#redante

So, I'm in the minority camp that thinks Ninja Theory did kind of an interesting thing when they opted to switch storylines and birth order (for whatever that's worth with identical twins) between Dante and Vergil in the reboot.

I know a lot of people hate the idea of Vergil being the "little brother" in the equation and thought it made no sense and was a meaningless change, and I get where they're coming from, because it probably was - what I mean is, it likely wasn't intentional on NT's part, for any other reason than an attempt to instead make Dante the "cool older brother" and to differentiate themselves in one more way from OG DMC.

But what's interesting about both the shift in birth order and the storyline swap is that rather than undermining their innate characters, it actually reinforced them, and proved that no matter the formative circumstances, Dante will act like Dante and Vergil will act like Vergil:

Dante, whether he's the one protected by Eva or disenfranchised from society and family, will become secretly wounded, insouciant, irreverent, sardonic, flippant and cynical. He will be in denial about the true danger posed by Mundus, and determined to avoid his father's legacy, but reluctantly protect humanity when called upon - though not for free, of course. The toilets need flushing.

Vergil, whether he comes from rubble or privilege, will always be ambitious, idealistic striving, driven, calculating but rash, with the overconfidence of youth and a reach exceeding his grasp. He will have an Icarusian fall, and ultimately a phoenix-like redemption. (We presume a DmC sequel would/have follow(ed) the same reconciliation trajectory, because what else would make sense/serve the story?)

It also rather neatly answers and dovetails with the retroactive rhetorical question classic Vergil asks himself at the top of the Qliphoth, whether things would have been different if he'd had Dante's life, and Dante had his.

And the answer we already have from reboot is, no, not really. The outcome could only have been different if the individuals involved were totally different people - but their core character traits, I think, stay true and remain intact in both versions.

Still, obviously there are variations in character within those greater macro aspects, things that make the expression of these personality traits different, which we can attribute to formative experience, and the swapped backstory.

For instance, Classic Dante hides his profound psychological damage by being a party guy and a rock n' roll rodeo clown whereas DmC Dante wears his inside out; we can see his sullen punk-rock defensiveness, his bitterness, and we do not doubt his damage for a minute. Being the disenfranchised one has left its mark on him, and he has no ability or willingness to mask his trauma. Both keep others at arms' length, but ironically, ReDante actually is more receptive to intimacy and connection, possibly because he doesn't have a false front, or a whole circus-like façade, just a default defensive stance he holds as a last resort, after being embattled his entire life. He has been given the classic Vergil backstory, and while he becomes similarly defensive and embittered, he reacts like Dante, not classic Vergil.

Neither Dante is ever canonically shown as having any particular interest in humans or humanity as a whole, so much as a keen interest in killing demons (which is why the ending fraternal conflict of reboot rings so false, non sequitur and hollow). Both shrug off human collateral damage, and if classic Dante is ever bothered by the mass casualties incurred in the raising of the Qliphoth, he never mentions it as he trips over their bodies to run to his brother. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

Of the two, I think Vergil is the more different, with more personality contrast between interpretations - though his core traits remain: curiosity, intrepidity, enthusiasm, perfectionism, impulsivity, absolutism. With the strife removed from his life, Vergil is able to be emotionally open, to express his love for his brother, and his ambition comes from a proactive place instead of a reactive one.

However, like Dante, all his youthful flaws remain intact. He will always be the one who falls - and Dante will always be the one who fails to act at the crucial moment. The tragedy is thus complete.

The greatest difference, I think, is that classic Vergil has even less use for humans than Dante, whereas ReVergil is arguably the only one who actually has any appreciation for humanity as a class (even if he regards them as lesser beings) - which actually puts him more in line with classic Sparda, ironically, than anyone else. Reboot Sparda is never shown as having any particular interest in humans or their fate, and he and Eva are essentially depicted as just hiding out in the human world like it's witness protection.

                     @redante​          🖤          ‘   the devil ain’t got not sympathy for me.  ‘                                                       ~     pinterest  quotes  .

     “  do  you  need  his  sympathy  ?  “  inquiry  rings  with  innocence  ,  if  such  can  be  believed  from  succubus  ,  head  tilting  as  wings  flutter  her  form  into  his  lap  . 

She’s soft, yet the very touch && the way this demoness looks at him strikes fear. It’s sexy. Sharp features lean into their touch, vibrations move through his chest / throat which prompted purring. Dante began smiling, it stretches from ear to ear almost; he’s cheesin’ so hard.

   ❛   𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐀 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐌𝐄, or you gonna plant a fat one on me?   ❜

     “  ohh  ?  “  leaving  his  cheek  ,  fingers  instead  curl  &  scratch  under  his  chin  ,  as  one  would  a  puppy  .  he  will  have  to  wait  for  his  answer  ,  for  she’s  finding  too  much  amusement  in  seeing  how  easily  he  bends  to  her  charms  .  so  quickly  ,  he  wraps  around  her  finger  ....  

           There were footsteps behind her. The darkness pressed in on her as Juliet fought the urge to turn around. Then there came another step, this time lighter   &   slower as if the maker of the noise tried to be quieter, to sneak up on her perhaps. She quickened her pace, each footstep heavier than the last. She changed her direction, deciding to take the alley route. She knew it was dangerous to take this turn, but little did her stalker know she was armed. Perfectly capable of handling herself. In fact, if things got rough, witnesses would be scarce. She didn’t need someone watching her plow some guy’s face in after all.

            In the dim light that oozed through a narrow gap lie an alleyway. It's the underworld of any town: gloomy   &   unpleasant. The vines that crawled up window sills   &   the crumbling plaster that enveloped the old stone bricks appear romantic at first but became daunting as the sun set behind the skyline of chimneys. Darkness lurked in every corner inside the labyrinth of narrow passages   &   dead ends. Litter was dumped on the street   &   birds nest among the sprawling rot. Juliet didn’t care though. Her ears were focused on the steps behind her. She had just about had it now. Whoever this was, they weren’t going to stop following her. She quickly turned around. 

@redante​ complained:  ❛  this is a waste of time.  ❜

“ I guarantee you it’s not. “

Her tone came out more annoyed than was intended. She continues to keep him there, standing with his arms out in the common T-posing position, while an extendable ruler was rolled over his arms and the length of his torso to his hand. She was taking his measurements, whether he wanted it or not.