This Warrior Nun feature contains spoilers.
Much of Warrior Nun season one is the prologue of a story that just begins to unfold in the finale. The diabolical cliffhanger leaves us with a brand new set of questions. With the revelation that the angel Adriel is both alive (and not an angel), the Order of the Cruciform Sword will have to reckon with its past and decide its future.
According to Warrior Nun showrunner Simon Barry, the show is prepared to address that future. As he told Den of Geek:
“We’ve thrown a lot of ideas around about where the show could go at the end of the season, of what we want to do next season. Having made several shows, I know that all of these things change as you go. Depending on how the show plays and how the audience reacts to it, you end up changing some of those ideas and rethinking them, so I don’t really want to say anything specific about that because I know that season two, if we’re lucky to get one, could redefine the show in ways that might change that.”
Here’s what we can expect in Warrior Nun season 2.
Ava v. Adriel
The season one finale cliffhanger leaves Shotgun Mary in a precarious situation, being overrun by demon-possessed civilians. The other Sister Warriors are ready to fight, including Ava who is powered up by the halo and holding the cruciform sword. Adriel survived Lilith’s assault and an arrow to the head, but I suspect we’ll see Ava go full Warrior Nun for the first time after finally embracing the halo, and the OCS. Ava and the Sisters will likely secure the defeat, but Adriel is positioned as The Big Bad, so expect him to get away.
In the immediate aftermath of Adriel’s angelically-powered ass-whooping, the sisters will have a lot of cleaning up to do. Not only did they trespass on consecrated ground and blow parts of it up, they had a fight with a seemingly immortal man in the middle of a crowded square, steps away from the Vatican in plain view of everybody. No doubt, innocent civilians will be collateral damage, and the church will have to answer for the antics. Pope Duretti will have some explaining to do.
Will Shotgun Mary Survive?
Mary is quickly beset upon by a horde of possessed humans, and last we see her, she’s being overtaken by the crowd. The situation looks dire, but I wouldn’t recite last rites just yet. The other Sister Warriors are still in play, and dealing with wraith demons is what they do. It’s unlikely Mary makes it out of this completely unscathed, but you don’t get a nickname like Shotgun Mary by taking stuff lying down. Nobody’s untouchable, but don’t expect Warrior Nun to send Mary to meet her maker any time soon.
The Truth About Adriel and the Halo
The introduction of Adriel as a malevolent, non-human entity opens up the doors to a lot of potential storylines. The big question coming out of the finale is, who —or what— is Adriel? We know he is not an angel, but does that make him a demon, or something else? Season two should begin to delve into Adriel’s past, and answer the question of where he comes from, and what he wants. We’ll hopefully learn how Adriel came to have the halo in his possession, and further explore his connection to the Warrior Nuns.
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The halo Adriel stole belonged to someone. We don’t know where the halo comes from, who it belongs to, or whether it is angelic or demonic in nature. All we do know is that both Adriel and the Tarask want it. Season two could explore the halo’s origins, and in doing so, introduce a new adversary vying for control of the holy artifact.
Lilith and the Tarask
The Tarask have been pursuing the halo since Adriel stole it and brought it to this world centuries ago. It’s unclear whether the halo comes from their dimension, or if they’re just bloodhounds sent to fetch it by a master. Lilith saved Ava by stepping in front of a Tarask while it was attacking, and she was taken to its world when it was defeated by the cruciform sword. She comes back with powers, and knowledge about Adriel, which might suggest she had a chit-chat with the halo’s true owner. Season two could show us what happened to Lilith while she was on the other side and reveal the true nature of her newfound powers.
Heaven, Hell, and Everything In-Between
Jillian Salvius created an interdimensional portal to save her son Michael from dying. When Adriel touched the halo, the portal opened and Michael went though. The show plays with the idea that angels, demons, heaven and hell are real, but maybe not in the ways we expect. Season two could explore the possibility that there are many realms or dimensions, and reshape the idea of what heaven and hell may actually look like.
The Reckoning of the OCS
The Order of the Cruciform Sword will be reeling from all the new information and faith-shaking revelations. Father Vincent’s betrayal will force the OCS to reexamine everything he’s done, and put it in the context of him serving Adriel. The halo, which was believed to be imbued with angelic power, could potentially be something less holy. The OCS will have to determine if maintaining access to the halo’s power is worth potentially inviting more demons into this world.
All the previous Warrior Nuns died to protect the world from the same demons that are only drawn here because of the halo. Season two should spend some time in introspection allowing the Sister Warriors to reevaluate their place in the order, and redefining what the OCS is.
Warrior Nun asks questions that can only be answered if the show is given another season. Given how temperamental these things are, we hope we get a season two that gives us a satisfying conclusion to Ava’s season one arc.