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Blade Runner 2029 #3 hurtles the current arc forward with a change of perspective that gives us some insight into the growing mystery around Yotun. Ash has got herself wrapped up in a serious conundrum, a cult-like extremist faction is about to do a lot of damage to the already dicey reputation of the Replicants, which she is dedicated to helping. Can Ash talk some sense into Yotun before it’s too late?
Yotun’s Cult
After two issues of building up the mystery of Yotun and how he is still alive since his model of Replicant had limited life spans, the majority of Blade Runner 2029 #3 is devoted to his perspective. This is certainly a change of pace for the series and provides a darker edge to the already very concerning events. You see, Yotun isn’t just an extremist; he is a cult leader. He sees himself as sort of a Replicant Christ figure, destined to free the Replicants from their shackles. He even preys upon the desperate and weak-willed of the Replicants, coercing them through promises of redemption and freedom to give of their life to extend his. That’s right, Yotun managed to crack the code and unlock the Replicant lifespan, but the trick of it is that the energy from one Replicant must be passed to another. It’s the law of equivalent exchange, a life for a life.
There is a hint in Yotun’s scenes that he doesn’t exactly buy what he is selling. He questions the morality of his actions, asking if he has doomed the Replicants to even more grief with the extended life spans. But when we witness the religious-esque ritual to extend his life, he gives a speech implying that the morality of the situation is his cross to bear. He was chosen somehow, his life never ended, so he wants to gift the new Replicants, his children, with this opportunity. There is the stench of a messiah complex woven in there, only aided by his followers’ cult-like behavior and the absurd levels of reverence they have for him.
Andres Guinaldo does a particularly good job demonstrating the hubris of Yotun with the visuals. When he gives his grandiose speech, the page is entirely made up of tight close-ups of Yotun with a black background. Then the next page opens up with a splash page showing the many followers, all dressed the same in mysteriously ominous red robes. This is an excellent visual metaphor that demonstrates that no matter what Yotun says, it’s really all centered on him in the end.
Yotun’s Hypocrisy
The cult of Yotun expressed a level of extremism in their rather gruesome actions in the last issue. In Blade Runner 2029 #3, this once again comes up and is even pushed further by the narrative. At the end of the issue, Yotun and several members of his Replicant cult barge their way into a party of the rich and powerful, people who profit off of the lives of Replicants. This is clearly a political statement, as all terrorism is; it’s just that this is an extreme and radical move to make compared to Ash and Freysa.
Yotun’s cult even violently apprehends Ash, not understanding her true motives. Yotun says that she has been shackled in a way, programmed to think Replicants are lesser because of the circumstances of her life and her job. This is a gross generalization, considering the fact that she A) Helps Replicants get off-world instead of killing them and B) has a Replicant lover. Mike Johnson is really driving the point home about extremism. You can believe in what you are doing, and it might possibly be the correct thing, but you are going about it the wrong way once you resort to this kind of extreme and radical behaviour. You become so obsessed with the enemy that you yourself become the enemy. Humans view the Replicants as nothing more than programmed machines, and now Yotun, a Replicant, has shared the same view of humans. Does that make him any different or just yet another in a long line of hypocrites?
Blade Runner 2029 #3 Shows The Dangerous Effects An Ideology Can Have On The Desperate
Blade Runner 2029 #3 gives us a new insight into the mind of the main antagonist of this arc by focusing primarily on him. It also manages to raise the stakes and is clearly hurtling us towards a climax. I can’t wait to see what comes next.