WARNING: The following contains spoilers for The 100 Season 7, Episode 1, "From the Ashes," which aired Wednesday on The CW.
The 100 Season 6 ended with plenty of major loose ends and cliffhangers, as the main characters reached the climax of their season-long struggle against the Primes ruling the faraway world of Sanctum. One of the biggest mysteries in the finale didn't directly relate to the Primes at all, but a sinister memento from the warring tribes of Earth: The Dark Commander Sheidheda, a murderous leader from generations ago, had his consciousness uploaded to a device known as the Flame.
The Flame had been passed down for generations, with each new leader having the device implanted to connect them to the memories and consciousnesses of leaders past. Protagonist Clarke Griffin had her own experience with the Flame before passing it to her adopted daughter Madi, in order to unite the factions before the last remnants of humanity left Earth -- again.
In the latter half of Season 6, while Madi was grieving the apparent death of Clarke, Sheidheda took advantage of her moment of weakness to seize control of Madi and go on a killing spree across Sanctum.
The 100 Season 6 finale ended with Raven Reyes purging the Flame from Madi to save her life. However, Raven detected Sheidheda had managed to upload himself to an unknown location before deletion. While Madi is still recovering from his influence, Season 7 wastes no time in revealing where exactly the Dark Commander has resurfaced: In the body of Prime leader Russell Lightbourne.
As a Prime, Russell possesses the same radiation-resistant blood as Clarke and Madi, making him susceptible to the consciousnesses within the Flame, including Sheidheda. Russell has been imprisoned for his crimes. His fellow Primes led a cult where they were revered as living gods for decades and transferred their consciousnesses to new host bodies to stay immortal, killing the original host's mind.
In a one-on-one conversation with Clarke, Russell reminds her he is responsible for the death of her mother Abby, sending Clarke into a rage that results in her knocking him out. While briefly unconscious, Russell's consciousness meets Sheidheda. The Dark Commander brutally murders him and fully takes control of Russell's body, in a sinister twist on what Russell and the Primes had been doing to their followers for years.
No one on Sanctum seems the wiser that Sheidheda has returned, nor have they noticed any visible changes in Russell's demeanor. While the Flame was implanted in Madi, she led the united tribes from Earth, though many of them remained in cryosleep during Season 6. In Russell's body, the Dark Commander has the potential to not only command the tribes under his leadership should he go public with his true identity, but also the remnants of the Primes' community that are still loyal.
Season 7 has already hit the ground running as it builds towards the series finale, wrapping up various loose ends. The biggest antagonists from Season 6 have come together to form what will likely be the overarching villain for the final season of the post-apocalyptic series. Fervent followers wait in the wings and tensions are running high. The Dark Commander will likely revel in the bloody chaos that's to come, as humanity gets one last chance at its continued survival.
The 100 stars Eliza Taylor, Marie Avgeropoulos, Bob Morley, Lindsey Morgan, Richard Harmon, Tasya Teles and Shannon Kook. The series airs on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW.