DMC rewrite 2023 edition

[V's patron]

How would you handle a DMC "rewrite"

Something was brought up earlier in another topic about a potential DMC series "rewrite" that I felt would be a good idea in the end to possibly mend the fences between both sides of the fanbase that has been split since the release of DmC. The core basis of it could be the same (such as it...

devilmaycry.org

Inspired by this thread from 2014.

How would you handle a DMC rewrite?

You could do another reboot or a another draft version of the existing series.

 

[ef9dante_oSsshea]

If you mean DMC as a whole, all i would change is i would get rid of nero and have DMC4 revive vergil and have them come to terms with their issues

Then for 5 have urizen be one of the first ever demons, and have him in an evolved humanoid size form be the final fight with both brothers like in 3 against arkham.

Vergil and v could still be a thing, but through discovery rather than necessity, and also have devil sword dante and sin triggers happen with vergil unlocking his another way. Basically i would just have it the same with no nero lmao.

 

[V's patron]

@ef9dante_oSsshea
Yeah you could tackle any part of the series and change as much as you want.

 

[V's patron]

My intro was 3 and I disliked jumping forward like they did with 4 and the anime. So I'd retool 4/anime/reboot as year 1/2/3 stories like what they did with Batman back in the 80s.

My initial post was building off Dante's mercenary days as Tony Redgrave. So Dante would go from a self-centered mercenary to hero of justice. He's not driven by money but revenge. Due to his upbringing he's more concerned about himself than everyone else. So the new take would be exploring that transition and challenging it.

It's not that different from what 3 and reboot tried to do. I'm just synthesizing it and going a little further.

Rereading the old thread, I felt we were too much like the sky is falling with the reboot. But my new expierences as a Marvel and DC fan gave me a different viewpoint.

DMC's problems aren't that unique in hindsight. Often a series would go in a direction you don't like. It happened with Bleach, Kingdom Hearts and the post DMC3 era of DMC.

Unlike God of War 2018, DMC hadn't found a way to followup DMC1 without going to the past.

Here's hoping a potential DMC6 is more appealing.

 

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

I really wish I could contribute more to this, but I have not finished DMC4 or DMC5.

I think the story from DMC1-3 is fine. I'd change maybe certain story beats to feel more cinematic, which actually seems like what they did in DMC4. They could probably condense a lot of DMC1-3 into a single game, depending on how long they want to make it and what sort of narrative:gameplay ratio would work best.

I like the idea of maybe having side quests or something reflective of the one-shot episodes of the anime.

I know this is about writing, but I'd LOVE for them to change how dodge/roll works to be a dedicated button (ala the Trickster Style or Lucia in DMC2) instead of it being tethered to target + direction + button. Probably the only thing I'd change for the gameplay from what I've experienced in DMC1-3.

 

[V's patron]

I really wish I could contribute more to this, but I have not finished DMC4 or DMC5.

I think the story from DMC1-3 is fine. I'd change maybe certain story beats to feel more cinematic, which actually seems like what they did in DMC4. They could probably condense a lot of DMC1-3 into a single game, depending on how long they want to make it and what sort of narrative:gameplay ratio would work best.

I like the idea of maybe having side quests or something reflective of the one-shot episodes of the anime.

I know this is about writing, but I'd LOVE for them to change how dodge/roll works to be a dedicated button (ala the Trickster Style or Lucia in DMC2) instead of it being tethered to target + direction + button. Probably the only thing I'd change for the gameplay from what I've experienced in DMC1-3.

It's fine as you could tackle as much as you want.

I wouldn't condense all three games into one entry. They feel too seperate as stories but I'm fine with adding new content.

 

[Benny]

I'd make Dante still being the only alive member of his family. That would mean Nero doesn't exist and Vergil continues to stay dead for 10 years at least. Focus on building Trish as her own person and strengthen her familial bond with Dante. Dante as he grew older would come up with a solution to get rid of demon problem permanently in human world, something something follow in his father's footsteps, pass off his knowledge and wisdom to next generations...

 

[V's patron]

I've always been curious about what a DMC3 would've been like set after 3. So I'd probably do that and have Dante seek the Temen-ni gru as a way to escape the Underworld.

Along the way he'd have to face a new villian who seeks to take over the human world. Vergil could be their second in command or Vergil could ascend to being the new big bad.

Unlike canon, Vergil grew up under Mundus and has a more screwed perspective. Rather than being like Darth Vader, Vergil is comparable to Darth Maul. You would see this take on Vergil as too far gone but never having the chance to actually be good.

So that play into how Dante would interact with him.

I also liked @ef9dante_oSsshea 's take on how patty could be used from the what if thread so I'd take that for here.

Having Dante be Patty's father gives her a stronger reason to stick around past the first episode and gives the series a more solid structure. Dante would go searching for Patty's missing mom.

 

[V's patron]

I'd probably rewrite the reboot to be a canonical entry called DMC Reunion.

Dante's son Tristan was kidnapped when he was 12. Dante finds him 5 years later in Limbo City.

Tristan is a criminal secretly working to overthrow the demon that rules the city. The demon bad guy was Mundus's court magician trying to use Limbo City's human population for his ascension to Mundus's spot. Dante's victory over Mundus back in the first game caused an upheaval in the Underworld.

There is another faction with angelic powers working but there is skepticism about their origins. One of their leaders looks and acts like Eva.

 

[V's patron]

Any chance you got a link? It's not that I doubt you, just that I like to get a source when people question me on the things I say.


Back on the 20th anniversary a couple of people got Drew Coombs to do a live show and he brought up a sheet of paper with some lines to read from his audition. The script contained a description of Dante that said:

Spoiler: Full text

If you want to see the whole thing here you are:

Anyway, If you look at the second part of that, the test dialogue, it shows that in DMC1 Dante was orphaned at the age of 4. It's clear that in Visions of V they're older than that. That just seems like one more thing they changed from 1. In the original story Vergil was taken as a child and he joined the underworld. That's not the case now. I still think his age is the same, since I don't even think that people currently at Capcom knew that. In this case, for DMC1, it really did take place 20 years ago. Now... I've mentioned before that everything in DMC seems to take place in 10 year intervals. I think the ambiguity was very much intentional. Nothing was exact and that would add an air of mystery to the whole story. Basically, with all the info that we have we can assume nothing is as literal as we hope it is. Now, 20 years might just be a rounded off number. As much as it irks me, the truth is DMC lore is fluid and what one game says the others will contradict.

This original take fascinates me. I would use this old take as his year one type story since i repitched 3 and the reboot as post-1 stories. It's Dante's Batman Begins.

 

[V's patron]

I had a pitch for Dante's rival in the other thread. Essentially it's a mercenary that works for Arius. I could use that guy as a focus character- his arc is to grow a conscience and help Lucia against Arius. You could recycle Dante's stoic characterization and coin flip for him. Before DMC2 was conceived, it was separate ideas folded into DMC2. One of them was a character with a green jacket. So that mercenary could have a green jacket as a reference.

I dub him Matthew or Mister Green.

His fighting style would revolve around hand to hand moves and manipulating a mist-like
substance into different forms like an ax or a staff.

I disagree about Vergil. His whereabouts after 1 is unknown till he pops up in 5.

Vergil grew up under Mundus and would have a more screwed perspective. Rather than being like Darth Vader, Vergil is comparable to Darth Maul. You would see this take on Vergil as too far gone but never having the chance to actually be good.

So 2 could be a testing ground- would Vergil left to his own devices be good? Or is he too far gone?

His game play relies on his styles- dark slayer and summoner.

Reposted from the fixing DMC2 thread.

The Matthew pitch could lead to 3 having Lady or a different protagonist than Dante but it doesn't have to.

The Vergil pitch would also change 3 but I think it's matter of how/why Dante and Vergil interact again.

@ef9dante_oSsshea idea from the fixing DMC2 thread felt more suited for this thread instead.

I have an interesting take, what if the story was changed back to Dante being Sparda's twin

Since we are doing a rewrite for that time, it is before 3 and vergil even existing. So what if dante was full demon, and had the same powers as sparda, but got all 3 weapons. So he has the rebellion, yamato and force edge. He also has his 4 styles and darkslayer style making 5.

I mean he has doppleganger and quicksilver from 3, but they never get use again which is dumb and this idea retcons 3 anyway.

 

[V's patron]

From the Pages of 'Immortal Thor'... The Roxxon Age of Marvel Comics Begins!

Spinning out of Al Ewing's acclaimed run of 'Immortal Thor,' Roxxon presents their own Thor adventures this April in 'Roxxon Presents: Thor' #1.

www.marvel.com

Al Ewing's Immortal Hulk Confronts Roxxon - and the Marvel Universe

Writer Al Ewing discusses the Immortal Hulk's declaration of war against Roxxon, and how it leads to fights with other Marvel heroes and villains

www.cbr.com

I don't mind doing a social satire like Ewing's work on Immortal thor and Hulk. I'd probably lean into that if I was rewriting DmC as a case of the week story.

@CaitNíSé_D_Huntress

 

[V's patron]

there was a fanfic on devilslair.org where Enzo became a devil hunter in his own right.

so my take on Enzo would be Dante's comic relief sidekick similar to Rocco from Boondock saints.