As speculation has begun to turn toward Nicol Bolas's possible plans regarding Ravnica now that Ral Zarek has been revealed as his agent, it occurred to me that there are an interesting number of similarities between Nicol Bolas and Niv-Mizzet.
In the final Amonkhet story, there's a lot of emphasis placed on Bolas's overwhelming intellectual superiority and supreme arrogance. It began to strongly remind me of Niv-Mizzet's personality, though with the addition of Bolas's specific brand of cruelty and grander cosmic perspective. There's also a similarity in how both dragons enjoy impressing their image upon everything around them, Bolas in the symbol of his horns and Mizzet in naming things after himself. And both dragons have a habit of creating vast organizations under their control, Mizzet with his guild and Bolas with Amonkhet's religion, his interplanar empire, and the old Infinite Consortium. Plus they are both the only surviving members of their ancient species, Bolas being the last Elder Dragon and Mizzet being the last intelligent dragon on Ravnica.
So in many ways, Niv-Mizzet seems to be sort of a miniature version of Nicol Bolas, lacking Bolas's Black-associated character traits but having most of his Red and Blue traits, and of course being limited to a single plane. Could it be that there's a reason for this? Could he literally be Nicol Bolas's son?
It seems possible given the timeline. Niv-Mizzet is probably somewhere around 15,000 years old, possibly older, but Bolas is around 25,000 years old. Niv-Mizzet is older than the Guildpact that limited planeswalkers' access to Ravnica, so there doesn't seem to be any practical limitation that would prevent Bolas from having fathered a son on Ravnica around the time that Niv-Mizzet would have been born.
Two possible objections:
First, Niv-Mizzet doesn't really look much like Nicol Bolas. Fair enough, but, judging from what art we have of the other Elder Dragons (which is, to be fair, all from way before MTG art direction cared about standardizing the look of things), they seem to vary widely in appearance. Perhaps Nicol Bolas's son wouldn't look any more like him than his siblings did. Also, Niv could simply take after his mother, who would presumably have been one of the old Ravnican intelligent dragons.
Second, and maybe more important, Niv-Mizzet seems to be unaware of the existence of planeswalkers, which would seem unlikely if his father had been a planeswalker. However, this could be explained in a number of ways, from Bolas never revealing his nature to his son or his son's mother, or never even interacting with his son, or selectively wiping the existence of planeswalkers from the young Niv-Mizzet's mind. We know nothing about Niv-Mizzet's youth right now, and Bolas would have been at the height of his oldwalker power. He would have had any number of tools at his disposal if he wished to keep the young Niv-Mizzet from knowing about planeswalkers.
I will freely admit that this is a sketchy theory, based mostly on simply noticing similarities between two characters that probably are only due to their shared relationship to the general literary archetypes of the powerful ancient dragon and the super genius. But I think it would be lots of fun for their relationship to eventually be a big reveal. It could certainly complicate any future story about Nicol Bolas coming to Ravnica!
I think that the similarities could all be chalked up to them both being Blue, Red and Dragons, with no need of direct relation. On the other hand, Bolas not having any offspring throughout the Multiverse would be weird.
I think that the similarities could all be chalked up to them both being Blue, Red and Dragons, with no need of direct relation. On the other hand, Bolas not having any offspring throughout the Multiverse would be weird.
Yeah, like I mentioned, that's probably true -- but wouldn't it make for an amazing reveal in the third Ravnica block?
I think that the similarities could all be chalked up to them both being Blue, Red and Dragons, with no need of direct relation. On the other hand, Bolas not having any offspring throughout the Multiverse would be weird.
Yeah, like I mentioned, that's probably true -- but wouldn't it make for an amazing reveal in the third Ravnica block?
Darth Bolas: There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. Niv, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your powah power. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the Multiverse! Niv-Mizzet: I'll never join you!
Bolas: If you only knew the powahpower of the dark side! Ugin never told you what happened to your father.
Niv-Mizzet: He told me enough! He told me youkilled him!
Bolas: No, I am your father.
Niv-Mizzet: No...No...That's not true! That's IMPOSSIBLE!
Bolas: Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
Niv-Mizzet: NOOO! NOOOO!
Bolas: Niv...you can destroy the Guildpact. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the Multiverse as father and son. Come with me. It is the only way.
MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
Bolas and Niv simply both happen to be megalomaniacal dragons with a lot of resources at their disposal, Bolas moreso than Niv.
1.) Do Dragons reproduce sexually?
2.) The Elder Dragons are said to be the progenitors of dragons across the multiverse.
3.) This isn't a question, so why call it that?
I'm not supporting the theory btw, but I am pointing out why your three questions need work.
1.) Do Dragons reproduce sexually?
2.) The Elder Dragons are said to be the progenitors of dragons across the multiverse.
3.) This isn't a question, so why call it that?
I'm not supporting the theory btw, but I am pointing out why your three questions need work.
Maybe so, but why would Bolas deliberately create offspring that could one day rise to challenge him? Unless you're telling me he spontaneously creates dragons the way our skin sheds in flakes. I can see him bioengineering a dragon army to serve him, but after his close encounter with Ugin on Tarkir, maybe there's a reason Bolas is sticking with an army of stone Zombies for now.
This one's a joke. You know, like when someone says "I got two words for you" and they say a word with two syllables?
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MTGS Wikia Article about "New World Order"
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
PSA to everyone who keeps forgetting about the Reserved List:
You're on a website dedicated to talking about MtG. You're only a few keystrokes away from finding out what cards are on the Reserved List. You're also only a few keystrokes away from finding out why some cards on the Reserved List got foil printings in FtV, as Judge promos, or whatnot, as well as why that won't happen again. Stop doing this.
1.) Do Dragons reproduce sexually?
2.) The Elder Dragons are said to be the progenitors of dragons across the multiverse.
3.) This isn't a question, so why call it that?
I'm not supporting the theory btw, but I am pointing out why your three questions need work.
Maybe so, but why would Bolas deliberately create offspring that could one day rise to challenge him? Unless you're telling me he spontaneously creates dragons the way our skin sheds in flakes. I can see him bioengineering a dragon army to serve him, but after his close encounter with Ugin on Tarkir, maybe there's a reason Bolas is sticking with an army of stone Zombies for now.
This one's a joke. You know, like when someone says "I got two words for you" and they say a word with two syllables?
1.) I guess I should have said "Elder Dragons" instead of just "Dragons" in that one, since that's what I really want to know, but Broodmate Dragon does lend support to that idea. Apparently drakes and wurms (wurms being descended from Elders who had their wings ripped off) are also descendants of Elder Dragons, which paints a pretty weird and somewhat messed-up evolutionary tree. That also calls into question why the Ur-Dragon doesn't beat in the hearts of drakes and wurms too.
2.) We may never know either way. I think it's likely that Bolas has given rise to offspring himself, but whether or not any of that offspring is still alive if they exist is another question.
With some super sexy pre-Guildpact Ravnican dragon babe, obvs.
Well, she was super sexy, as noted above. And heck, maybe Bolas figured it could be nice to actually have a competent minion for a change sometime in the future.
But what about -- and just hear me out here, don't rush to judgment -- what if, actually, Yes?
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In the final Amonkhet story, there's a lot of emphasis placed on Bolas's overwhelming intellectual superiority and supreme arrogance. It began to strongly remind me of Niv-Mizzet's personality, though with the addition of Bolas's specific brand of cruelty and grander cosmic perspective. There's also a similarity in how both dragons enjoy impressing their image upon everything around them, Bolas in the symbol of his horns and Mizzet in naming things after himself. And both dragons have a habit of creating vast organizations under their control, Mizzet with his guild and Bolas with Amonkhet's religion, his interplanar empire, and the old Infinite Consortium. Plus they are both the only surviving members of their ancient species, Bolas being the last Elder Dragon and Mizzet being the last intelligent dragon on Ravnica.
So in many ways, Niv-Mizzet seems to be sort of a miniature version of Nicol Bolas, lacking Bolas's Black-associated character traits but having most of his Red and Blue traits, and of course being limited to a single plane. Could it be that there's a reason for this? Could he literally be Nicol Bolas's son?
It seems possible given the timeline. Niv-Mizzet is probably somewhere around 15,000 years old, possibly older, but Bolas is around 25,000 years old. Niv-Mizzet is older than the Guildpact that limited planeswalkers' access to Ravnica, so there doesn't seem to be any practical limitation that would prevent Bolas from having fathered a son on Ravnica around the time that Niv-Mizzet would have been born.
Two possible objections:
First, Niv-Mizzet doesn't really look much like Nicol Bolas. Fair enough, but, judging from what art we have of the other Elder Dragons (which is, to be fair, all from way before MTG art direction cared about standardizing the look of things), they seem to vary widely in appearance. Perhaps Nicol Bolas's son wouldn't look any more like him than his siblings did. Also, Niv could simply take after his mother, who would presumably have been one of the old Ravnican intelligent dragons.
Second, and maybe more important, Niv-Mizzet seems to be unaware of the existence of planeswalkers, which would seem unlikely if his father had been a planeswalker. However, this could be explained in a number of ways, from Bolas never revealing his nature to his son or his son's mother, or never even interacting with his son, or selectively wiping the existence of planeswalkers from the young Niv-Mizzet's mind. We know nothing about Niv-Mizzet's youth right now, and Bolas would have been at the height of his oldwalker power. He would have had any number of tools at his disposal if he wished to keep the young Niv-Mizzet from knowing about planeswalkers.
I will freely admit that this is a sketchy theory, based mostly on simply noticing similarities between two characters that probably are only due to their shared relationship to the general literary archetypes of the powerful ancient dragon and the super genius. But I think it would be lots of fun for their relationship to eventually be a big reveal. It could certainly complicate any future story about Nicol Bolas coming to Ravnica!
Ship BolasXMizzet
Yeah, like I mentioned, that's probably true -- but wouldn't it make for an amazing reveal in the third Ravnica block?
Bolas and Niv simply both happen to be megalomaniacal dragons with a lot of resources at their disposal, Bolas moreso than Niv.
Darth Bolas: There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you. Niv, you do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your
powahpower. Join me, and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict, and bring order to the Multiverse!Niv-Mizzet: I'll never join you!
Bolas: If you only knew the
powahpower of the dark side! Ugin never told you what happened to your father.Niv-Mizzet: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!
Bolas: No, I am your father.
Niv-Mizzet: No...No...That's not true! That's IMPOSSIBLE!
Bolas: Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
Niv-Mizzet: NOOO! NOOOO!
Bolas: Niv...you can destroy the Guildpact. He has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and together we can rule the Multiverse as father and son. Come with me. It is the only way.
What is it with me and making references to characters voiced by James Earl Jones?
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
1.) Do Dragons reproduce sexually?
2.) The Elder Dragons are said to be the progenitors of dragons across the multiverse.
3.) This isn't a question, so why call it that?
I'm not supporting the theory btw, but I am pointing out why your three questions need work.
Every time I read a comment about "Well if this card had card draw/trample/haste/indestructible/hexproof/life gain...", I think "You're missing the point." They're armchair developer comments that fail to take into account the card's role in the greater Limited and Standard environment. No, it may not be as good as whatever card you're comparing it to. There's a reason for that. Not every burn spell is Lightning Bolt, nor does it need to be or should be.
1.) I guess I should have said "Elder Dragons" instead of just "Dragons" in that one, since that's what I really want to know, but Broodmate Dragon does lend support to that idea. Apparently drakes and wurms (wurms being descended from Elders who had their wings ripped off) are also descendants of Elder Dragons, which paints a pretty weird and somewhat messed-up evolutionary tree. That also calls into question why the Ur-Dragon doesn't beat in the hearts of drakes and wurms too.
2.) We may never know either way. I think it's likely that Bolas has given rise to offspring himself, but whether or not any of that offspring is still alive if they exist is another question.
3.) I see.