Mass Effect 4 looks like it's bringing back Commander Shepard, which will be a welcome return to many fans of the franchise. If not, BioWare will likely face questions over a moment in the upcoming game's trailer where fan-favorite companion Liara uncovers a piece of Shepard's N7 armor.
Mass Effect 4 may be aiming to return to some of the characters that made the original trilogy a success, but from what has been shown so far the game may have similarities with another piece of media beyond the first three games. In fact, there's a lot of evidence that Mass Effect 4 may be setting up a situation strangely similar to one found in Captain America: The First Avenger.
Shepard's Survival In Mass Effect 4
At the end of the first Captain America movie Cap crashes into the Artic. He's able to survive preserved beneath the ice for nearly 70 years thanks to the enhanced abilities he has gained from the super-soldier serum used on him earlier in the movie. Mass Effect fans might find the idea that Shepard has been similarly preserved beneath the ice since their apparent death at the end of Mass Effect 3 unbelievable, but there's a surprising amount of evidence which seems to point to a similar plot point being used if Shepard returns.
The trailer for Mass Effect 4 shows original trilogy Asari companion Liara T'Soni walking over a frozen landscape, including the giant husk of a dead Reaper. She uncovers a piece of Shepard's armor, which many have taken to be an early hint that the Commander will be back in the saddle as Mass Effect's player character after the tumultuous release and ultimately disappointing reception of Mass Effect: Andromeda.
In Mass Effect 2 Shepard was rebuilt, nearly from scratch, by Cerberus' Lazarus Project. This included synthetic parts as mentioned by the Catalyst during Mass Effect 3's final moments. It is possible that after choosing to destroy the Reapers — which appears to be Shepard's canonical choice based on the dead Reaper in the trailer — Shepard's crashed back down to earth, and their body was preserved under the icy landscape Liara is exploring is in the Mass Effect 4 trailer. The energy released by the Crucible itself may even play a role in Shepard's survival.
Mass Effect 4's Setting
Some fans may be wondering why Shepard's preservation in ice would be necessary. It could also make sense for Shepard to simply have survived the activation of the Crucible during the original trilogy's final moments, and for Liara to be hunting down the now reclusive hero for a brand new mission. However, there's one reason Shepard's preservation and survival due to the Lazarus Project could be necessary for them to return as the next game's player character.
There's evidence that Mass Effect 4 takes place hundreds of years after the original trilogy. First, an image released by BioWare on Twitter of a Systems Alliance Mass Relay indicates that the galaxy has had time to recover, at least in part, from the aftermath of the Destroy Ending and the destruction of the Mass Relays. Second and more importantly, Mass Effect 4 appears to include species from Mass Effect: Andromeda that was not discovered by the inhabitants of the Milky Way until 600 years after the end of Mass Effect 3.
In the background of the final shot of Mass Effect 4's trailer Liara looks out over a landscape where the ship Mudskipper and some of its crew are visible in the background. In the original Mudskipper image the silhouette of an Angara is visible, a species that is only discovered in Andromeda centuries after Mass Effect 3. At the start of the trailer is a shot of both Andromeda and the Milky Way, which BioWare project director Michael Gamble specifically said was "intentional."
This implies that characters and species from Andromeda have found a way to make it back to the Milky Way, possibly by setting up a Mass Relay connecting the two Mass Effect galaxies. Unless time travel is involved, which could raise far more questions than it answers, that means the next game is set at least 600 years after Mass Effect 3. Liara's survival would make sense. In the first game she's young for an Asari, just 106 years into a lifespan which can last for a millennium. Even if the game takes place 600 years later she'd still only be around 700.
This means Mass Effect 4 could be set as much as 900 years after Mass Effect 3 with Liara returning. In the trailer, Liara looks slightly older as well. Slight crow's feet can be seen at the corners of her eyes, and based on the oldest Asari seen in the original trilogy she probably wouldn't have started to show similar signs of aging until decades after the first three games.
The Benefits For BioWare
A Mass Effect game set long after the original trilogy would solve a lot of problems for BioWare too, including the washing over of some of the player's decisions in the original trilogy. One player's version of Shepard may not have cured the Krogan genophage, for example, but it was likely cured at some point in following centuries. Almost all other original Mass Effect companions would be dead by the time of Shepard's revival, avoiding the need to bring back every possible romance option after Shepard's return. As with the canonization of the Destroy Ending, this could give BioWare the firm, consistent foundation it needs to build a new story in the Milky Way.
All of this makes it seem likely that, if Shepard is going to return as the player character, they will be revived from some sort of stasis enabled by their unique post-Lazarus Project physiology. The transition is likely to be as traumatic for Shepard as it was for Steve Rogers, which could add an interesting new twist to the iconic character, setting them up for a whole new story. Some fans might feel that Shepard's second survival from a near-death experience is retreading old ground, but many will see the Commander's return as a chance to lay the foundation for the franchise's return to form.
Mass Effect 4 is in development.