Mistborn Era 3’s Stakes Are Higher Than Ever (After 1 Stormlight Archive Detail Changed The Context Of Wax & Wayne)

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

The stakes of Mistborn Era 3 are higher than ever, particularly after a major Cosmere change that happened in The Stormlight Archive. Wind and Truth is the latest book in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere, a shared universe of fantasy book series and standalone, including both Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive. Though the author insists that each title can be read individually, connections between series have become more and more prevalent with each installment. Wind and Truth’s ending has enormous implications for Mistborn’s future, even featuring one of the series’ prominent characters.

With Wind and Truth marking the end of The Stormlight Archive’s first sequence, there’s going to be a long break before the next volume. That said, Brandon Sanderson’s upcoming books are still packed with Cosmere titles, with new Mistborn volumes expected to hit shelves before the decade ends. The new trilogy, Mistborn: Ghostbloods, is planned to occur about 80 years after Wax & Wayne, and Sanderson intends to write all three volumes before any are released, allowing them to come out annually between 2028 and 2030. They’ll be set in an era on Scadrial inspired by early computer technology.

Harmony Is Threatened By Two Off-World Shards

Autonomy & Retribution Are Both Threats To Scadrial

The stakes are higher than ever on Scadrial after the events on Roshar. Before Wind and Truth, Harmony was the only being in the Cosmere to have two Shards of Adonalsium, making him the most Invested entity alive. Now, following Dalinar and Odium’s contest of champions, Odium has combined with the Shard of Honor, turning into a new hybrid named Retribution. To maintain existence on Scadrial, Harmony has to protect the planet from two dangerous off-world threats, with Odium having already shattered multiple Shards and Autonomy already making an attempt on his planet in Mistborn Era 2.

Autonomy is the primary Shard on Taldain, and her Intent saw Mistborn’s rapidly increasing technological capabilities as a significant threat. Through avatars on Scadrial, she attempted an attack that was only repelled at the last minute by Waxillium Ladrian and his companions. Long before Odium became part of Retribution, he shattered two other Shards, including Devotion and Dominion of Sel.

Retribution isn’t specifically targeting Scadrial yet, but Brandon Sanderson makes a point in Wind and Truth to show just how threatened by him the other Shards were, immediately after his formation. Harmony has already been preparing for Odium and trying to form alliances with other Shards, but the situation is now more urgent. Sazed's Shards spent much of Era 2 preparing Waxillium to be his “sword,” a mortal defender to lead his people and fight his enemies without him having to intervene directly. However, The Lost Metal notes how dire Harmony’s situation has become, even internally.

Balancing multiple Shards isn’t easy, and the Shard of Ruin is slowly taking control, shifting him closer to becoming Discord. Characters often describe a dark shadowy version of Harmony standing behind him, suggesting his transformation isn’t far away. The additional pressure of Retribution likely isn’t helping.

Harmony Knew Odium Was Retribution Throughout Mistborn: Era 2

Wind And Truth Adds New Context To Wax & Wayne

Wind and Truth finally provides some clarification on The Stormlight Archive’s timeline relative to Mistborn. As readers had long suspected, the first sequence occurs between Mistborn Eras 1 & 2. That means that Kelsier and Harmony both knew about Retribution throughout Mistborn Era 2, which offers new context to the four-book series. Harmony’s descent into becoming Discord hasn’t just been because of Autonomy; it’s also been because of Retribution.

Not to mention, all of Kelsier’s secret-keeping and work with the Ghostbloods occurs after they’ve lost access to Roshar. Sanderson wrote Wax & Wayne to exist independently, but it’s interesting to consider with new information in mind. Not only is Harmony preparing for the pressure of Retribution, but Autonomy might also have advanced her plans due to the change. Autonomy and Odium allegedly have some type of pact, but it’s hard to imagine either of them being keen on the other gaining much power.

Harmony needed a sword more than ever during this period, as even though Retribution went into hiding after Wind and Truth, the threat is always going to be there until he’s dealt with. Considering Kelsier and Harmony’s last conversation in The Lost Metal, it’s crucial for Scadrial to make fast advancements in preparation, which might cause Kelsier to be even more drastic than ever.

Autonomy Is Still The Most Significant Threat To Scadrial

Autonomy Is The Mistborn Series' Villain; Not Retribution

Though Autonomy is on Taldain, her primary role right now is to be an antagonist in the Mistborn series. Since Brandon Sanderson wants to keep his stories separate, he’s probably going to continue to keep the focus on Autonomy’s threat, with Kelsier and Harmony leading the planet with vastly different approaches to defending it. Kelsier is far more rash, and The Lost Metal saw him trying to persuade Harmony to intervene directly and provide his planet’s people with technology. This ideological difference could continue to push them apart, even making them adversarial.

Brandon Sanderson is also working on his novelization of White Sand, which was previously released as a graphic novel and offers a glimpse of another of Autonomy’s avatars. He could use the opportunity to add even more context to Autonomy, expanding on the character’s motivations as she returns for Mistborn: Ghostbloods. She plans to continue attacking Scadrial, and even Kelsier says in Wind and Truth that they're dealing with a situation they had to prioritize. Retribution might be an endgame threat for Scadrial, but Autonomy is likely to be the immediate problem they’ll have to deal with in Era 3.

How Retribution Will Affect Mistborn: Era 3

Retribution Could Be An Antagonist In Mistborn's Future Space Opera

Now that Wind and Truth is out, Brandon Sanderson will hopefully include some mentions of Retribution in his upcoming Mistborn trilogy. With six years before another Stormlight Archive volume, he knows Cosmere fans will be desperate for any shred of information they can get on what’s going on with Roshar and how the Shards have begun preparing for Retribution’s return. He’s mentioned that Kelsier will play a more prominent role, so he and Harmony, along with any other new crossover characters who make appearances, should at least share some brief dialogue about Wind and Truth's events.

With that in mind, however, Retribution probably won’t make a complete return until arc 2 of The Stormlight Archive. If Sanderson wants to eventually have a conflict between Retribution and Harmony/Discord, it would probably wait until Mistborn Era 4, which is intended to be a space opera. With more accessibility between planets, these Cosmere crossover conflicts will be more prominent than ever. For now, Mistborn Era 3 still has plenty of exciting things to look forward to.