Respawn revealed its battle royale's next Legend -- Horizon -- after the Champion Edition trailer dropped. In a reveal like never before, Apex Legends' players were invited to the Firing Range to participate in diagnostic challenges. Once completed, transmissions confirmed Horizon as Season 7's new Legend.
In the Stories of the Outlands short "Promise," Dr. Mary Somers, aka Horizon, is betrayed on her mission to retrieve crystals. Her assistant cuts the cord attached to Horizon's pod, sending her whirling into a black hole. Based on a clue in the short and comments from previous seasons, fans have put together a pretty solid theory that suggests the unnamed assistant is Ash, the simulacrum from Titanfall 2.
After the assistant cuts the cord, she says, "Sorry... dearie," in a mocking tone. The word "dearie" first appeared in Season 5 after players assembled Ash in the quest "The Broken Ghost." As players navigate the creepy bunker in the finale, one of the statements Ash makes is, "A wee bit of betrayal before breakfast, eh, dearie?"
Flash forward to the unknown transmission log that premiered on Apex Legends' official Twitter: Horizon says, "A wee bit of betrayal [inaudible], eh, dearie?" among heavy static. The eerily similar messages point to a connection between Ash and Horizon, although the details of their relationship are still unknown.
This theory is strengthened in the sixth installment of Season 6's comic, when Blisk warns Ash that her "old friend" has returned. Given the betrayal, Blisk's statement is undoubtedly filled with sarcasm if Ash is, in fact, Horizon's former assistant.
"Promise" focuses on Horizon's assurances to return to her child, which she ultimately fails to do because of the betrayal. Much like Loba and Revenant's heated feud, Respawn may be introducing another complicated relationship between Horizon and Ash in Apex Legends.
Revenant's voice quips could also implicate him in this new dynamic. When interacting with Loba, Revenant sometimes says, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." Perhaps Revenant just makes this comment because he's a creepy dude, but this may be referencing Ash's repeated phrase "ashes to ashes" at the end of "The Broken Ghost" quest. Not to mention, Dust to Dust is an achievement that unlocks after defeating Ash the mission "Into The Abyss" in Titanfall 2.
Season 7 of Apex Legends launches on Nov. 4, right after the Fight or Fright event, which runs from Oct. 22 to Nov. 3. It's likely the upcoming season will provide players with more answers. For now, fans are sifting through clues, wondering if Horizon's similar-looking assistant really is Ash.