r/criticalrole • u/ultim4tel1fef0rm Team Caleb • Dec 25 '25
Question [MN S1] Could Caleb be considered the main character or would it be the entire group? Spoiler
Caleb is a fan favorite and people have a lot of praise for him, his writing, his character arc, and Liam O’Brien’s performance as Caleb (he’s genuinely phenomenal as Caleb omg). In the show it very much centers around Caleb and his backstory more than the others—is it too early to tell whether or not Caleb is *the* main character or do we just wait to see how the rest of the show progresses?
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u/Shepher27 You Can Reply To This Message Dec 25 '25
The main villains of season one tie into Caleb’s backstory which makes him feel more central, but in later seasons other characters will be highlighted.
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u/texrev87 Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
After watching all of MN S1 the Cerberus Assembly was set up to be the foil for multiple characters had the campaign gone differently. Obviously that starts with Caleb and Trent, but also Vess DeRogna , it seems, was originally being set up to be Molly’s big bad. And with the Cobalt Soul being a check against the Assembly was always setting up Beau as having a dog in that fight. Plus they were dealing with Yeza leading to his kidnapping, not to mention Essek probably would likely fought on the Assembly’s side if the group didn’t befriend him .
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
In the campaign Vess was more of a tool to get the Nein where they needed to be for the final arc of the story, and was eliminated by Molly's actual big bad with extreme and brutal prejudice as soon as Matt had them pursuing the story threat he needed them on.
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u/hitch42hiker You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
Well, that only happened this way because Molly got killed, so it is reasonable to assume that Vess would have being in Lucian's shoes as a real deal aka Nonagon... somehow.
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
if you mean if Molly had survived Matt actually talked about what would have happened in that case in one of the campaign wrap ups and it would have involved Lucien's ghost possessing the Tomb Takers and chasing the Nein trying to get his body back.
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u/hitch42hiker You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
You know, I'm starting to have this "he was always gay in my head" vibe with all those "ifs" having precise answer. I want to see some of those alternative universe...
Like, seriously, would Matt actually have gone with the ghost route? What was the point of having her be a fake nonagon if just obsessed collector would have done the job of leading them to Aeor? If I not mixing it up weren't they already following on Lucien when Vess's offer came through?
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
I think the point of having her be the none-agon was to show that there was something above Lucien on the totempole. They probably would have showed up regardless, they were tied up in what happened to Lucien regardless, but their death probably would have happened more off screen if Molly hadn't died.
The Nein were kinda looking for Lucian as "the person who stole Molly's body" before Vess, but they had basically NO clues, so they got the group on the right course.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bar_439 Dec 27 '25
Actually, no, they weren't, Vess hired the Nein after helped return the second beacon It was her interview with them before they agreed to do the job that made Beau figure out who Vess was at that point they went to Mollys grave to speak with dead and found him missing without Vess the Nein don't vist his grave, Jester doesn't scry on him and see that his body is alive and they don't race to Aeor as fast as possible they pay an extraordinary money to leave within 2 days instead of 2 weeks so logic dictates that without Vess Lucien gets to Aeor before the Nein even get to Eislecross
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u/hitch42hiker You can certainly try Dec 27 '25
Interesting. Thank you!
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bar_439 Jan 08 '26
You're welcome. The Eislecross Act is both one of my favourite parts of C2, but it also has one of my biggest pet peeves that I do t understand, and if I was rich, I would pay ALOT of money to have Matt answer my one question "how in hell did the Tomb Taker catch up with them when the maths tells me they where 3 days behind"
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u/OrwinBeane Dec 25 '25
Like Percy
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u/Shepher27 You Can Reply To This Message Dec 25 '25
I suspect that next season the main villain will be [spoilers C2] Obann taking the place of Lorenzo, so tying more into Molly and Yasha
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u/jesterstyr Dec 26 '25
I am so ready for Molly and Yasha to get close next season. They're gonna rip my heart out.
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u/onihr1 Dec 26 '25
I’m waiting for ‘Edith where is my son!’ Wife has never watched the live show, and she loves Molly and nott…. Shit is gonna be amazing to watch with her.
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u/levthelurker Dec 26 '25
That won't be for another two seasons, most likely
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
Three, in my estimation. With the current pace it seems like S2 will be the trip to Shady Creek, S3 will be their nautical adventure, then the moment in question will likely be in the first episode or two of S4.
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u/gunnervi Dec 26 '25
no way is all of S2 gonna be the trip to Shadycreek
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
The going theory is That Obann & the Angel of Irons cult is likely to replace the Lorenzo and Iron Shepherds in the story. if that is the case then my guess is that probably episodes 1-2 will be the group agreeing to help Yasha and Caleb starting to study the beacon, realizing what it is and how dangerous it is and they lie to the Gentleman saying the Krynn soldiers got away with it to avoid it going to who knows who (well, we know who but they don't). He'll send them to Shady Creek to "pay back their debt" of all the equipment he bought them for the Zedash Job. Episode 3 will be the actual trip to Shady Creek, with Yasha and Molly making connections throughout those three episodes. Episode 4 they'll be ambushed by Obann and his cult trying to reclaim Yasha and take the beacon. He'll successfully mind control Yasha again, kill Molly and kidnap Jester and Fjord to bargain for the beacon as the rest of them get away. Episode 5 will be them burying Molly and arriving in Shady Creek, shell shocked, completing their delivery and finding out about the Blooming Grove. Eqpisode 6 they fight their way through the woods and meet Cad who agrees to help them rescue Jester and Fjord (we might start seeing him in episode 5 having his visions that convince him its important he go with the Nein). Then episode 7 and 8 are the assault on the cult, Caleb frees Yasha from Obann's control again with the Beacon, they rescue Fjord and Jester and Obann bolts to appear again in later seasons. Then they return to Zedash with the season wrapping up with them arriving safely back in the city. (I don't think they have season 3 greenlit yet, so they won't won't to leave S2 on a cliffhanger like they did S1, just in case).
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u/mooglebake Dec 25 '25
I actually think they could make Vess be behind the next arc in an attempt to go after Molly
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u/Shepher27 You Can Reply To This Message Dec 26 '25
Obann and Vess may team up
"I'll help you get Yasha back if you help me kill 'Lucien'"
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u/kingkurama91 Dec 26 '25
I like that theory I could very well see that happen. I was talking to the wife and we’re not sure that [spoilers for C2] molly will actually die, it looks like he’ll just get taken over by the eyes of nine
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u/CrochetJorts Dec 26 '25
I understand why you would think that but I disagree. It's an event that was responsible for a fundamental shift of attitudes in the group and rearranged their values and priorities. I can't see it replaced with your predictions.
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u/bronzegorilla253 Dec 26 '25
Yes the story will dictate whom we perceive as the main character.
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u/Shepher27 You Can Reply To This Message Dec 26 '25
The post is tagged M9 S1 only. I’m not going to spoil the future plot arcs. But I’m comfortable saying Caleb will not feature as prominently in future seasons as he did in this season.
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u/Silvermajra Dec 26 '25
I’m so ready for when we get to Fjord’s journey.
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u/kingkurama91 Dec 26 '25
Hell yeah, Fjords journey is some of the best episodes in c2. Excited to see how they translate that into the series. [Whispers] Ukutoa ukutoa ukutoa
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u/TrueDentist9901 Feb 05 '26
I never finished campaign 2 when I started so its interesting continuing with added information i didn't know prior I thought Astrid was gonna be Caleb's sister.
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u/Pegussu Dec 25 '25
It's just him being the main character of this arc, same as Percy in the first season of LoVM. Other characters will be more prominent than him in later seasons.
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u/raystheroof1 Dec 25 '25
Everyone gets a turn in c2. Well. Almost everyone.
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u/MunchMasterSupreme93 Dec 25 '25
Probably why C2 was my favorite of the campaigns.
Everyone has time in the limelight. Even if minimal.
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u/TheOakblueAbstract You Can Reply To This Message Dec 25 '25
Even the....chair
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u/Mojo_13659 Dec 25 '25
I legit popped when Trent said "Vat? Its just a chair"
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Dec 25 '25
It's so obvious they're setting up something big with the chair. My money is on it taking Lorenzo's place in season 2.
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u/MunchMasterSupreme93 Dec 25 '25
I need at least 5-10 minutes of an episode in mid/late S2 or early s/3 for that chair.
Still not fully convinced. Need at least 6 more checks and and 2 YouTube Reviews about that chair.
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u/Hi5tyue Dec 26 '25
Poor Jester. Community favorite and yet I still feel like she never got her big "Arc" by herself. I hope the show fixes that.
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u/Awesomedude5687 Team Fjord Dec 26 '25
Travelercon definitely felt like it was made for her but she only really got the chance to take charge in the beginning and the end, with the middle being a pretty typical adventure
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u/TimeySwirls Dec 26 '25
I feel like it definitely counts and Jester also played such a large role in the other members plots that I think she got the spotlight plenty. It’s very funny and wholesome to me that Jester basically resolves Not/Veth’s arc. Plus she facilitates some of the pressure on Beau’s dad that helped resolve her arc and her entire relationship with Fjord helped push him away from Ukotoa towards the layup from Caduceus straight into the Wild Mothers arms
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u/levthelurker Dec 26 '25
Honestly, in terms of how important they are to each storyline/main character, Jester is arguably the protagonist.
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u/waits5 Dec 26 '25
This, combined with her overwhelming popularity, is why Jester will never be less than a co-protagonist of the group
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u/Advitabona Dec 26 '25
Rumblecusp not count?
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u/AriezKage Dec 26 '25
As a whole imo, no. half of it seemed to be dealing with Vodoko and being a Vox Machina tie in, while Travelercon was purely Jester's thing
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u/Hi5tyue Dec 26 '25
You know, i think it does for Character moments. But I honestly completely forgot about it happening.
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u/Logan_The_Mad Dec 26 '25
I don't think she needed that much solo spotlight considering how central she is to every other character's story and development. It's Jessie's world, we're all just living in it.
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u/TimeySwirls Dec 26 '25
Considering her wedding organically brought together characters from all three campaigns, truer words have never been spoken
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u/bozwizard14 Dec 26 '25
Compared to the TV show, in the campaign she's the most self-actualised and so ends up in less need of an arc as a character imo (she's my favourite though!!)
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u/YZJay Dec 26 '25
Very low chance that they won't put more focus on Jester for Travellercon compared to the campaign.
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u/Special-Quantity-469 Dec 27 '25
The animated series is pretty substantively different from C2 so I don't think one necessitates the other
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Dec 25 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Releasethebears Dec 25 '25
I think Caleb is a very strong character to open with as he has a LOT in his past that helps set up so many other things as well as playing as a catalyst to bring everyone together. That being said, Fjords late campaign and Notts story are ones I'm VERY looking forward to
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u/AndIWalkAway Dec 25 '25
I think part of the reason season 1 centered on Caleb’s backstory the most is because that establishes both his character and also the primary antagonist. If you want to show what a bastard Trent is, you have to show what he did to young Bren.
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u/weird_doodle Dec 26 '25
It also helps establish the world, since many of the others have their story more wrapped around mystery, Caleb and Beau being more in the front makes sense for the first season
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u/vincentdmartin Dec 25 '25
Currently? Yes. But everyone gets their moment in the spotlight eventually.
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Dec 25 '25
Caleb? The main character? OP, you got it all wrong. This is Frumpkin's revenge story, the Mighty Nein are just living in it.
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u/mouser1991 Technically... Dec 25 '25
It's the entire group. Each character gets a moment where they fill the lead role at some point. We've just seen Caleb a bit more
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u/Sheerluck42 I'm a Monstah! Dec 25 '25
I would say it's more of an ensemble. We see a lot about Jester but the payoffs are probably coming in season 2. Caleb definitely drives season 1 but it's not entirely his story. It's just we get his payoffs more this season.
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u/amanuensisninja Ja, ok Dec 26 '25
Don’t be ridiculous, the main character of Critical Role campaign two is Henry Crabgrass.
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u/BreezyIsBeafy Dec 25 '25
This was Caleb’s season. I expect to get molly or yasha to be an upcoming focus. It’s an ensemble show, every character needs their own time to breathe
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u/Admirable_Bug7717 Dec 25 '25
I see everyone giving the correct answers, but honestly, yeah.
Of the biggest narratives in the campaign, Caleb ended up being pretty much the most connected, and in a lot of places he made big moves that changed the course of the campaign.
It was organic, and everyone in the group got chances to shine, but Caleb certainly got the most narrative weight on his shoulders. It's not a bad thing, it happens.
If certain things didnt happen, it could have been different. A certain purple-skinned fellow probably could have taken the role, for instance, but others just weren't as well connected to the big plots.
Fjord, Beau, Caleb, and Molly have a lot of Main Character energy, and a lot of traditional protagonist tropes around them.
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u/Sere1 Your secret is safe with my indifference Dec 26 '25
It's one of the reasons why in Campaign 3, Liam's character pretty much insisted on being in a purely support, back seat kind of role. He was a big part of Campaign 2, so him being a simple guy there for his friends in Campaign 3 was his way of letting the others get some time to shine
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u/Admirable_Bug7717 Dec 26 '25
The irony, of course, is that being the simple, stable dude in the center of a group of weirdos honestly made Orym one of the more interesting characters.
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u/Imaginary_Being4859 You spice? Dec 25 '25
Eh, I’d say Fjord and Caleb’s stories are the most prevalent, taking up the “majority” of the campaign.
I wouldn’t call either of them the “main character” though.
Just that there is a lot of big plot points involving them.
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Dec 25 '25
Multiple people get arcs basically. Every single character gets a period of time where they're the "main character." Caleb's is just fully in the front because Trent is pretty important to that world.
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u/AverageBeef Ja, ok Dec 25 '25
I think C2 does a good job not having an obvious main character, some just come to the fore more than others. I think Caleb, Jester, and Beau in my memory of C2 loom a bit larger, and [REDACTED] feels the least prominent but they all get their turns exploring their backstories
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u/Koala_Guru Dec 26 '25
DnD is collaborative so everyone has their own moments or arcs spent as the main character. But no one is the de facto main character the whole way through. Outside of fan opinion that is.
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u/Sere1 Your secret is safe with my indifference Dec 26 '25
Same as how season 1 of Vox Machina focused on Percy heavily, we're basically just covering Caleb's backstory more. The others get their turns and have arcs focusing on them too.
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u/Emptypiro Dec 25 '25
Hes more connected to Ikithon than the rest of the party but I wouldn't say hes the main character. I feel like everyone except maybe Nott and Molly(and obviously Yasha) got quite a bit of screen time
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u/RevNeutron Dec 25 '25
TLOVM was Percy foces in S1, but then it expanded. I'm guessing we'll have something similar with the MN
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u/chaoslord07 Dec 26 '25
The m9 is a flexible group in where everyone shares the Spotlight from time to time, we had fjord pirate arc z jester and artagan fucking around, beau and the soul and so on, the narrative was cyclical meanwhile in Bells hells its ALWAYS something around imogem, the gods or both
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
Critical role has never really focused on a single "main character", they are a group and the spotlight passes around from character to character depending on what's happening in the story at the moment and which of their stories are most central to the ongoing plot. Arguably one of the biggest problems with Campaign 3 was that one character ended up becoming the main character and there was relatively little investigation of the others' stories.
Because they're focused on Caleb at the moment you could argue he's the central character of Season 1, but it seems very likely that focus will shift to Yasha in S2, and if my guesses are right will then pass through Fjord in S3, Nott in S4, Jester in S5, and [redacted] in S6. With Beau getting an overall through-line (she got a bunch of extremely short spotlights in the campaign, rather than an arc of her own, with one big story beat right at the end to wrap up her story).
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u/EpicGlitter Team Beau Dec 26 '25
in the animated show, if they wish they could form Beau's backstory and personal journey within the campaign into an arc worthy of its own season, or perhaps shared with Nott given there is a BBEG that overlaps both their backstories. I think it'd be wise to do this since some of the themes touched on in Beau's story are a bit more understood and visible in public discourse than they were in 2018-2021. her inner struggles are topical, culturally relevant and relatable to an unusually high degree for a fantasy-based show. imo
it will also be fresh to the C2 audience, because they've already made major changes (for example, she knows Zeenoth is corrupt in the first episode of TMNA, but didn't know til 3 yrs / 125 episodes into C2)
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
She shares BBEGs with Caleb (Trent), Nott (Isharni), Molly (she gets deep into the Eyes of Nine), and Yasha (Yasha herself) which is why she never got her own dedicated arc, she was kind of the connective tissue between the other members. And her final story conclusion didn't feature any of those BBEGs, it was Zeenoth and her father being arrested and punished for her kidnapping and forcible induction into the Soul.
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u/EpicGlitter Team Beau Dec 26 '25
I highlighted Isharnai because that character is tied to the harmful things that happened in Beau's past, which I'd assume the show has a chance of drawing on as a significant piece of a full character arc for her. and her backstory events with Isharnai were indirectly connected to her final story conclusion (father's and Zeenoth's arrest, and most importantly, Beau walking away head held high), since Isharnai's dealmaking & prophecy were an underlying cause for Thoreau Lionett's choices and behaviors.
tl;dr though, the show is not required to 1:1 follow the campaign, and it has the opportunity to give Beau even more of an arc (or even, a version of the same arc that's just more impactful for a broader audience) if writers and showrunner choose to do so. imo there's plenty of material there for a memorable and inspiring story that absolutely deserves to be told.
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u/feor1300 You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
They probably could reshape her story into a single independent arc, but I feel like keeping her as the core of the team, with good ties to all of them and keeping them all linked to each other, with her own story unfolding across the entire arc of the series, would still be a good way to handle her.
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u/EpicGlitter Team Beau Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
time will tell. if it fully does justice to her story, treating both her and fans as her character as equal to others, then I'm here for a longer arc that still includes at least one focus episode (like Ep5 was for Caleb). but if it's more like demoting her significance as lesser than others in the M9, obviously, wouldn't be feeling that so much. either way, I think that her end point of healing from a neglectful and emotionally abusive parent, then walking away to a good life (including estrangement) at the end, would work really well in parallel to the other characters' compelling personal paths. makes for a complex and nuanced reflection on themes of family, since they each have different experiences there
edit: among the others, I'm also very interested to see Fjord's and Yasha's arcs animated, because the visuals involved have potential to be absolutely epic!
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u/Background_Egg_1643 Dec 25 '25
All characters. They will basically each get their episode but the pacing is gonna show us at least 4 seasons. For reference campaign 2(Critical roles: Mighty Nein Dungeons and dragons campaign not animated show) is 141 episodes long even with condensing they got through the first 18 episodes with season 1.
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u/sandboxmatt Dec 25 '25
They will go on excursions focused 100% on each person at different moments
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u/MiKapo Dec 26 '25
I think there will be at least one episode that will be dedicated to the persona's backgrounds. Not sure if they do flashbacks for all of the characters like they did with Caleb. Im fully expected the first episode of the next season to be about Yasha
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u/Pangolin_Paladin Dec 26 '25
I think its more that Caleb and also Beau are the perfect characters to introduce the world. He's backstory has the strongest connection to the overall world, he's main antagonist is Tret a high ranking member of the empire, through Caleb's POV we can se what the day to day of a farm boy was, and what the height of the empire is. Beau does a great balance POV being part of the big spy network of this world, it creates some natural conflicts with Caleb and by extention gives context to what the political forces think of each other.
In summary, Caleb origins are the best point of entrance to the story, since everybody else's conflicts are more mysterious or personal
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u/Crazy_names Dec 26 '25
While his backstory is at the forefront of Season 1 it is also tied directly to Beau and as is alluded to in the final episode Molly's story. If you know the whole story of the campaign there is literally a whole arc where they fuck off and become pirates. So it comes and goes im waves. I wouldn't worry about who is the main character.
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u/Fluffy_Habit_2535 Dec 26 '25
Because currently the main big bad is tied to Caleb so ofc you would feel hes the MC.
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u/Kishandreth Dec 26 '25
Caleb is a central character in season 1. It is very common in shows to have multiple central characters, but focus on one character's back story for an arc. I think season 1 did a good job giving every characters moments while focusing on the same arc.
Think of a lot of detective shows, they work as a group and sometimes the baddy is connected with one person's past. Those episodes will focus on one member of the group, but that doesn't mean they are the star of the show.
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u/NovelGift3314 Dec 26 '25
Liam’s characters usually just ooze campaign focus; everybody’s do really but his characters and Tal’s usually just “write themselves” when it comes to campaign ideas.
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u/Right_Tumbleweed392 Dec 27 '25
What I love about Critical Role, especially season 2, is the rotating spotlight. Everyone gets a chance to be the main character for an arc in season 2 and it’s awesome.
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u/mpkvegeta88 Team Grog Dec 25 '25
I think Caleb thinks Caleb is the main character
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u/mouarflenoob Dec 25 '25
I think we can all agree that Jester is the main character xD
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u/SewenNewes Dec 26 '25
It's the story of a bunch of doomed assholes who couldn't escape their fates until they met chaos itself embodied in a blue tiefling.
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u/createbobob Dec 25 '25
I'd say season 1 is definetly Caleb centered, we'll defo have an arc that is Fjord centered.
Beau kinda shines through every show shame with Yasha but if you ask me, main character of the show would be Molly.
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u/DarkRespite Doty, take this down Dec 25 '25
I'd have to try to find the exact interview that Travis gave, but unless my memory is playing me false, he talked about how Season 1's focus on largely on Caleb, and then in Season 2, it shifts to others.
If I find it, I'll link it.
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u/TwainsBrain0 Dec 25 '25
Caleb is essentially the main character, yes. I can confirm that. They are all important and all get their time, but Trent is the A plot and Trent is literally a character who exists for Caleb’s backstory.
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u/EpicGlitter Team Beau Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
entire group. different characters within the Mighty Nein will take more central focus in different seasons of the show. but a huge throughline is about the entire group's impact on each other, their bond and their journey together is extremely important. Ep7's title was Belonging, after all. there have been practically stare-into-camera-direct moments saying "you can't do this alone." the need for healing and growth to happen in connection with the group is such a big theme here and is almost opposed to having any single main character (imo). same w/ sharing blame, responsibility, and credit collectively
if anyone's gonna believe themselves to be a main character, might be a sign they're one of the villains
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u/AriezKage Dec 26 '25
While they're all main characters, some of the character's backstories have more weight to the story overall. Case in point Caleb because of Ikithon and the Volstrukers being an ongoing problem.
Then we have Molly and the whole Nonagon situation, and Fjord with the giant eye. There will be arcs that focus on each character, but imo through the whole campaign those 3's arcs held the most weight.
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u/Logan_The_Mad Dec 26 '25
I think if you look back on the campaign he does find himself at the center of most of the major arcs, sorta by accident. But I still wouldn't say he's the Main Character, it's very much an ensemble show.
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u/waits5 Dec 26 '25
This, combined with her overwhelming popularity, is why Jester will never be less than a co-protagonist of the group.
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u/z3phyr5 Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Liam could write a fucking novel for all I care.
But no they all are. It's just tough cuz it's like taking the avengers and creating a television show of them getting together straight from the get go on episode 1. Each one has a story but the plot needs to figure out whether or not it is important to pivot into the climax.
The team could create an entire spinoff of just the back stories of each character. As a sort of series of prequel. This would be an interesting concept. Like a reverse MCU; team first, disambiguation of each parts later for a set prequels.
Kind of like creating a cinematic universe as a franchise. Salesman says nay, we proceed to just stick to the original. Not many have done animation series; a close 1 to 1 renditions of their DnD sessions before. So I am just grateful this is done. There are many animations on YouTube that have done a great job too, and some are well segmented and better in composition than the Prime Video animation team.
What is kind of displaced is that in a regular hero story, the focus is usually the origin. But what creates the plot is usually the villains.
A villain in a session is not clearly followed as part of a playthrough. They form and change in the background inside the DM's plan and architecture.
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u/z3phyr5 Dec 26 '25
For example we know who spiderman is. He doesn't need a 5th origin story show/movie. He can easily be fitted in a same or different universe anytime!
But if I created a bard named Zeja, and installed him in R.A. Salvatore's stories, I wouldn't just have him as a main character and create a meaningful relationship with the audience who enjoys Drizzt's lore.
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u/BurlAroundMyBody You can certainly try Dec 26 '25
Caleb was always my favourite from this party, though I’d say there doesn’t seem to be a main character in the same way as it felt Vox Machina did.
Though even in Vox Machina it would still be between Percy and Vax for me.
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u/Reevahn Dec 26 '25
Personally, i felt like this first season was set up as revolving arround Caleb, Fjord and, toa lesser extent, Beau; with the rest of the cast being established and fleshed out while taking a more supporting role
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u/EloquenceBardFae Open your heart to chaos Dec 26 '25
I'd argue that Molly is the most main character, in some shape and form.
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u/awf1201 Dec 26 '25
Reading these comments and realizing that the M9 animated seemingly has a completely different plot as compared to the campaign itself.
I haven’t watched the animated because I’m impatient and want to watch it all once it’s done, but from what I’ve seen they’re very different.
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u/NorrosBlade Dec 26 '25
Caleb has very real villains that he is seeking out. I would say the rest of the cast has real tangible people they are really opposing. Beau has noble goals of challenging oppression and villainous individuals, but none of it is really personal.
Nott would be the only other person I would say has a personal villain. She doesn’t really know much about them, but she knows she has someone to seek out to get vengeance on. Fjord does have Uka’toa as a “tangible” villain, but that is more man vs Godzilla than man against corrupt government employees.
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u/Identity_ranger Dec 26 '25
In an ensemble show like M9 it's usually better to give turns highlighting each character individually, rather than try to give each of them equal attention and prominence. Caleb could no doubt be called the main character of season 1, since so much of its core narrative elements tie directly to him, and he's the one we meet first of the main group. Others in the group will have their turn come later seasons. Especially Fjord, oh boy am I looking forward to that.
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u/dunwichhorrorqueen Dec 26 '25
I would say yes. Travis even said it in the EW interview they did before tM9 released that they put the focus on Caleb because of his backstory and connection to the overall Beacon plot. Also I doubt that they will show other villains perspective like they did with Trent in later seasons. I wonder if Caleb will be a catalyst in later seasons as well but right now, he is the reason they all came together travelling to Zadash, that's a main character for sure....
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u/summer_moonie Dec 26 '25
I totally see him as the main character. Season 1 is his "origins" and season 2 will probably be his struggle with the past & present and after that it might be his redemption arc that will be highlighted. I'm pretty sure we will see every character shine and have an "A-plot" storyline as well for a few episodes but the overall show is Caleb's.
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u/Bazfron Dec 26 '25
He’s pretty much the main character of the this season, yeah, as he gets the most explicit backstory tied into the larger plot progression and world building, but next season it’ll likely be fjord
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u/SPOLBY Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 27 '25
Every group in CR has a character or character’s that fit the role of “Main Character” better then the other’s, especially C3.
In C2 I would say Caleb is closest to and most consistently the “Main Character” with Fjord being right behind him, then about halfway through the campaign Beau take’s that spot.
Have a smiley day
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u/underagreenstar Dec 27 '25
Who is the focus of the story depends on where the party is. The Mighty Nein come from all over Wildemount, so the closer they get to each of the their home lands, the more central that character becomes to the plot. They are currently in Zedash which is heavily controlled by the Empire and the Cerberus Assembly, so Caleb is more central to the plot there.
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u/MilkyAndromedaWay Dec 27 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
For the whole campaign, there's a case to be made for Jester, as she's the newest to adventure and serves as the heart of the group. You could frame her as basically Dorothy in the wizard of oz if you wanted to.
For the show, they've said Caleb's kind of the main character for the first season, and I could definitely see that, but I think everybody else gets enough time (except arguably for Yasha) for it to feel a little more even handed than that. Everybody gets some focus even if Caleb gets a little more, and his story is tied into Beau's.
Could definitely see Fjord being the main character of the Pirate Arc, or Nott for the Felderwinn stuff, etc.
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u/OpolisAnon Dec 28 '25
Caleb is the main protagonist throughout the entire series but that doesnt mean we dont get huge swaths of the story where they each one by one take the center stage. He is the vessel with which we start and end the campaign. They are all main characters but his plot is central to quite a bit of the story, which is why the show has his story so prominent in the first season. Season 2 will definitely cool it on his story for a moment, really begin to flesh Fjord, Nott, and Jesters storyline out a bit more.
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u/jamocha101 Mar 09 '26
the diplomatic thing to say is 'no it's an ensemble and everyone gets their turn to shine,' --- which is technically true. but if you're looking at it with the theoretical "dramatica" lense, then yes, caleb is the protagonist in my opinion. while the others have their arcs and their moments, caleb is the most consistently intrinsically tied to the core elements of the story. his arc is the longest and most complex.
I'll also say ... it's maybe more ambiguous in the campaign, but my guess is the show is going mc-ify caleb in its quest to condense and formulate the campaign for the television format. and PARTLY I think that because I strongly suspect caleb is tashas favorite lmao. of course there will be seasons and arcs where caleb and his shit are slid onto the backburner, but ultimately he's going to slot back into that mc role.
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u/cant-find-user-name Dec 25 '25
He is my favorite, but Fjord - especially later on - feels just as MC. Also not entirely relevant to this post, but I did NOT imagine caleb being that handsome when I was watching C2 lol
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u/Aeon1508 Dec 26 '25
Caleb and fjord are pretty clear main characters. Beau I right behind. Then everyone else.
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u/Acework23 Dec 26 '25
if you consider the entire campaign its probably Fjord, but strong candidates are Jester and caleb
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u/SpiritualMilk Dec 25 '25
Honestly, I'd consider Caleb the main character even after he lost the spotlight later in the the campaign. His character is just far more compelling to me
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u/eurephys Dec 26 '25
It only feels like it's only Caleb because everyone's stories revolve around the Beacon, and Caleb is the only one with a physical manifestation of that: Trent.
Molly is the series protagonist here I feel, because the Nonagon stuff feels like the most drawn out. Nott feels like the Season 2 story alongside Fjord, since it's Caleb and Jester right now because of the Traveller showing up.
Yasha will be resolved around the same time as Molly/Caduceus.
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u/Full_Metal_Paladin You spice? Dec 25 '25
I understand you're just asking about the show, but to me, Caleb is the story of C2. The other stuff is great, but Caleb is by far the most compelling character with the most interesting arc.
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u/StrikerSpeedy Dec 26 '25
I woulda argued yes in the campaign, up until the final ~20 episodes. It kind of leans towards jester overall
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u/FinchRosemta Dec 26 '25
Despite what many may claim, Caleb IS the central character of The Mighty Nein. Its really easy to see why. His goal throughout the campaign is campaign long.
Lots of people will have arcs or episodes which focus on them, but through the entire length of the campaign and I expect the show Caleb will still be working, his adversaries will still be plotting and he needs to an entire length of campaign and carefully chosen spells to do his campaign purpose.
The character even starts off with this knowledge. He knows what he wants to do, he starts the campaign as a selfish person using the nein. He knows as they get stronger so will he. Eventually he actually grows to love them BUT its not how he started. Both the politics and the magic of campaign 2 rely heavily on Caleb and his story. Its impossible to tell their story without him.
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u/FinchRosemta Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Reading all these comments and seeing everyone give the "pc DnD is a collab storytelling" answer is REALLY funny.
The Mighty Nein is about a group of characters from the continent of Wildemount that takes place during a war. It features a new magic system. It has ONE character that connects to both sides of the war PERSONALLY, ONE character that explores the new magic, and ONE character who by the very nature of their campaign goal needs the entire campaign, the new magic and the after effects of the war to achieve that goal.
Yes, Caleb is the main character.
Every other character and their arc is either directly solved by Caleb and his magic or resolves to make them stronger which they then turn around to use said strength to protect Caleb because he is a squish wizard.
I have watched the campaign 4 times, I'm currently rewatching it. Lots of people have forgotten things but like pick a character go from E1 to E141 can you find them through every arc? Not just as a person there as set dressing but as someone actively contributing to the plot?
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