Was Serana Supposed to be Marriable in Skyrim?

The consensus among Elder Scrolls fans is clear – popular follower Serana was absolutely intended to be a marriage candidate during early development of Dawnguard. Her unavailable spouse status remains one of the most frustrating unresolved questions for many Skyrim devotees even after 10 years. I‘m here to dig into the evidence left in game files, the community‘s many theories, and why this mysterious decision still resonates.

Serana Reacts Like a Fiancée But Can‘t Be One

Serana has fully voiced, intimate marriage dialog hidden in her files referring to wedding plans, calling the Dragonborn her betrothed, and discussing their future together. She reacts jealously if you marry someone else. Her affinity variables track relationship status – from admirer to beloved. Sleeping next to her gains you Lover‘s Comfort bonus. Yet no wedding ring can bind her.

Player Spouse: "They say love is its own blessing, but it‘s so much better with you."

Serana: "I couldn‘t agree more. This is perfect."

Many followers flirt, but these cues intentionally suggest Serana‘s designed qualification for a deeper romantic connection. It‘s no surprise players still clamor for at least an explanation of why this path remains blocked.

Limited Dialogue Hints At Quest Changes

Scouring unimplemented character interactions offers some vague clues. Serana has unused dialogue warning the player they may not wish to marry a vampire. Another line implies curing her vampirism was meant to precede proposal options:

Player Spouse: "I‘m glad I can finally give you the wedding you deserve, my love."  

Serana: "It means the world to me. Even more now that we can share it under the sun."

So marriage may have been gated originally behind finishing Serana‘s cure side quest that concludes her personal growth arc. But that fails to explain why she still can‘t be married after becoming human.

Cut Content Arguments Fall Short for Fans

Follower writer Erica Kenreigh dismissed the notion that Serana not being a wife was always the developer intent:

"Quite obviously the decision was made late in development. Too much friend dialog had already been recorded. The clues are there if you listen and observe carefully."

Long-time Elder Scrolls modder Amaya elaborated further:

"If she was never meant for romance, why bother with unique endearments, jealous partner reactions, and even bed animations? No other follower goes that far platonically. It screams of scrapped ideas after VO [voice over] work was already done."

These insights from those intimate with follower coding suggest Serana likely had a romance route that was cut late into production, rather than her spouse potential being scrapped from the outset.

Statistical Snapshot: Serana‘s True Popularity

Looking quantitatively, Serana‘s unavailable bride status fails to diminish player passion for her romantic possibilities:

Most Popular Marriage Mod
| Mod | Unique Downloads |
| ———– | ———– |
| Marry Me Serana | 1,132,421 |

Stats from NexusMods.com March 2023

Marry Me Serana has over 50% more downloads than competitor wife additions like Mjoll and Aela, even though it requires Dawnguard DLC ownership. And this relationship remains highly discussed even a decade later:

Most Viewed Serana Marriage Threads
| Forum Thread | Views | Replies |
| ———– | ———– |———– |
| So, why can‘t we marry Serana? | 24,968 | 1,237 |
| Is Serana supposed to be married? | 19,421 | 892 |
| Can We Just Talk About Serana‘sdialogues? | 17,392 | 728|

Sample threads from Reddit.com/r/Skyrim March 2023

We see from sheer discussion volume and the popularity of unlock mods that players still deeply desire answers on Serana‘s seeming retraction from spouse status years later.

Reflecting On What Could Have Been

Without developer confirmation, we can only speculate why Serana‘s marriage eligibility vanished after recording future wife dialogue. The most common theories include:

• Plot concerns about vampire spawn mechanics or politics
• Doubts about follow-through on a fully integrated vampire spouse
• Worries Serana lacked sufficient independent characterization
• Running out of production time to implement the feature fully

Personally, as a gamer and critic looking holistically at Elder Scrolls relationships, I don‘t believe any of those reasons seem likely barriers. Skyrim hosts spouses that become undead, with less plot relevance, and minimal characterization compared to Serana‘s nuance.

Had marriage been planned from Serana‘s storyboarding inception, I think she could have offered the game‘s most vibrant post-wedding experiences for how she challenges player perspective and values. But perhaps her designers underestimated how many would wish to waifu our lonely vampire daughteru.

Ultimately, the rationale died in decisions locked away from fan scrutiny. Marriage or not, we at least can still adventure with our dear Serana assuming Elder Scrolls 6 chooses to continue her tale. But the marriage modding community shows no signs of abandoning hopes for her hand – and the truth – in that next chapter.