continued, we began to see that the situation between demons and humans, as well as between demons and their kind, is far from simple. Sure, there are the dangerous demons who have made their way into our world and intend to harm and destroy the lives of countless humans, but there are also the demons who are fleeing the dangers of their home world, Makai. Mary is saved by these refugee demons, and then we begin to see the evolution of her character towards possible cohabitation. Mary orders her men to save the refugee demons and begins her motion toward defeating the true villain.

[RELATED: Devil May Cry Season 2 Announced]

Mary’s Betrayal in Devil May Cry Seemingly Ignores Her Developments During Season 1

After teaming up with Dante to take down the White Rabbit, Mary appeared to have turned a new leaf on not only her opinion of Dante but of demons as a whole. The duo succeeds in preventing the demon world from being opened up to the human world, and Dante even begins making tongue-in-cheek jokes about how they can join forces going forward like a buddy cop. However, on the heels of an absolute victory, as Dante turns his back to Mary, she quickly pierces him with a sedative and knocks him unconscious, stating that he is too dangerous to be walking around freely.

The bulk of the season had been predicated on the evolution of Mary and Dante as characters and heavily focused on their ideals becoming broader and more compassionate. Mary was caring and thoughtful and even appeared to be thinking about orders given to her more critically; however, when it matters the most, her character growth falters. Mary had already lied to her direct superior before the second act of the final fight, yet suddenly, she appears to turn back to her old ways out of left field. Although the sudden regression of character can strike viewers negatively, it may pave the way for the Season 2 arc that could involve Mary having to save or help Dante escape from the very predicament she caused.