Thinking about Blood of the Chosen and SPOILERS below this line in case you haven't read:
The Va'aht vs. Gyre story-line felt incredibly trope-y and forced, in my opinion. We never learn much about Va'aht's character besides the fact that he's the epitome of Centarch supremacy fuckassery, and that he's a sadist? Fill-in-the-blank antagonist with very little driving force and someone who isn't really all that threatening to the protagonists - his biggest 'victory' was over a literal child, so-
In the 3 meetings across both BotC and EoR, Gyre gets the upper-hand on Va'aht after exchanging some pretty cheesy barbs at each other before he ends up dying to fulfill Gyre's "revenge arc" that is hardly stated in the novels?
Not to mention, he basically volunteers to become a host for one of Ashok's dhakim-parasites? Because... superior race power BS etc?? Yet, keeps his own personality unlike every other individual who has been under Ashok's control in the story??
He feels like an empty antagonist when he didn't really have to be. Despite being directly involved in the genesis of the story's conflict, him and Maya have essentially no resolution to the fact that he kidnapped her from her family, and his connection with Gyre is basically to be a punching bag.
If Va'aht had risen to the rank of Kyriliarch to replace the seat vacated with the death of Nicomidi, I feel like he instantly has more plot relevance, working in concert with Basel to manipulate the return of Ashok. But instead, he's just a well-tenured, mid-ranking centarch with a brutal streak who's only contribution to the story post-chapter 1 is to do what 2 or 3 other characters in the story are already doing, but better.
He is not my only gripe with books 2 and 3, but Va'aht stands out as a character who SHOULD have been much better, given the setup of the story.