I think Maleficent hasn't had the greatest of showings since the first game, and that is because her purpose in KH2 (imo) was mostly just to highlight the massive shift of power between the Heartless and the Nobodies. She was essentially just there to be like "hey, see this super strong villain who was almost the final boss from the first game? She just got trashed by a literal trash mob of Nobodies. That's how threatening/strong these things are."
Or that was the intention.
...Unfortunately the side-effect of that is it makes Maleficent kind of look a bit pathetic afterwards, rather than making the Nobodies look super capable.
But in order to fulfill that intended purpose they crafted some excuse to bring Maleficent back for the second game and she's been puttering around ever since.
That, and I think Nomura and his team just really wanted to put Disney Castle in KH2. It originally appeared in the KH1 beta trailer, so we know that at one point there were plans to put it in the first game. In fact, the entire plot of Timeless River and Maleficent's/Pete's appearance and interference with the Castle almost seem like they could have come straight out of KH1 (with a bit of tweaking). I feel like they likely had this really cool idea of Maleficent trying to take over Disney Castle and REALLY wanted to put it into the story, so they used KH2 as the time to do it, even though it has very little to do with the rest of KH2 storyline, really. As a result Maleficent's motives feel a bit jarring and an afterthought, like they were unused concepts from the first game they cobbled together and stuffed into KH2 just because they could.
That being said: I think she has something up her sleeve. I don't know if that will necessarily work out for her...because I don't think Nomura wants her to be the "biggest baddie" out there. And I don't think that's because Disney doesn't want us fighting her. Originally she WAS the final boss but Nomura specifically objected and was like "naw, we need a deeper story than that". It would go against a lot of what he wants for the series for her to suddenly then be this super ultimate villain in the end.
Maleficent has always been a bit manipulated with incomplete information since the series has started. She has always been outshined by the OC villain in every game. I don't know if that pattern will ever change, because as I said, Nomura isn't going to want Maleficent to be the final boss.
However, I think the general consensus of compromise is that people want her to be more capable, and actually pulling some strings here and there with an actual position of power.
I think she stands a really great chance of doing that post KH3 and here is why:
We don't know everything yet that she knows because UX still hasn't finished, but she has knowledge of and desire for not only the Black Box, but of the Data World. And I think the Data World is going to be very, very important in the upcoming series.
There are tons of theories out there that the Black Box somehow can create datascapes, holds its own universe (the UX timeline), created the universe we know, etc. There are also some very compelling questions raised by the Secret Boss/Secret Endings that possibly suggest the KH universe as a whole is one large data simulation. Events throughout KH3, especially Twilight Town are very suspect if you view them as hints towards this point.
1) Donald and Goofy specifically mention Data Sora when they land. This might have just been a way to make Coded a bit relevant (See! We didn't forget about Coded!) but I think it was actually a very clever clue. They specifically note that "no matter if its a Data Sora or not, all Sora's tend to be the same!". Then, directly after this, Sora has a weird "vision" where he hears the Dusk quote in his head "we have come for you, my leige" just before a bunch of Dusk enemies spawn. Not only is this just weird timing, but it is exactly what happened to Roxas in his digital simulation. Weird coincidence to remind him of Roxas? Or was it just a hint that maybe, just maybe, this current Sora is also in a digital simulation right now? But we wouldn't know it because "all Soras are the same".
2) When Sora has a chat with Xemnas and Nortless outside the mansion they discuss his plans to save Roxas and put his heart in a simulated Twilight Town. And one of them (I forget which) mentions something along the lines of "wouldn't it be a prison? To be trapped inside of a fake, digital world?" Huh. Wouldn't it be interesting if that was actually what was happening to the cast right now?
3) Less of a strong point, but more of a weird narrative thing: the computer systems in the Mansion and Radiant Garden. They spent a long cutscene with Ienzo and Pence kind of discussing how computers could be connected and communicate with each other to create a shared network. Sora doesn't get it, falls asleep, the whole matter is brushed aside. I feel like this is almost setting up something--if computers can be connected, then surely different data worlds and datascapes made by them could be connected in a similar way. (Like...
Again, that's not conclusive evidence or anything, but there are far too many weird hints and nods towards the data universe, and there possibly being something funky going on for me to dismiss it as irrelevant.
I might be off track , but if Maleficent can somehow get her hands on something that can control the data (which she is searching for), and if the data can actively manipulate the whole UNIVERSE of Kingdom Hearts as we know it...well that could be really bad, couldn't it?
That's why I see potential in her in the future, and why it made sense for her not to play much role in KH3. The digital stuff was only being ground worked in that game and it will have its role in future installments. However, it is just as likely that the Master (or someone else) knows all this stuff and is going to steal control away from her just like all the other OC villains in the past, but at least then she would have a brief period of time to be actually threatening, which is what I think people want.
I'm not upset in the slightest about her "treatment" in KH3 because it seems fairly obvious that her goals and intentions are far more suited for the next arc of the series.
Or that was the intention.
...Unfortunately the side-effect of that is it makes Maleficent kind of look a bit pathetic afterwards, rather than making the Nobodies look super capable.
But in order to fulfill that intended purpose they crafted some excuse to bring Maleficent back for the second game and she's been puttering around ever since.
That, and I think Nomura and his team just really wanted to put Disney Castle in KH2. It originally appeared in the KH1 beta trailer, so we know that at one point there were plans to put it in the first game. In fact, the entire plot of Timeless River and Maleficent's/Pete's appearance and interference with the Castle almost seem like they could have come straight out of KH1 (with a bit of tweaking). I feel like they likely had this really cool idea of Maleficent trying to take over Disney Castle and REALLY wanted to put it into the story, so they used KH2 as the time to do it, even though it has very little to do with the rest of KH2 storyline, really. As a result Maleficent's motives feel a bit jarring and an afterthought, like they were unused concepts from the first game they cobbled together and stuffed into KH2 just because they could.
That being said: I think she has something up her sleeve. I don't know if that will necessarily work out for her...because I don't think Nomura wants her to be the "biggest baddie" out there. And I don't think that's because Disney doesn't want us fighting her. Originally she WAS the final boss but Nomura specifically objected and was like "naw, we need a deeper story than that". It would go against a lot of what he wants for the series for her to suddenly then be this super ultimate villain in the end.
Maleficent has always been a bit manipulated with incomplete information since the series has started. She has always been outshined by the OC villain in every game. I don't know if that pattern will ever change, because as I said, Nomura isn't going to want Maleficent to be the final boss.
However, I think the general consensus of compromise is that people want her to be more capable, and actually pulling some strings here and there with an actual position of power.
I think she stands a really great chance of doing that post KH3 and here is why:
We don't know everything yet that she knows because UX still hasn't finished, but she has knowledge of and desire for not only the Black Box, but of the Data World. And I think the Data World is going to be very, very important in the upcoming series.
There are tons of theories out there that the Black Box somehow can create datascapes, holds its own universe (the UX timeline), created the universe we know, etc. There are also some very compelling questions raised by the Secret Boss/Secret Endings that possibly suggest the KH universe as a whole is one large data simulation. Events throughout KH3, especially Twilight Town are very suspect if you view them as hints towards this point.
1) Donald and Goofy specifically mention Data Sora when they land. This might have just been a way to make Coded a bit relevant (See! We didn't forget about Coded!) but I think it was actually a very clever clue. They specifically note that "no matter if its a Data Sora or not, all Sora's tend to be the same!". Then, directly after this, Sora has a weird "vision" where he hears the Dusk quote in his head "we have come for you, my leige" just before a bunch of Dusk enemies spawn. Not only is this just weird timing, but it is exactly what happened to Roxas in his digital simulation. Weird coincidence to remind him of Roxas? Or was it just a hint that maybe, just maybe, this current Sora is also in a digital simulation right now? But we wouldn't know it because "all Soras are the same".
2) When Sora has a chat with Xemnas and Nortless outside the mansion they discuss his plans to save Roxas and put his heart in a simulated Twilight Town. And one of them (I forget which) mentions something along the lines of "wouldn't it be a prison? To be trapped inside of a fake, digital world?" Huh. Wouldn't it be interesting if that was actually what was happening to the cast right now?
3) Less of a strong point, but more of a weird narrative thing: the computer systems in the Mansion and Radiant Garden. They spent a long cutscene with Ienzo and Pence kind of discussing how computers could be connected and communicate with each other to create a shared network. Sora doesn't get it, falls asleep, the whole matter is brushed aside. I feel like this is almost setting up something--if computers can be connected, then surely different data worlds and datascapes made by them could be connected in a similar way. (Like...
?) Without having a narrative reason for this cutscene down the line, it feels like such a random thing to keep in the game. The fact that it IS in the game, leads me to believe it is far more important than just explaining how computers work to the audience.Spoiler ShowVerum Rex
Again, that's not conclusive evidence or anything, but there are far too many weird hints and nods towards the data universe, and there possibly being something funky going on for me to dismiss it as irrelevant.
I might be off track , but if Maleficent can somehow get her hands on something that can control the data (which she is searching for), and if the data can actively manipulate the whole UNIVERSE of Kingdom Hearts as we know it...well that could be really bad, couldn't it?
That's why I see potential in her in the future, and why it made sense for her not to play much role in KH3. The digital stuff was only being ground worked in that game and it will have its role in future installments. However, it is just as likely that the Master (or someone else) knows all this stuff and is going to steal control away from her just like all the other OC villains in the past, but at least then she would have a brief period of time to be actually threatening, which is what I think people want.
I'm not upset in the slightest about her "treatment" in KH3 because it seems fairly obvious that her goals and intentions are far more suited for the next arc of the series.
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