Halo’s Kwan Teased A Missing Villain & Massive Story From The Games

Spoilers for Halo season 2, episode 3, “Visegrád.”

In the Halo TV show’s first outing, Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha) proved to be a divisive character. Created for the TV series’ timeline, the insurrectionist teen’s plotline frustrated longtime franchise fans who wanted a Halo show that stayed truer to the core canon. Hailing from the outer-colony planet of Madrigal, Kwan spends the first few episodes of Halo season 2 on the Rubble, aiding Spartan deserter-turned-insurrectionist Soren’s (Bokeem Woodbine) family. In particular, Kwan looks after Soren’s son, Kessler (Tylan Bailey), who’s always seen toting around a Master Chief helmet despite his father’s leanings.

Eager to track down the missing Dr. Catherine Halsey, creator of the Spartan program, Soren ignores his wife Laera’s (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) concerns and leaves the Rubble. Betrayed by his crew, Soren is captured by UNSC and ONI forces, leaving Laera and Kessler at the mercy of Soren’s mutinous crew. In Halo season 2, episodes 2 and 3, Kwan comes to Laera’s aid, handily disposing of Soren’s former workers. While Kwan, Laera, and Kessler’s storyline seems divorced from Halo season 2’s core narrative, Kwan teases a major Halo villain and plot in the first episode of the sophomore outing.

Kwan’s Cave Drawing In Halo Season 2 Teases The Flood

Before Soren leaves the Rubble on his ill-fated mission to locate Dr. Halsey, he tells Kessler that the boy is too old to be afraid of monsters — and of stories about monsters. While much of Halo season 2 sets up the Fall of Reach thread, Soren and Kessler’s exchange about monsters might go beyond the looming Covenant invasion. Although Halo‘s sophomore outing has retained several divisive, TV show-only characters, it largely seems to be course-correcting season 1’s missteps. In addition to chronicling the Fall of Reach, Halo is seemingly teasing another fan-favorite story.

In the first episode of Halo season 2, “Sanctuary,” Kessler runs away from his parents’ apartment on the Rubble to spend time with Kwan. The teenage insurrectionist is hanging out in a drawing-filled cave. Kwan’s voice-over relays a tale about a monster; although the details are vague, it doesn’t quite seem like she’s referencing the Covenant forces. Based on the drawings that speckle the cave’s ceiling and her insinuation that the monsters are known to “take everything,” Kwan’s story could be teasing the Flood — parasitic organisms that threaten to consume all life in the universe.

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The Flood Will Be Halo Season 3’s Key Plot

The incredibly virulent parasitic Flood reproduce and grow larger by consuming sentient beings that have “sufficient biomass and cognitive capability” (via Halopedia). According to Halo lore, all Flood forms share a single consciousness, making them a kind of trans-sentient super-organism. So long as the Flood has sentient life to consume, the enemy is unstoppable. In the ancient past, the Flood warred with the Forerunners — an ancient species that ruled vast parts of the galaxy. In order to quell the Flood, the Forerunners activated the Halo Array, which wiped the galaxy of sentient life, thus starving the Flood.

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Introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved, the Flood is a franchise-defining threat. If the Halo show continues to take cues from the core canon’s timeline of events, the Flood might be the main villain of Halo season 3. Since the Fall of Reach leads directly into the events of Halo: Combat Evolved, it would be a pretty seamless narrative transition. Not to mention, the Flood is a common enemy for the humans and Covenant, adding an interesting wrinkle to their war. While Kwan’s story is undoubtedly vague, it’s hard to imagine a more terrifying monster than the all-consuming Flood.

Following The Fall Of Reach With The Flood Fixes A Huge Halo Show Complaint

From Halo‘s “blessed ones” to Kwan, the show’s first season upset long-time fans who wanted a more canonical adaptation of the video games. While Pablo Schreiber’s Master Chief still removes his Spartan helmet in season 2, it’s largely because he’s off duty on Reach. Although a minor adjustment, such tweaks prove the sophomore outing is trying to correct course. On a larger scale, this dedication to righting wrongs can be seen in the show’s chronicling of Halo‘s Fall of Reach. That said, Halo season 3 could continue season 2’s comparative success by doing the Flood justice.