Detailed Analysis - Main Narrative
Plot Twist - Haytham's Mission
At the very start of Assassin’s Creed 3’s journey, we join Desmond as he enters the long sought-after Grand Temple that he has been told to find by the Precursors and past Assassins to find if he hopes to stop a catastrophe that wiped out the First Civilization. When they enter the temple, the doorway seems to be blocked and the next thing Desmond knows he hears Juno’s voice, a precursor, telling him to find the key. Before he knows it Desmond is back in the Animus, with the temple sending memory data for him to examine to find this key.
In the Animus we would be introduced to a man who would eventually become one of the most popular characters in the series with a dark secret that would shake the foundation of the series moving forward. In London, in 1756 we meet Haytham Kenway, apparently an Assassin who is on a mission to assassinate a Templar who is in possession of a precursor artefact. Haytham has all the bearings of a great Assassin, his climbing abilities, his possession of Eagle vision and naturally his possession of the iconic hidden blades. The only thing Haytham doesn’t have is the traditional hood which can make sense, seeing as it’s been over 200 years since Ezio’s time and it makes sense that some things might have changed.
Haytham’s journey at the start of the game makes for an entertaining and informative intro as we get to know this charismatic, well-spoken and dangerous man. After taking the precursor object from the old man, who he also kills, Haytham is told that the object is most likely a key to a precursor storeroom, hidden somewhere in the American Colonies and he wastes no time, boarding a ship so he can get there. The trip is an eye-opening one as we get to see how Haytham operates in an environment that’s not open-ended and doesn’t offer Haytham much support. While Haytham doesn’t seek a fight, he certainly rises to the occasion whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Something that sets Haytham apart from past Assassins is his short temperament, Altair and Ezio were never people you wanted to cross and they had short tempers themselves, sometimes getting into fights with civilians. While I was never worried about them killing or maiming civilians, Haytham is someone who seems more willing to kill anyone in his way. When the ship he is on is being chased by another, the captain considers stopping but Haytham threatens to kill him and take over the ship himself. A bold move for even an Assassin as the captain typically wouldn’t be someone that they would kill unless they’ve worked actively to betray them.
As Haytham begins his mission in the colonies, he is greeted by Charles Lee, a good-natured and well-mannered man who seeks to help Haytham on his mission. Charles becomes a vital ally to Haytham, helping him adapt to his new environment, marshalling allies and eliminating targets. There’s a motive behind Charles’ assistance as he hopes to serve the order and perhaps even join which Haytham does not dismiss. Along his way, Haytham would meet someone who would change his life forever. Believing that the Precursor storeroom is hidden in lands owned by the Kanien'kehá:ka tribe, Haytham sets about earning their trust. He eliminates a man who has taken to enslaving them and catches the eye of Kaniehtí:io or Ziio, a native woman who would change the course of Haytham’s life. As Haytham sets about befriending her, they work together to eliminate a British army leader, Edward Braddock, who has been encroaching on the land and has been causing trouble for Haytham as well, being a former member of the order who was expelled for his violent tendencies.
After eliminating Braddock, Ziio, takes Haytham to the location of the storeroom, only to see that the object he has doesn’t open anything and so believes his search is a dead end. In his solemn, Ziio comforts the man and they share a romantic moment that would turn into a few weeks. When Haytham returns to his order in Boston, he decides to continue the search for the storeroom, establish a permanent base in the Colonies and most importantly, induct Charles into the Order. Finally, this good-natured and intelligent man will become an Assassin as he’s wanted or so we think. As the initiation ends, Haytham places a ring on Charles' finger and declares him a Templar, the ring bearing the Templar cross.
For 25% of the story, we have been walking in the shoes of a Templar this entire time and we never knew or even suspected. Why would we? Haytham bore most of the typical hallmarks of the Assassin’s, his skills, his talents and of course his use of the hidden blades made us all think he was an Assassin but if we looked closely enough, we could see that there were hints, but never enough that we questioned who he was. Most Templars we have met in the past have always been cruel, selfish and looked down on anyone but Haytham is different. Haytham came across as a kind and honourable man, despite having the lethal prowess to challenge any number of soldiers to a fight and win.
Arguably the greatest plot twist in Assassin’s Creed history, the reveal that Haytham Kenway was a Templar shocked the players and would go on to shake the foundations of the Assassin'-Templar conflict. In the past, the Templars have always been the villains and the Assassins were the heroes but now we’ve seen that the conflict is not as black and white as we believed and even that the Templars might not be as wrong as we’ve seen but it wouldn’t be until we continued Connor’s journey that we would realise this and how much more we need to learn about the Templar’s. The realization that the Templars might not be as bad as we thought and the fact that they have become more dangerous is something Ubisoft will have to contend with in the future as they can't do a story where the Templars are just pure villains anymore and it's exciting thinking what else they might do in the future.
Hero's Journey - Connor's Path
The time Haytham and Ziio spent together working to eliminate Braddock was important as it created mutual trust and respect between them. When Ziio took Haytham to the storeroom only to find nothing there. When Haytham was saddened by this, Ziio was there to consul him and they shared a romantic moment. After their time together, Haytham would eventually leave and rejoin his colonial Templar brethren that he built as they set their eyes on controlling the colonies. For the Templars, the Colonies present an opportunity for them to make their perfect world, free from the burdens of the past. As much as Haytham cared for Ziio, and make no mistake he did, he never would have chosen her over the Templars but this wouldn’t be the end of their story.
As a result of their time together, Ziio would give birth to a son who she named Ratonhnhaké:ton. The boy inherited enough of his mother’s features that he was accepted by the tribe and they would be happy for a short time. Sadly on a fateful day, the village would be attacked and Ratonhnhaké:ton’s mother would die in a horrible fire. Before the attack, the boy was attacked by the Templars that Haytham recruited, led by Charles Lee. In the years since he was made a Templar, he seems to have shed his good-natured attitude and leaned into his ruthlessness and arrogance as he pinned the young boy to a tree and spewed his hatred for the native's way of life. Before he left, Ratonhnhaké:ton demanded his name which he gives without hesitation.
The encounter with Charles Lee and the attack on his village which resulted in Ziio’s death would impact Ratonhnhaké:ton greatly and would give him the drive and desire to protect his people's land. After a time skip, we rejoin Ratonhnhaké:ton as a teenager with skills that would rival even a full-grown man from cities like Boston or New York. As he comes of age he is given an orb from a village elder that largely resembles an Apple of Eden, it activates in his hand and projects Juno in front of the young boy. Juno gives Ratonhnhaké:ton a grave warning of the future, where the village is attacked and his people killed and if that happens then premature access to the land could destabilise the entire region. There is hope however and of course that hope is for Ratonhnhaké:ton to find and join the Assassins, though he doesn’t realise this at the time.
Set on his path by Juno, Ratonhnhaké:ton finds an old Assassin named Achilles who is both old, depressed and not white which means that the character has a fair few ounces of cynicism in his bones and after no small amount of convincing educates Ratonhnhaké:ton on the Assassin’s, the Templar’s, what they want and how they have gone about it. Achilles shows the young native every Templar he knows about, including Charles Lee which just adds fuel to the already smouldering fire inside Ratonhnhaké:ton’s heart. After many years we meet the native again, now an Assassin who has grown considerably stronger, acquire the tools and training he would need to combat the Templars and has even taken the name of Connor so he can blend in better. Even though it’s been many years for him, it doesn’t seem like he’s grown much in terms of maturity or beliefs but this will change on his journey.
As Connor begins on his journey to eliminate the Templars and protect his people he unintentionally finds himself interfering and even starting events pivotal to the start of the American Revolution like the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Bunker Hill as he eliminates the Templars on his list. It’s an odd feeling, the men that Haytham recruited and got to know and by effect we the players as well and now as Connor we have to eliminate these men. Not only that because we got to know these people during our time reliving Haytham’s memories it’s odd seeing how these men have changed or then again it just shows how maybe we didn’t know these men as well as we thought and not only that but in their confessionals the exchange is a lot less one-sided.
While William Johnson seemed a man who respected the natives in the beginning he still tried to forcefully buy their lands, even threatening them and during his confessional, he makes some excellent points. While the colonists may be happy to trade with the natives when they need it and use them to bolster their armies, they will need more land and they will come for the native's land one day and won’t see anything wrong with it. When the Templar John Pitcairn tried to eliminate revolutionaries, Connor protected Paul Revere on his midnight ride so that they could warn people and rally an army. When Connor eliminated Pitcairn at Bunker Hill he discovered Pitcairn never wanted to kill revolutionaries like Sam Adam’s, only parley with them to lay down their arms, which naturally Connor doesn’t agree with as he feels the British should instead. Pitcairn reasons that these things take time but too much time for the young Assassin who feels the colonist's rise will ensure his people’s safety. While his naivete is something to be admired as he believes no harm will befall his people by way of the colonists, sadly he’s a bit too naïve for his own good.
Near the end of his journey, Connor becomes important to the Revolution and George Washington and in his travels, he comes across Haytham Kenway. The Grand Master of the Templar Order and likeable and charismatic character at the start of the game has finally come face to face with Connor and much to Connor’s surprise we learn that the Templars are not supporting the Crown. Apparently this entire time, the Templars have been trying to remove British influence from the colonies and have simply adapted their plans to Connor’s interference. When Connor is in pursuit of a Templar who has stolen supplies from the Patriots, Haytham confesses that he is hunting the same Templar who is now a traitor and this provides an exceptional opportunity for the pair, to declare a truce and work together. An exciting prospect as the Assassins and Templars would never have found common ground and so Connor and Haytham embark on a journey that could change the war between the Assassins and Templars forever.
The partnership between Haytham and Connor is an entertaining one as they work well together but can be at each other’s throats sometimes and there have been moments where the player was watching them and feeling like they could hear their father whenever Haytham ordered Connor to do something. Haytham is too used to having people beneath him that will do whatever he says and Connor is perhaps a bit too much of a pushover when resisting Haytham’s orders. Nonetheless, the pair make an excellent team, however, their conflicting ideas can sometimes come between them and as much as we want to side with Connor who embodies the Assassin’s beliefs, Haytham is very often right that the people of the colonies didn’t choose their leader and the decision was made by people who it benefitted and that their ideas of freedom are far beyond what Connor believes and that could prove to be detrimental in the end.
Eventually, Haytham and Connor have a falling out when Haytham exposes George Washington to his face that he was the one who attacked Connor’s village when he was a boy. It would have been an effective move to sway Connor against Washington if it wasn’t for the fact that Haytham knew about Washington's actions before exposing him and instead dissolves their partnership. Continuing on, despite his hatred towards Washington, Connor puts this to rest to eliminate Lee who in turn still seeks to kill Washington. On a mission to kill him, Connor has a final confrontation with Haytham which results in the Templar's death. A Sad end to Haytham’s story but it doesn’t end there as Connor also assassinates Charles Lee after a lengthy pursuit. It’s odd though, when Connor gets to a wounded Charles Lee, he finds him in a bar drinking himself to death and Connor joins him at the table. There are no words exchanged as they are both in pain and the only exchange between the 2 is when Charles smiles at Connor and hands him a drink. After a moment Connor finally kills Charles and takes the Precursor object in his possession, given to him by Haytham. After so very long Connor finally eliminated Charles Lee and the other Templars and can keep his people safe, or so he thinks.
When he returns to his village, it is deserted and Juno comes to him only to tell him his efforts protected the land but not his people as they have been driven off. Connor accidentally started a revolution solely so he could protect his people’s standing but no longer. Juno planned for this so that the temple wouldn’t be discovered by anyone least of all the Templars and didn’t care for Connor’s people. Connor gave everything he had to protect his people and in the end, it was futile, he lost his mother, his friends and even his father all because Juno said the Assassin’s path would protect the lands and Connor took that as his people would be safe. Returning he finds out from a frontiersman that a random man was granted the land by Congress and that his people were removed, William Johnson was right, when the colonists wanted their land, they found an excuse and they took it. On Evacuation Day when Britain left the colonies after their defeat, Connor looked in on seeing the work he had helped deliver but also looked on in disappointment as he still sees a slave auction being conducted, something he was hoping to end.
Connor’s journey was an incredible one, where he suffered blow after blow, loss after loss and continued to move forward, believing that in the end, he would have what he wanted. At the start, it was for the safety of his people and then when the revolution was starting he had hoped that the colonist's want for freedom would extend so far that they would stop the practice of slavery. Connor was hopeful, perhaps too hopeful, though the colonists preached freedom from the crown, they didn’t view slavery as an issue that needed attention. In the end, it shows that Haytham and his Templars were right about the colonists and that deep down they were selfish and cared only for themselves. Connor changed the course of history and helped the colonists to gain their independence and didn’t even get a thank you for his efforts. While Connor might not have been as charismatic and funny as past Assassin’s Creed characters and even Haytham, Connor’s journey was more exciting than any other as he was pitted against odds that most would fall to but Connor didn’t. Whether he returns or not, Connor has left a memorable mark on the Assassin’s Creed series and it will be exciting to see where his story could go in the future.
Foreshadowing - Peace
When Connor and Haytham first met we anticipated that it would result in a fight between the Assassin and Templar. However, what starts as a fight quickly turns into a simple argument between father and son, only for Haytham to tell Connor that the Templars are not fighting for the British, as opposed to what Achilles has told Connor and even what we’ve seen in the past. All evidence we’ve seen has painted the Templars as supporters of the crown when John Pitcairn led British forces to put down the revolutionaries and Thomas Hickey working to murder George Washington. When we listen to Haytham he explains himself and his Templar’s motive well which starts to make us think about what’s happened since we killed them.
Haytham eventually explains that there on the same mission, to find Benjamin Church. For Connor, he believes the Templars had Benjamin Church steal patriot supplies but Haytham informs Connor that he is hunting Church as well as he is a traitor to the order and working against them. Seeing as they are on the same mission, Haytham makes a smart suggestion, for him and Connor to work together, seeing as they have an opportunity to get to know each other a bit better. The father and son have a lot to learn about each other and even though Haytham can be pretty arrogant and Connor might not like his hot-headedness, the pair make a pretty fun team.
What begins as just a simple mission to find Benjamin Church quickly turns into a partnership that brings creates excellent moments between the 2. Haytham takes the time to learn more about his son’s history including the death of Ziio where we can see Haytham is visually saddened by this and Connor takes the opportunity to try and understand more about the Templars and what they seek. While Haytham clearly can’t see past his own views he isn’t necessarily wrong. While Connor has gotten to know revolutionaries like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere and has strived to help them, he doesn’t consider that they will only do what is best for them and people like them. While they strive for Freedom from the crown, they will never consider freedom for anybody that isn’t like them and will never see the natives as equals, which Connor doesn’t understand.
After they eliminate Benjamin Church, Connor speaks with Achilles and informs him of the interesting development and Connor even expresses hope that the Assassins and Templars could find common ground and unite. It’s an exciting opportunity but sadly we as the players have the gift or curse of foreknowledge that nips this allegiance in the bud. While we are exploring Connor’s life during the 18th-century American Revolution we also occasionally return to Desmond in modern-day 2012. In 2012, the Assassins and Templars are still at war with each other, with the Assassins being pushed to the breaking point and the Templars stronger than ever. Connor’s hopefulness has rubbed off on Desmond a little, not enough to make him want peace but enough to wonder if the 2 orders have ever tried making peace with each other with his father only telling him that there have been occasions but their both too different and their views conflict with each other too much.
Back during the revolution, Connor and Haytham were working to learn British troop movements and when they discovered what they wanted from British commanders, Haytham killed them all, Connor wanted to hold them until the fighting was done but Haytham didn’t want to waste the money or time it would take to care for them. While Haytham was being pragmatic about the situation, it still rubbed Connor the wrong way as it was not something he wouldn’t have done. Killing soldiers on the battlefield is different but killing defenceless men at your mercy, that’s something Connor hasn’t had to do as all the Templars and soldiers he has killed are people who fought back.
This partnership was a tenuous one at best and eventually comes to an end. When Connor warns Washington of the attack and Haytham begrudgingly accompanies him he finds a letter on his desk for Patriot forces to attack the Kanien'kehá:ka after hearing they are helping the British. Something that cripples Connors's faith in Washington but Haytham goes one step further even exposing Washington for the original attack on Connor’s village when he was a child. Haytham did this hoping to sway Connor to his side and as he was going to accompany Connor to protect his village, he didn’t expect Connor to end their partnership. Connor may not understand much about how the politics of this world works but he’s not an idiot, even as Haytham was exposing Washington Connor was putting together that Haytham must have known for a while. Ever since Connor told Haytham of Ziio’s death, supposedly at the hands of Charles Lee he must have been investigating the entire time they were working together.
Ending their partnership and Connor’s continued pursuit of Lee is what forces a final confrontation between Haytham and Connor which ends in Haytham’s death. With Haytham’s death was gone any chance of peace between the Assassins and Templars which was a waster opportunity and while I can understand how Connor must have felt I do still feel he was too hasty in ending his partnership with Haytham. Yes, Haytham lied but he did it because he knew Connor would never have accepted the truth without something else to back up his claims and Washington's attack on Connor’s village was the perfect catalyst or so he thought. Despite the truth, Connor protected Washington and did deliver him one more victory which would help to ensure the victory of the entire revolution.
Eventually, Connor and Haytham’s paths would converge once again when Connor would try one last time to eliminate Charles Lee and Haytham believes Charles to be the ideal person to lead the Colonies over Washington. Their fight would end with Connor eliminating the Templars and crippling their leadership if only temporarily. Sometime later Charles leads the Templars and Connor comes to a realization that the struggle between the Assassins and Templars can never end as when one piece leaves the board, another quickly rises to take its place. We’ve seen this before, in Assassin’s Creed 2 when Giovanni Auditore was killed but then his son Ezio took his place. In the Modern Day after the death of Lucy Stillman, William Miles stayed with the team and even when a member of the Abstergo hierarchy die, there are plenty of people to take their place.
Making a subplot where the Assassin and Templars could actually work together was an ambitious one and honestly helped to change our perception of the Templars. While their methods may be questionable, their motives aren’t that bad and make sense. When Haytham was questioned by Connor about the Templar's goals, he virulently defended his beliefs and even backed them up by simply stating the truth, revolution was started by people who just wanted to enrich themselves rather than continuing to pay wealth to the Crown. They made a decision that would benefit only them, not caring about the lives that would be lost or harmed by fighting the crown. While the Assassins and Templars didn’t succeed in maintaining a truce during the American Revolution, Assassin’s Creed 3 laid the groundwork and set precedence for the Assassins and Templars to work together.
Themes - Freedom and Order
The conflict between the Assassins and Templars has always been about the 2 groups' desire for peace. However, they have 2 different ideas on how to get there. Whereas the Templars want to force peace on the world by taking control of everything and deciding everyone’s paths. The Assassins believe that to get to peace, people must be allowed to choose it for themselves and so they are committed to ensuring freedom for everyone as much as possible. While Order itself is not a bad thing, taking away people’s freedom causes discord and seeds anger until people fight back. While Freedom itself is a good thing, there should be some semblance of order to ensure people don’t descend into chaos. Both organisations are too self-absorbed and set in their ways that they can never truly see past each other and see that if they worked together they could actually make the world a better place.
In the past, we’ve never sided with the Templars because their methods and agents were always so selfish and cruel and the way they justified themselves was always terrible so it wasn’t that hard to see the Assassins as the heroes, especially as we always saw the cities the Assassin’s operated in improve because of them. In Assassin’s Creed 3, the fight between the Assassins and Templars would change greatly and change our perception of the fight. When we joined Haytham on his journey to build a team in the colonies, we had every belief that he was an Assassin, based on his actions and his skills. Even when he spoke, his words translated so well that we could mistake him for an Assassin. While some of his words were rooted in order, so much of it could easily be mistaken for the words of an Assassin. When he speaks about the senseless wars that have been started between the Saxons and the Franks, the Ottomans and the Safavids and how the only reason for these wars was the desire to possess more and more he simply states that we humans are cruel and desperate and he’s not wrong. Even in Modern times, wars are being fought for possession of land, resources and even faith and we still make the same mistake over and over again and we are not likely to learn from this. When it’s revealed that Haytham is a Templar, his reasoning makes more sense now but still his words are tough to shake.
When we take over as Connor we witness actions that are more in line with what we’ve known the Templars to do like orchestrating the Boston Massacre and trying to forcefully buy the land of Natives, even threatening them. Connor’s views on freedom are special but truly naïve as he believes in a world where people can be equal regardless of race, gender or faith, even 200 years later we are still struggling to create a world where people can be treated fairly which really shouldn’t be a difficult thing but it shows how slow we are trying to reach these basic standards of living. As naïve as Connor is, it’s not a foolish hope as many people feel that way and want that type of world, though we know how difficult it is to get to that place, Connor on the other hand believes it can be an easy thing to get when he winds up in the midst if the American Revolution. When members of the Revolution like Samuel Adams talk about their rights and how they are willing to fight for them and even join with natives in their fight, we have a history as a reference point to see that the colonists would not allow the natives to keep their land.
When Connor and Haytham finally meet it brings an amazing opportunity for the pair to get to know each other and to talk. Haytham listens to his son’s naiveté and simple way of thinking and compares it to his own experiences and knowledge. When Connor defends Washington naming him as the one the people chose to lead them, Haytham rebuffs him and believes that the decision was made by individuals who chose Washington simply because it would benefit them. While Haytham’s way of seeing things is rigid and Connor’s way of seeing things is hopeful, they have a bit of knowledge that they can impart to each other, more so for Connor. In their final confrontation, Connor and Haytham have a lengthy fight that is filled with rhetoric. As Haytham spurns Connor for resenting the Templars he also talks about how the people will never reach a consensus and that eventually, their different views will lead to war. Haytham wasn’t wrong, eventually, the views on slavery would differ among the Americans and would start the American Civil War where the South wanted to keep it and the North would fight to abolish it. When Connor speaks about how the colonists will have power, Haytham again chimes in, declaring the people will never have it, only the illusion of it and that they don’t want it.
Everything Haytham says is cynical but there is so much truth in it. The people would never agree on a subject and sadly they would never allow the natives to keep their land even with all the help Connor gives to the revolutionaries. As much as Connor wants to believe in the colonists and that they would do the right thing for everyone, Connor could not be any more wrong. It was odd to see the topic of freedom be one that is dangerous. In the past whenever the Assassins helped to improve the lives of the people and freedom seemed to be the great ideal that everyone should have. I am definitely one for freedom but it is strange just how much I really agreed with Haytham and what he said and just how dangerous freedom can be. For the first time in the series, I found myself agreeing with the Templar’s reasoning and even though I would never side with them, Haytham did make a lot of sense. It’s a testament to the excellent writing that was done to make Haytham such a charismatic character and so factual that we could agree with him but at the same time it is poor as it paints Connor as someone you can’t agree with even though he has some merits.
Themes - Fathers and Sons
A pretty big theme, besides the classic dogmatic conflict between the Assassins and Templars, is also the theme of parents and their children so more specifically fathers and sons. It’s a recurring theme for the Assassin’s Creed series but whereas past games had more passive elements, Assassin’s Creed 3 takes a more direct approach. In Assassin’s Creed 2 when Ezio’s father and brothers die, Ezio sets about avenging which puts him on the path to becoming an Assassin. In Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, Ezio seeks to find purpose in his fight and so uses knowledge from his late father and his hope carries him through the story. Altair also became an Assassin to honour his father and Altair later had his own son. Near the end of his life, Altair wished that he had the humility to decide when his stake in the fight was done and wished the same for his son. Eventually, his words would carry themselves to Ezio which inspired him to leave the fight. In Assassin’s Creed 3, the theme of parents and their children is carried by 4 of its main characters, Connor and Haytham during the American Revolution and Desmond and William in 2012.
At the beginning of Connor’s journey to become an Assassin, he contends with the fact that eventually, his path will take him to a confrontation with his father Haytham. The fact weighs on his mind consistently, even amid battle and hunting other Templars. When Connor and Haytham finally meet, it’s when Connor is hunting a Templar and Haytham ends up ambushing him but through a fun conversation (fun for us at least) they declare a truce. It’s important because they get to know each other a little bit and while it didn’t manage to lead anywhere, it was important for both of them and incredibly valuable. Connor learned a few things about the real world and Haytham came to admire his son’s commitment and bravery to his cause even if he did not support him. In their final confrontation as Connor killed his own father, Haytham expressed how he was proud of his son and the qualities he has shown. Even if it failed, I think the relationship between Connor and Haytham could have greatly improved and become something that could have changed both of them for the better instead of just Connor.
Connor’s story has a lot of parallels between Desmond and his father William. In Revelations, we learned that Desmond’s father was an Assassin and trained him at a young age and Desmond resented this until he eventually ran away at a young age. When he left he spent most of his time taking odd jobs but liked bartending and then he was found by Abstergo. After what they put him through he decided to join the Assassins to pay them back. When Desmond and his team were looking for Ezio’s Apple of Eden, William was secretly keeping tabs on the team, making sure they were safe. When Desmond fell into his coma, it was William’s idea to plug Desmond into the Animus to save his life and he stayed with Desmond the whole time. William clearly has a lot of love for his son but as the leader of the Assassins in 2012, he has a lot of responsibilities and with the impending disaster soon to hit the Earth, his priorities are a little different to Desmond’s and there are moments through their relationship that these priorities start to come through.
After Desmond finishes Haytham’s memories he comes out of the Animus only for William to tell him to keep going. Naturally, Desmond hates this idea as his entire time being a captive at Abstergo and a willing member of his team of Assassins he has always been in the Animus and even challenges William to enter the Animus with William rebuffing Desmond and calling him a child. It’s a fair thing, Desmond has been putting his mind through hell and has only recently recovered from his time in the Animus and because the fate of the world depends on it, he was to put himself through hell again, even though William is perfectly capable of relieving Haytham’s memory. Desmond has been through enough the past few months as he’s been a captive of the Templars, re-joined the Assassins, killed his friend who turned out to be a Templar and went into a coma, and Desmond has just been taking it in his stride so it's really not much to ask someone else to pick up some of the slack. Desmond maybe goes too far when he suggests that William is just like the Templars which results in William hitting him and it could have easily turned into a fight if it wasn’t for the sense of urgency and Shaun’s quick intervention.
Throughout his missions and as he completes more of Connor’s genetic sequences, Desmond and William can speak with each other a lot more. William for one thing is a snob as all he considers Desmond has done is waste away and do nothing while the other Assassins were fighting. He is right, but he’s not one to talk about much, as a person his priorities should have been family man first and Assassin second. However much it seems, William’s arguments aren’t rooted in arrogance but rather in fear for his son’s safety. Later William admits that he was always searching for Desmond and that if it had been a few more days it would have been him coming to Desmond instead of Abstergo. When William is captured by Abstergo, Desmond fears for his safety and risks everything to save him and so after a lengthy excursion, he saves his father. When Desmond kills Vidic, William doesn’t so much as berate Desmond so much as question his motives with Desmond saying only he wanted to help them which ends in a hug between the estranged father and son who have begun to repair their bond. One of the last conversations they have is how when they are finished if Desmond could come home with William saying he would want nothing more.
While Connor and Haytham’s relationship started out somewhat positively but inevitably turned sour as they were on opposing sides but it wasn’t just that as Haytham only knew about Connor’s existence and only became a part of his life too late. With Desmond and William, they had a much better chance as William raised his son and despite his harsh conditioning and training William always loved Desmond and was heartbroken when he ran away. While he committed to his responsibilities to the Assassins he did spend as much time as he could looking for Desmond. The relationship between father and son seems to be a hallmark feature of the series and it makes it relevant without eclipsing the main storyline of the Assassin-Templar conflict but the theme has never been more entertaining than it is for Assassin’s Creed 3.
Agency - Accessing the Temple
As always, Connor’s story is only told through the lens of Desmond Miles who uses the technology of the Animus to relive the memories of his ancestor. At the end of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, Desmond was controlled and manipulated into killing fellow Assassin Lucy Stillman and was forced into a coma by Juno to awaken a “Sixth Sense”. Thanks to his prolonged exposure to the Animus, Desmond is suffering heavily from “The Bleeding Effect”. The Bleeding Effect is a common side effect where you begin to take on your ancestor's skills and abilities. The problem is the subject can begin to suffer from hallucinations and they struggle to distinguish what's real and what's a memory. As Shaun Hastings, a modern Assassin so eloquently puts it, if he’s not careful Desmond might not need an Animus to relive the memories of his ancestor which wouldn’t be a bad thing assuming he could control it but as this point no one has. Another issue is that you can start to take on the personality’s of the ancestors in question and so Desmond had to obtain the Sixth sense, a “Sync Nexus.
To achieve a Sync Nexus, a subject must enter the Animus and relive all the experiences of an ancestor until they have nothing left to show. Once that is done the Animus can separate all the personalities and repair the fracture in the mind. In Revelations Desmond fully achieved the Sync Nexus and thought that was the end of his time in the Animus. He along with his Assassin team: Shaun Hastings, Rebecca Crane and his father, William Miles, find the Grand Temple having gained the location and Apple needed to open it in Brotherhood. When they enter, they find a massive underground precursor structure that has been left alone for so very long. The answers they need to avert the disaster that the team have been dreading since the end of Assassin’s Creed 2 are within their grasp, or so they think. When they try and gain access to a part of the temple that is locked, Desmond hears Juno’s familiar voice, urging him to find a key, she then triggers a memory. Worried for his safety, his team place him in the Animus and this does the trick. When Desmond finishes Haytham’s memories we determine that the object Haytham stole from the Assassin in London must be the key they are looking for.
Before they can progress further, the temple needs more power sources and after some searching, find that the power sources are scattered in the world and so Desmond will do what he’s been training to do, go out in the world as an Assassin. While the missions he undergoes are not as full-scale or even as beautifully historic as the missions Connor and even Haytham went on, Desmond does show that he has what it takes to be a full-fledged Assassin. On multiple occasions he encounters a Templar agent, Daniel Cross who is also after the power sources. As we learn from Shaun, Daniel used to be an Assassin, a very prestigious one from the sounds of it but it turns out he was a mole planted by Abstergo, programmed to infiltrate the Assassins and wipe them out from the inside. For a man who was meant to be a Master Assassin and is now a Master Templar, he doesn’t seem very skilled or efficient in combating Desmond as he fails several times in what feels like a story-of-the-week format. Even if Desmond has the skills and abilities of Altair and Ezio he’s only been an Assassin for a few months and shouldn’t be a match for a Templar just yet. As Desmond continues his experiences in the Animus, he occasionally has to come out of the Animus now and then to find a power source only to go on his most dangerous mission yet.
Because they were short on time, William volunteered to go on his own to find a power source only to be taken by Abstergo and in a twist of fate, be held at the same facility Desmond was held. In the previous missions Desmond was unarmed so Desmond goes armed with his hidden blade and for a little extra, he brings the Apple of Eden with him. Using the skills he’s obtained and has now been enhanced by Connor’s skill set, Desmond fights his way through Abstergo looking for his father. It’s a strange feeling, the last time we were at this building, we were helping Desmond escape and he could barely hold his own in a fight and he was with Lucy, now he’s back with skills and knowledge and never had before and he’s taking down Abstergo security like it’s going out of style. In a final confrontation with Daniel Cross, Desmond only survives because Daniel has an event caused by the Bleeding Effect and this buys enough time for Desmond to put him down. Desmond finally reaches his father being held by Dr Warren Vidic and several Abstergo guards. Using the power of the Apple, Desmond finally puts an end to Vidic, frees his father and escapes Abstergo, this time Desmond was leading the way. It’s almost come full circle and it’s come to a point that Desmond has learned how to survive in this world and is now the Assassin everyone knew he could be.
When Desmond experienced the final confrontation between Connor and Haytham, the team saw that Haytham didn’t have the precursor object he took in London and with the Temple still transmitting data they continued, until the point they found that Connor buried the object in a grave at his base of operations. After several months of reliving Connor’s memories, Desmond and his team finally found the precursor object and made their way back to the temple. With all the power sources placed in the temple, and the key in hand Desmond and his team enter the vault in the Grand Temple hoping to find the solution to the disaster that is quickly approaching. After avoiding the Templars for so long, spending so much time in the Animus, losing Lucy and accepting his responsibilities as an Assassin, Desmond finally reached the inside of the Temple and would find the solution to saving the world but he has found evidence to suggest it’s going to come at a great cost.
Agency - Labours of the Precursors
Periodically through Desmond’s story, he has to go out into the world and find power sources for the Grand Temple. While it’s necessary to find the key to open up the vault, there isn’t a way to walk to it. When Desmond places the first power source that was in the temple, a section of the bridge reconnects as well as another area of the temple so it becomes pivotal for Desmond to find more power sources so when the time comes to open the vault door, they can walk across the bridge and find the Precursors solution to the disaster about to hit Earth. For a while now we have been receiving warnings from the First Civilisation, Minerva, Juno and Jupiter to find the Grand Temple and if Desmond can save their work then just maybe he can succeed where the First Civilisation failed.
As Desmond makes his way through sections of the Grand Temple that open up he can find a projection of Juno, almost like she’s beckoning Desmond to come and find her. When Desmond reaches a certain part of the temple, Juno appears to him as a projection to show Desmond the labours of the Precursors and what they did to try and save the world. At one point they tried to create pillars that could absorb the sun’s fire and expel it into the Temple or create a Piece of Eden that could protect the world as they developed tools like this before. The desperation and sincerity in Juno’s voice are far from an act as her entire role before reaching the Grand Temple seems to be theatre and the performance given is quite transcending.
We always knew the Precursors had technology and ideas far beyond anything humanity had ever reached by 2012 but we never truly knew just how far their ideas went and how these ideas may lay the foundations for saving this world. The Apple has always been a tool of control but they found if enough people believed in it then their thoughts could be made whole, so they sent a dozen apples into space to try and save the world but that didn’t work until it led them to perhaps their most dangerous options. Juno explained that if the flesh was weak then perhaps they could strengthen it through what must have been genetic augmentations and in trying to achieve this, it had the opposite effect on Juno’s husband Aita who died when she ended his misery.
Her final message, speaks of a device that could hold the mind and protect it but would require a great sacrifice so the Precursors left this idea behind, all except Juno who perhaps found it more promising. Whatever it was, we had the distinct feeling we were about to find out and perhaps it wouldn’t end well for anybody. The Precursors worked hard to avert the coming disaster but they were never able to save the world, consumed with dead ends and wars they became distracted and repeated their mistakes and let the disaster come for them. The Precursors have shown they have incredible Agency over the events of the Assassin-Templar war manipulating events as they see fit. As a largely unknown force that has had so much sway over the past and the present their agency feels dynamic and continues to surprise and hopefully will continue to show originality in the future even as the chapter concerning the disaster comes to a close.
Plot Twist - The Final Sacrifice
Since the start of the first Assassin’s Creed game, we knew that this would only be the start of Desmond’s journey as he remained a captive at Abstergo with no allies and no way out. In Assassin’s Creed 2 when he escapes from Abstergo and embarks on his journey to become an Assassin, he embraces this and obtains skills and knowledge that no other Modern Day Assassin has. By the end of Assassin’s Creed 2, Desmond found himself at the heart of something much bigger. When his ancestor Ezio met the Precursor Minerva, she took the opportunity to alter the Apple of Eden and warn Desmond about the approaching cataclysmic event that killed the First Civilisation years ago, knowing that he would one day use the Animus to view Ezio’s memories.
When in pursuit of the Apple, Juno took this opportunity to appear to Desmond and guide him to the apple and begrudgingly give him knowledge about humanity’s “Sixth Sense”. When Desmond claims the Apple that he and his team of Assassins consisting of Lucy, Shaun and Rebecca it gives them information on where the Grand Temple is but as Desmond touches it, Juno takes control of him and forces him to kill Lucy who was secretly a Templar. Desmond then dropped into his coma and was placed in the Animus which saved his life. After he acquired the Sixth Sense, the “Sync Nexus”, Desmond pushed on and relived Haytham’s and then Connor’s memories to find the key to the Grand Temple with the disaster ever looming and running out of breathing room thanks to the Templars. At the back of Desmond’s mind and even some of his teammates, is what is Juno after.
Juno’s motives have been so vague and mysterious and it’s been made painfully clear just how much control she had had on the story for at least 3 games as we learn she manipulated events so that Connor would become an Assassin and eliminate the Templars, just to make sure they didn’t gain access to the Temple before Desmond could. Desmond is mindful of this when he is exploring one of the rooms in the temple and Juno continues to explain the failures of the First Civilisation. After conversing with William he explains how he willingly killed Lucy, that he could have stopped himself because Juno showed Lucy’s intentions to hand the team and the Apple over to the Templars. He regrets having to do that but it protected the team and even more so it shows Juno’s desperation and foresight because she knew what Lucy would do. Desmond makes it clear, whatever is on the other side of the vault even if it helps, will benefit Juno, no matter what happens they have to be careful.
When they open the vault, Desmond and his team find a sphere with Juno declaring it can save the world. Before anything else happens Minerva shows up out of nowhere warning Desmond not to free Juno who is trapped in the sphere. Minerva explains that while the precursors worked to protect the world, Juno wanted to conquer it and used “The Eye” to set her plans in motion so Minerva trapped her. Minerva hoped Desmond would be safe to continue their work but used her power of divination to project into the future one last time to where Desmond is now. Unfortunately, they have run out of time as Minerva expresses her disappointment in the Assassins and Templars who have wasted centuries fighting and now there is no good way to save the world only to survive… or so she says.
Juno begs Desmond to touch the pedestal so she can save the world but there’s a catch, Juno will be loosed upon the world free to enact her plans to conquer the human race. To convince Desmond, Juno gives Desmond a vision of what will happen if he doesn’t stop the disaster. If he survives he will help rebuild the human race and teach them to be wise and free, and as the world heals as will the human race but in time Desmond will die and will be loved as a hero, a legend, only to be revered as a God and have others twist his words to suit their own purposes. Desmond has only 2 options
Save the world but allow Juno to roam the planet, free to enslave the human race.
Let the world burn only for the entire cycle of history to begin again, with Desmond at the centre.
It’s a difficult choice but was there ever a choice to be had? Desmond decides to free Juno and resolves to stop her in the future, but there is a price. To free Juno would mean Desmond’s death but he had made up his mind. Minerva leaves disappointed and with what she has told us, it’s most likely we will never see her again. Desmond warns the team to leave and then he makes the ultimate sacrifice, he touches the Sphere and it kills him, freeing Juno. In freeing Juno a global aurora borealis surrounds the world, protecting the planet from the solar flare. The world is saved but Juno is free and we’ve just lost Desmond.
Desmond’s journey was one of the most interesting ones as he started as a hapless captive and within a few short months, experienced some of the most crucial moments in history and gained the skills and knowledge needed to become a Master Assassin. He pushed through whatever odds were placed in his path, whether it was The Bleeding Effect, the Templars or even Juno and he fought admirably to the end. When it comes to his choice I believe he made the right one, if the cycle began again then new Iterations of the Assassins and Templars would rise and squabble over whatever was left long after Desmond would pass. While the world may not have to contend with Juno, Desmond trusts in the Assassins to fight back.
As Plot Twists go it’s certainly one I don’t think anyone saw coming as Desmond was built up to be the Modern Assassin, the one who could tip the scales of the war in the Assassin’s favour. While killing him was a good way to throw the player's expectations, it takes away all the character development and future adventures that Desmond could have done and it’s completely different from the original story plan.
The original narrative plan for Desmond was to have him find a way to time travel and have him become an Assassin, going through time, trying to find a way to stop the disaster. This would have been a little ridiculous but the stories that could have been told would have been amazing. While it’s a fascinating choice to kill Desmond, Ubisoft has painted themselves into a corner as now they have to create a new character that can carry the Modern Day story. Nonetheless, this bought Desmond’s story to a dramatic and heart-wrenching close as Ubisoft strives to keep us on our toes.