In 2026, Xbox and PC players will finally return to Sera six years afterGears Tactics’ release in The Coalition’s upcomingGears of War: E-Day. Set around the titular Emergence Day event in Sera’s history,Gears of War: E-Daywill have players embody a young Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago as they struggle to survive and confront the Locusts’ genocidal invasion of Sera’s surface world. While many fans have expressed excitement over the return of the Locust, Fenix, and Santiago, The Coalition may have a difficult time nailing down one crucial aspect ofGears of War: E-Day’s story. This aspect is deciding who will be the main antagonist without encroaching on pre-established lore.
The Whereabouts of Gears’ Villains During E-Day Explained
Aside fromGears TacticsandGears of War: Judgment, mostGears of Wargames take place around 14 years or 42 years after Emergence Day, in the case of the originalGears of Wartrilogy and the laterGears of War 4andGears 5games respectively. Due to this large time gap between the Locust’s initial invasion and their downfall, many of theGears’ franchise villains weren’t directly encountered by Fenix or Santiago until 14 years after Emergence Day. This is supported by Fenix and Santiago’s surprised reactions when encounteringLocust General RAAM, Ketor Skorge, and Queen Myrrahin the originalGearstrilogy, suggesting the two had never met these figures, at least face-to-face, until these games’ events.
However, there is still a chance for some pre-establishedGearsvillains to appear inE-Dayeven if they don’t directly confront Fenix and Santiago. Myrrah was safely underground during Emergence Day while RAAM, Skorge,a recently demoted General Sraak, and Krav Jermad, a Locust Drone sniper, led the first attack on the surface at the Coalition of Ordered Governments’ city of Jannermont. Shortly after the First Battle of Jannermont began, Sraak attempted to kill RAAM to take back his place as military leader of the Locust but was ultimately defeated by RAAM and nearby Theron Guards. Over 100,000 people died in this battle while a few were captured and later experimented on by Locust scientist Ukkon.
Gears’ Spinoff Villains Whereabouts During E-Day
While RAAM led the First Battle of Jannermont, General Zamil Karn led an attack on the Republic of Gorasnaya where he wiped out most of Gorasnaya’s civilian population andUnion of Independent Republicsmilitary remnants. Mere weeks later, Karn attacked the COG city of Halvo Bay but was only stopped thanks to the efforts of Kilo Squad led by then-Lieutenant Damon Baird, as seen inGears of War: Judgment. About a year later after Emergence Day, COG Chairman Richard Prescott ordered Sgt. Gabriel Diaz and Major Sid Redburn to assassinate the Ukkon who, after staging their deaths and ultimately going rogue, were successful in their mission as seen inGears Tactics.
WhileGears of Waris famous for its Locust antagonists, the franchise has been known to feature a fair number of human antagonists, such as Doctor Niles Samson, First Minister Mina Jinn, and Colonel Ezra Pound Loomis.
Potential Villains of Gears of War: E-Day
BesidesKarn and Ukkon’s carnageseen inJudgmentandTactics, none of the aforementioned villainous events have been seen in aGears of Wargame, instead only being depicted in comics and novels. While pastGearsgames have referenced and included elements of the books in the games, such as making Sraak a playable character inGears 5, The Coalition could still retcon certain events to make a few characters appear inE-Day’s story.E-Dayis already slated to take place in the city of Kalona, but Creative Director Matt Searcy has confirmed that the game will not solely take place on Emergence Day alone but take place on “multiple days”.
With this time period in mind,E-Daycould feature a couple ofclassic returningGears of Warvillains. For example, it’s unknown where Skorge went after the First Battle of Jannermont, so The Coalition could have Fenix and Santiago travel to another city in an attempt to fend off Skorge’s forces without fighting him directly. Similarly,E-Daycould have Krav Jermad serve as a boss, as his fate is currently unknown, and he could provide an interesting connection to RAAM. The Coalition could even change Sraak’s story to have him lead the invasion of Kalona, making him a recurring indomitable foe in the game with only RAAM being able to defeat Sraak, showing just how dangerous RAAM and other Locust forces can be and how unprepared the COG is.
A Potential New Villain for Gears of War: E-Day
With the Locust having been known to wipe out a quarter of Sera’s human population on Emergence Day alone, The Coalition could easily create a new Locust leader to serve as an antagonist inGears of War: E-Dayto cause chaos on the planet. This new leader could be more monstrous, brutal, and hot-headed than any Locust seen before to best showcaseE-Day’s new direction in depicting theLocust as “living nightmares.” The Locust leader could hunt Fenix and Santiago throughout the game akin toResident Evil’s Nemesis only for the two soldiers to defeat the Locust leader at the end of the game thanks to cooperation and help from a Hammer of Dawn. An event like this could depict how lethal the Locust are but show hope for the COG to prevail.
