WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for The Dragon Prince Season 3, available now on Netflix.
From the start of the show, the plot of The Dragon Prince was incredibly ambitious. Tasked with returning a lost dragon egg to its mother in order to stop a war that would consume the continent, the half-brothers, Princes Ezran and Callum, paired up with the Moon Elf, Rayla on a journey that could decide the fate of millions. Now in Season 3, they've succeeded.
The Season 3 finale to The Dragon Prince has all the conclusivity of a show ready to end on a high note. It wrapped up the overarching plot involving the journey to return the egg (hatched into the adorable Zym) to his mother, and the Dragon Queen greeted her child amidst happily allied humans and elves willing at last to set their differences aside. But is this the end?
A few hanging threads in the plot don't seem to indicate as much. It is unclear at this point if the creators (known previously for Avatar: The Last Airbender and it's sequels series, The Legend of Korra) are sure themselves, as no contract deals or renewals have been announced. It could be that they designed the Season 3 finale in such a way that it could be a capstone to the series if they never have a chance to continue on, but in the (likely) event that Netflix decides to renew the animated series, there are plenty nagging plot threads waiting to be teased out.
First and foremost comes the fate of the series' main villain. Increasingly corrupted throughout the show, Lord Viren sacrificed himself to the cause of evil in the climax of the show, leaping over a cliffside and falling to his fate. However, in the very last scene of the season, he awakens in front of his daughter Claudia, her hair filled with shocks of white, who explains that she brought him back. When Viren inquires as to the fate of his disgusting evil centipede monster, Claudia points to a foreboding sight in the corner: its cocoon.
The cocooned monster has been acting as the avatar for the spirit of Aaravos, the series' Big Bad whose bigness and badness dwarfs Viren's own even as he puppeteers Viren's actions. Trapped in a prison behind a magical mirror, very little is known about Aaravos other than his desire for war, his corrupting influence and his powerful abilities with magic. Although the reason for his imprisonment is unknown, given that the mirror locking him away was found in the Dragon King and Queen's lair his offense must abominable to merit such extreme security measures.
Finding out Aaravos' backstory and building up his designs for the future would almost certainly be the focus of a Season 4 for The Dragon Prince. One interesting scrap of information provided about the villain thus far was an interview in which the creators drew a connection between the villain and Callum's cube that identifies magical sources. The item is called the "Key of Aaravos" and apparently unlocks something of great importance in Xadia.
One of the triumphs of The Dragon Prince is its ability to juggle big plot ideas right alongside interesting and ever-developing characters. While it's clear that Aaravos' schemes could well comprise the overarching problems the heroes are forced to face, what of the heroes themselves?
Callum and Rayla finally embraced their feelings for one another in Season 3, a steady build-up over time since the show began. While they started as apprehensive of one another and grew to be friends, the show's commitment to realism and three-dimensional characters is all but a promise that their relationship from here on out could not be just another "happily ever after." Rayla still needs to restore her honor in the place of her home, and Callum needs to continue to grow as a mage despite those in Xadia mistrusting his human nature.
Their individual pursuits could test the strength of the two characters' interest, and the fact that they no longer have a shared quest to bind them together raises a big question mark as to where they could go from here. If the brief hint at her commander Runaan's possible survival indicates anything further, he could well return to question Rayla's loyalty and romance with a human whose kingdom captured and tortured him.
Callum and Rayla's is not the only human/elf relationship hinted at, either. Season 3 established and built on a growing mutual respect between Callum's aunt Amaya, the armored military commander and sister of Katolia's fallen queen, and Janai, the Sunfire Elf whose life she saved at the season's start. Since relationships never truly end, watching the established romances grow or the planted ones spring up for the first time could be some of the most wholesome pleasures a possible Season 4 would offer.
But not everyone is quite so ooey-gooey about human/elf affairs. While the season's finale saw the Dragon Queen thrilled to see the two groups cooperating, the politics of the matter are far more complicated than a sudden alliance for peace that sweeps across the continent. Several of the human nations were fully prepared to march off to war, and with the sudden loss of their most powerful armies they stand in a vulnerable position. Many of the elvish nations have yet to even be seen, but even those introduced are quick to express their contempt for humankind.
There is no telling just how the Dragon Queen or her fledgling Dragon Prince would feel about one side of the continent attempting to invade the other. Since tensions still pervade all kingdoms, both human and elf, the world of The Dragon Prince is a powder keg waiting to blow. It could be that Aaravos emerging from his chrysalis is just the fire to spark a whole new future for the show -- one that we help we'll get to see.