The Legend Of Vox Machina Season 3 Missed The Perfect Ending For 1 Big Villain

Season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina saw multiple villains vanquished in the last few episodes, but the most fitting end for the show's longest-running villain was a missed opportunity. By The Legend of Vax Machina season 3's ending, three different villains were vanquished, and another either dead or banished. The dragons Thordak (Lance Reddick) and Raishan (Cree Summer) were slain, the demon Orthax (Matthew Mercer) was seemingly killed (but mostly likely simply permanently banished from their dimension), and human antagonist Dr. Anna Ripley (Kelly Hu) was dead.

In the case of Ripley, it was Vax (Liam O'Brien) and Vex (Laura Bailey) who tracked her down on her ship and ultimately ended her life after a visually stunning battle. Vex was the one who sent the kill shot straight through Ripley's heart, using the trick arrowhead that Percy (Taliesin Jaffe) had gifted her in season 2 in another symbolic moment. It was fitting that Vex should be the one to kill Ripley after Ripley had taken Percy away from Vex, and it was certainly a cheer-worthy moment. Still, there was another end for Anna Ripley that would have been even more fitting in The Legend of Vox Machina, which was officially renewed for season 4.

Ripley Should Have Been Killed With Her Cursed Pepperbox Gun

It Would Have Been Poetic Justice

The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 touchingly included Percy's gun in the final battle against Raishan, but it could have happened even earlier in the fight with Ripley. It would have made for even greater poetic justice had Ripley not been killed with Vex's special arrow, but by her own cursed pepperbox. Her end of being killed and then simply dying was a far more merciful fate than she deserved. Percy forgave her, but that doesn't mean the audience had. In the borrowed words of Cassandra de Rolo (Esme Creed-Miles) in season 1, "I'm glad you forgave her, brother. But I could not."

Had she been killed by her own cursed gun, Ripley's soul would also have been forfeit, and she'd then be subject to the very torment and torture that she'd condemned others to when she murdered them, including Percy. Percy being condemned to eternal damnation after trying to make amends and change his ways while Ripley escapes with a simple death after doubling down on her evil hardly seems right. Having Ripley suffer in the very same manner for eternity only seems fair.

It Wouldn't Have Worked In The Legend Of Vox Machina (But It Could Have)

The Storyline Could Have Been Tweaked

This storyline wouldn't have made sense in the critically-acclaimed Legend of Vox Machina season 3, however. Even if Ripley's soul had been consumed by Orthax, it was only ostensibly a few days to a week between the moment that she was killed and when they resurrected Percy and destroyed the pepperbox, presumably banishing Orthax. Ultimately, it would have been pointless to have Ripley's soul be condemned only for her to escape Orthax and her punishment a few days later. Ripley's more merciful death also fit in with the themes of learning forgiveness and mercy that have been threaded through Percy's story since season 1.

However, The Legend of Vox Machina could have made a reasonably simple story tweak to give Ripley that ending. In the show, the act of Vax pulling Percy's soul out of Orthax's clutches and Percy choosing to leave broke Orthax's hold over his pocket dimension. It would have been easy enough to write it so that Percy's soul could have been retrieved without the gun or dimension being destroyed. We also don't know exactly what happened to Orthax. Alternatively, it's entirely possible Orthax was just banished from this realm, but still took the souls remaining in his control with him, and one of those souls could have easily been Ripley's.

Ripley Death In The Legend Of Vox Machina Still Won't Stop Her Evil

Her Plans Have Now Outgrown Her

Ultimately, it doesn't matter how Ripley died in The Legend of Vox Machina season 3, or even that she died at all, as the evil she has set into motion has already taken root and will continue to spread. While she's directly responsible for the attack on Whitestone by Thordak's spawn and the hundreds of deaths it caused, that may yet prove to not even be the most evil act she enabled: two more are waiting in the wings.

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The first is that the world now knows about pepperboxes, and that genie can not be put back into the bottle. While most of the guns were destroyed along with the ship when she blew it up in her battle with Vax and Vex, it was confirmed that a few shipments had already been handed over. The weapons are already out there. Ripley is dead and Percy won't mass produce pepperboxes, but it's hard to think that someone out there whose cleverness comes close to Percy's won't figure out a way to recreate the pepperbox. Eventually, guns and the violence they bring will proliferate, even with Ripley dead.

The second is what the final shots of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 set up: the return of the Whispered One (a.k.a. Vecna) and the cult that has sprung up around him and his orb since the finale of season 1. That's been a dangling plot thread left over from season 1, and he's now positioned to become the major villain of season 4 and possibly beyond. It was Delilah Briarwood (Grey Griffin) who summoned the Whispered One under the ziggurat and called him forth into the world, and, technically, Anna Ripley did temporarily help Vox Machina in their plan to stop Delilah.

Still, the Briarwoods never would have been in the position to unleash the Whispered One on the world in the first place had it not been for Ripley. The Briarwoods were largely a means to an end for the scientist as they gave her license to keep experimenting and working on her designs. But Ripley helped the Briarwoods execute the de Rolo family and seize control of Whitestone, helping to cement their rule and also providing several scientific advancements that furthered their aim of summoning the Whispered One. Ripley may be gone, but her evil legacy will still ripple through The Legend of Vox Machina for at least one more season.

Based on the characters and storylines from the first Dungeons and Dragons campaign in the web series Critical Role, The Legend of Vox Machina chronicles the adventures of a group of heroes for hire named Vox Machina as they attempt to protect the fictional continent of Tal'Dorei from various threats to the safety of its people. Set in a fantasy world of elves, gnomes, vampires, and even dragons, the series stars the cast of Critical Role playing their characters from the original campaign, with DM Matthew Mercer guest starring in various small roles throughout the series. 

Cast Laura Bailey , marisha ray , Ashley Johnson , Taliesin Jaffe , Liam O'Brien , Travis Willingham , Matthew Mercer , Sam Riegel

Release Date January 28, 2022

Seasons 2

Network Amazon Prime Video

Writers Sam Riegel

Directors Sam Riegel , Brandon Auman

Showrunner Brandon Auman