When the Assassin’s Creed series was in its early days, players were brought into the universe through the bartender-turned-Assassin Desmond Miles. He never knew about the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order, and Desmond never asked for the responsibility of saving the world. However, across each entry, Desmond slowly became ingrained in the Brotherhood, becoming an Assassin and ultimately sacrificing his life to save the planet. His death sent ripples through the narrative, making room for another protagonist to continue the story: Layla Hassan.
Whereas Desmond had five games to flesh out his story and let his character grow, Layla only had three. In those entries, Layla traveled the globe and uncovered yet another world-ending catastrophe on the horizon. Like Desmond, with the weight of the world resting on her shoulders, she decided to sacrifice herself, preventing the crisis. Though Layla’s decision was ultimately the best choice for the story, it leads to a feeling of wasted potential. With her skills and personality, Layla deserved more time in the series.
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Debuting in Assassin’s Creed Origins, Layla immediately displayed a competence Desmond lacked in his introduction, as evidenced by her drive and desire to learn by utilizing the Assassins Bayek and Aya. She almost immediately set herself apart from others, with her high intelligence playing a large part in uncovering how to relive the memories of Assassins with damaged DNA, a feat that was considered highly dangerous.
Origins and its sequel, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, took advantage of Layla’s intelligence and resourcefulness to create an adventure series mixed with elements from Tomb Raider. Desmond showed a great interest in gaining knowledge and often went on more covert assignments rather than spelunking or tomb raiding. Layla, on the other hand, is far more capable of exploring long-forgotten places. With a team of Assassins at her command, she explored the corners of the globe, finding amazing discoveries like the corpses of Aya and Eivor and the Staff of Hermes. Had her story continued for only a few more games, more amazing exploration could’ve been possible while simultaneously fleshing out the modern-day story.
Following Layla’s sacrifice at the end of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the game’s antagonist, Basim, regains his life through the staff of Hermes’ regenerative abilities and seemingly becomes the franchise’s new modern protagonist. Unlike Desmond or Layla, Basim is far more conniving and had lived lifetimes before his return. If Layla hadn’t died, his return had the potential to create an antithesis to her righteous personality. Being at odds with Layla’s leadership could’ve created a tense relationship and brought more attention to the modern storyline as a whole.
Layla Hassan’s victories and struggles were some of the most compelling moments in modern Assassin’s Creed games. Unfortunately, like Desmond, their sacrifices came too early, just as they were getting the hang of their new lives and skills. It was even worse for Layla, who needed much more time, since her story ended right as it was gaining momentum.
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