As Dungeons & Dragons grew in popularity, it also spawned an animated television series of the same name. The show, which aired on CBS from 1983 to 1985, was a bigger success than people might remember, only fading from the zeitgeist because of its abrupt cancellation before its final episode could be produced, in part because of parents' ill-conceived complaints. That the series never received a proper conclusion was, of course, a disappointment to its fans, some of whom theorized (correctly) about a major plot twist.
Thankfully, the script for the unproduced finale, "Requiem," lives on, and it was even recorded radio play-style, with one of the original voice actors returning. "Requiem" not only provides closure to the main plot, but it also confirms a dominant fan theory having to do with the identity of the show's villain, an evil sorcerer named Venger.
In Dungeons & Dragons, six tweens and teenagers on a visit to an amusement park are magically transported to a fantasy realm when they board a D&D ride. They're outfitted with fantasy attire and weapons, and they encounter Dungeon Master, who cryptically helps them navigate their new environment and its many threats. While the six protagonists' main goal is to return home, they spend most of their time trying to out-maneuver Venger, the Force of Evil.
Aesthetically, Venger is one of the best and most intimidating villains in cartoon canon. At more than seven feet tall, he looms over the kids, even his stated rival, group leader and heroic archetype Hank. He sports a single devil-red horn, dragon-like wings, snakelike fangs, ghastly pale skin and he rides atop a flying, fire breathing black hell horse called Nightmare. Throughout the series, fans learn that Venger is at least a thousand years old and that he's killed countless visitors to the realm. In other words, for Hank, Diana and the rest of the group, the stakes are very real.
But there was something noticeably suspicious about the villain's backstory and sinister motivations. In the episode "The Dungeon at the Heart of Dawn," viewers learn that Venger serves a dark, powerful master known as the Nameless One. A few episodes later, in "Citadel of Shadow," it's revealed that Venger also has a sister, Karena, who he saw as a rival and imprisoned. The effects of her blue ring corrupted her, and turned her evil as well, at least until the six kids broke the ring's spell. But the biggest clue of all comes in "The Dragon's Graveyard," when Dungeon Master refers to Venger as "son."
Regular viewers of the series put two and two together, making the savvy educated guess that Venger was indeed Dungeon Master's son. Over the course of 27 episodes, it's established that Venger is humanoid, that he wasn't always evil and that he has family in the realm. The fact that Dungeon Master isn't always straightforwardly helpful also suggests he's keeping the kids in the realm for some unstated purpose. While the bigger question for audiences was whether or not the six would discover a portal home, the series ended without a resolution to the mystery surrounding Dungeon Master and Venger. The final pages of the script for "Requiem" tie up both of the audience's concerns with one neat bow.
Hank explains, "our mission in the realm wasn't to defeat Venger, it was to redeem him." In a reveal that has a great deal in common with Star Wars' Kylo Ren plotline (but preceded it by three decades) it becomes clear that a frustrated, younger Venger sought a more powerful master in the Nameless One, but that once he was under his influence, escape was impossible. The one feat the wise and skilled Dungeon Master was incapable of performing himself was returning his son to his previous form. Father and son are happily reunited and, with their mission complete, the kids (except for Presto, who wants to become a real wizard) are free to go home.