We're in the Endgame Now (Joseph Bright Discussion and Theories)
In the official Discord server earlier, some fellas were discussing how Joseph Bright, resident cult leader and probably antagonist, should have more screen relevance or appear in the main plot earlier, considering how important he is to the story. While I initially agreed, I was thinking about it during my long-ass car drive and have come to the conclusion that his current screentime is pretty great for the kind of character he is and his (seemingly) current role in the story.
1. Sidequest Context (and the lack thereof)
What do we learns about Joseph through the side quests? Well, we learn he's manipulative, he likes Louis, he wants us to "pick a side" soon, and that he "always wins". However, if you're a new player and don't play the side quests, you still get a similar amount of information. He tells you his deal during the Executive meeting, Cortes badgers him about the Louis Fan Club, and we can imply he's manipulative through the way he speaks to us and the fact that he started the Key Hunt in the first place. While the side quests make us more comfortable with and used to Joseph as a character, they aren't necessary for getting the gist of his character so far. Speaking of which...
2. Joseph from a Different Angle
Let's say you're a new player who hasn't done the side quests. From your perspective, the first time you hear about Joseph I believe is during the Oasis meeting with Ellen, when the list of Executives pops up. Up to this point, you've heard of or met nearly every other Executive:
Inari tells you about her clan leader,
Teneson mentions Cortes at the Academy,
Charles was on the TV and in a flashback,
and you personally meet Teneson, Portia, and Ellen in the flesh.
When the list pops up, the only person you wouldn't have met is Joesph. It leaves you wondering about who that is and what kind of person they are. Later at the Executive meeting, you get to learn more about each of them, including seeing Joseph for the first time. Cortes and Yami either have bombastic personalities or have stuff about them explained (like Yami chipping his clan members), but all you learn about Joseph is his "Louis Club" and that he's the PR Manager. What is this quiet guy really like?
Then, as the curtain falls on the meeting, Joseph stays behind and talks directly to you, the person behind the camera. He calls the meeting entertaining and warns you, "Remember, you'll have to pick a side soon. And I certainly know which side will be viewed as the right side of history. No matter what, I am always victorious. Remember that. Ta-ta for now."
What the heck?? Holy aura, bone-chilling. The route after this gives you some time to process what just happened, coming up with different theories and questions. For the first time since Riffraff's Feeling in Von Sweetsville, a character has straight-up addressed the camera, and threatened you too. What does he mean? Right side of history? Those are Revisionist words. What are his plans? Shortly after this, you learn that he only joined DoodleCo recently and that he's the whole reason for the Key Hunt. How?? What did he do to have the company seemingly wrapped around his finger? How do he and Charles know each other, and does he have something to do with the upcoming Apocalypse? Honestly, I wish I hadn't done his side quests and was able to learn about him like this for the first time, since it's more ominous, abrupt, and intriguing. While not as in-your-face or frequent as other antagonists, he plays his role well as a-
In the Cartoon Network show "OK KO: Let's Be Heroes!", there is a character known as Shadowy Figure. We can clearly tell he's an antagonist when he first shows up, but he doesn't attack KO even when alone with him. All he does is encourage KO to unleash his anger and power, and once KO does, Shadowy Figure leaves. While you could call him the "final antagonist" because of what he does later, he really instigates and sets into motion the series' real final antagonist.
While I think Joseph is Doodle World's Bad Guy, I don't think he's The Bad Guy. Rather, instead of being a Ghetsis-like commander of his forces or a bombastic, cunning threat on his own, I think Joseph is more akin to a Shadowy Figure kind of antagonist, manipulating things quietly from the shadows and watching things fall into his place before his time to strike. In that sense, I don't think he needs any more screen time prior to the events of Icy. We've already seen the ripples of what he's done: Ellen used enormous amounts of money to close off Oasis for the Key, Anna was almost assassinated so Kaze could get one and claim control of the Shadow Clan, heck, the Key Guardians being harassed about the Key competition for weeks or even months *alone* are all caused by him giving the Key idea to Charles. Heck, Zavier's entire quest and existence is a domino effect of Joseph's plans and meddling. The context of all the Hell everyone has and will experience just being part of this guy's grand plan is enough to establish him as a major threat without any prior mention in the story. However...
We are currently reaching a turning point in the game's story. With Ambasa delving deeper into Riffraff and DoodleCo's past, Desmond's death, Joseph's looming introduction, and Suzie's mysterious employer hanging over our heads, the tone and direction are ramping up towards the Big Stetson /ref. In terms of Keys, we're at the halfway point. Maybe we'll personally collect all 10, maybe we'll collect 8 and Doodleco will always have the other 2, maybe the story continues for a long while after we collect them all, who knows? What's important is that the halfway point in any story oftentimes marks a noticeable shift in the stakes. While Joseph's limited involvement is pretty good up to this point, going into Ambasa and beyond we need to see him start making moves in the story. While there are tons of ways this could be done, and I'm excited to see which one is chosen, it's imperative that wish_z makes sure Joseph's impact and presence are known going forward. While I'm always worried and prepared for a worst-case scenario, for now I'll choose to trust in wish's quality writing that I've come to know and love so far.
So I've mentioned that Joseph is ultimately just the instigator for a bigger threat, but who/what could that be? Answer there: DoodleCo. Think about it. We've already seen how morally ambiguous the company is. They hired a former assassin clan to spy on people and built a school on a prideful Legendary's land,, spending exorbitant amounts to keep it appeased. During the Key competition, the CEO is willing to spend large amounts of money in the acquirement of these Keys, both to DoodleCo personnel and random tamers alike.
Heck, even before then, Charles watching a Plipo die and sentencing many more Doodles to that fate in the name of progress should tell you just how Morally Gray the foundation of the company is. And now, Joseph has that same man gathering the Keys. I believe that despite the good people in it, DoodleCo is ultimately the final antagonist of the game. Joseph may have set up the dominoes, but Charles is the one using his company and anything in his power to knock them all down. Why else would Zavier try and attack us instead of trying to reason with his father? Outside of timeline shenanigan reasons (trying to keep things the same so he can guesstimate what will happen), the obvious answer is that he knows it's pointless. He either won't be able to find Charles, or won't be able to sway him from his fatall decision.
Tl;dr: Joseph Bright's current involvement in the story is perfect for his role as DoodleCo's quiet instigator and doesn't need to be added to or rewritten (even without side quest context). On the contrary, he NEEDS to start making more moves in the story going forwards.
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