Devil May Cry Season 2 Recap And Ending Explained: Did Vergil Reconcile With Dante?

The OG demon slayers take over the animated scene as Dante and Vergil swing hard, swing big with the second season of Netflix’s adaptation of “Devil May Cry.” Compared to the first chapter, the sophomore edition adheres closely to the source material, but unfortunately cuts back on real-world political allusions, understandably due to past backlashes. The bitter equation between Earth and the hellscape of Makai reaches a new dimension as Argosax, former ruler of Makai, tries to retake his throne through a prolonged conspiracy that puts Earth in severe jeopardy. However, beyond this, the world-ending crisis, the central conflict lies in the feud between the twin sons of Eva and Sparda, as the estranged familial connections of the past pit the brothers against each other.

Spoilers Ahead

Mundus’ Rise to Power and the Truth About Eva’s Demise

Before discussing the central crisis, a basic idea about the rise of Mundus, the present ruler of Makai, and the traumatic truth about Eva’s demise needs to be highlighted, as shown in flashback scenes interspersed throughout the eight episodes of the first season. Eons ago, when the Makai and mortal realms existed in the same plane, the despotic tyrant god of chaos, Argosax, wreaked havoc by nearly devouring the entire old world. The fiery, dreadful state of Makai under Argosax’s rule gave birth to the traditional conception of hell as depicted in popular culture. Mundus, who was Argosax’s priest at that point in time, rebelled against his master and was able to vanquish him with the help of his best military general, Sparda. However, contrary to their original vision of establishing order in Makai, Mundus was swayed by his lust for power and tried to conquer the mortals. Sparda, unwilling to let the mortals fall prey to the machinations of Mundus, separated the realms of demons and mortals and created a barrier to keep Mundus and his lackeys away. Ever curious about mortals, Sparda arrived on the mortal plane and fell in love with a human woman, Eva. Sparda remained absent from Eva’s life thereafter, and she had to raise their twin sons, Dante and Vergil, all on her own. 

Dante showed his demonic heritage early on, with extraordinary physical prowess, while Vergil, his elder brother, whose demonic abilities hadn’t developed yet, always felt himself lagging behind. Eva reassured Vergil by making him realize he is even more unique than his brother, as he needs to work harder to match up with his brother. On the other hand, Eva requested Dante to keep his display of powers in check in fear of exposure.  Like a bolt out of the blue, the peaceful life of Sparda’s family was completely upended when a group of demons, showcasing the Ouroboros mark, attacked Eva’s residence, set it on fire, and killed her. A young Vergil became separated from Dante during the incident, mistakenly believed that Eva was trying to protect only Dante, and blamed himself for not being strong enough to save her. Vergil was held captive and tortured by demons incessantly until Mundus rescued him and took him under his wing. Mundus identified the demons who killed Eva as supporters of Argosax and handed Vergil his father’s sword, Yamato, to let him attain his revenge. Under Mundus’ strenuous, demanding training, Vergil was able to hone his skills, unlock his full potential, and was brainwashed into believing that showing human emotions is a weakness. Mundus shaped Vergil as his successor. While considering him as a father figure, Vergil tried to prove himself to Mundus and became his most loyal, strongest enforcer. However, having been manipulated by Mundus, Vergil remains completely unaware of the truth that Mundus took revenge against Sparda for his betrayal by sending demons to murder Eva. Knowing Sparda’s strength, Mundus wanted to take control over both Dante and Vergil and turn them into his greatest strength, in order to fulfil his ambition of conquering the mortal realm. 

Ouroboros Conspiracy and Return of Argosax

Following the events of the first season, Dante is held captive in a cryochamber at Darkcom headquarters, and Lady, who is leading several operations in Makai against Mundus’ forces, is feeling guilty for betraying him. Lady is also dismayed ever since learning how she caused the creation of White Rabbit and acted as a stooge in VP Baines’ fanatical crusade. However, the truth is more troubling than Lady realizes, as the owner of Darkcom’s parent company, Arius Von Erenburg, makes his presence felt. Son of a 15th-century invalid Italian inventor, who abused him to cope with his failure, Arius inherited the knack for invention and violence from his old man. After killing his own father to get respite from his abuse, Arius became ensnared by the lingering vestige of Argosax, and under his guidance, started searching for demonic relics of arcana – Chalice, Medaglia, Spada, and Bastone, which can be used to bring Argosax back to his former glory. Dedicating twenty-eight lifetimes in service to Argosax, Arius gathered three relics from various corners of the world, except for the Chalice, which is engraved in the throne of Mundus. Creating Darkcom under his company, Ouroboros, the insignia of which is intentionally similar to Argosax’s mark, Arius instigated the war against Makai with zealots like VP Baines by his side, pushing propaganda against the denizens of hell. Arius was responsible for the White Rabbit crisis, as his act of killing innocent demon civilians and enslaving the citizens of Makai in internment camps led to the prolonged conflict between the two worlds, which is just worsening day by day. Sending another Darkcom unit to get slaughtered by Mundus’ forces, Arius manages to keep the ruler of Makai distracted long enough for Lady to steal the Chalice from Mundus’ throne. The influential billionaire has convinced the Baines and Lady that the four relics of arcana can be used to kill Mundus once and for all, while his ulterior motive is to bring Argosax back to his former glory. 

Arius’ own creation, Chi, a demon-human hybrid, ventures to Makai to taunt Vergil about the Ouroboros conspiracy, and one of Arius’ double agents, a Jester Demon, also manages to get under Vergil’s skin by mentioning the Chalice has been stolen. Using Yamato, Vergil opens a rift to the mortal plane to get to the bottom of this, and, prepared for his arrival, Arius sends a Darkcom unit to apprehend him, only for the operatives to get butchered by Sparda’s eldest. In the meantime, Dante has been released as a last-ditch attempt to stop Vergil, and the guilt of failing his brother has wrecked Dante. Vergil nearly exposes Arius by revealing the truth of the anti-Makai propaganda in a popular talk show, leading to Lady undergoing a moral crisis as she realizes all her life she has been an attack dog who is no better than Mundus’ demonic enforcers. Vergil and Dante face off against each other, and, letting go of his pent-up feelings, Vergil is able to overwhelm his younger brother. As Vergil faces Arius, Lady decides to step down from her position as Darkcom commander out of guilt over her past actions. Arius, who has Sparda (the sword) at his disposal, seeks to use it by combining Vergil and Dante’s blood to completely merge both Earth and Makai, to shape the world order according to Argosax’s vision, and kill Mundus. Vergil reveals that, to save his political career, President Hopper has given up the location of the rest of the relics of arcana, which prompts Arius to later send Darkcom to hunt down the POTUS to assume complete control. 

Arius merges the Chalice of Arcana with him to clash with Vergil, and at one point, nearly defeats him until Dante and Lady join the fray. Arius and Chi flee to his secretive lair, and having learned its location, Vergil opens a dimensional rift to venture there in search of the relics. Dante and Lady learn about the entire truth and help Vergil look for the relics, as the ritual to bring Argosax back will not be completed if Arius loses even one relic. Under overwhelming threat from Arius’ lackeys, Vergil is able to send Dante and Lady to safety, and before that, Dante manages to nab the Medaglia. Arius banishes Vergil to the realm of Trismagia, Makai’s oracle, in hopes of revealing a truth that might make him reconsider his allegiance to Mundus. 

Contrary to Vergil’s suggestion of keeping the arcana relic hidden, Dante decides to destroy it, and goes to one of his former clients, Professor Lucan, who has extensive knowledge of the world of Makai and can use its quantum energy to harness magical powers. As Lucan remains engaged in his efforts to destroy the Medaglia, Arius locates the relic and launches a massive assault with Chi and her clones. Lady is severely injured in the conflict, while Dante is held captive. Lucan is unable to destroy the Medaglia after Arius threatens the life of his granddaughter, Matilda, and kills him in front of her eyes. Arius banishes Matilda to Trismagia’s realm as well, and Vergil rescues her from the banished demons. The demonic oracle shows Vergil the shocking truth that Mundus was responsible for Eva’s death. Vergil is able to escape the realm and rescue Matilda, and before parting ways, makes her realize the need for strength to protect one’s loved ones. 

Did Argosax Take Over Makai?

Baines holds Lady captive, and she fails to convince him that the real threat lies with Arius’ grand scheme, not with the civilians of Makai. However, Baines decides to take control from Arius during the ritual and gets butchered along with the rest of his Darkcom operatives. One of the operatives, Tom, who had accidentally killed President Hooper, tries to make amends for his actions by releasing Lady, who eventually reunites with Dante. Arius completes the ritual and becomes Argosax’s vessel and nearly manages to kill Dante when Vergil saves him in the nick of time. Vergil’s advice to use his suppressed wrath and agony to control his Devil Trigger transformation allows Dante to once again assume his demonic form, and the two sons of Sparda clash with Argosax. Planning to take the battle to Makai to let Mundus take care of this threat, Dante asks Lady to use the bloodgems of his and Vergil’s to activate the blade of Sparda and open a massive rift to Makai. Lady struggles in her battle with Chi and her clones until Matilda is able to shoot the real Chi to death. As the sons of Sparda take Argosax to Makai, Mundus engages in a fierce battle with him and, severing his connection with Arius, manages to kill Argosax once and for all. Arius dies, content with the opportunity to play God after spending 28 lifetimes, and with him, any chance for Argosax’s revival dies as well. 

Did Vergil Reconcile with Dante?

Dante breathes a sigh of relief, considering Vergil has overcome Mundus’ brainwashing and will return with him to the mortal plane, and he will be able to keep his promise to their late mother, of always standing by elder brother’s side. However, Vergil, who confronts Mundus for killing Eva, has other plans in his mind. He plans to close the rift to stop Mundus from venturing to the mortal realm, and send Dante back to his home before engaging the ruler of Makai in a decisive battle. Dante tries to stop his brother, and engages in another battle to convince him. However, Vergil is not in a mental state to accept a life of freedom, especially after knowing everything that he does. While he holds Mundus accountable for the death of Eva, he knows his quest for power is not unjustified. He seeks to free Makai from the tyranny of Mundus and take revenge for Eva, before claiming the throne for himself and invading the mortal realm. Impaling Dante with Yamato, Vergil bids him farewell back through the rift, and closes it by severing the blood gems from Sparda. Now with both of Sparda’s blades in his possession, an enraged Vergil clashes with Mundus, and the final resolution of their battle remains unknown till the end. A bruised and battered Dante, lying in the rubble, breaks down upon reflecting on the lost chance of reconciliation with his brother. 

Who Was the Jester Demon?

Meanwhile, Lady goes her own way after deciding to resolve her past trauma. Arius had given her a chance to meet with her father, John Arkham, who had turned into a demon in the past and devoured her mother, leading to lifelong trauma for Lady which she never really got over. In one of the videos recorded by Arius, it turns out the Jester Demon who manipulated Vergil and Mundus in the beginning is none other than John Arkham himself. 

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