SerpApi.Org
Prime Video’s The Expanse ended with season six, but the exciting sequel, which bridges the gap between Babylon’s Ashes and Persepolis Rising, perfectly sets up the main villain who would have taken center stage in seasons 7, 8, and 9, based on the books. Adapting the sci-fi book series by Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham, The Expanse became one of the best sci-fi shows of the 21st century. Out of 9 books, six were brought to the small screen. The first three were adapted at Syfy, and the next set of three were adapted by Prime Video. Unfortunately, the show was cut off before the final three books could come to life.
From a practical perspective, the choice made sense, as the books featured an almost three-decade time jump. However, it doesn’t change that fans were disappointed by the choice not to finish the trilogy. What’s more, audiences missed out on seeing the full scope of Duarte, the most terrifying villain in the franchise.
Admiral Winston Duarte briefly appeared in The Expanse season 6, and it’s clear from the moment he appears that something’s suspicious about him. It isn’t clear until the end that he will be the main villain for the rest of the TV show, if it hadn’t ended.
The iconic line “You were a useful distraction, but I have gods to kill” makes it clear that he’s got bigger and better plans. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see his plans onscreen. After The Expanse ended, though, Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham oversaw the creation of the comic book series The Expanse: Dragon Tooth, written by Andy Diggle, that fits within the continuity. In addition to filling in some of the 30-year gap in the book, it sets up Duarte as an even more threatening villain.
The Expanse: Dragon Tooth Does More To Set Up Duarte As The Story's Next Major Threat
Anyone who has read all The Expanse books knows that Winston Duarte is a Machiavellian dictator of the Laconian Empire by the time the story picks up in the future in Persepolis Rising. However, The Expanse: Dragon Tooth sets his threat up earlier. Dragon Tooth subtly shows him as a puppet master who’s attempting to destabilize the governments for his own gain.
He has a covert network of Martian defectors who are infiltrating major parts of the system. He puts people inside the Transport Union so they can track ship movement through the rings. He covertly arms the pirates, allowing his nefarious actions to go undetected. The Rocinante crew discovers this connection through black-market Martian tech and double agents. Duarte’s relationship with Marco Inaros during the Free Navy war is revealed in the story. On top of that, Avasarala is worried about Duarte’s ultimate goal.
Every small action sets him up as the major threat that he becomes in the last three books. The storytelling approach also perfectly sets expectations if Prime Video ever decides to pick up the show for the final three books. If they decide never to bring Persepolis Rising, Tiamat’s Wrath, and Leviathan Falls to the screen, The Expanse: Dragon Tooth still expands the understanding of the books and tv show.
Duarte Makes Marco Inaros Look Friendly In Comparison
If there’s anything to take from The Expanse: Dragon Tooth, it’s that Duarte was playing a long game of chess while everyone else was playing checkers. His ruthlessness, cruelty, and manipulation make Marco Inaros look like a child, which is saying something. What's more, it takes a truly depraved villain to make a mass murderer seem friendly and kind.
Duarte doesn’t seem to have any moral weaknesses. The set-up villain is the kind of sinister who creates a crisis just to solve it and look like the hero so he can gain more power. Then he uses the resources and power gained from that to crush everyone. This is shown when he sucks money out of the Sol system, creating a starvation crisis, allowing his burgeoning Laconian Empire to sweep in and save the day. Then the Laconian Empire becomes full-blown evil. He's so much more than just a charismatic terrorist who is looking for attention in The Expanse.
