Basim

Basim Ibn Ishaq was first introduced as a mysterious and possibly dangerous Assassin in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. And, spoilers for that game, it’s eventually revealed that he’s actually the reincarnated Issu god Loki. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, 2023’s Assassin’s Creed: Mirage reveals Basim’s origins, including his early life as a street thief and his journey within the Brotherhood. Throughout Mirage it’s clear that Basim is being manipulated and yet, even as people he trusts betray him, the assassin never stops trying to help people.

And, like Ezio before him, Basim is a charming rogue, too. The people’s hero. Someone willing to always help the oppressed and fight the power, even if that means the Brotherhood itself. That makes the end of Mirage and Basim’s evolution into a more troubled villain—who appears in Valhalla—all the more painful. He was once better than that. It also makes him one of the more complicated and nuanced protagonists in the franchise. -Zack Zwiezen