Thrall's return to the Horde and more lore from San Diego Comic-Con
by Mathew McCurley 
Jul 23rd 2011 at 8:00PM
Metzen might have spilled the beans on what we can expect from BlizzCon this year, including some big revelations about the Horde and Thrall's place in it. Around the 51-minute mark of the panel, Metzen muses about how awesome it has been, growing the Warcraft story from its simple beginnings as an RTS and getting to flesh out the world. At one point, Metzen says, "One day, come on, your Warchief is coming back. Right? There's more with Thrall," and emphatically mentions BlizzCon, indicating Blizzard has much to announce on the subject.
Not only that, but Metzen responded to what many people consider a Blizzard bias toward the Horde with the announcement that the next big book in the Warcraft universe will be written by Christie Golden and focus on Jaina Proudmoore. Wolfheart, the next novel by Richard A. Knaak, is also going to focus heavily on the Alliance, according to Metzen. After listening to Metzen's emphatic discussion of the upcoming novel, it appears that it will forever alter Jaina in earth-shattering ways. Metzen even calls it "badass."
Check out the GameSpot video of the Blizzard SDCC 2011 WoW, StarCraft, and Diablo Swag Show panel for the entire, hour-long discussion. The meaty lore bits start about halfway in. Metzen loves Thrall, and his utter adoration of the character and his story just seeps through every word he utters. We may dance around with the Mary Sue comments, but I think it's pretty cool that he loves his character so much.
Now, what will that mean for Garrosh, baddest dude on Kalimdor? Saurfang's old position? Voluntarily leaving politics because politics are awful, and just wanting to run around bashing in people's faces? I bet we'll know by BlizzCon.
Check out the GameSpot SDCC panel video over at BlizzPlanet.
The news is already rolling out for the upcoming WoW Patch 4.2! Preview the new Firelands raid, marvel at the new legendary staff, and get the inside scoop on new quest hubs -- plus new tier 12 armor!
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 7)
Vrykerion Jul 23rd 2011 9:02PM
"Metzen also added that Blizzard has teamed up with Rob Liefeld to do the follow up Jaina comic book. It will be 'Xtreme.'"
fallemwarrior Jul 23rd 2011 10:49PM
Jania is actually a 19 year old time traveling skateboarding guy
llcjay2003 Jul 23rd 2011 8:25PM
Jaina, for one of the most powerful beings on Azeroth (apparently), has not had much of a chance to show it. I will be glad to see her unleash a little. Get some of that Rhonin love. But not in that way, dude.
Arrohon Jul 23rd 2011 8:49PM
You mean she's not going to raise a water elemental army is Neptulon's absence. I for one am disappointed. /sarcasm
Ironhorn Jul 23rd 2011 8:30PM
Saurfang is still wow's resident badass Garrosh doesn't even come close.
Dreyja Jul 23rd 2011 10:22PM
That's because he's a badass with a brain and a heart - always makes a better character. :)
Rainee Sue Jul 23rd 2011 8:32PM
I could not be more thrilled that Golden is writing Jaina.
She's got SUCH a badass backstory, and is so clearly a powerful and competent character, who's been completely swept under the rug in WoW just because there were bigger stories to be told.* She's one of, if not THE most powerful sorcerer living on Azeroth today, with the possible exception of the remaining members of the Council of Six. Y'all caught the part in The Shattering where she saved Theramore from flooding during the Cataclysm by freaking channeling Dragon's Breath at the incoming tidal waves FOR FORTY-EIGHT HOURS, right? While still running around organizing evacuation efforts and helping survivors?
Homegirl is way more amazing than this game has given her credit for and I cannot wait to see her get the chance to show it. Even if I do still wish Christie was writing that rumored novel about Draka.
*Yes, she got weepy and emo during ICC. Her former beloved turned into a creature of insane evil and had to be killed before he destroyed the planet. That is a perfectly reasonable catalyst for some tears, alright?
Ringo Flinthammer Jul 23rd 2011 8:35PM
No, it's really not. She's the ruler of a city and one of the most important statesmen in the Alliance. Blizzard wouldn't write any other character weeping their way through multiple instances.
Rainee Sue Jul 23rd 2011 8:40PM
I contend that if the roles had been reversed, Arthas would have been just as weepy while trying to defeat the Lich Queen.
The only point I thought was over the top was the part after the Deathbringer fight (and I didn't even see that firsthand since I don't raid Alliance side).
Arrohon Jul 23rd 2011 8:41PM
The crying was really just when Varian let Saurfang retrieve his son's body. Varian asks why she's crying and she says that she's proud of him. It was an emotional RP moment that people really exaggerate. If the girl I was going to marry went psycho and started killing people I might be a bit more emotionally prone too. I doubt I could emotionally stand being part of the group to kill her even though I knew it to be the right thing to do.
Dreyja Jul 23rd 2011 10:05PM
@ Arrohon - On that I agree with you 100%
I'm pretty tired of the whole "Jaina is a crybaby," thing.
Dreyja Jul 23rd 2011 10:25PM
Yes it IS! It shows she's still a human being! Those tears don't automatically take away from her power. Why would they? I totally don't get where you are coming from on that Ringo.
Tabasa Jul 24th 2011 10:54AM
I love how people forget that the Horde version of that event has Saurfang crying over the body of his dead son. Which I rarely see anyone acknowledge, and in the few times I have, it's treated as "manly tears of manliness". Funny how that works.
Anteia Jul 23rd 2011 8:34PM
You all are forgetting, Wow Lore dictates recently that if you are female that has ANY strength you must be A) Abducted and forced against your will, or B) Married off as soon as possible (or even, in fact, created for the PURPOSE of marrying you off!), or C) Dissolve into being completely psycho. If you manage to be none of the above, you D) must somehow lose all the strength you have in pining after a guy.
Since Metzen's little snide commentary about what happens to Jaina's men, as if it was somehow Jaina's responsibility that Arthas and Kael'thas were stupid idiots at last Blizzcon, I really don't trust his concepts of "Badass" for women. I purposely avoided giving examples for the above, but there's three... possibly four females who have fallen into A. Two I can think of for B, and C has potentially two, definitely one very prominent one. D has two prominent ones. All in all, very vexing. It's an issue Blizzard's quest writers, Knaak, and Golden all are guilty of in the writing. :/ The luckiest thing to happen to a woman in Blizz's world seems to be to disappear and never get any actual characterization, because then it can't be obliterated. All in all, I'm not getting my hopes up for poor Jaina, despite the fact I adore her (and ignore that they seem to want her to be stupid or cry all the time since WOTLK).
Arrohon Jul 23rd 2011 8:47PM
You mean his joke about something we already knew? Everyone including Metzen knows that Jaina isn't the reason those two went crazy (unless it was over a broken heart... I didn't read whatever book(s) her love affairs were covered in). It's more like woah every boyfriend she's ever had has gone crazy. RNG is NOT in her favor. Also, Sylvanas might be psycho but she's still a compelling character.
Dreyja Jul 23rd 2011 9:56PM
Yeah, they have not done right by Jaina at all. I really hope they aren't going to sacrafice everything that's good about her for this BIG BADASS change. It's not wrong to have a character that has heart. That comment of his at Blizzcon really kind of pissed me off.
And sorry Arrohon I don't find Sylvanas compelling in any way. She's just a psycho in a metal bikinni. If it weren't for the latter people would recognizer for for the former.
arawn.chernobog Jul 23rd 2011 10:12PM
@Dreyja
"I really hope they aren't going to sacrafice everything that's good about her for this BIG BADASS change."
Wha-? Blizzard? Do that to it's female characters? Psha, as if.
Honestly you people act as if they took an original Amazon and heavily gender-defined matriarchal society of incredibly intelligent and powerful beings and forced them to adapt to real-world Western cultural standards in the game world (such as traditional marriage and forced gender equality) and female stereotyping to the point that the race would have specific art/animation directions to highlight their breasts in some form of bouncy-animatiOH WAIT!
Arrohon Jul 23rd 2011 10:17PM
Everyone knows that she's phycho. However; she obviously has a plan and we have no idea what it is. She's a character that is doing horrible things and doesn't think there is anything wrong with it. Her goal is to save her people from extinction. Her methods are by forcing people to become zombies. Is there anything wrong with wanting to save your people? No. Is there anything wrong with turning people into zombies? Uh... YEAH! That is what makes her compelling. Doing the wrong things for the right reasons with a hidden agenda. Sounds a lot like Arthas and Stratholme to me. There is a reason that he was compelling. I won't argue that she is a bit unoriginal.
Dreyja Jul 23rd 2011 10:18PM
/churckle
I give you that arawn.chernobog. Doesn't mean we can hope for better. :)
Orkchop Jul 23rd 2011 8:40PM
Oh please don't turn Jaina into a Baby Cannon. Please, please, please don't do it.