Is Basim a bad guy?

In Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla, Basim betrays and manipulates protagonist Eivor to further his own ruthless agenda. By those actions alone, he fills the role of a villainous character. However, Basim‘s deeper motivations and his prominence as the lead protagonist in the upcoming AC Mirage suggest there are additional layers to uncover. While Basim qualifies as a "bad guy" in Valhalla, that likely won‘t be the end of his complex story.

Basim as a villain in Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla

When evaluated solely on his actions in Valhalla, Basim checks all the boxes for a villain:

• Befriends Eivor to secretly further his own agenda – ☑️
• Withholds key truths and manipulates facts – ☑️
• Betrays Eivor‘s trust at a critical moment – ☑️
• Single-mindedly pursues his goals without regard for the damage left in his wake – ☑️

He knowingly uses Eivor as a means to an end, discarding her once she‘s outlived her usefulness. This certainly meets the bar for categorizing Basim as a "bad guy" based on his portrayal in Valhalla.

Further damning evidence arises when analyzing his actions against typical hero/villain archetypes:

Based on these criteria, Basim aligns much closer to a villain archetype in nearly all respects within Valhalla.

Basim‘s motivations add complexity behind his vengeance

However, analyzing Basim solely on his actions omit some critically important context – his underlying motivations. Basim is revealed to be the reincarnation of the Isu god Loki. In that previous immortal life, Loki was treated very poorly by the other dominant Isu. His son, a unique hybrid creation he loved dearly, was also scorned and outcast.

This deep-seated resentment still fuels Basim centuries later. While it doesn‘t excuse his callous actions toward Eivor specifically, it adds nuance. This is a level of injustice spanning multiple immortal lifetimes rather than a mere personal slight. Few could truly grasp the depth of Basim‘s fury and single-minded lust for settling this ancient score.

Importantly, Basim refrains from directly killing Eivor at several key moments where he likely could have. This hints that his revenge is focused toward the Isu who originally wronged him as Loki rather than seeking indiscriminate violence. This important distinction hints at Basim‘s character being more complex than a pure sociopath. There are still shades of humanity left in his moral compass, although they are deeply obscured behind clouds of wrath.

What might Basim‘s prominence in Mirage imply?

Potentially most intriguing is Basim‘s newly announced role as the main protagonist in the next Assassin‘s Creed game, Mirage. Up to this point, the AC series has centered almost exclusively around protagonists upholding the Creed and fighting for justice or peace in their own way.

Would Ubisoft truly take a risk on positioning someone who seemingly betrayed all those ideals as their new lead hero? Perhaps – but more likely is that we‘ll gain added perspective on what truly drives Basim as Mirage unfolds. Beyond seeing events unfold from his eyes rather than as his enemy, the era covered will flesh out his backstory in joining the Hidden Ones that one day become the Assassin Brotherhood.

This setup hints that Basim‘s boundary-pushing actions have nuance still left unexplored. Maybe his methods in pursuing vengeance lead him to cross once-unthinkable lines. But at his core, Basim still seeks retribution for grave sins…not wanton mayhem. Through Mirage, we may yet see this anti-hero step part-way back from the brink of full villainy as hidden depths are revealed.

The jury is still out on Basim‘s alignment

Valhalla makes a solid case for viewing Basim as a ruthless villain who should not be trusted. Yet glimmers exist suggesting his exceptional lifespan breeds motivations spanning eons rather than mere decades. Mirage offers Basim a chance at redemption – or further descent into darkness. Until then, assigning him a neat "hero" or "villain" label does disservice to one of the series‘ most complex antagonists.