Will Marluxia Betray Xehanort?

Marluxia theories have surged in popularity ever since Lauriam was revealed, and even more since Marluxia was confirmed for Kingdom Hearts 3, so let’s make this Marluxia May and devote this month to theories about the “Graceful Assassin.”

I’ll start off with one of the biggest questions on my mind since that trailer: will Marluxia betray Xehanort?

The Seekers of Darkness are such a dubious collection of people, I wouldn’t be surprised if most of them turn on each other by the end, but Marluxia takes a special spot for being a known traitor in the past. He and Larxene seemed prime candidates for the “weakness of trust” that made certain members ineligible to be vessels.

But despite his ambiguous “the only Organization” line in the English trailer, the Japanese trailer makes it clear that Marluxia is referring to the true Organization XIII led by Master Xehanort.

In Chain of Memories, Marluxia planned to overthrow Xemnas. His plan is actually one of the better ones, using Naminé to manipulate Sora into doing what he wants. If he wasn’t happy with Xemnas’s leadership then, why would he be satisfied now? Part of the problem is that we don’t have a good grasp on Marluxia’s motivations.

Why did Marluxia rebel in the first place? There are a few possibilities:

1. He just wanted the Keyblade’s power for himself.
2. He thought they were fine without hearts.
3. He didn’t trust Xemnas.
4. He secretly knew the true plan and wanted to stop it.

He wanted the Keyblade’s power.

The first possibility is supported by 358/2 Days, where Marluxia seems in awe of Roxas’s powers and marvels at what could be done with it. If that was his only motive, his chances of rebellion against Xehanort are lower. As a vessel for Xehanort, it’s quite possibly he’ll gain the ability to use a Keyblade.

(Or regain it, since Laurium’s status as a Keyblade wielder is still up in the air.)

He didn’t want a heart.

The second possibility is supported by the novels, which are non-canon. If Marluxia doesn’t want a heart, it might not have much bearing on his loyalty to Xehanort. It could even be a positive thing, in his eyes – someone who wants to be emotionless might not be too opposed to becoming another person.

He didn’t trust Xemnas and/or knew the truth.

There isn’t much to support the final two possibilities, but they’re worth considering. If Marluxia thought Xemnas was lying to them or if he somehow found out they were all vessel candidates for Xehanort, those would be good reasons to take over.

They’d also make it much more likely that Marluxia will rebel against Master Xehanort.

Until we have a better understanding of Marluxia’s motivations and goals, it’s hard to say how he’ll handle the new Organization XIII. We also need to learn more about Lauriam, because knowing who Marluxia was before might help us understand him now.

What do you think? Will Marluxia turn against Xehanort? Why did he betray the Organization in the first place? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Tags: lauriam/marluxia