Spy x Family: Loid’s Operation Strix Was Doomed From the Start

The Spy x Family manga is currently in its 17th story arc where Anya and her classmates are enjoying their term breaks. The annual Winter Sheep Festival in Berlint is held during their holidays. Yor and Anya meet Melinda who is working as a Fortune Teller. She hides her identity while doing that. Only a select few members of the Lady Patriots Society know about it since making her side job public will bring trouble to the Desmond family. Melinda’s thoughts confirm that she really loves Damian, but is too afraid to approach him because of Donovan.

Donovan is the overarching antagonist of Spy x Family and the major target in Operation Strix. The Westalian Intelligence Services’ Eastern-Focused Division, better known as WISE, has determined that Donovan is seeking to disrupt the peace between Westalis and Ostania and wage another war. This is why, Loid, their best agent, begins the most challenging mission in his career. In Chapter 108, he meets with Melinda for the first time and can’t be more elated about taking a major step toward Operation Strix’s success. However, Chapter 109 drops a major plot twist, confirming his hard work never amounted to anything since the enemy is already several steps ahead of him.

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Spy x Family Just Confirms Donovan Already Knows About Loid’s Plans

Melinda shocks Loid in Chapter 109 by saying her husband is an alien. She further explains in Chapter 110 that Donovan became a different person several years ago. She doesn’t remember exactly when, but it could be around the time her first or second son was born. Melinda says he started becoming a recluse after the personality change and started pushing everyone away from him.

It took her a while to realize that Donovan could read people’s minds. Her first son, Demetrius has also caught on his father’s secret. Melinda believes an alien is pretending to be Donovan and they have taken her real husband to another planet. While the manga hasn’t confirmed anything about the aliens, we at least know Donovan has the same powers as Anya. This spells trouble for Loid, who has already met Donovan in Chapter 37.

Sometimes reading his mind gives Anya a headache since she can’t catch on to his fast thought process. He always lays out his entire plan in mind. When Loid met Donovan, his inner monologue pretty much gave the latter a brief about Operation Strix. Donovan knows Loid’s real identity as well as the forces working against him. He doesn’t seem interested in Loid, and neither does he try to get close to him.

This means Donovan doesn’t even consider Loid a threat. Even after Melinda gives Loid the biggest secret about Donovan, it’s clear the spy doesn’t believe her. While Loid keeps doubting the existence of such powers, his enemy must already be planning to take him down and WISE. Even in the future, if the two ever meet, Loid will unknowingly give away all his plans.