FromSoftware’s Souls games have always had an odd relationship with parallel worlds. As far back asDemon’s Souls, other players could be seen and even interacted with if the game was played online.Dark Soulstook things a step further with its convoluted time structure, seen as early asDark Souls 1where players could cause Solaire to link the First Flame in another world by completing his quest. Even as recently asElden Ring, mechanics suggesting multiple worlds are still present, if pushed to the side. The trademarkSoulsInvasions and summons persist inElden Ring, despite their roles in the setting being different.
By its release, multiverses had become a trend, and one of the most notable participants is Spider-Man in a self-styled Spider-Verse. Recently,the filmSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseplayed with the meta structure of multiverses by pointing out “canon events”, common happenings in almost every Spider-Man’s life that are integral to a Spider-Man’s identity. If one took that concept and applied it to a majorElden Ringcharacter, such as Queen Marika, it could still fit. Under this particular lens, the bare essentials of even the more enigmatic figures inElden Ring’s lore can be laid bare.
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Becoming An Empyrean
Something any variant of Marika would need to experience is what started them off on their journey. The equivalent of Spider-Man’s radioactive spider bite is the moment when Marika became an Empyrean. While the details are somewhat vague, this directly led to her becoming the Elden Ring’s vessel and ascending to both godhood and the throne of her burgeoning empire. The Two Fingers also gifted her with her half-brother Maliketh at the time, who played a key role in Marika’s later plans. Being an Empyrean can end in a variety of results such asMalenia’s Goddess of Rot form, but it’s hard to imagine Marika’s tale beginning any other way.
Having A Family Of Demigods
Speaking of which, it’s hard to talk about Marika without bringing up her consorts and their demigod children. Even if some of these followed Marika’s second consort Radagon into the family, they are all vital toElden Ring’s setting, and any sort of parallelElden Ringstory or sequelwould need a comparable cast. If nothing else, Godfrey and Radagon, the empire’s first two Elden Lords and husbands to Marika, both represent key figures in any Marika’s life. What that means for the body-sharing Radagon could vary wildly between universes, but their relationships formed the crux of some ofElden Ring’s largest events.
Causing The Shattering
Greatest among those by far is the Shattering, the event where Marika took her hammer to the Elden Ring itself. The power to do the deed seemed to come from her grief in losing one of her oldest sons, Godwin the Golden, tothe Night of Black Knives—even though she may have authorized said event. Her motives and the Shattering itself are so complex that fans are still piecing them together, but this great act of rebellion could easily be seen as the most significant event in Marika’s life since becoming Queen.
Creating The Tarnished
However, for all of Marika’s potentially underhanded actions, it seems she had selfless intentions. Godfrey, Marika’s first consort and Elden Lord, was thefirst to be banished as a Tarnishedwhen he lost the grace of gold. But if the player searches for secret echoes of Marika’s speech, they’ll discover that this was done to prepare the Tarnished for a time when they would revive and take the Lands Between for themselves. Another Marika wouldn’t be the same without ruthless cunning that belies subtle benevolence, which would no doubt shape her world as much asElden Ring’s own.
Elden Ringis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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