Though he might not be as remembered as other villains in the Final Fantasy franchise, Garland is still a particularly iconic figure in the Square Enix games. The villain of the original Final Fantasy, Garland has appeared in different forms in unrelated titles, and this possibly includes the upcoming Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. This terrifying knight clad in black armor has become almost as iconic as the series' Black Mages and Crystals of Light.
Stranger of Origin is set in the world of the first Final Fantasy, and apparently a prequel of sorts. Most recently, a trailer ended with the main character introducing himself as Jack Garland, supporting a popular fan theory that the game put players in the shoes of the fallen knight. Not much is known about Garland's life before his fall in Final Fantasy, though the game does give him a fairly definitive end.
Garland, the Knight of Cornelia
Haughty and conceited, Garland is the sometimes cackling, over-the-top villain of Final Fantasy 1. This mentality is backed up by his experience, with Garland having once been the greatest knight in all of the kingdom of Cornelia. This corrupted his mind and made him hungry for power, seeing him kidnap the kingdom's princess Sarah as ransom for the king to hand power over to him.
Garland's request is met by the might of the Four Heroes of Light, who defeat him and seemingly put an end to his plans. This is only the beginning of the adventure, however, as Garland causes a time loop through Four Fiends that attack the Four Heroes of Light. Through them and this time loop, Garland devises a way to live forever and potentially be free of the heroes, though this plan doesn't quite go as intended.
Followed to the past by the heroes, Garland absorbs the Four Fiends' power and transforms into Chaos. Upon his defeat, the time loop is broken, with the heroes potentially being met by a reformed Garland upon returning to the present. Though he would seem to have been a somewhat one-note villain, other games would establish Garland as still having some level of compassion, as well as remorse at seemingly being stuck in an endless loop in order to survive.
Garland's Legacy Throughout Final Fantasy
After the end of the original Final Fantasy, Garland and the Four Heroes aren't seen again. Their story would be somewhat retold in other games, namely spinoffs such as Dissidia Final Fantasy. The name Garland as well as the identity of the Chaos demon would show up again in other games in the series. Much like the recurring character of Sid, however, these variants are typically unrelated other than the name.
Garland is most recognizable from his suit of armor, which is typically a silver color with a purple cape. Also noticeable is his horned helmet, as well as his many times massive swords. This weapon and his bulky appearance influence his fighting style, which is heavy on tanking hits and doing horrendous damage through physical attacks.
The action-based RPG Stranger of Paradise is confirmed by the game's development team to be a prequel to the original Final Fantasy game, but it won't be based around the Four Heroes of Light. Instead, the protagonist is none other than a man named Jack Garland, who at the end of the game's most recent trailer is shown wearing the iconic horned armor. The plot of the game involves Garland bent on defeating the evil Chaos, with the events unfolding to show how Chaos becomes his alter-ego. Becoming a playable "hero" with likely more of a backstory will definitely help to flesh Garland out, hopefully putting him in the same realm as iconic Final Fantasy villains like Kafka and Sephiroth.