Character Analysis: Vergil. Part: 1
Let’s start off with a disclaimer:
We must, even with a bated sigh, keep in mind that there are time and monetary restraints in place where DMC5′s release was concerned. We know, and must keep in mind, that DMC5 could have used some more hours of game play to better understand the story. However Capcom’s uncertainty with how V would be received, from a company’s standpoint, is understandable that a great amount of things would be left out for the sake of time and possible rejection of a “new” character. This also goes for how DMC even became to be, as a hodgepodge of another IP - namely Resident Evil - before it became too much of its own thing and bore DMC as a new IP. While that is often how a lot of great media/story is made, it’s important to know that a common pitfall of that is also the possible (and in this case evident) loose ends that were never fully put together properly or explained. With that in mind, let’s proceed-
What we are given as a character for Vergil is what appears to me as textbook ASPD (Anti-social Personality Disorder). And, no, I do not say that as a form of insult. In my Headcanon here I speak about touch aversion. And while it is not necessarily a trait of ASPD, it can indeed become a symptom or byproduct due to environmental details in childhood, adolescence and adulthood respectively. As stated in the HC, being a slave under Mundus and consequently becoming adverse to touch and authority being held over him, Vergil began to fully throw himself down the path introduced by trauma.
We see from an early age that Vergil is depicted as someone with early signs of a personality disorder, compounding this into the sudden and lacking parental figure of their father going missing - presumed dead - foils both the would-be proper training of two parents that can properly split their time and energy for each child’s specific needs. So we have an overworked, over-stressed mother coping not only with the loss of her mate, but two demanding children with wildly different requirements. While we can understand a child’s lacking knowledge, and even sympathize with a child’s view point in that lack of knowledge and henceforth understanding (because of the undeveloped brain and inexperience with life), it is important to remember, as people often forget, that children are developing people. Condoning, or not condoning, has direct affects. So we see a small example of this, and this resulting aggression/irritation from Vergil when his expectation/want is not immediately met here:
Even going so far as to glower at a respected elder, someone with whom had a place he sought for refuge from his irritation/quarreling with Dante.
This self serving attitude can be easily shrugged off as general childhood selfishness, but I do not believe this is the case. Rather than consciously making the rational choice (as we do know that children base their ideas off of their own forming rationality) we see him continue into this path of self centered ideology when the tragedy of the demon attack struck. I also have a HC here that goes into the imposed responsibility as “the eldest” that could have also influenced this withdrawing behavior.
We know through decades of psychological and scientific study that ASPD can be caused and influenced by a great number of things, and one of those has to do with trauma. While being stunned into adrenaline is a thing, what doesn’t sit well with me is the very blatant switch that seems to happen here where Vergil goes from: “Why are there demons!?” “I have to warn them!” “Mama and Dante are home!” to this:
While we are not shown that Vergil entered the house, we must assume he did because in a flash back from V, we see V sobbing over the memory of seeing his mother’s corpse on the floor, with Dante no where in sight. Presumably dead (somewhere else).
This is precisely the trauma needed for someone to fall further into anti-social personality disorder/have the disorder triggered:
(Perceived) Abandonment, in believing that Eva took too much of Dante’s side as well as feelings of abandonment from losing their father.
An unstable household (though no true fault of bad parenting, only insufficient attention).
Too much responsibility for a child (”Vergil, you’re the oldest”, ergo, implying that no matter what, it was his responsibility to handle Dante).
Trauma and especially physical trauma to the head
Abuse (inflicted by Mundus specifically and solely)
A few applicable symptoms in his adulthood include:
Disregard for right and wrong
Persistent lying or deceit to exploit others
Arrogance, a sense of superiority and being extremely opinionated
Recurring problems with the law, including criminal behavior
Repeatedly violating the rights of others through intimidation and dishonesty
Impulsiveness or failure to plan ahead
Hostility, significant irritability, agitation, aggression or violence
Lack of empathy for others and lack of remorse about harming others
Unnecessary risk-taking or dangerous behavior with no regard for the safety of self or others
Failure to consider the negative consequences of behavior or learn from them
Which finally brings us to the greater point: actions of a killer
While we do not know yet fully how they lived in their teens, we know that Capcom retconned Gilver to not be Vergil as he is in the novels, but rather a practice clone of what would become of the real Vergil: Nelo Angelo. I see two feasible outcomes to this:
First, if we go by the novels, that means that Vergil was steadily on the edge of mass genocide for the sake of unleashing his own true potential, showcasing in full his carelessness for the sake of others (humanity).
Second, if we go by the retcon, then we could see where this happening could put a taste of it in the real Vergil’s mouth. A, “I can do it better”, and thereby falling under Mundus’ gradual-played ploy all along, incurring the accounts of DMC3 because it would be feeding directly into the ASPD mentality of generally being self centered and working for the benefit of himself solely.
A very important note is actually one of two key things: the Yamato, and his Beowulf. Of course we know how he reattained the Yamato, but allow me to remind you how he attained his Beowuld in DMC3. One of the gatekeepers of Temen-ni-gru, Beowulf, or Lightbeast, was half dead and barely moving when Vergil happened upon him. Finishing the beast off, and attaining the Devil Arm Beowulf, Vergil proceeded to kick and beat the corpse of the beast to “test” out his new weaponry. Torturing animals, dead or alive, is a sign of a serial killer, a sociopath. And let us not forget that one of his taunts in DMC5 is to summon Yamato and shift the sword into Nero’s Devil Bringer, flaunting like a trophy that nothing else matters but his own end goal. And that leads us into theorizing how Nero came to be at all...
One of the acts of misconduct due to ASPD has to do with promiscuity, especially in teens. While I personally do not adhere to it, it is perfectly understandable that, on this path, that Vergil spent some weeks in Fortuna, researching his father and knocked up a woman for his own pleasure and interest, regardless of the outcome (I will be making a HC post about that another time). Generally and broadly speaking, it was to suit himself. As much as I don’t like it, that would make the most sense. Just to state in the game that “My son means nothing to me.” And how could Nero mean anything to him, as someone with ASPD, who thereby cannot healthily connect with others, let alone a child from a woman he freely abandoned/left?
In the sum of 16 or so years he is missing, we can assume recovering from Mundus, maybe traveling, following the presence of the Yamato until eventually happening upon Nero’s home, he then, without hesitation, snaps off Nero’s arm, leaving him for dead, only snarkily saying he’s “taking this back”. Which is, of course, a great expression of lack of concern and consideration for anyone else’s well being. Let alone the fact that, despite having those years parted from Mundus, the only thing which propelled him forward was the anger and intense hatred (in which the spider familiar expelled from him, Phantom, held) that resulted in the happenings of DMC5.
So where does that leave us?
We have the ending of VOV which, let’s be frank, was rushed in of itself. Now as the disclaimer above, that could well and be due to overworked and pressed staff, by which then it is not their fault, and we should never blame them (remember how it usually goes for manga artists in Japan). But, nevertheless, it leaves us with VOV’s ending.
Bereft of his intense hatred and anger (Phantom), I believe he is.... marginally a workable character, however not, within the very least, redeemed. He is only redeemable if Dante and Nero both decide they can at all forgive him (though they shouldn’t; he has not earned it).
V says that it is perhaps a conjecture on his part -
conjectures
an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
From what, precisely? This bothers me a lot, as opposed to the response of “indubitable” that Dante wants to continue fighting (that rant will be in part: 2).
Definition of indubitable : too evident to be doubted : unquestionable.
Why? Because Dante responded like this when posed that it could be Vergil?
This goes into the point that V, disappointingly, did not think for a second on Dante’s behalf. From all the sheer shit that Vergil has put the man through, is he not within his best interest to be hostile? Is it not safer for him to assume that not only did Vergil maim and leave for dead his nephew, his only other living family, but that he is back to kill him, or die trying. That in of itself is more than understandable that Dante would react in a volatile manner. No, it isn’t because Dante is “just the same as he was back then”. The man is tired. Traumatized. Missing his sibling or at least mourning what they should have had.
Just like the ending of DMC5, VOV’s ending was rush. Sloppy. While I can see Dante wanting to keep an eye on Vergil, the happy go lucky way about it was off, out of place, and unearned.
Vergil is not redeemed. V is not redeemed. This was shotty, mishandled, rushed, and completely null and void. The “brotherly love/care” displayed by V/ergil talking about their other half is unearned because it resulted in V telling Vergil to “show him no mercy” as if he ever showed Dante mercy to begin with.
In part 2 I will go into the sibling areas. For now, that is my piece.
Character analysis brought to you by a lot of brain storming and discussions between me, @devilsworn and @lavitrail
