Devil May Cry Season 2 continued to prove that monsters come in all shapes and sizes. It also was a devastatingly emotional journey as we got to see the wounds that Dante, Vergil, and Lady continue to carry within them and that have shaped them. And it doesn’t excuse what they’ve done or where they ended up by the end of Season 2. It just helped frame them and their actions as they were used as pawns for beings and men with delusions of grandeur.
Dante, Virgil, and Lady (she embraced that name so I’m going to use it) are the heart of Season 2 of Devil May Cry. And while the monsters, humans included, had world ending plans, it’s their joys and pain that kept me seated instead of whatever God of Chaos garbage that obvious bad guy was spouting. That right there proves that this show knows that at the end of the day, you’re nothing without your character work. And Devil May Cry does well when it comes to that.
MORE: Need a refresher on Season 1? Read our review for Netflix’s Devil May Cry Season 1 here!
A Battle of Brothers
Watching Dante and Vergil fight hurt because at the end of the day they still love each other. They were torn apart by beings who wanted to use them to further their own agenda. And I found myself continuously screaming at my screen because they were being manipulated over and over for the benefit of others. Truly, my only hope while watching Season 2 was that they found their way back to each other and destroyed the ones using them. And that happened. Just not in the way I wanted.
Dante and Vergil are two very different brothers. Everything came naturally to Dante when they were growing up. Not so much for Vergil. So that created different dynamics with their mother growing up. That also created different wounds when they were separated. Dante vowed to never be that scared boy again that hid when he could have helped his brother. And Vergil vowed to never be weak enough to not be able to defend himself or the ones he loved. They’re two sides to the same coin.
If there’s anything that I needed from this season it’s for Dante and Vergil to sit down and have a conversation. Because everything was just so go go go with big revelations and violence left and right, that they didn’t have a chance to talk. They would also benefit from therapy, individually and together. Because the love is still clear there. But they’re fighting for two very different worlds. And they’re doing so without realizing how similar these worlds are, even if the beings and monsters within them look different.
Maybe they can be the force that brings these worlds together? Here’s hoping.
I Need More of Dante and Lady
One of the most surprising things for me as a fan of the anime, because I haven’t watched previous iterations or played the games, are Dante and Lady. I thought that the spark that I was seeing between them was just wishful thinking. It wasn’t. The connection between them was a real and honest thing set to the beat of Evanescence. And where they ended up by the end of the season makes sense.
Dante and Lady are two lonely souls that understand each other’s damage and pain in a way that no one else does. So it makes sense for them to find comfort in each other and be vulnerable. That’s especially true after they’ve literally seen the ugliest side of each other and still chose each other. Hell, she betrayed him at the end of Season 1. And they still found their way to each other. It’s giving destiny.
As for the end, as soon as Dante asked Lady to meet up with him at the restaurant that he likes, I knew that they weren’t going to meet up. That’s a clear set up that we’ve seen in romantic and dramatic moments. And it makes sense because even though they’re similar, they’re in two completely different states of their journey when it comes to their past but also the anger that comes from it.
Dante is grounded in the love that his mother held for him, no matter what he faces. Lady is grounded in the anger she feels as Mary and the betrayal of her father. And if Dante and Mary are ever going to have a chance to be something more she needs to work through that first.
Expanding on Vergil’s Story
If there’s anything that made me cry in Devil May Cry season 2, it was Vergil’s backstory. Watching what happened to him after he was taken from his home, it was as bad as what happened in Season 1 with the demon families that were killed. It was an unspeakable cruelty from beings in power that just wanted to manipulate the situation to their advantage.
Vergil’s story is one of being used as a pawn ever since the death of his mother and the separation from his brother. Mundus went and treated him the closest equivalent to a son and lied to him while making him feel othered within the very community that he loves and feels at home in. No wonder that rage that he feels inside keeps him in Makai, even after the truth is revealed. This is his home, no matter the means that brought him here.
I do have to say, I don’t know what his game or previous anime character has done. But I have seen rumblings on social media of people being upset that we’ve gotten this character development for Vergil. I would argue that Vergil can still be the eventual big bad of the story, or whatever his role is, with a back story. It makes him a more complex character that you want to know more of. And it makes the relationship between him and Dante all the more tragic.
So what about Devil May Cry Season 3?
As a viewer, I knew there was something off about Mundus’s jester. And it was all in the eyes. Because Devil May Cry has continuously focused on Lady’s eyes. And she got it from her daddy. So I love that this big revelation at the end is that her father is still alive. Because he might be a demon causing all sorts of trouble. And he might have lied and not told Mary he was alive. But he did all of this for his daughter. That means there’s still hope.
If anything, Mary’s father still being alive further cements the fact that demons are not just one thing. They don’t just hold anger in their bodies or souls if they have one. They care. And even though Mary’s father is this cruel being, there is depth there. And let’s be for real, we saw what the humans did in Season 1 and now in Season 2. Humans aren’t as different to demons as they’d like to think they are. They are just as monstrous.
What I am hoping to see in Devil May Cry Season 3 is how Dante and Vergil rebuild. Because Dante doesn’t have his support system, but knows that Lady and Vergil are out there. And Vergil knows his brother is alive and cares for him but also has this rage inside because of what the humans have done but also Mundus. So they’re going to have to rebuild and take a look at what their priorities are. And it’s going to hurt us as the viewer because they’re going to continue being on opposite sides.
Devil May Cry Season 2 is now available on Netflix.
I have played all 5 current DMC games (and the reboot one) and I enjoyed the show. I could nitpick but overall I feel this show is continuing the trend in recent years of well crafted adaptations of video game and anime property.
I liked reading a review from someone who only has this show as their starting point. Let’s me know that it can be enjoyable to both camps.
Thank you so much for your comment! I honestly was on the fence on whether I should consume all the previous material because I know Devil May Cry is so beloved by fans. But then decided to be the test subject and look up NOTHING about this series. And I loved it!