Includes MASSIVE SPOILERS for Mistborn through The Lost Metal and The Stormlight Archive through Wind and Truth!

Brandon Sanderson has spent several books building up one character as an endgame threat, but Shards of Adonalsium. Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive are the two primary stages of the Cosmere, and they’ve been simultaneously building toward a far grander narrative, interweaving between each other more frequently with each book. With Mistborn Era 3 on the horizon, this matters more than ever.

Wind and Truth’s ending saw more Mistborn connections than ever, including Sazed and Kelsier being mentioned directly by name, and the latter having a full scene of dialogue at the end. The Cosmere also changed drastically when Taravangian, the Vessel of Odium, took on a second Shard, Honor. Now holding two Shards and going by the hybrid name, Retribution, this character is one of the most powerful beings in existence. He poses an immense threat to every system in the Cosmere, and his acquisition of a second Shard immediately alerted the other gods, forcing him into hiding.

Retribution Is The Cosmere's Current Major Villain

The Shards Are Focused On Retribution, Waiting For His Next Move

Retribution, by all s, seems like he could be the main antagonist of the Cosmere. Retribution is a hybrid of the Shards Odium and Honor. Odium is the embodiment of hatred; he’s already killed multiple Shards, and containing him has gotten Hoid to grow more involved than he has in any other story, even when Ruin threatened to destroy life as everyone knew it on Scadrial. Even though Honor has a generally noble Intent, Odium’s power currently has more control, and Taravangian was already a villain before taking up these Shards.

"Intent" is a term used in Cosmere books to describe a Shard's innate purpose.

As of now, Retribution is the force of power that every other Shard in the Cosmere has to worry about. Harmony already tried reaching out to several Shards to request their help in containing Odium, and none were willing to offer much aid. Now that he’s Retribution, the Shards can no longer remain ignorant of his threat. Those who have been in hiding need to act, and they need to do so before he regroups and begins his conquest. While Retribution might be The Stormlight Archive’s big bad, however, he might not be the final boss of the Cosmere.

Waxillium Explains Why Retribution Isn't The Biggest Threat

Harmony & Retribution Are Playing Catch-Up

In chapter 19 of The Lost Metal, Wax describes Harmony as the following: “Not the vastness of powers, or even the figure of legend. But a man. Thrust into a war that none of them had been ready for, playing catch-up to learn powers that others had presumably spent millennia mastering.” Readers of Mistborn have known Sazed’s struggle in balancing Ruin and Preservation for some time now. Taking on one Shard comes with challenges; consider Ati and Ruin, for example. Even the most noble of men couldn’t contain Ruin’s Intent. Having two Shards is an even greater risk.

Even though Sazed was a brilliant mortal, and possessing two Shards makes him inherently powerful, he’s inexperienced compared to those he might face off against.

There are two elements to consider with Harmony. One, as Waxillium says, Sazed has only held shards for roughly four centuries, while his opponent Autonomy has had hers for millennia. Even though Sazed was a brilliant mortal, and possessing two Shards makes him inherently powerful, he’s inexperienced compared to those he might face off against. Next, carrying two Shards doesn’t create a permanent balance; those Shards exist on a pendulum, and their Intents constantly clash with each other, especially when they’re direct opposites like his.

These same elements also apply to Odium, which harkens back to Wax’s quote. Sazed has carried his Shards for centuries, while Taravangian has only been a Vessel for days. It’s easy to consider Retribution as a terrible threat because Odium was such, but the transfer of Vessel from Rayse to Taravangian might have been a game-changing mistake. Retribution is the least experienced Shard in the Cosmere, and Wind and Truth already signified how his decline may come about.

How Harmony & Retribution's Arcs Will Parallel One Another

Both Gods Will Struggle To Control Their Intents

The original Mistborn trilogy established Sazed as the Hero of Ages, but also suggested that the Hero would eventually be known as “Discord.” It’s clear from The Lost Metal that Harmony will turn into Discord, with Ruin becoming the dominant Shard in his hybrid. Harmony is a benevolent god, currently, but it could quickly become a more difficult situation when he’s Discord. The prophecy suggests that the people will still celebrate him, even if he makes the world a harsher place, but it’ll be fascinating to see what Discord’s role in the Cosmere situation will be.

Instead of Taravangian slowly losing control of his negative Shard and allowing it to take over, it could be Honor who starts to become the dominant force.

Now, framing Retribution in the same way is important, as Wind and Truth’s epilogue chapter already showed Honor’s Intent beginning to carve out a place for itself. Dalinar left Honor’s power to grow and develop, and this could lead to an opposite scenario from Harmony's. Instead of Taravangian slowly losing control of his negative Shard and allowing it to take over, it could be Honor who starts to become the dominant force. Dalinar’s sacrifice made it so the greatest threat to Retribution is within.

If Not Retribution, Who Will Be The Cosmere's Main Antagonist

There Are Plenty Of Options, Sanderson Even Wants A Big Bad

It’s all just speculation for now, but Retribution doesn’t seem like the “big bad” of the Cosmere, if Brandon Sanderson intends for there to be one. It seems more like Retribution is the Cosmere’s version of Marvel’s Thanos; he’s going to cause heroes to unite against him, but there could still be more afterward. That raises questions about whom the final villain will actually be, and there are plenty of theories that suggest compelling candidates, including Kelsier, Hoid, Autonomy, Cultivation, and even Harmony. There’s also the distinct possibility that it’s a character readers still haven’t met yet.

Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive have major villains, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Cosmere will. It’s certainly possible that Sanderson won’t have a universe-ending threat, but instead a larger web of characters each with their own goals and means to achieving them. Any of the aforementioned characters could change the course of events for great good, great evil, or both, and that complexity makes it pretty exciting to see how everything unravels. Only time will tell the answer to this question.