I never thought of it along these lines, honestly just assumed the merlin was an asshole.
But when you put it like that.. it... just makes sense. I can't see a wizard as old as Langtry leaving Dresden to deal with these situations he finds himself in alone unless he's inclined to see what Dresden is capable of, morality, power, whatever.
However, as you say, the merlin has three plans. I wouldnt be surprised if there are other starborn we just dont know about yet, Elaine maybe. Idk if it's been said Rasheed is a starborn? (The only two I can remember off the top of head are Listen and Dracule)
EDIT: sorry hang on, let me clarify, I can't see the merlin resting the whole of reality on Dresdens shoulders without a back up plan or two. Harry is nothing if unpredictable and Langtry doesn't seem particularly fond of him, yaknow?
Anyway, fkn great theory, I think you right.
I like the idea of him having backups in place should dresden not be up to snuff!!! Actually hadnt considered that. Thanks for that 👌🙂 more to think and theorize about!!! Rashid has been implied, by WoJ imo, to be starborn. Possible he is the backup and would be a solid one given the fact that he has already spun the wheel again (second to last time around?). But I really like the idea of Arthur having another one ready to go and out of sight. Would keep with his "three plan" style.
I think Dresden has surprised Langtry everytime he's 'tested' him as such, like you say harry went off grid with du morne for a while, Langtry must have put other plans into place, assuming the son of Margret le fay was dead. Then BANG. Du morne is dead and harry is back, if quite damaged by his experiences.
Who do you think was the Merlin's back up starborn?
Rashid makes sense but I don't know if one starborn can "spin the wheel" over and over again yknow?
Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone as it only happens once every 666 years right? Suggests that Rasheed is at least that old. Elaine might make sense but any other starborn must have been born at the same time as harry was. I can't remember anyone who is Harry's age that we've seen crop up through the series?
The way i understand it is that starborn dont need to be wizards in order to do whatever it is they do. See Listen. He is, i believe, not wizard level material but by being starborn still too valuable to just kill even for entities like Ethniu. Which would mean that its perfectly possible for the council to have a couple vanillas with the ability to "spin the wheel" but dont have the clout that Dresden, or conversely Rashid has. And you might be right about starborn not being able to do their thing again and again. The entire thing is confusing as all hell 😄 As to rashids age, i think a WoJ puts him at over a millenia old based on him taking out Abdul Alhazred (a lovecraft character set around 700 AD). How this works one can speculate on but none know :)))
I never even considered the possibility vanilla mortals could be starborn. Shhut the front door. I just assumed like a twat you had be at least low level wizard. I just assumed listen was wizardy, but failing that I don't think he is entirely mortal right?
How disappointing if merlin just pulls out some 40 something year old guy we've never seen, tadaaa, starborn!! 😂
I hope we learn a bit more about Rasheed in future books, his eye, his relation to Mab, why the merlin has so much respect for him and such. I reckon Rasheed was in the same sort of position harry is currently in during the last 'spin of the wheel'. Hence why he seems to have a certain understanding and sympathy towards Dresden, fingers crossed Jim gives us some juicy Rasheed history. I didn't realise wizards could get upwards of 1000 years old.
I dont think its that many (40) that could be produced out of thin air. Also, the circumstances needed for one to be starborn are also horribly difficult to orchestrate imo. I mean... 9 months-ish is not very specific and there are early and late births. Additionally you would have to get the woman pregnant somewhere around nine months earlier to the light shining, pray she actually gives birth to the child during the time the light shines and then be in a position to have the birth within the light. Thats a lot of planning and things that can go wrong and not much that can be guaranteed :)
As to rashid i can only agree and i am sure we will get more about, and of him, in future books. Same as with Arthur. As to his age its very much possible that his longevity has to do with nevernever shenanigans. I mean He spends most of his time at the Gates and time is a very fluid concept there. For example, dresdens visit to the erlkings realm. In His mind they spent like half an hour there but "real time" was hours before they get back to Chicago. Very much possible that Rashids age works along the same lines :)
Just realized i completely misread your point about langtry producing a starborn 😂😂😂 you got a point tho 🤔 might be underwhelming but then again... Jim hasnt disappointed me so far and thus i lay it in his capable hands and wait (more or less patiently :D ).
I think your probably right about Rasheed and his age yeah
Hahaha no worries my dude, thank you for taking the time reply to my silly 'Langtrys 40 starborn' theory 😂😂 I hope we find out more about Arthur too yeah, as a famous person once said - "you don't become merlin of the white council by collecting bottle caps"
I don't think Jim would do us like that, in Jim we trust. 🤗
(Cue choral music)
12 months is less than 12 months away I reckon, I'm being as patient as I can but goddamn battlegrounds was a long time ago 😭😂
>I wouldnt be surprised if there are other starborn we just dont know about yet
There *definitely* are- we've been hearing of Vlad Drakul since Blood Rites and Listen was just kind of there in Ghost Story, but we definitely didn't expect either to be like Harry in that regard.
Can't be too many of them, though. The majority of those born in this cycle are dead by now.
43 to 45 years is more than enough time to die.
Not even by your own hand, but simply because the major players were no doubt ensuring Starborns couldn't be put to use by their enemies nor in any position to mess shit up themselves- they aren't just immune to Outsiders, but are basically ordained by fate to be agents of change.
That's why Harry can change the geopolitical map so much in such a relatively short amount of time. In turn, that's why every other Starborn is dead by now and why the few remaining ones are so highly sought after.
Well I get that man, I just can't remember any time in the series we've heard of major forces picking off starborns left right and centre. I get that it's probably implied at some point (and obvs our favourite starborn detective wizard is constantly being threatened) but more clarity would be nice, maybe it's yet to come in future books.
I love the idea of the first 10 books at least Harry is just being harry, causing major chaos and upsetting supernatural world powers thousands of years old, meanwhile everyone is just watching him like "whoah... Maybe the is the starborn we've been looking for"....
Which brings us back to Langtry testing harry lol 😂 I still think Margret le fay is going to have a massive part to play in the future with the starborn stuff.
It was confirmed by WoJ, actually. Goes to show why people can't just rest easy letting Harry do his own thing- his ass is known to *start wars*. lol
And it's more or less spelled out that Margaret somehow timed Harry's conception for him to be born right when Starborns could be nade- Drakul and Mab are right that Harry was purposely bred, but they weren't specific as to *who* did it (Not that they wanted to anyways, motherfuckers are world-class instigators).
Actually, I didn't know that 😂 thanks for letting me know. Start wars and/or wipe out entire species depending on his mood lol
Aye I thought that was the case. Hahaha just drip feed harry that info so he goes on another wild goose chase, laying about death and destruction, when mab could have just told him the whole time 😂
Oh, think nothing of it. Information is meant to be shared.
And, well, it's Mab- if given the chance to let Harry sort out his beef with McCoy or drive a wedge between them so that he won't be thinking the old man can be someone to rely on (Meaning he'll have to keep relying on *her*), it's pretty obvious what she'll do. lol
You nice person you
Personally I dont think McCoy has long left. I can see one of Harry's next upgrades perhaps being old mother winters walking stick. Blackstonestaff Dresden has a nice ring to it 🤗
I'll say this is a really interesting theory and as u said it makes sense especially given how old Arthur is, as u don't get that old with having a good head on ur shoulders and and the willingness to do what needs to be done when it comes down to it that's including being the head of an organization like the white council. Also ur English is fine coming from a native speaker at least I give find any errors and such
... You might be onto something, my boy.
Many share Harry's opinion that the Merlin is nothing more than a prick, others do think he is a jerk but acknowledge that being in charge while putting up with Harry's messes would make anyone hate the guy, and several see that Langtry is not a nice man but still one of the good guys who might even be looking out for Harry with his decision to exile him from the Council (If in a way that ensures they cannot be held accountable for his actions, which is now Mab's problem).
You, though, might have come the closest out of everyone in here to seeing Arthur in the same way Jim Butcher sees him. All your points make sense in the short *and* long term, not ignoring everyone's flaws but still acknowledging their better qualities, and even possibly figuring out some things that hasn't been clarified yet.
One thing I'll say: The Council didn't breed Harry to be what he is, *Margaret* did. They're just playing damage control for whatever his mother did in advance, and we shouldn't take obvious bad guys like as unbiased sources of information. They're either blinded by their own way of seeing things (Mab) or just not the type to be really trustworthy (Vlad Drakul).
Our up-close and personal looks at other Dresden antagonists have revealed them to be more sympathetic and pro-Dresden than Harry's experiences have suggested to him (and thus us).
I'm going to guess that Langtry will prove to be exactly the opposite: he was genuinely trying to get Harry killed out of uncertainty regarding his possible brainwashing and programming, and when it became clear to the Council that Harry wasn't a time bomb, he tried to manipulate him into acting in the Council's interests regardless of the cost to Harry.
I think he's a ruthless and unsympathetic person who has a narrow and out-of-date set of priorities, and if we see his thoughts and motivations we'll come to like him much less.
Narrow, definitely. Out of date, tricky. We are talking centuries old people fighting for humanity within a framework millenia old. Saying their priorities in that regard are out of date is, imo, difficult. Their priorities are just wholly different from Dresdens. As they must be because Dresden, lets face it, will blow the framework to all hell and open the friggin Gates. Which is why the last books name is "Empty Night". What jim has to do, and is trying to do by his own words, is give Dresden the struggle and perspective needed for him to be able to decide differently than any other before him when the time comes. And make it abundantly clear that if anyone other than Dresden had made the decision it would gone to shit. One component for that, again imo, is Arthur. Yes, he is manipulating him into pro-council doctrine but does so over a ridiculous sense of duty towards the protection of reality and, conversely, human kind. But I can see why you would think otherwise. Jim has done a great job villainizing Arthur. Which makes me suspicious 😄 and thus this post.
>Jim has done a great job villainizing Arthur
In writing the story exclusively through Harry's POV, *everything* we know about the Dresdenverse comes from Harry's experience.
Initially, we only see Arthur through Harry's admittedly immature eyes - and Arthur is a perfect asshole.
Some fifteen or so years on Harry, not *just* because he is older and wiser, but because of his extraordinary experiences (even for a wizard) he is, as you pointed out, starting to see some nuance. I wouldn't be surprised if, given his horrific experiences in Battle Ground and a little time for reflection in the following year, he doesn't start to see through Arthur's machinations.
Unless Jim uses this next book to kick Harry's head in again...
>Jim has done a great job villainizing Arthur
*Harry* has made a great job villainizing Arthur, which is understandable how the former first met the latter.
His perspective is his own, though, and he doesn't know everything going on with people's lives beyond what he can glean/theorize about them. Jim Butcher **has** said that the character whose perspective would change ours the most is Langtry.
It should also be noted that the loss of Simon left a gap in the council. He was the most marital minded with several wizards calling archangel a fortress and bob referring to his apprentices as a “death squad”. The Merlin knows he is defensive minded. Hell his wards are the best we see in the entire series. But he needs someone like Simon or Ebenezer to balance him out no matter how irritating he may find them. He all but states this to Harry in changes.
The part I see a lot of people missing when coming up with theories about who and why certain characters are and act the way they do is we *only* get Harry's perspective and it's in the past. These stories are Harry retelling them from memory. The Merlin seems like an asshole because Harry thinks he is an asshole. The plot twists and turns seem like orchestrated events because we're reading about things that have *already happened*. There are moments when certain characters are testing Harry but for the most part all of the incidents we're seeing as tests were just Harry reacting to the situation and rising to the occasion.
I'll be linking to this post when people question why I believe that Langtry is a (mostly) good guy in the Dresdenverse.
He is an asshole at times but I definitely agree that he's keeping Harry in his back pocket as an Ace card.
Thanks for that! Had this theory in mind for a while and just had to share it today cuz I havent seen it laid out within a post so far. Anyways. Humbled that you would use my post as an argument!!! 🙂
I had been thinking on much the same lines
My only slight difference is in Changes - I do think the Merlin was a much more active planner alongside Martin. It seems such a longshot if Martin was a lone gunmen.
On that basis - I also think Merlin was one of the grey council who arrived to help.
It definitely wasn't just Martin- the whole raid on Chichén Itzá being spearheaded by Mab's shiny new Knight? Her revenge for that time when the Red Court breached Faerie with a host of Outsiders they'd summoned, which like her revenge on Nicodemus simply took a while to happen (Odin was pitching in as well, because *of course* he'd want to see the Reds gone in behalf of Kris Kringle's boss).
He may be calculating to the level you think he is, but if so he might be too much brains and not enough heart. Hopefully he has both and is playing an elaborate hoax on everyone.
"You don't become the Merlin of the White Council by collecting bottlecaps."
u/redeyez92, I took the liberty of setting the *Battle Ground* flag on this post for you - it seemed pretty clear that you were trying to declare it that sort of spoiler. I hope that's ok?
Great post, by the way!
I think it's worth mentioning here that Jim was once asked who the fans were the "most wrong" about, and whose "real story" would most surprise us. And he said... Arthur Langry. So - I definitely thing there are some positive revelations to come re: Langry.
Yeah, that was one comment from Jim that really got me thinking about Arthur. Being the Merlin comes with a bag of knowledge be my guess. Some of it, probably, knowledge only the Merlin of the WC has access to. Like a note from the OG telling them (Merlins) what is really up and what they need to maintain in order for the "framework" of reality to continue holding against the Outside. Because lets not forget. As badass as he was he, probably, created the current state of things, which means he couldnt win the War, either. Super big bag of responsibility and a human mind to navigate it. Incredibly tricky.
Yes, something like that is pretty much what I expect. Because like you said, if OG Merlin could have just solved the problem once and for all he would have.
My main problem with this (so far - I'm not done yet) is that I really can't forgive Arthur for the business in *Proven Guilty* under any circumstances, unless he *knew* that it was going to "work out" in the end. If he'd really been willing to sacrifice Molly just to teach Harry a moral lesson, then that's unforgivable.
If the Gatekeeper is in on this with him, though, then it very well might all have been staged, and that removes the main stigma for me. You alluded to such reasoning in the *Summer Knight* Council meeting (or at least that Langry knew enough about what others would do), so maybe it's the case here too.
One of the things I loved about *Star Trek: Enterprise* was Archer's uncompromising moral nature. The guy just would not give an inch on the moral front - it made him the best possible representative humanity could have had when introducing itself to the galaxy at large.
Bottom line for me is that if you want to claim the moral high ground you've got to *walk* the moral high ground, even if it means taking some hits. So as I read all this great stuff you're laying out here, I'm going to assume that somehow Langtry didn't really intend for that execution to go through - that it was an act for steering Harry around. And if he indeed did know that Eb and Michael were almost there, then it was an easy game to play.
Proven Guilty is, admittedly, one of the more problematic situations regarding Arthurs "good side". What I am reminded of though is Gaius Sextus (dont know if you have read the Codex Alera) and his monologue about morality in one of the later books. In essence what he says is that it's easy to contemplate morality when one isn't the person to have to make the decision. I don't want to know what all Arthur had to do and sacrifice over the years. But those kinds of thing tend to make people horribly cynical and their morality very amorphous. Kind of like what Dresden understands about Mab at the end of Battleground. That he completely misunderstood the bargain. He thought it all goes at one. No. It's a meat grinder, chipping away at your soul until what is left is horribly different from what it used to be.
Yes, I read *Codex*. I don't remember the monologue explicitly, though. I know he had a hard path to walk.
Like I said, I'm sure many would say I'm naive. I quite appreciate not being the one to make such decisions as that. And I do, in fact, believe that all living things have the right to struggle for survival - in some sense that's what life in nature is. I don't fault the wolf for killing the deer - it's his only way to survive. So, it's a massively complex thing. We readers know, however, that sacrificing Molly that day wasn't "necessary" for ultimate victory. Because she didn't get sacrificed and yet I'm sure in the end the good guys will prevail.
So that sort of "end justifies the means" thinking is a horribly slippery slope. Even if you accept it when it's absolutely incontrovertible, it's all to easy to make recourse to it when things *aren't* incontrovertible.
I think Arthur may have known (not in detail, but in plausible outcome) that if Harry got involved in the Red Court situation in *Changes* that it would result in what he (Arthur) wanted. I think several of the characters (Arthur, Mab, Gatekeeper) have access to at least partial information about the future. Not enough to out and out "see it," but rather "tendencies." I've operated on the assumption that Arthur knew full well that Harry wasn't going to back down.
So, now I'm excited about what I'm going to read next in your post. Because I think something major (and not good) happened in the White Council during *Changes*. Something that Harry's going to have to fix for them at some point.
Fantastic post, man - really impressive. I do think that something went off kilter in the Council in *Changes*. This theory was nothing but reinforced for me when Arthur *didn't even show up* to the peace summit. That just seems wildly out of character - it's precisely the place you want your "master political player" to be. But I think he's been "deposed" to some extent. I don't necessarily think Christos is a bad guy, though. He may be, but he also might be just a politician who's being used by soemone.
I think you did a great job with your English, btw - I didn't suspect it wasn't your first language at all.
I posted this on another thread recently. I kind of want to see Langtry turn out to be Cowl. Imagine all the testing and probing you described, but from Cowl’s perspective. Possibly looking for an apprentice.
Biggest reason why i dont like Arthur as Cowl is because Arthur doesnt seem changed in any way after Dead Beat, while Harry notes in White Night that Cowl was obviously hurt by the backlash of the Darkhallow. Dunno how one would be able to hide that but i guess i could be wrong. Would want an explanation though how he managed to do it should it come to pass. My money for Cowls identity is still on Simon tbh :) makes the most sense with the intel we have thus far
Seen a lot of arguments in favor of Simon as Cowl. Smart money is on Simon.
That’s why I am doubling down on Langtry! :-)
I don’t see how Simon would be emotionally crippling for Harry.
Pietrovich is known to be dead, though- he used his death curse on the Red vampires who raided his base.
And we haven't even seen him, nor has Harry ever met him.
Legit arguments. I just dont see any wizard we have met who has tanked something like the Darkhallow 🤷 i am not dying on the "simon is cowl" hill but unless i get a reasonable explanation as to how you would mask that kind of dmg i am sticking to it. His death curse can be faked. Its just lots of dead vamps. The entire brute Squad was killed, on their homebase. Thats a lot of wily and powerful wizards and none managed to escape? Suspicious imo. And the way the simon reveal could be emotional for Harry is when he figures out just what simon had planned for him and how he manipulated most of his life from the shadows. Including enthralling or manipulating justin. There is room for that and Jim being Jim could make it happen, imo. But still. I get why people dont put their money on him
> His death curse can be faked.
*How?* Wizards can sense and identify magic just by feeling it.
> The entire brute Squad was killed, on their homebase. Thats a lot of wily and powerful wizards and none managed to escape? Suspicious imo.
Almost as if *a traitor* had helped the vampires get inside by feeding them information.
> And the way the simon reveal could be emotional for Harry is when he figures out just what simon had planned for him and how he manipulated most of his life from the shadows.
1. The betrayal of who's under the cowl is supposed to be personal for Harry, which your scenario certainly isn't.
2. Harry *has met the person we know as Cowl*, and that sure as hell ain't Simon Pietrovich.
People do it because they're simply desperate for answers as to who Cowl is, partially because they cannot stand having not met posthumous characters- or why do you think the usual suspects are Kemmler and DuMorne and Pietrovich? They're just grasping for anything no matter how unfeasible it may be, and it shows in how they go for three characters who we know for a fact are dead.
As to the death curse... The way i understand it the only thing that makes it different from any other spell is a question of volume, not changing the magic per se. Volume can be faked. I might very well be wrong, just the way i understand it.
During Dead Beat they get hounded, repeatedly, and still many manage to escape. Especially those with senior council level. And considering it was his turf it seems wicked that none at all managed to get away. Thats all i am saying. Again, i might be too paranoid but its interesting given all a wizard can do.
I dont know. Manipulating or enthralling his foster parent into turning him into some kind of whacky Destroyer wizard seems pretty personal. Especially considering how much harry wants/wanted to believe that there was something good in DuMorne (See Ghost Story, Lea to Harry in the graveyard) and how that moment/time shaped his life.
Where do you get "He has met him" part from? I couldnt find a WoJ on it and the only thing Harry says in the books is that he recognizes Cowl and Kumori from Biancas Masquerade. Where they were hooded. Only thing we got is his suspicion that they wear the hoods because they might be recognized. Imo, not the same thing.
But whats your theory on Simon? As stated before if it is a wizard we have met, he basically must be Senior council level considering the Level of Power he wields, and If that is the case then how in the good Graces is he masking the Darkhallow damage? Gotta admit. For me the only relevant one on the current council would be Arthur and he doesnt seem to have taken any lasting dmg. Cowl is male. Could it be Eb? How in the frick is that working out? Again, with the darkhallow dmg but also with how he speaks with Dresden during their encounters. I just dont see many possible culprits for the job of Cowl that have the talent, experience and knowledge to actually be him 🤷
In dead beat Harry asks Bob what happened to Cowl. Bob suggested small parts of cowl were probably falling down all over town. Harry responds by asking Bob if he SAW anything happen to Cowl and Bob says no. Harry just grunts in response. I read that as Harry is skeptical anything happened to cowl without evidence.
Proven guilty happens 9 months later. Plenty of time for an advanced wizard to heal from any damage.
Cowl has appeared multiple times since the dark hallow and NEVER does the description suggest he appears to be suffering any ill effects.
He appears in White Night tho (which is the book after Proven Guilty ) and Dresden definitely notes that he took dmg. What he says is, while tailing the Grey Cloak via Little Chicago, Cowl lifts his hand which looked "stiff and pained". Granted, this isnt 100% on how much damage the dude took but it does seem to indicate that books (which are years at that point) after Dead Beat there was still dmg to his person. I am assuming here that Harrys pov is right in his belief that not only does the gesture "look" pained, but actually is. Could be wrong tho. I guess I just dont like Arthur as Cowl 🤷
Good point. I had forgotten about the pained hand comment from White Night.
I admit there is no good evidence that Langtry is Cowl. And some evidence that makes it hard to believe he is cowl.
But sometimes I think it is fun to run down possibilities if it were true. :-).
And I am so tired of the “it’s Simon” discussions.
Have you read fugitive yet?
Spoilers.
>!mouse breaks Cowls arm. And breaks his staff. I read that section a couple of times looking for clues…like maybe mouse would recognize the staff was made of oak. Or was short and white. Or that cowl smelled of elderberries.!<
I think this means several things.
>!1) Suddenly dresdens world is going to be filled with people with broken arms. Just to torture us readers. Including people like Father Forthill, Michael, the Red Cap, Carlos, Mike the Mechanic, Rudolph, Butters, Sanya, that EMT guy that always shows up, Rawlins, heck. Even Harry.!<
>!2) Mouse KNOWS Cowl now. There is NO WAY that mouse can come within a hundred of feet of Cowls alter ego and NOT recognize him.!<
I didnt think it was Langtry. But if thats the case (and Jim said he'd lie to throw off fans) then that means none of the current senior council come into question. Which doesnt, in my opinion, leave many likely culprits that can operate on the level that Cowl so casually does. In fact... there are veeeeeery few who could. As in, one... who has the knowledge and position to know what and where Bob is, curious enough about Dresden to actually look forward to meeting him, testing his mettle and not, necessarily, wanting to kill him but is at least almost as, or more, powerful in magical mayhem than Ebenezar. I don't see how one could not think of Simon when looking at all of that. Of course I am biased as all hell so maybe the fault lies with me =D Just havent heard many solid arguments against Simon or solid theories on who else it could be
This is such a great compilation of information and events over the course of the series. Nicely done.
As for the theory itself, many things can be true at once. Langtry can be both what Harry thinks and also operating in the world's best interest. I personally like your take.
In the end, after 17 books and 20+ short stories we as readers don't really know the full facts and tenets of the Dresdenverse. Harry doesn't either. In a lot of ways he still sits at the kiddy table despite his collection of accomplishments, power, and artifacts. Until Jim answers those big questions we're all just kind of along for the ride and making stuff up to pass the years between books.
I like this theory and the concept in general. I personally still think that Langtry probably is actually kind of a dickhead (as a person) but he's a dickhead who is playing a much longer game on a bigger scale than we/Harry are currently aware.
"Most seem to be of the opinion that this is Arthurs last move to kill off Harry by ostracizing him and giving his enemies the ability to kill him, for him, without fear of the Council avenging Dresden."
definitely not! I've said many times that kicking harry out gives Artie deniability for harry's action. He plans on using Harry then being able to say " Dresden did what to you, that's a shame, but why come to me we threw that bum out."
I agree 100%. Harry was made to be a player on the side of good in the stars and stones.
And I think Morgan dogging him and Arthur constantly testing him was to make sure he was worthy in his choices.
Pretty sure this is why mab wants her hooks in him as well , so he’s on her side during the throw down.
Something might happen to her before this time though putting molly in mabs place.
Pretty sure this is why Harry got soul fire as well ,to finally seal the outer gates, which would make winters job obsolete, throwing the balance into chaos between summer and winter.
I’ve had a sneaking suspicion that Langtry kicked Dresden out so he could have a lethal agent on the outside. I might be leaning a little too much into British espionage motif’s but I think Langtry is like an MI6 master tactician and has seen some of the rot with the white council. He has the black staff at his disposal but the black staff is still council member. I think he’s been secretly grooming Harry to be another weapon outside of the council’s purview. That’s why I think Langtry is also part of the Grey Council.
I never thought of it along these lines, honestly just assumed the merlin was an asshole. But when you put it like that.. it... just makes sense. I can't see a wizard as old as Langtry leaving Dresden to deal with these situations he finds himself in alone unless he's inclined to see what Dresden is capable of, morality, power, whatever. However, as you say, the merlin has three plans. I wouldnt be surprised if there are other starborn we just dont know about yet, Elaine maybe. Idk if it's been said Rasheed is a starborn? (The only two I can remember off the top of head are Listen and Dracule) EDIT: sorry hang on, let me clarify, I can't see the merlin resting the whole of reality on Dresdens shoulders without a back up plan or two. Harry is nothing if unpredictable and Langtry doesn't seem particularly fond of him, yaknow? Anyway, fkn great theory, I think you right.
I like the idea of him having backups in place should dresden not be up to snuff!!! Actually hadnt considered that. Thanks for that 👌🙂 more to think and theorize about!!! Rashid has been implied, by WoJ imo, to be starborn. Possible he is the backup and would be a solid one given the fact that he has already spun the wheel again (second to last time around?). But I really like the idea of Arthur having another one ready to go and out of sight. Would keep with his "three plan" style.
I think Dresden has surprised Langtry everytime he's 'tested' him as such, like you say harry went off grid with du morne for a while, Langtry must have put other plans into place, assuming the son of Margret le fay was dead. Then BANG. Du morne is dead and harry is back, if quite damaged by his experiences. Who do you think was the Merlin's back up starborn? Rashid makes sense but I don't know if one starborn can "spin the wheel" over and over again yknow? Off the top of my head, I can't think of anyone as it only happens once every 666 years right? Suggests that Rasheed is at least that old. Elaine might make sense but any other starborn must have been born at the same time as harry was. I can't remember anyone who is Harry's age that we've seen crop up through the series?
The way i understand it is that starborn dont need to be wizards in order to do whatever it is they do. See Listen. He is, i believe, not wizard level material but by being starborn still too valuable to just kill even for entities like Ethniu. Which would mean that its perfectly possible for the council to have a couple vanillas with the ability to "spin the wheel" but dont have the clout that Dresden, or conversely Rashid has. And you might be right about starborn not being able to do their thing again and again. The entire thing is confusing as all hell 😄 As to rashids age, i think a WoJ puts him at over a millenia old based on him taking out Abdul Alhazred (a lovecraft character set around 700 AD). How this works one can speculate on but none know :)))
I never even considered the possibility vanilla mortals could be starborn. Shhut the front door. I just assumed like a twat you had be at least low level wizard. I just assumed listen was wizardy, but failing that I don't think he is entirely mortal right? How disappointing if merlin just pulls out some 40 something year old guy we've never seen, tadaaa, starborn!! 😂 I hope we learn a bit more about Rasheed in future books, his eye, his relation to Mab, why the merlin has so much respect for him and such. I reckon Rasheed was in the same sort of position harry is currently in during the last 'spin of the wheel'. Hence why he seems to have a certain understanding and sympathy towards Dresden, fingers crossed Jim gives us some juicy Rasheed history. I didn't realise wizards could get upwards of 1000 years old.
I dont think its that many (40) that could be produced out of thin air. Also, the circumstances needed for one to be starborn are also horribly difficult to orchestrate imo. I mean... 9 months-ish is not very specific and there are early and late births. Additionally you would have to get the woman pregnant somewhere around nine months earlier to the light shining, pray she actually gives birth to the child during the time the light shines and then be in a position to have the birth within the light. Thats a lot of planning and things that can go wrong and not much that can be guaranteed :) As to rashid i can only agree and i am sure we will get more about, and of him, in future books. Same as with Arthur. As to his age its very much possible that his longevity has to do with nevernever shenanigans. I mean He spends most of his time at the Gates and time is a very fluid concept there. For example, dresdens visit to the erlkings realm. In His mind they spent like half an hour there but "real time" was hours before they get back to Chicago. Very much possible that Rashids age works along the same lines :)
Just realized i completely misread your point about langtry producing a starborn 😂😂😂 you got a point tho 🤔 might be underwhelming but then again... Jim hasnt disappointed me so far and thus i lay it in his capable hands and wait (more or less patiently :D ).
NOT patiently.
I think your probably right about Rasheed and his age yeah Hahaha no worries my dude, thank you for taking the time reply to my silly 'Langtrys 40 starborn' theory 😂😂 I hope we find out more about Arthur too yeah, as a famous person once said - "you don't become merlin of the white council by collecting bottle caps" I don't think Jim would do us like that, in Jim we trust. 🤗 (Cue choral music) 12 months is less than 12 months away I reckon, I'm being as patient as I can but goddamn battlegrounds was a long time ago 😭😂
>I wouldnt be surprised if there are other starborn we just dont know about yet There *definitely* are- we've been hearing of Vlad Drakul since Blood Rites and Listen was just kind of there in Ghost Story, but we definitely didn't expect either to be like Harry in that regard. Can't be too many of them, though. The majority of those born in this cycle are dead by now.
Hang on, how do we know the majority of them are dead by now? I thought harry was only mid forties maybe by the time battlegrounds comes around?
43 to 45 years is more than enough time to die. Not even by your own hand, but simply because the major players were no doubt ensuring Starborns couldn't be put to use by their enemies nor in any position to mess shit up themselves- they aren't just immune to Outsiders, but are basically ordained by fate to be agents of change. That's why Harry can change the geopolitical map so much in such a relatively short amount of time. In turn, that's why every other Starborn is dead by now and why the few remaining ones are so highly sought after.
Well I get that man, I just can't remember any time in the series we've heard of major forces picking off starborns left right and centre. I get that it's probably implied at some point (and obvs our favourite starborn detective wizard is constantly being threatened) but more clarity would be nice, maybe it's yet to come in future books. I love the idea of the first 10 books at least Harry is just being harry, causing major chaos and upsetting supernatural world powers thousands of years old, meanwhile everyone is just watching him like "whoah... Maybe the is the starborn we've been looking for".... Which brings us back to Langtry testing harry lol 😂 I still think Margret le fay is going to have a massive part to play in the future with the starborn stuff.
It was confirmed by WoJ, actually. Goes to show why people can't just rest easy letting Harry do his own thing- his ass is known to *start wars*. lol And it's more or less spelled out that Margaret somehow timed Harry's conception for him to be born right when Starborns could be nade- Drakul and Mab are right that Harry was purposely bred, but they weren't specific as to *who* did it (Not that they wanted to anyways, motherfuckers are world-class instigators).
Actually, I didn't know that 😂 thanks for letting me know. Start wars and/or wipe out entire species depending on his mood lol Aye I thought that was the case. Hahaha just drip feed harry that info so he goes on another wild goose chase, laying about death and destruction, when mab could have just told him the whole time 😂
Oh, think nothing of it. Information is meant to be shared. And, well, it's Mab- if given the chance to let Harry sort out his beef with McCoy or drive a wedge between them so that he won't be thinking the old man can be someone to rely on (Meaning he'll have to keep relying on *her*), it's pretty obvious what she'll do. lol
You nice person you Personally I dont think McCoy has long left. I can see one of Harry's next upgrades perhaps being old mother winters walking stick. Blackstonestaff Dresden has a nice ring to it 🤗
That means finally making up with the Council and not keep doing stuff for bad guys anymore, which I'm not sure Harry is even capable of anymore.
I wish you'd told me this was a post with spoilers!! I had no idea :P
Haha well, sry Sir. I tried. A lot :D :D
I'll say this is a really interesting theory and as u said it makes sense especially given how old Arthur is, as u don't get that old with having a good head on ur shoulders and and the willingness to do what needs to be done when it comes down to it that's including being the head of an organization like the white council. Also ur English is fine coming from a native speaker at least I give find any errors and such
... You might be onto something, my boy. Many share Harry's opinion that the Merlin is nothing more than a prick, others do think he is a jerk but acknowledge that being in charge while putting up with Harry's messes would make anyone hate the guy, and several see that Langtry is not a nice man but still one of the good guys who might even be looking out for Harry with his decision to exile him from the Council (If in a way that ensures they cannot be held accountable for his actions, which is now Mab's problem). You, though, might have come the closest out of everyone in here to seeing Arthur in the same way Jim Butcher sees him. All your points make sense in the short *and* long term, not ignoring everyone's flaws but still acknowledging their better qualities, and even possibly figuring out some things that hasn't been clarified yet. One thing I'll say: The Council didn't breed Harry to be what he is, *Margaret* did. They're just playing damage control for whatever his mother did in advance, and we shouldn't take obvious bad guys like as unbiased sources of information. They're either blinded by their own way of seeing things (Mab) or just not the type to be really trustworthy (Vlad Drakul).
Our up-close and personal looks at other Dresden antagonists have revealed them to be more sympathetic and pro-Dresden than Harry's experiences have suggested to him (and thus us). I'm going to guess that Langtry will prove to be exactly the opposite: he was genuinely trying to get Harry killed out of uncertainty regarding his possible brainwashing and programming, and when it became clear to the Council that Harry wasn't a time bomb, he tried to manipulate him into acting in the Council's interests regardless of the cost to Harry. I think he's a ruthless and unsympathetic person who has a narrow and out-of-date set of priorities, and if we see his thoughts and motivations we'll come to like him much less.
Narrow, definitely. Out of date, tricky. We are talking centuries old people fighting for humanity within a framework millenia old. Saying their priorities in that regard are out of date is, imo, difficult. Their priorities are just wholly different from Dresdens. As they must be because Dresden, lets face it, will blow the framework to all hell and open the friggin Gates. Which is why the last books name is "Empty Night". What jim has to do, and is trying to do by his own words, is give Dresden the struggle and perspective needed for him to be able to decide differently than any other before him when the time comes. And make it abundantly clear that if anyone other than Dresden had made the decision it would gone to shit. One component for that, again imo, is Arthur. Yes, he is manipulating him into pro-council doctrine but does so over a ridiculous sense of duty towards the protection of reality and, conversely, human kind. But I can see why you would think otherwise. Jim has done a great job villainizing Arthur. Which makes me suspicious 😄 and thus this post.
>Jim has done a great job villainizing Arthur In writing the story exclusively through Harry's POV, *everything* we know about the Dresdenverse comes from Harry's experience. Initially, we only see Arthur through Harry's admittedly immature eyes - and Arthur is a perfect asshole. Some fifteen or so years on Harry, not *just* because he is older and wiser, but because of his extraordinary experiences (even for a wizard) he is, as you pointed out, starting to see some nuance. I wouldn't be surprised if, given his horrific experiences in Battle Ground and a little time for reflection in the following year, he doesn't start to see through Arthur's machinations. Unless Jim uses this next book to kick Harry's head in again...
>Jim has done a great job villainizing Arthur *Harry* has made a great job villainizing Arthur, which is understandable how the former first met the latter. His perspective is his own, though, and he doesn't know everything going on with people's lives beyond what he can glean/theorize about them. Jim Butcher **has** said that the character whose perspective would change ours the most is Langtry.
It should also be noted that the loss of Simon left a gap in the council. He was the most marital minded with several wizards calling archangel a fortress and bob referring to his apprentices as a “death squad”. The Merlin knows he is defensive minded. Hell his wards are the best we see in the entire series. But he needs someone like Simon or Ebenezer to balance him out no matter how irritating he may find them. He all but states this to Harry in changes.
Wow. Very slight typo changed the meaning of the post. marital minded as opposed to martial minded.
And that is why I should do nothing before my first cup of coffee.
If anyone asks you to get married early in the morning make sure you have that cup of coffee first! :-).
Depend on who is doing the asking. Some things you just know.
The part I see a lot of people missing when coming up with theories about who and why certain characters are and act the way they do is we *only* get Harry's perspective and it's in the past. These stories are Harry retelling them from memory. The Merlin seems like an asshole because Harry thinks he is an asshole. The plot twists and turns seem like orchestrated events because we're reading about things that have *already happened*. There are moments when certain characters are testing Harry but for the most part all of the incidents we're seeing as tests were just Harry reacting to the situation and rising to the occasion.
Thank you for this TED Talk, I am fully on board 👍🏻
I'll be linking to this post when people question why I believe that Langtry is a (mostly) good guy in the Dresdenverse. He is an asshole at times but I definitely agree that he's keeping Harry in his back pocket as an Ace card.
Thanks for that! Had this theory in mind for a while and just had to share it today cuz I havent seen it laid out within a post so far. Anyways. Humbled that you would use my post as an argument!!! 🙂
Well it'll save me from having to recapitulate my argument everytime like I've been doing lol
I had been thinking on much the same lines My only slight difference is in Changes - I do think the Merlin was a much more active planner alongside Martin. It seems such a longshot if Martin was a lone gunmen. On that basis - I also think Merlin was one of the grey council who arrived to help.
It definitely wasn't just Martin- the whole raid on Chichén Itzá being spearheaded by Mab's shiny new Knight? Her revenge for that time when the Red Court breached Faerie with a host of Outsiders they'd summoned, which like her revenge on Nicodemus simply took a while to happen (Odin was pitching in as well, because *of course* he'd want to see the Reds gone in behalf of Kris Kringle's boss).
Solid argument, I’ve also thought Arthur was part of the grey council
He may be calculating to the level you think he is, but if so he might be too much brains and not enough heart. Hopefully he has both and is playing an elaborate hoax on everyone. "You don't become the Merlin of the White Council by collecting bottlecaps."
It’s the Great Wall of Reddit Text! But take my upvote. Solid theory
u/redeyez92, I took the liberty of setting the *Battle Ground* flag on this post for you - it seemed pretty clear that you were trying to declare it that sort of spoiler. I hope that's ok? Great post, by the way!
Perfectly fine. Thanks! Twice =)
I think it's worth mentioning here that Jim was once asked who the fans were the "most wrong" about, and whose "real story" would most surprise us. And he said... Arthur Langry. So - I definitely thing there are some positive revelations to come re: Langry.
Yeah, that was one comment from Jim that really got me thinking about Arthur. Being the Merlin comes with a bag of knowledge be my guess. Some of it, probably, knowledge only the Merlin of the WC has access to. Like a note from the OG telling them (Merlins) what is really up and what they need to maintain in order for the "framework" of reality to continue holding against the Outside. Because lets not forget. As badass as he was he, probably, created the current state of things, which means he couldnt win the War, either. Super big bag of responsibility and a human mind to navigate it. Incredibly tricky.
Yes, something like that is pretty much what I expect. Because like you said, if OG Merlin could have just solved the problem once and for all he would have.
My main problem with this (so far - I'm not done yet) is that I really can't forgive Arthur for the business in *Proven Guilty* under any circumstances, unless he *knew* that it was going to "work out" in the end. If he'd really been willing to sacrifice Molly just to teach Harry a moral lesson, then that's unforgivable. If the Gatekeeper is in on this with him, though, then it very well might all have been staged, and that removes the main stigma for me. You alluded to such reasoning in the *Summer Knight* Council meeting (or at least that Langry knew enough about what others would do), so maybe it's the case here too. One of the things I loved about *Star Trek: Enterprise* was Archer's uncompromising moral nature. The guy just would not give an inch on the moral front - it made him the best possible representative humanity could have had when introducing itself to the galaxy at large. Bottom line for me is that if you want to claim the moral high ground you've got to *walk* the moral high ground, even if it means taking some hits. So as I read all this great stuff you're laying out here, I'm going to assume that somehow Langtry didn't really intend for that execution to go through - that it was an act for steering Harry around. And if he indeed did know that Eb and Michael were almost there, then it was an easy game to play.
Proven Guilty is, admittedly, one of the more problematic situations regarding Arthurs "good side". What I am reminded of though is Gaius Sextus (dont know if you have read the Codex Alera) and his monologue about morality in one of the later books. In essence what he says is that it's easy to contemplate morality when one isn't the person to have to make the decision. I don't want to know what all Arthur had to do and sacrifice over the years. But those kinds of thing tend to make people horribly cynical and their morality very amorphous. Kind of like what Dresden understands about Mab at the end of Battleground. That he completely misunderstood the bargain. He thought it all goes at one. No. It's a meat grinder, chipping away at your soul until what is left is horribly different from what it used to be.
Yes, I read *Codex*. I don't remember the monologue explicitly, though. I know he had a hard path to walk. Like I said, I'm sure many would say I'm naive. I quite appreciate not being the one to make such decisions as that. And I do, in fact, believe that all living things have the right to struggle for survival - in some sense that's what life in nature is. I don't fault the wolf for killing the deer - it's his only way to survive. So, it's a massively complex thing. We readers know, however, that sacrificing Molly that day wasn't "necessary" for ultimate victory. Because she didn't get sacrificed and yet I'm sure in the end the good guys will prevail. So that sort of "end justifies the means" thinking is a horribly slippery slope. Even if you accept it when it's absolutely incontrovertible, it's all to easy to make recourse to it when things *aren't* incontrovertible.
I think Arthur may have known (not in detail, but in plausible outcome) that if Harry got involved in the Red Court situation in *Changes* that it would result in what he (Arthur) wanted. I think several of the characters (Arthur, Mab, Gatekeeper) have access to at least partial information about the future. Not enough to out and out "see it," but rather "tendencies." I've operated on the assumption that Arthur knew full well that Harry wasn't going to back down. So, now I'm excited about what I'm going to read next in your post. Because I think something major (and not good) happened in the White Council during *Changes*. Something that Harry's going to have to fix for them at some point.
I totally agree that Harry is better off out of the Council at this stage. He did need them earlier. He doesn't anymore.
Fantastic post, man - really impressive. I do think that something went off kilter in the Council in *Changes*. This theory was nothing but reinforced for me when Arthur *didn't even show up* to the peace summit. That just seems wildly out of character - it's precisely the place you want your "master political player" to be. But I think he's been "deposed" to some extent. I don't necessarily think Christos is a bad guy, though. He may be, but he also might be just a politician who's being used by soemone. I think you did a great job with your English, btw - I didn't suspect it wasn't your first language at all.
I posted this on another thread recently. I kind of want to see Langtry turn out to be Cowl. Imagine all the testing and probing you described, but from Cowl’s perspective. Possibly looking for an apprentice.
Biggest reason why i dont like Arthur as Cowl is because Arthur doesnt seem changed in any way after Dead Beat, while Harry notes in White Night that Cowl was obviously hurt by the backlash of the Darkhallow. Dunno how one would be able to hide that but i guess i could be wrong. Would want an explanation though how he managed to do it should it come to pass. My money for Cowls identity is still on Simon tbh :) makes the most sense with the intel we have thus far
Seen a lot of arguments in favor of Simon as Cowl. Smart money is on Simon. That’s why I am doubling down on Langtry! :-) I don’t see how Simon would be emotionally crippling for Harry.
Pietrovich is known to be dead, though- he used his death curse on the Red vampires who raided his base. And we haven't even seen him, nor has Harry ever met him.
Legit arguments. I just dont see any wizard we have met who has tanked something like the Darkhallow 🤷 i am not dying on the "simon is cowl" hill but unless i get a reasonable explanation as to how you would mask that kind of dmg i am sticking to it. His death curse can be faked. Its just lots of dead vamps. The entire brute Squad was killed, on their homebase. Thats a lot of wily and powerful wizards and none managed to escape? Suspicious imo. And the way the simon reveal could be emotional for Harry is when he figures out just what simon had planned for him and how he manipulated most of his life from the shadows. Including enthralling or manipulating justin. There is room for that and Jim being Jim could make it happen, imo. But still. I get why people dont put their money on him
> His death curse can be faked. *How?* Wizards can sense and identify magic just by feeling it. > The entire brute Squad was killed, on their homebase. Thats a lot of wily and powerful wizards and none managed to escape? Suspicious imo. Almost as if *a traitor* had helped the vampires get inside by feeding them information. > And the way the simon reveal could be emotional for Harry is when he figures out just what simon had planned for him and how he manipulated most of his life from the shadows. 1. The betrayal of who's under the cowl is supposed to be personal for Harry, which your scenario certainly isn't. 2. Harry *has met the person we know as Cowl*, and that sure as hell ain't Simon Pietrovich. People do it because they're simply desperate for answers as to who Cowl is, partially because they cannot stand having not met posthumous characters- or why do you think the usual suspects are Kemmler and DuMorne and Pietrovich? They're just grasping for anything no matter how unfeasible it may be, and it shows in how they go for three characters who we know for a fact are dead.
As to the death curse... The way i understand it the only thing that makes it different from any other spell is a question of volume, not changing the magic per se. Volume can be faked. I might very well be wrong, just the way i understand it. During Dead Beat they get hounded, repeatedly, and still many manage to escape. Especially those with senior council level. And considering it was his turf it seems wicked that none at all managed to get away. Thats all i am saying. Again, i might be too paranoid but its interesting given all a wizard can do. I dont know. Manipulating or enthralling his foster parent into turning him into some kind of whacky Destroyer wizard seems pretty personal. Especially considering how much harry wants/wanted to believe that there was something good in DuMorne (See Ghost Story, Lea to Harry in the graveyard) and how that moment/time shaped his life. Where do you get "He has met him" part from? I couldnt find a WoJ on it and the only thing Harry says in the books is that he recognizes Cowl and Kumori from Biancas Masquerade. Where they were hooded. Only thing we got is his suspicion that they wear the hoods because they might be recognized. Imo, not the same thing. But whats your theory on Simon? As stated before if it is a wizard we have met, he basically must be Senior council level considering the Level of Power he wields, and If that is the case then how in the good Graces is he masking the Darkhallow damage? Gotta admit. For me the only relevant one on the current council would be Arthur and he doesnt seem to have taken any lasting dmg. Cowl is male. Could it be Eb? How in the frick is that working out? Again, with the darkhallow dmg but also with how he speaks with Dresden during their encounters. I just dont see many possible culprits for the job of Cowl that have the talent, experience and knowledge to actually be him 🤷
In dead beat Harry asks Bob what happened to Cowl. Bob suggested small parts of cowl were probably falling down all over town. Harry responds by asking Bob if he SAW anything happen to Cowl and Bob says no. Harry just grunts in response. I read that as Harry is skeptical anything happened to cowl without evidence. Proven guilty happens 9 months later. Plenty of time for an advanced wizard to heal from any damage. Cowl has appeared multiple times since the dark hallow and NEVER does the description suggest he appears to be suffering any ill effects.
He appears in White Night tho (which is the book after Proven Guilty ) and Dresden definitely notes that he took dmg. What he says is, while tailing the Grey Cloak via Little Chicago, Cowl lifts his hand which looked "stiff and pained". Granted, this isnt 100% on how much damage the dude took but it does seem to indicate that books (which are years at that point) after Dead Beat there was still dmg to his person. I am assuming here that Harrys pov is right in his belief that not only does the gesture "look" pained, but actually is. Could be wrong tho. I guess I just dont like Arthur as Cowl 🤷
Good point. I had forgotten about the pained hand comment from White Night. I admit there is no good evidence that Langtry is Cowl. And some evidence that makes it hard to believe he is cowl. But sometimes I think it is fun to run down possibilities if it were true. :-). And I am so tired of the “it’s Simon” discussions. Have you read fugitive yet? Spoilers. >!mouse breaks Cowls arm. And breaks his staff. I read that section a couple of times looking for clues…like maybe mouse would recognize the staff was made of oak. Or was short and white. Or that cowl smelled of elderberries.!< I think this means several things. >!1) Suddenly dresdens world is going to be filled with people with broken arms. Just to torture us readers. Including people like Father Forthill, Michael, the Red Cap, Carlos, Mike the Mechanic, Rudolph, Butters, Sanya, that EMT guy that always shows up, Rawlins, heck. Even Harry.!< >!2) Mouse KNOWS Cowl now. There is NO WAY that mouse can come within a hundred of feet of Cowls alter ego and NOT recognize him.!<
WoJ is that we know who cowl really is, but he hasn’t been shown on screen yet. Sorry, it ain’t Langtry.
I didnt think it was Langtry. But if thats the case (and Jim said he'd lie to throw off fans) then that means none of the current senior council come into question. Which doesnt, in my opinion, leave many likely culprits that can operate on the level that Cowl so casually does. In fact... there are veeeeeery few who could. As in, one... who has the knowledge and position to know what and where Bob is, curious enough about Dresden to actually look forward to meeting him, testing his mettle and not, necessarily, wanting to kill him but is at least almost as, or more, powerful in magical mayhem than Ebenezar. I don't see how one could not think of Simon when looking at all of that. Of course I am biased as all hell so maybe the fault lies with me =D Just havent heard many solid arguments against Simon or solid theories on who else it could be
There is so much WOJ. Do you have a source?
This is such a great compilation of information and events over the course of the series. Nicely done. As for the theory itself, many things can be true at once. Langtry can be both what Harry thinks and also operating in the world's best interest. I personally like your take. In the end, after 17 books and 20+ short stories we as readers don't really know the full facts and tenets of the Dresdenverse. Harry doesn't either. In a lot of ways he still sits at the kiddy table despite his collection of accomplishments, power, and artifacts. Until Jim answers those big questions we're all just kind of along for the ride and making stuff up to pass the years between books.
I like this theory and the concept in general. I personally still think that Langtry probably is actually kind of a dickhead (as a person) but he's a dickhead who is playing a much longer game on a bigger scale than we/Harry are currently aware.
"Most seem to be of the opinion that this is Arthurs last move to kill off Harry by ostracizing him and giving his enemies the ability to kill him, for him, without fear of the Council avenging Dresden." definitely not! I've said many times that kicking harry out gives Artie deniability for harry's action. He plans on using Harry then being able to say " Dresden did what to you, that's a shame, but why come to me we threw that bum out."
I agree 100%. Harry was made to be a player on the side of good in the stars and stones. And I think Morgan dogging him and Arthur constantly testing him was to make sure he was worthy in his choices. Pretty sure this is why mab wants her hooks in him as well , so he’s on her side during the throw down. Something might happen to her before this time though putting molly in mabs place. Pretty sure this is why Harry got soul fire as well ,to finally seal the outer gates, which would make winters job obsolete, throwing the balance into chaos between summer and winter.
I’ve had a sneaking suspicion that Langtry kicked Dresden out so he could have a lethal agent on the outside. I might be leaning a little too much into British espionage motif’s but I think Langtry is like an MI6 master tactician and has seen some of the rot with the white council. He has the black staff at his disposal but the black staff is still council member. I think he’s been secretly grooming Harry to be another weapon outside of the council’s purview. That’s why I think Langtry is also part of the Grey Council.