Kyle Crane Absolutely Turns Into a Sentient Volatile
Without question, protagonist Kyle Crane becomes infected and transforms into an intelligent "sentient" volatile by the conclusion of Dying Light‘s The Following DLC expansion. This fateful turn for Crane has huge implications for the game‘s plot that continue into Dying Light 2.
As an avid fan who has played through DL1 and its DLC many times, I can definitively say Crane does become a volatile once infected with the Mother‘s serum. But many questions still remain on what exactly that means. In this deep dive, we‘ll analyze Kyle‘s progression to full infection, volatile types and powers, Crane‘s possible other mutations like the Night Hunter, and the ultimate fate of Harran after The Following‘s endings.
Strap in fellow gamers – this will be a wild ride into the transformed Crane‘s nightmarish world!
Crane Slowly Mutates Through The Following
Kyle Crane‘s initial infection comes early when he is bitten by a viralled zombie within the first few hours of his air drop into Harran. He is able to suppress the virus‘ effects with daily Antizin shots provided by the GRE.
But once he discovers the secret society‘s plans and heads out to the Countryside in The Following DLC, his infection progresses unchecked. Although Crane continues fighting on stoically for months, developers Techland confirm he is slowly mutating throughout:
"It was a tough decision to infect the hero from the first game…Crane is changing through the events of the DLC, players can see him changing."
According to analysis by gaming site IGN, Crane‘s mutation may also subtly affect his aggressiveness and personality. By the mid-point battle with the Mother, where Crane displays volatile-like attacks, it‘s clear he has already turned partway.
The Mother‘s Serum Triggers the Final Transformation
After defeating the Mother, a cutscene shows Crane inject the serum that turned her into an intelligent viral. This is the point of no return for his infection.
Techland makes it explicit that drinking the serum leads to Kyle‘s full transformation:
"…at the end, Kyle makes the decision and he drinks the potion…it means he will turn into a sentient volatile himself."
When Crane returns to Harran, he delivers the tissue samples needed to synthesize a true cure from the Mother‘s body. But as night falls, Kyle makes the horrific realization of his fate as roars and screams emanate while the screen cuts to black. Powerful stuff!
Volatile Origins and Nightmare Abilities
To understand Crane‘s transformations, we need to dive deeper into volatile origins and capabilities compared to typical virals and biters. According to developer notes, volatiles emerge from specially-constructed nests by the virus, rather than simple infection:
"The infected hosts captured during the day are transported to these locations, and are either killed or slowly converted into volatiles."
In these nightmarish transformation chambers, subjects are brutally converted from human into apex predator.
Volatiles gain massively enhanced attributes perfect for nocturnal hunting:
| Attribute | Enhancement |
|---|---|
| Speed/Agility | 2x faster movement and attacks |
| Strength | 5x damage inflicted per hit |
| Senses | Keener sight and smell, detect camouflage |
| Endurance | High resistance to melee/bullets |
Additionally, sentient volatiles like the Mother and Crane retain their human consciousness and intelligence through the change. This grants them the ability to direct and control lower infected.
Did Crane Also Become the Night Hunter?
The other theory that has cropped up is whether Kyle became the Night Hunter creature in addition to a sentient volatile. The evidence however does not support this:
- The Night Hunter existed in Harran long before Crane ever arrived
- Its abilities are distinct from volatiles, able to cloak completely
- Crane drinks the Mother‘s serum specifically, not another virus strain
The attack animations Crane uses against the Mother mimic the Night Hunter. But these are most likely tied to his burgeoning viral abilities granted by the steady mutation, not a different monster.
In the community, most expert analysis agrees Crane remains solely a volatile:
"Crane becomes the same kind of sentient Volatile as the Mother after the climax by drinking the chemical she makes." – Reddit user u/DeltaForce2898
The Infected Ending Means Harran Survives
- SPOILERS BELOW *
At the conclusion of The Following, Crane is presented with a choice via radio: activate a failsafe nuclear warhead to destroy Harran and the surround countryside, or spare the remaining non-infected survivors.
If Crane elects to follow through with the detonation, the nuclear blast would essentially sterilize the outbreak – at a terrible civilian cost. This is known as the "Nuclear Ending".
Conversely in the "Infected Ending", Crane decides not to sacrifice thousands of lives, even if it means the virus persists. Here Harran remains standing rather than being vaporized.
How do these outcomes relate to Crane‘s fate? Dying Light 2‘s events make clear that Harran was not nuked, all but confirming the Infected Ending is the canonical choice. Since this also leaves Kyle fully transformed into the intelligent viral, the two endings are linked.
The Fallout Continues in Dying Light 2
- MINOR DL2 SPOILERS *
The recently released Dying Light 2 takes place over 20 years later in Europe-inspired "The City". References and character dialog make repeated callbacks to "Harran" and the failed GRE operation there.
The nuclear option is never mentioned, while the chaos of Harran collapsing to the infected is cited instead. All evidence indicates Crane‘s decision indeed saved many lives but doomed the area to the virus.
How these references tie back to Kyle Crane himself is unclear for now. But it‘s almost certain our volatile-transformed protagonist from DL1 still lurks somewhere in that decimated region…now ruler of an entire infected kingdom!
The Fan Theory: Is Aiden Actually Crane‘s Son?
Okay, time to dive into tinfoil hat territory! By far, the favorite fan theory posed is that new DL2 protagonist Aiden Caldwell is secretly Kyle Crane‘s son.
Exploring Aiden‘s possible family ties offers exciting story potential. And we can‘t rule it out yet, given:
- Aiden‘s mother Sophie was killed when he was a child over 15 years ago
- He exhibits similar athleticism and combat prowess to Kyle Crane
- Aiden displays unusually potent biomarkers that help maintain immunity
- He ends up participating in a new GRE covert operation
The timeline fits reasonably well, with Crane and Sophie conceivably having conceived a child before the fall of Harran. But for now, Techland has not confirmed any relation between Aiden and Kyle. We can only hope Dying Light 3 will provide answers! There is just too much shared history to ignore…
In Conclusion: Crane‘s Fate Was Sealed
In the end, Kyle Crane seals his demise over the course of The Following by pursuing one last lead for a cure. His choice to inject the Mother‘s mutagenic serum to defeat her turns out to be a death sentence.
By nightfall, the potent concoction Crane consumed triggers his final mutation into the pinnacle of viral evolution: an intelligent apex predator on par with the Mother herself. Tragically, any leftover shreds of his humanity are subsumed forever by the rampaging monster he becomes.
Yet there remains a glimmer of hope. If Crane had a son with Sophie back in Harran as many fans speculate, some part of himself lives on. And perhaps Aiden holds the key to finally taming his father‘s infection from DL2 onward.
What did you think of Crane‘s horrific fate? Are you Team Infected or feel the Nuclear option was justified? Let‘s discuss!
