Xena's Death Remains Divisive Even Now
Xena was always supposed to perish when she first surfaced in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Designed only to support Hercules' growth, the character had no expectation of starting her own spin-off. They decided to feature her as a lead character only when the producers noticed her appeal. Given that, Xena's show would conclude with her dying—only fitting. But Lawless thinks her death was no more required after six seasons of seeing Xena's horrific path.
Xena dies and refuses rebirth at the end of the show. Learning that it would release 40,000 souls she had inadvertently killed, she decided to stay dead. Audiences have never before encountered those 40,000 souls or the devil torturing them. Given Xena died for a cause many had never even heard about, the ending became even less acceptable. It supports Lawless' observation that the actual reaction of the audience was never given any thought. Though it never came to pass, there was an attempted Warrior Princess revival that might have corrected the poor ending.
Although Xena: Warrior Princess is a mainstay of 1990s pop culture, star Lucy Lawless almost returned in the 2010s for a cancelled revival of the show.
The two-part ending for Lawless was uninspired without room for a remake, resurrection, or sequel. Given spectators had no reason to link the 40,000 souls to Xena over the show, Xena's last sacrifice was emotionally dull. She never had the time to tell her own story, even if her partner, Gabrielle, might have choose to carry on the narrative and increase the efficacy of Xena's sacrifice. Xena: Warrior Princess guaranteed that few viewers would ever find the finale fulfilling by killing Xena.
Xena: Warrior Princess ended decades ago, but Lucy Lawless still struggles over the death of her character.
Running from 1995 to 2001, the show was a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Robert Tapert developed it; R. J. Stewart and Sam Raimi helped to produce it. Xena, the main character, spends the episode trying to atone for her terrible past deeds; at last, she does this by giving her life in an epic climax. Still, Xena's divisive sad finale haunts the show.
For Lawless, the issue is their disregard of the viewers. Lawless revealed about her difficulties with Xena's death in a special interview with Screen Rant. She neglected to think through how the audience would appreciate the show's ending and the impact it would have on Warrior Princess's legacy, so she wants they never killed Xena. Please see her quote below:
Following the titular heroine, a strong female warrior from Ancient Greece who employs her abilities to assist in defense and protection of the innocent, Staring Lucy Lawless and Renne O'Connor Xena
On every mission Xena goes on, Gabrielle is her sidekick. Running from 1995 to 2001, the show has cult classic reputation and a loyal following even now.
Lucy Lawless: We should have killed her; we were not considering the fans.
Let us now turn to Xena: Warrior Princess. Screen Rant Her death marks the end of the show, and given the popularity of that character, this was a contentious ending. Given all the time that has gone by now, how do you view it? Are you happy or do you prefer Xena's narrative to finish differently?
Lucy Lawsless: No; I want we never killed her. That is the issue. The fans were not on our mind. We were simply asking, "What's a really solid choice for the show? What's quite the best option? I do regret that, though. And I soon afterwards regretted it since, as we now know, we were mistreating the supporters. Now in my line of work, or if I'm guiding, every single shot considers the audience. Not only is their emotional well-being important, but keeping them eager and on the tip of their seats is the key. I simply regret our behavior.
For a very long period, Xena—a legendary heroine in the Star Wars universe—has inspired both fans and producers of the franchise. Strong female characters, varied and inclusive cast, and unforgettable events define the program.
