Summary
Thus far,The Wheel of Timehas held back on using Balefire, arguably the most impressive ability in the show’s world. InRobert Jordan’sWheel of Timebooks, Balefire is among the many weaves channelers can create with the One Power. For Rand al’Thor, it’s an invaluable weapon and one that’s saved him on numerous occasions. It’s also the means with which several of the Forsaken inThe Wheel of Timewere ultimately killed off.
In the first few installments in the series, Balefire was absent from the arsenal of the main characters. That made sense, considering that the ancient One Power weave was banned from use by the Aes Sedai. As an ability that can upset the fabric of reality (known in the books as the Pattern), there are some obvious concerns that come with potentially misusing Balefire in combat. However, there have been situations where it was deemed necessary. Such a moment hasn’t happened in the show yet, but it feels like it’s only a matter of time before one arrives, which could be as early asThe Wheel of Timeseason 3.
When Balefire First Appears In The Wheel Of Time Books
Balefire Is Used Four Times In The Dragon Reborn
The first explanation of the Balefire weave and how it works can be found in book 5,The Fires of Heaven. In the novel, Moiraine discussed the inner-workings of the ability, how destructive it can be to the Pattern, and the fact that it’s a banned weave no one is even allowed to teach. But while this helped establish some important concepts, Balefire was actually already a part ofWheel of Time’sworldby this point. In fact, it made a few appearances in book 3,The Dragon Reborn, with Rand, Moiraine, and Nyneave each relying on Balefire under desperate circumstances.
Balefire is created with Fire and Air, two of the five threads of the One Power. Both male and female channelers are capable of making this weave.
It’s most notable use in the book was in the finale at the Stone of Tear. Apparently, Be’lal of the Forsaken was aware of the prophecy that claimed that the Dragon Reborn would eventually come for Callandor and had staked out the area, waiting for him. Butbefore Be’lal could follow through with his plan, he was instantly Balefired by Moiraine. At the time, the ability was identified as a “bar of white fire.” Having been struck by Balefire, Be’lal was essentially erased from existence.
Why Wheel Of Time ls Likely Change To Balefire’s Introduction
Balefire Is Unlikely To Have The Same Debut As Its Book Counterpart
Due to the direction that the TV series is taking in regards to the source material, there’s a good chance Balefire’s introduction doesn’t line up with the books. After all, the novel the show is adapting is book 4,The Shadow Rising, meaning theevents ofThe Dragon Rebornare either getting skipped or condensed. With that being the case,it’s unclear if the specific battles where Balefire was used for the first three times inThe Dragon Rebornwill come up at all in season 3.
There’s a similar confusion over the Stone of Tear fight and whether it will be in the TV series. Rand claiming Callandor is a greatly consequential development in the books and one that may be difficult to write out of the narrative completely, but considering how far-removed Tear is from the journey to the Aiel Waste, the show may struggle to take Rand and Moiriane to both locations in the same season. For that reason, the Stone of Tear story may be reserved for the fourth season.
Not only that, but there’s no certainty that either character will fight Be’lal inThe Dragon Reborn. All indications point toThe Wheel of Timereducing the number of Forsakenfrom 13 to eight. Based on Be’lal’s importance to the story compared to the other yet-to-be-introduced Forsaken members, he doesn’t have good odds of being one of the eight the show keeps. With all that in mind, it won’t be surprising ifThe Wheel of Timechooses a different scene for an epic, live-action Balefire sequence.
Otherwise, it may not appear untilThe Wheel of Timeseason 4. If season 3 doesn’t incorporate much ofThe Dragon Reborn’sstory and doesn’t rework one ofThe Shadow RIsing’sfights to fit in Balefire either, it could be that the show will keep it in their backpocket, perhaps to make Rand’s battle with Rahvin fromThe Fires of Heavenmore exciting. Rand obliterating Rahvin with Balefire was one of the character’s most noteworthy moments.
Why Balefire Will Be A Gamechanging Ability For Rand al’Thor
Balefire Can Be The Basis Of A Shocking Twist
When Balefire does make its debut in the TV series, it can be expected to be a gamechanger for the series. A big part of that has to do with its ability to kill Forsaken; as season 2 already proved when Lanfear survived a seemingly fatal blow from Moiraine, Forsaken are extremely hard to kill. But with a blast of Balefire, characters like Rand and Moiraine can take them off the table permanently. For that reason, they’ll likely be a go-to move for Rand whenever he goes up againstone of the Forsakenin major battles, like those that take place in season finales.
In addition to giving Rand a ready-made solution for most of his fights with the Forsaken, unlocking the Balefire weave also comes with a great deal of storytelling potential that relates to why it was banned in the first place. In the books, Balefiring someone cuts them out of the Pattern entirely, which can bleed into the past. It doesn’t erase them from the timeline altogether, buteverything that they’ve done recently is reversed by the Balefire. This can set the stage for stories that lean into the time travel genre, which will be new forWheel of Time’sshow.
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This aspect of Balefire creates the perfect recipe for a a shocking story twist.The Fires of Heaven, for instance, shocked readers by having Rahvin kill some of the books' main characters. But when Rahvin was Balefired, these deaths were undone, because his recent actions in the Pattern no longer happened. On account of the opportunities this presents, it’s not hard to imagineThe Wheel of Timemaking the most of this, perhaps by killing off a character and then bringing them back within the next episode by having their killer Balefired.
When looking at its history and usage in the books, it’s fair to say thatThe Wheel of Timeisn’t limited in terms of how and when it can bring Balefire into the picture. It may be a forbidden weave, but it’s also one that both Rand and Nynaeve managed to learn on their own. For that reason,The Wheel of Timecould theoretically have either character unleash Balefire without having full awareness of the repercussions.
The Wheel of Time
Cast
The Wheel of Time follows Moiraine, a member of the powerful all-female organization Aes Sedai, as she leads a perilous quest with five young individuals. Moiraine suspects one among them could be the prophesized reincarnation of a mighty figure destined to either save or doom humanity.
