Did Eris Morn die in Destiny 2?

Destiny 2‘s Heresy brought heavily important arcs for many of its characters, including Hive expert Eris Morn. One specific cutscene in this episode has fans wondering if Eris Morn is dead or alive, especially after a particularly spoiler-y post from Bungie.

The studio published a controversial cutscene that takes place in Heresy’s second mission, early into the story. The video (which runs for almost two minutes) shows an essential part of Heresy’s story, which kicks off a chain reaction of effects that can potentially reshape the character forever.

The answer to what happens to Eris isn’t a simple yes or no, however. The cutscene shows two different sides of it—and depending on how you interpret it, the answer can be “both.” Warning: there will be spoilers below.

Is Eris Morn dead in Destiny 2?

Eris Morn did, in fact, die—but she’s not dead.

During the Recce mission in Destiny 2, a Subjugator grabs Eris and stabs her with its spear, taking her life away. The Drifter, the Guardian, and the Vanguard all assume she died. After this scene, though, the camera cuts toward Eris Morn waking up in what looks to be another dimension. She then laughs and takes off her hood, revealing her three Hive eyes.

The cutscene shows Eris is still alive somewhere, but the location of that somewhere is the real mystery. The prevalent guess seems to be a Throne World—a different pocket of reality that doesn’t let its owner be killed outside of it—and it might be Eris’ own due to some of what happened to her since her dreadful journey deep into the Hellmouth.

What happens to Eris in Heresy?

It’s fairly clear-cut that Eris is still alive despite not having a Ghost, which would prevent her resurrection in normal circumstances. Here are a few important plot points to understand what might have happened to Eris Morn as the narrative in Heresy develops.

Eris lost her Ghost, Brya, before Destiny, which severed the Hunter’s connection to the Light. Brya sacrificed herself so Eris had a chance to escape the depths of the Hellmouth, but even that wasn’t enough. The Hunter wished upon an Ahamkara bone she’d kept as a souvenir, which gave her Hive eyes that helped her see the way out. Eris couldn’t revive without a Ghost, so she’s aided the Vanguard since (notably in Shadowkeep and even on the field in Beyond Light), but her wrongly presumed death is tied to Year Six’s Season of the Witch.

During the build-up to The Final Shape, the Vanguard struck a deal with Savathûn’s Ghost, Immaru: The Witch Queen would help them get into the Traveler, but in exchange, she wanted to destroy the throne world that belonged to her sister—Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War. That’s not an easy task.

Eris was an essential part of this plan. She performed a ritual that temporarily turned her into the Hive God of Vengeance, with the guardian’s tithes feeding her powers further. Once she was strong enough, Immaru revived Savathûn, only for Eris to strike the Witch Queen and absorb her power. This let Eris cut Xivu Arath’s connection to her Throne World and make Xivu mortal.

“When I killed Savathûn, I claimed her eons of stored power,” Eris says after a seasonal cutscene. “For a moment, I even surpassed Xivu Arath herself.” Immaru and Ikora show the magnitude of Eris’ power:

“All Savathûn’s power, plus the tithes of the Guardians…” the Ghost says. “…Eris Morn is the most powerful Hive there has ever been,” Ikora added.

With such tremendous power at her disposal, it’s possible Eris unknowingly hijacked the Black Terrace, Xivu Arath’s old Throne World, when she removed it from Xivu’s grasp. In that case, we might still be tithing to her while she’s there, with the Guardian’s de facto instructions being “avenge Eris.”

It’s also possible that this isn’t Eris’ Throne World. It might belong to someone (or something) else, and it might even have been created accidentally by the Echo or its wielder. The Dreadnaught was Oryx’s Throne World, too. And if that wasn’t enough, Throne Worlds are usually attributed to the Darkness, so there may be an even bigger danger at play.

We’ll only know for sure what happens as Bungie reveals the story in Heresy. Until then, Eris Morn is alive somewhere—and we can’t wait to find her.