As a Castlevania fanatic, I know what Castlevania fans want (well, besides Castlevania: Belmont's Curse, to be a banger), and that's a third season of the popular Netflix series, Castlevania: Nocturne.
And look, I'd like that, too. I was a fan of the first season, and I thought Season 2 was even better. But, like, what if we got something else instead? Yeah, I know, Richter, Maria, Annette, and Alucard still have more story to tell, and we all want the narrative to transition into Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.
At the same time, why not move on? Yes, I know, Trevor got his complete arc in the first Castlevania series, and there’s still more story to tell for Richter, but I think there’s a better, more interesting direction to go in. So, sit at a save point with me for a while and let me tell you.
I’d Love To See The Series Go Off Into The Future With Some Of The Handheld Titles
When Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow came out on the Game Boy Advance back in 2003, the game’s timeline, which takes place in Japan in 2035, seemed like the far-off future. Now, that’s only 9 years away! And yes, I’m sorry for making you feel old on whatever day you’re reading this, but one thing that I think would be cool is if a hypothetical next Castlevania Netflix series would take place in the future rather than the past.
Because the first series with Trevor Belmont took place pretty early in the timeline, as the Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse era is in 1476 A.D., Richter’s timeline with Rondo of Blood, and Symphony of the Night, takes place between 1792 A.D. and 1797 A.D., which places it around the French Revolution. Both of these periods are cool, and I love that Castlevania always feels like it took place in the distant past.
However, the games with Soma Cruz, who is a reincarnation of Dracula, take place in the future, and I think a new Netflix series that took that path would actually be pretty cool. It doesn’t hurt that my two favorite games in the series are Soma’s titles, those being the aforementioned, Aria of Sorrow, as well as its sequel, Dawn of Sorrow.
Soma would be cool, though, because throughout his journey, he learns that he’s a reincarnation of Dracula. He consumes souls and takes on new abilities, but his fight is to prevent himself from becoming the new Dark Lord. However, cults are out to kill him because they WANT a new Dark Lord, and another reincarnation. It’s a fascinating series, and I want it in Netflix form!
Or, Maybe I Just Want Dracula To Be The Main Protagonist This Time
Who doesn’t love vampire stories? Well, the cool thing about the Castlevania series is that vampires, namely Dracula, are a prominent part of the franchise. Now, the first Netflix series featured Vlad Tepes himself, and he was voiced magnificently by Graham McTavish. However, the second series, Nocturne, opted to have the self-proclaimed “Vampire Messiah,” in Erzsebet Bathory, voiced by Run Lola Run's Franka Potente.
Now, I have nothing against Erzsebet. I think it’s fascinating that the series opted to use a real-life figure and make her a vampire. That’s pretty unique. Am I wrong for wanting Dracula to return in a hypothetical new Netflix series? I brought it up earlier with Soma Cruz, but there’s another Castlevania series that I think Netflix could pull from, and that’s the PlayStation Lords of Shadow series.
In those games, you take on the role of Gabriel Belmont, but he becomes the vampire, Dracula. Now, here’s where things get sticky. The Castlevania: Lords of Shadow games are often NOT considered canon. I mean, how could they be when Gabriel Belmont, who is Dracula, is actually the father of TREVOR Belmont (Yes, the one from the original Netflix Castlevania series), who in turn, is the father of Simon Belmont (In THIS timeline, anyway).
That said, I think it would be rad if there was an alternate reality take on a new Netflix series, where the Trevor Belmont we knew before is actually the son of Dracula, which would definitely recontextualize a lot of that first series. So, give us Garbiel/Dracula as our next protagonist! Or…maybe give us something a bit more conventional.
I’m Also Not Opposed To Getting The OG, Simon Belmont, In A New Series
If you’re a Nintendo fan of a certain age, then your original Belmont is Simon. You have to remember. A lot of us wizened fans played the first Castlevania game on NES, which starred Simon Belmont. We even watched one of the worst (In my opinion) Nintendo cartoons ever in Captain N: The Game Master, which featured a weirdly buff Simon.
That said, one thing that I have to admit initially irked me about the first Netflix series is that it starred Trevor Belmont instead of Simon. Now, I quickly got over this when I realized what a quality show it was, but it bothered me since Trevor, while not a deep cut, still seemed like he shouldn’t have starred in a Castlevania series when you have the series’ OG Simon right there. Because even though there have been several Belmonts at this point, Simon will always be MY Belmont since he’s the first one I controlled when I was a kid.
And, I think Simon is due. We’ve gotten his ancestor, Trevor, and we’ve gotten his grandson in Juste Belmont, but what we haven’t gotten is Simon himself, and I’d love to see him. In doing so, this proposed series would actually take place between the original Netflix Castlevania series and Castlevania: Nocturne, which would be super interesting.
This, unlike my earlier proposed Soma storyline, would actually closely connect to the other two already pre-established series, which might be for the best. Or, they could give us a REAL curveball, which I’ll get into next.
I’d Actually Be Stoked For Something Way Off The Beaten Path Like Castlevania: Bloodlines
As you can tell from this article, I’m deeply into Castlevania (Though, would you believe that I’m an even bigger Metroid nerd when it comes to the Metroidvania genre?). That said, one of my LEAST favorite Castlevania titles, Castlevania: Bloodlines for the Genesis, would actually make for a pretty boss Netflix series.
And, that’s because the game’s protagonist is John Morris, who’s the son of (are you sitting down for this?) Quincey Morris. Now, I know some of you are asking, “You made me sit down for THAT?” but this is actually a big deal since Quincey Morris is a character from the original Bram Stoker novel, Dracula. Which means, in a lot of ways, Bloodlines is more closely connected to the novel Dracula, rather than the Castlevania series itself. There’s also another new character in Eric Lecarde, who’s also featured in Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, which is an actual banger.
Anyway, Bloodlines takes place in 1917, around World War 1, which would be yet another cool setting, just like Nocturne's was with the war in the background. But, I especially like this idea of adapting Bloodlines because it would connect the series closer to the novel, which would be (dad joke alert!) a novel idea.
So, if there's any one thing you can take from this article, it's that I want something new and exciting. Nocturne was fun, and I wouldn't be mad if we DID get a third season that went into Symphony of the Night, but I also don't want that since it's playing it way too safe.
