In Defense Of Connor
Here’s a piece that I wrote in the defense of a video game character that still ranks among my favorite of all time. Enjoy, and remember: Assassin’s Creed III was an incredible game!
//
If you’ve been up to date on what’s been going down within the Assassin’s Creed community, you’re no doubt aware that after the release of Black Flag the next biggest thing has probably been this whole buzz of Ubisoft’s treatment of Connor. To be brief, a reddit user had posed the question of whether there was any chance of us seeing more of Connor in the future, to which Darby McDevitt replied:
“Not very. We want Tumblr to pick up where we left off.”
Those that hated Connor didn’t mind, obviously. But his fans went into a rage, and the tag here on tumblr basically exploded with anger directed at Ubisoft. Reddit user Komakumair dropped a few well thought out points, caught Darby’s attention and got a response explaining he was not trying to be snide, that there were no plans to continue Connor from a while ago, and so on and such which, and it was all very professional and refreshing to see it handled as such.
I thought after that the situation had died down. I understood it, and knew I had to come to terms with the fact that my boy was done. As long as we keep getting amazing characters, it’s all good.
But the other morning as I was reading through the recap on Kotaku I stumbled across this:
The article, written by Luke Plunkett as an editorial of sorts dismissed Connor as “…nothing. He was nothingness in a white hood,” and then proceeds to paint the series itself in agreement with this statement, claiming that with regards to this character who “[Sucked] much of the life out of the franchise with his solemn frown and humor deficiency…the series has swiftly moved on without him, the only people seemingly caring to remember being cosplayers and a crowd on Tumblr who immortalise him with fanart and fanfiction.”
Now Mr. Plunkett is entitled to his opinion, and none of this is meant as an attack towards him.
Here’s how I see it: I get it. Connor was so drastically different from Ezio that it came as a shock to damn near all of us that went from Revalations to III. Ezio had become that guy, in a sense. The iconic Assassin’s Creed character in his flowing white robe and cape, wide set hood, tell-tale scar and a tagline that no one in this fandom dare forget. He was charming and talented as the young man in ACII that we first met, matured into a suave, charismatic leader in AC: B, and pushed the limits of badass in AC: R until he is finally laid to rest in Embers.
Then along comes the new guy.
The arguments for those that dislike Connor all sound the same to me, in all honesty. “He’s bland! He’s boring! I can’t connect with him! He’s no fun! He’s too responsible! He’s so awkward!”
Well what were you expecting? Another Ezio?
Connor is not Ezio. He’s Connor. He has his own stories and his own experiences that he deals with in his own time period. Let’s get that clear.
Now, to see Connor for all he’s worth you really need to put him into the context of his own story. He’s a character that is plagued by tragedy, forced to join a fight on which he is truly on neither side that is being fought between people he doesn’t fit in with while fighting for a much larger behind the scenes war as he clings to a certain naivety in hopes that what he’s doing will bring about the change he seeks. He’s a gentle soul with sound morals: He wants to protect his people, wants to protect the hope that the colonists have for freedom, and wants to fight against Tyranny and oppression.
In his case, though, nothing ever seems to go the way it should.
This is a character that has to deal with so much more tragedy and failure than Ezio. He witnessed the death of his mother, witnessed the death of his father figure, had to kill his best friend, had to kill his father, is betrayed by those he supports, fails at protecting his village and his people, and fails at uniting the ideals between him and his opposing father. Couple this with the fact that he’s operating in a society in which he’s an outsider, and it really should come as no surprise that he’s hardly as flamboyant as Ezio. It makes sense that he’s not some happy go lucky dude who know he’s hot shit and walks and talks like it. Life seems to dick him at every turn, even when he tries to do what he believes is right, even if it means not taking a life. After his participation in the Boston Tea Party, for example, he returns to Achilles thinking the threat of William Johnson is dealt with. He felt that there was no need to kill Johnson…only to see him return six months later, ready and able to do what he initially intended.
How’s that for rewarding a guy just trying to do the right thing with as minimal bloodshed as possible?
Also, consider the time dedicated to these characters. Ezio got three games; three games to grow and develop from high pitch voiced Italian pretty boy to suave and stylish killer that could give Dante a run for his money. Connor got three quarters of one. Compare the amount of time dedicated to these characters development to the growth we see, and you can’t be unimpressed by what Connor becomes by the end of the game.
…Or perhaps you can. I will pin one thing on Ubisoft; the decision to leave out the hidden file was such an incredible mistake and a huge blow to Connor’s storyline, and probably a huge reason why a lot of players and fans were left hanging, wondering why they were met with such an abrupt and sudden ending that really wasn’t an ending at all.
Really though. Listen to this speech. It’s not necessarily closure, but it’s insight. Connor knows what he has done. He’s seen the results of his efforts and he knows that his progress is hardly something to celebrate because it’s barely progress at all. But he’s motivated by hope. A hope that he holds onto, a hope not to be confused with his initial naivety. A very important person summarizes Connor quite well:
I think spending all this time in Connor’s memories has made me anxious. I mean, his story is so painful in so many ways. Still he never lost hope, even when his faith in others eroded.
That’s really important.
Connor isn’t Ezio. He isn’t Altair. He’s not Nikolai, he’s not Aveline, He’s not Edward or Arbaaz. He’s his own character. Maybe Ezio appealed to you more, and there’s not a thing in the world wrong with that. You don’t have to love him. You don’t have to tuck yourself in at night thinking “Wow, I really love Connor.” if Altair is your boy. All these characters are great in their own ways, but there’s nothing as fans that tell us we have to love them all.
But do not dismiss Connor as “the worst.” He is so far from that.