As Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 unfolds, the story smartly shifts away from Richter Belmont. It's not that he isn't a focal point, but many characters felt peripheral and under-serviced in Season 1. This change allows more time for his grandfather, Juste, to be fleshed out as a warrior seeking to rekindle his magic, for example.

Another character who was unfairly sidelined in Season 1 was Annette (Thuso Mbedu). She was treated as a supporting character who powered up with her magic and help Richter in times of need. That was just the tip of the iceberg with her, though. The Netflix anime was awfully light on her most crucial trait: her culture. It was disappointing as it was set up to be a nuanced and crucial arc in her development. Thankfully, this new season makes amends and dives deep into Annette's tribe and their spirituality.

In Season 1, fans learned Annette was part of a dynasty of slaves on an Afro-Caribbean plantation near Saint-Domingue. Her Yoruba clan descended from divine African spirits known as the Orishas. At the core of her story was Ogun (the Yoruba Orisha of war and iron) on her father's side, and Orunmila (the Yoruba Orisha of divination, intelligence and wisdom) from her mother's side. Unfortunately, the anime just mentioned this rather than dive in depth into the power flowing through the bloodline from these gods.

In time, Anette flees her plantation after the vampire boss, Vaublanc, killed her mother, Esther, for using witchcraft to hurt his mission. Annette would meet Edouard and, together, they'd join the revolution against slavery. Annette unlocked more power because of her ancestry thanks to a Vodou mambo named Cécile Fatiman. Cécile became her mentor and taught her about her magic. These flashbacks pushed Annette down her revenge path, tracking and killing Vaublanc in France.

There, she'd align with Richter and join the war against the Vampire Messiah: Erzsebeth. Now, it was cool seeing her destiny building to this, especially after visions of this forlorn future killed Cécile. But the anime still failed to really showcase what made Annette tick. Had she met the Orishas and trained, her Earth-bending powers, portals, energy blasts, healing abilities, and her connection to the spirit realm would have been better explained.

It had the potential of the Djalia from Black Panther: a realm that linked the Panthers to their ancestors to attain wisdom. And to connect them with Bast, the Panther God. With Annette, she just kept seeing visions randomly, with spirits haunting her for dramatic effect and to just chime in for the sake of plot convenience. In short, Annette felt rudderless, lacking in personality, and like a deus ex machina that Richter called on when the battles got tough.

The series also spent more time teasing a romance between them, when more screen-time or episodes could have had Annette convening with the Orishas and understanding her fate as a Chosen One and rebel. Sadly, her entire Creole arc felt like a gimmick — more style than substance. This holy story would have been educative and tied into American history as well, as places like Louisiana had these kinds of slave descendants who focused heavily on their traditions from Africa and the power the Orishas held as godly entities.

Luckily, this new season has Annette addressing this cultural issue when she goes into the spirit realm. She wants to find the good part of Sekhmet's soul and stop the Egyptian goddess from razing the planet with a vampire army. Annette encounters her ancestors, family and the Orishas on this journey. Ogun takes a special interest in her. He's seen at his forge, making her a tool to use.

It's an iron shield that she can control via telekinesis. It listens to her via a telepathic connection, too. On top of that, she can mold the metal inside to turn it into any weapon she desires, including a blade. It's a better take on Thor and Mjolnir, honestly. This caps off a very profound arc where Annette learns her family produced a vessel for the Orishas. She is just that. The gods knew someone would rise and fight, not just colonialism, but the threat of the bloodsuckers, all to reshape the world.

Seeing the gods in their armor, the decor of the spirits, and the overall flair and culture of what Annette experiences, speaks to representation, diversity and visibility. There is an air of equality for people of culture and minorities to latch onto. It caps her journey after she kept connecting with these spirits all season long, seeing them wearing her tribe's clothes and wanting to be closer to her. Finally, she understands her role — they are present to empower her.

So, after Annette defeats Sekhmet's lion in this astral plane and tries to get back to her body, her soul is propelled by all her ancestors. They want her to go home. Ogun is there, too, acting as a guardian angel to literally shove her back to Earth. What makes the arc so much more enriching is how Annette's culture is connected to other versions of the afterlife.

She finds Sekhmet's light side in the Egyptian Duat (something seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Moon Knight), and she even feels Richter's mother, Julia, guiding her home. Remember, Julia died fighting Olrox years back in front of a young Richter in their vampire hunting days. This trek shows Annette's powers are more omnipotent and universal than first assumed. Her Yoruba energy is a lifeblood for the entire universe.

The designs, action, and nuance in everything Annette goes through could honestly form its own Castlevania anime. A prequel series would be pretty rad. But pillars for Castlevanie: Nocturne Season 3 have already been laid down. As Season 2 concludes, Annette and Richter help defeat Erzsebeth and her master, Drolta. They head back on a ship to Saint-Domingue to embark on a relationship. They have Edouard with them, although he is in his Night Creature form — something that could be a point of contention.

Annette isn't sure what her home holds for them. But seeing as she tapped into the other side, she could share wisdom with others like her, train new warriors, and keep seeking advice from older heads. It's all a tapestry: an ethereal puzzle waiting to be interconnected. Annette's powers could see these spirits link with other members of the tribe to power them up as well. She may well be the catalyst of evolution. So many of her kin have this magic in their blood lying dormant.

Annette has to honor her mentor's legacy, while forging her own as well. There is no telling what other monsters and demons besides vampires are back home. Vaublanc might have been destroyed, but Annette knows more evil lurks. As she fortifies Saint-Domingue and forms a legion, she can refine it into a mystical version of Marvel's Wakanda and Kamar-Taj. A place where mages work on their supernatural skills, but with a focus on their heritage. This will help them place their altruistic stamp on a world that once cruelly branded their tribe.

Having Edouard around gives her a sibling arc again, while Richter, as an outsider and white man, being accepted and learning about her people would certainly create tension and dramatic intrigue. Oddly, Annette's absent father is another untouched mystery. What's life without a soap opera, honestly? In addition, Annette's journey could even take her crew to Africa. Alucard visited there briefly and killed Egyptian vampires while hunting Erzsebeth's cult.

But there is more potential in exploring Nigeria, Libya, Cameroon, Senegal and such. African folklore like Anansi the spider can be worked in, along with more Orishas like Oshun (goddess of water, love and fertility). This would help differentiate Castlevania: Nocturne from the parent anime and even the games in a big way. Those stories were quite European, but the gateway is now open to deal with the Caribbean, the ships that came over, and Africa, itself.

Ultimately, this would show Netflix is ambitious and very interested in taking renowned franchises, subverting them, and adding layers and depth for a more cosmopolitan horror story viewers can relate to. It would deconstruct history and the theme of identity, which audiences can form a genuine emotional attachment to outside the main hook: creatures and things that go bump in the night.