When it comes to Gundam villains, wearing a mask has been a theme that has continued across numerous series. Char, the main antagonist who fought on the side of the Principality of Zeon in the first anime series, was only the beginning when it came to mech pilots who hid their faces from the world. In Gundam Wing, Zechs Merquise was routinely shown wearing a mask when he brought his mech into battle. In a surprising twist, another masked villain from anime franchise has returned, and Gundam fans can now see said antagonist without their mask, a sight that was rarely seen during their original appearances.
Joining the likes of Zechs and Char, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED had a masked villain of its own in Rau Le Creuset. Unlike the villains of Gundam Wing and the original Gundam anime, Le Creuset was actually a clone, concealing his identity to hide his ties to the Da Flaga family. Much like the Principality of Zeon and Char, PLANT and Creuset worked hand in hand in an effort to help the “Coordinators” reign supreme. While Gundam fans were able to briefly see the villain’s face during the SEED series, a new trading card has brought his full features to light. The upcoming trading card series titled “Mobile Suit Gundam Arsenal Base BOOSTER PACK [Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Series Vol. 3]” gives us a full look at Creuset’s face, which you can see below.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom became the biggest movie of the franchise, and for good reason. For quite some time, the storyline has been one of the more popular entries in the long-running franchise, though Creuset didn’t have a part in the recent cinematic experience. Thanks to dying in the original anime’s finale, the masked antagonist had no role to play in the film, as while the franchise can lean into science fiction, characters typically don’t return from the grave. Following the successful release of the film, the series would return via Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Recollection, two OVAs that further expanded on the universe.
As of the writing of this article, SEED has not confirmed that it will be releasing any new stories in this universe, even following the release of the biggest movie in Gundam’s history. Luckily, the mech franchise has been more than willing to revisit universes it helped to introduce. Later this year, North America will see the release of Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe on May 15th. Bringing fans back to the original story that introduced us to Amuro and Char, Noa Hathaway is once again in the driver’s seat. To add fuel to the resurrection fire, the creators of Gundam GQuuuuuuX hinted at the idea of bringing back the alternate reality series for another run.
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