The following contains spoilers for Episode 12 of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, "Keep Marching On Instead of Running Off," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
When it comes to Mobile Suit Gundam anime, it can be difficult figuring out who to root for. As the series progresses, it becomes clear that both major sides of a conflict have moral shortcomings. The Witch from Mercury is no different in this regard.
By the end of Season 1, the line between good and evil became particularly blurry. Many people who were thought to be allies turned out to be enemies and vice-versa. Not only that but several factions in the Ad Stella timeline are poised to become major antagonistic forces for Suletta and Miorine to overcome. If they want to get by, they're going to need a good idea of who their friends and enemies are.
Who Are The Witch From Mercury's Prime Candidates for Final Antagonists?
Delling Rembran has all the makings of a major antagonist. He's a ruthless businessman, he's arrogant, firmly believes in social Darwinism, and even treats his own daughter like an asset. He's also directly responsible for the raid on the Vanadis Institute's lab on Fólkvangr, which saw the deaths of many innocent scientists and personnel; the only survivors, Elnora and Ericht Samaya, were forced into hiding and presumably became Prospera and Suletta Mercury, respectively. No matter what becomes of Delling in the future, these kinds of things can't simply be overlooked.
With that said, he has shown some redeeming qualities throughout Season 1, particularly regarding his family. He may act cold toward Miorine, but he was the first to invest in GUND-ARM Inc. and, later, provided advice and compliments on how she was running the company. He also protected her from shrapnel in the season finale while bringing up her mother; Miorine won't admit it outright, but she does want to get along with her father. It's possible that as The Witch from Mercury progresses, the audience will be given more information about Delling's past and, with that, find more redeeming qualities in him. Of course, he'll still have to answer for what happened at Vanadis.
Prospera seems to be moving in the opposite direction of Delling in terms of moral alignment. She started the series as Suletta's loving mother who only wanted what was best for her. Many fans have assumed that she's Elnora seeking revenge for the Vanadis Incident, but even if that's true, she still seemed to be in the right compared to Delling.
However, as Season 1 progressed, a darker side to Prospera was revealed. She keeps secrets, even from her own daughter, and kills without remorse. Many fans have also called her out on emotionally manipulating her daughter into being a cold-blooded killer; it's gotten to the point where some believe that her "move forward, gain two" is some sort of sleeper agent code for Suletta. This is all to say nothing of how she's meant to resemble Char "I never betrayed anyone in my life" Aznable. She clearly has ulterior motives, and they might not all be in Suletta's best interest.
Who Are the Other Major Antagonists of The Witch from Mercury?
Besides Delling and Prospera, a few more factions could end up causing serious trouble soon. Many of the subdivisions of Delling's Benerit Group seemed poised to make a big move in the arms race between them, including Grassley Defense Systems, Jeturk Heavy Machinery, and Peil Technologies; the CEOs of those organizations could accordingly become big threats. Dawn of Fold also caused a lot of trouble near the end of the season, though they seem more like Earthian antiheroes than straight villains; it's important to remember that Earthians are an oppressed minority in the Ad Stella timeline. Even if none of these groups turn out to be the final villains of the series, they are certainly worth keeping an eye on.
In all likelihood, none of the major factions in The Witch From Mercury are all good or all evil. As with most Gundam series, all sides involved will probably be covered in all kinds of shades of gray; this includes the people working for or leading those sides like Delling and Prospera. If Suletta and Miorine want to find true peace and happiness for themselves, they'll likely have to realize the ambiguous nature of the world and forge their own paths.