Into the Badlands’ most interesting character may be The Widow, and season 3 looks like it’s going to work to keep her as morally complex as ever.
If you’ve seen the first two seasons of Into the Badlands, chances are The Widow has made an impression. She quite literally started from the bottom, but now she’s on top. As the wife of an abusive baron, The Widow killed her husband and has worked to take young women under her wing, transforming them into a deadly army.
The Widow’s vision of the future is idealistic, if a bit naive. She sees a world where there are no barons or clippers or cogs, but free men and women who have the choice to live their lives as they wish.
You’d think that would make her the hero of this story, wouldn’t you?
In season 2, we saw The Widow gain more and more power. Not only was she taking in women who had been abused and wanted to fight back against the system, but she began to invite boys and men into her ranks as well. Some of them were good cogs looking for a better life, but others had been higher ranking officials in Quinn’s army.
The Widow is more warrior than leader, but she recognized an opportunity when she saw one. She knew that she had to treat everyone equally, even those who were a product of the system she was trying to tear down. She wouldn’t let the bad apples spoil the bunch, but she didn’t want to kill those who spoke out against her. Instead, she let them go as free men.
And in this way, she was better than the other barons.
But there’s the catch — The Widow is still a baron. By the end of season 2, she has amassed a large group of loyal followers, many of whom would die in her name. She may be a better, more caring baron, but she still operates in much the same way as Quinn, Jacobee, and Chau always did.
She must ascend to the top of the system in order to tear it all down. And in this way, she has become part of the problem. She has become, to some, one of the villains of this story.
The question in season 3 is whether The Widow will be willing to relinquish all this power in order to see that her vision becomes reality.
I’m not so sure she will, and that’s part of why I love this character. I truly believe The Widow wants to be a good person, but she’s also tasked with being a leader. Leaders must make all the tough calls. They must carry the burden of victory as equally as they carry the burden of defeat.
The Into the Badlands season 3 trailer shows a Widow at war with Baron Chau and in desperate need of a new regent now that Tilda has left. She calls upon Nathaniel Moon, who Sunny had defeated in season 2. Moon wants revenge and is willing to stand by The Widow’s side in order to get it.
Considering this pits The Widow against the hero of our story, it seems fairly obvious she would take on a villainous role this season. But nothing is ever cut and dry in the Badlands.
A new threat is about to enter the playing field in the form of a mysterious character called Pilgrim. He talks of Astra and salvation, and yet he has no qualms about killing everyone who stands in his way. Sunny is willing to fight him in order to keep his son safe, and I have no doubt in my mind that The Widow, and probably Nathaniel Moon, will have to swallow some pride and work with him in order to stop this challenger.
Does this make her the hero?
That’s the best part about The Widow — I don’t know. I didn’t know in season 1, I didn’t know in season 2, and I still don’t know now that I’m watching the trailer for season 3. The strength of this character comes from her ability to surprise us. She’s willing to do anything to survive, but we also know there are people in the world she cares about, like Tilda and Waldo.
The Widow will need to make a choice very soon. Is she willing to give up everything she’s worked so hard for in order to create the world she had spent so long dreaming about, or will she convince herself that the world is already better now that she’s on top?
I don’t expect this answer to be revealed in season 3, but I certainly can’t wait to see The Widow struggle with her own virtues and vices.