Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Destiny 2: Lightfall.A narrative arc for Destiny 2's Season of the Defiance featured the presumed death of Amanda Holliday, however, several indicating factors point to that fateful moment being more of a mislead than martyrdom. With the ever-shifting landscape of Destiny 2's live-service approach to storytelling, the Season of Defiance might conclude with the reveal that Holliday is still alive.

Nearly a month since the release of Lightfall, fans remain optimistic about Destiny 2's most recent expansion and the future of the franchise. Despite several misgivings surrounding the balance of difficulty and a poorly received campaign, Destiny 2 is in great shape as Bungie navigates its way to The Final Shape, which will be the culmination of a decade of storytelling in Destiny. As the current season rolls along, issues continue to be hotfixed at a fast pace, and the constant drip-feed of content showcases a studio that has perhaps the most adept grasp at the live-service gaming model.

RELATED: Destiny 2 Lightfall Available at Its Lowest Price Yet

Destiny 2's Seasonal Storyline Takes a Dark Turn

Young Amanda Destiny 2

The March 21 weekly reset for Destiny 2 featured a new mission featuring Amanda Holliday and Mithrax as they worked in coordination with players' Guardians to rescue a batch of prisoners from the Cabal Shadow Legion. The ensuing mission resulted in a sprung trap, as freeing the prisoners triggered a base-wide lockdown and self-destruct sequence. Amanda bravely stayed behind while Mithrax and the prisoners escaped, resulting in a tragic and heroic sacrifice. Players found the narrative turn fairly telegraphed, as a recent uptick of pathos for Amanda was drummed up in the weeks leading up to the mission, and there was a foreboding warning from Eramis that this particular rescue operation would be especially perilous.

As Amanda was hacking the base's security from a console, ensuring the way forward for the rest of the team as she stayed behind, discerning fans saw the writing on the wall. A previous week's cutscene featured a fleshed-out backstory for Amanda, which only further tipped Bungie's hand for what would come next. Mithrax, the prisoners, and the Guardian barely made it out as the base was destroyed and Amanda's comms went dark. It would seem that one of Destiny's longest-tenured characters had met their abrupt end.

Destiny 2's Amanda Holliday Might Make a Comeback

Current Amanda Destiny2

There is an old aphorism across visual media, that someone is never really dead until the body is shown. A classic trope in games and cinema is for a presumed character's death to be a fakeout, as the next act reveals some last-second saving grace for the character. Amanda's untimely passing could easily fit within this plot device, as the scene cuts to an exterior shot before any part of the base's destruction is seen crashing down on her. While it is possible that Bungie's motive was to make the fight against the Shadow Legion more personal by killing off Amanda, much the same way they did to Cayde-6 with Uldren Sov and the Scorn Barons, there is more than a shadow of a doubt with the unceremonious way her death scene was handled.

Another plot device in Destiny 2 that lends itself to the theory that Amanda Holliday could make a comeback is the Ghosts and their Guardians. In the lore, Ghosts seek out and scan corpses for signs of the Light, resurrecting them into Guardians if they are chosen. If Amanda did truly fall within the Shadow Legion base, one route Bungie could take with its next act is raising her up as a Guardian. Born a refugee, taken in by the Last City, defended by Guardians as she helped in any way she could, and finally becoming what she has always admired has the potential for an incredible storyline.

However Bungie chooses to direct the next story beats of Destiny 2, fans are taking note. As the groundwork for The Final Shape continues to be laid out, the plot is starting to hit its stride, and the next year should be a wild ride for Destiny fans.

Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Predicting Destiny 2 Lightfall's First Dungeon's Enemies