Shiro, Zarkon, and the Fate of the Black Lion
The fate of the Black Lion is one of the main storylines for season 2. It becomes clear early on that Zarkon’s bond to the Black Lion is going to be a problem: whenever he gets close, Zarkon can take control of Black. Zarkon is also able to use Hagar’s magic to search through the galaxies for the Lion, making it easy to track the castle. This keeps the team constantly fighting and fleeing to exhaustion and needing repair.
Shiro works to bond deeper with Black, but it isn’t until Black hears Shiro’s beliefs on what the Lion’s purpose is does Black choose to let Shiro be his one true paladin. The bond further deepens in Voltron and Zarkon’s final battle when Black helps Shiro get back his bayard.
After the battle ends, the Black Lion is empty as Shiro has disappeared. Zarkon, meanwhile, is in a magical coma, which leaves Black without a Paladin. If the storyline follows Shiro’s wishes, we can assume Keith will become the leader next season.
I’m glad Shiro wasn’t killed on screen as it leaves a lot open for interpretation. In Voltron: Defenders of the Universe (DOTU), Sven was only in the first five episodes. When Sven left, there wasn’t a big aftermath to think about his absence in the storylines.
Shiro, though, got 24 episodes in Legendary Defender, spawning his #SpaceDad fandom legacy. The audience has had enough exposure to him and his story to have an emotional bond. His loss is going to have a resonating effect in the Voltron fandom.
The only thing I can say to console the #SpaceDad fans is this: Sven came back in DOTU, so I have complete faith that Shiro will come back in Legendary Defender. My hope is that is won’t take 58 episodes from now to make his reappearance like it did for Sven.
I do have concerns about the transfer of power that will come in season 3. If Keith becomes team leader, will he lead from the Red Lion or Black Lion? After all, Shiro said he wanted Keith to lead the team – but never really mentioned taking over Black Lion. We did see Black let Keith in to help save Shiro – but will they be able to bond? Will Red Lion let go of Keith that easily, and what will happen to Red then?
If the show continues to follow the DOTU playbook for basic structure, we can assume that Allura will be the next paladin to take a ship. Of course, this is also from where Keith was already in Black, Lance was in Red, and Sven had Blue. Will we see Lion roulette in season 3? Which Lion would be the best fit for Allura?
The writers do enjoy twists, though, so this may be taken on a new path. We have yet to learn still who the previous paladins were. Are any of the other paladins still out there? Or perhaps Coran and Allura will find a new paladin instead, as Allura has the castle to pilot already?
This is going to be an interesting area to see develop in the next season for sure.
Next Page: The Discovery of The Half-Blood Paladin
