Lara Croft - Survivor Timeline Analysis

It was 2014 when I first played the initial entry in the Tomb Raider Survivor Universe. (Hereafter referred to simply as “Tomb Raider.”) I fell in love with the game, Lara, and the narrative. I wanted to go back and play the originals, and after clearing up my own misunderstandings, it opened the floodgates for me to enjoy not only the whole series, but the action-adventure game genre as a whole.

As time went on, I began to sympathize more with the stories of the “poor neglected Classic Tomb Raider fans.” It got to the point where I would mock the Lara of the Survivor Universe relentlessly. However, after gaining a measure of distance from those Classic fans, the ones on Tumblr in particular, it occurred that I needed to deep-dive analyze the character of the rebooted Lara Croft. Who was she exactly? Was she really everything I had been told?


Chapter 1 – Tomb Raider

“What does it mean to be Lara?”

Starting at the start seemed like a good idea. Right from the beginning up until you get the handgun, my understanding of their vision for Lara was hazy, but starting to take form. While not intrepid by any means, her determination is unshakable. Some of the feats she finds herself having to accomplish frighten her, but she does them because there’s no other option. She doesn’t cower and she tries not to hesitate; she pushes onward unflinchingly.

I could also see traits inherent to older incarnations of Lara still present in the new one. The common narrative is she’s straightforward and plain-spoken, but I actually found her very sarcastic. For example, in the lower half of the Coastal Forest, she has some words for Whitman: “Could’ve warned me about the wolves, Doctor.” Another of my favorites is in the burning forest below the Mountain Temple. A member of the Solarii cult says, “Come. Your friends are hurt.” To Whitman, Lara responds, “Yes, probably by them.” It was a clever way to keep Lara’s trademark wit without making her unapproachable.

One of the overarching themes of the Survivor Universe is Lara’s deep-seated traumas: Survivor’s Guilt, Hero Complex, and Problem Avoidance. Immediately after the slaughter beneath the Mountain Temple, it's obvious that the seeds have been planted and begun to take root. Having gained a measure of safety, Lara writes in her Camp Journal, "Don’t even think about it, Lara. They have to be alright, they have to be." Even early on, we can see the foundation of the traumas that would last her throughout the third entry of the origins trilogy.

Nearing the apex of the Base Exterior, I noticed Lara begin to get a little fiercer, starting to truly feel a sense of pride and accomplishment from surviving a fight. On this playthrough, after the shielded cultist was killed, the last Solarii scrambled out and sputtered, “Oh shit, she’s still alive?!” I had accidentally timed it so Lara killed him instantly with a headshot. To his corpse, she responded, “Yes. Still alive.” It was quite cold-blooded, yet empowering.

I found this doubly intriguing. First, it’s obviously a way to have the player empathize with the character easier by having her emotions match theirs. Second, it’s interesting in a meta context; the sense of pride gained from defending herself might be giving Lara an endorphin rush the likes of which she’d never felt before. This line of thinking veers more into headcanon territory, but it’s something interesting to think about.

If I was asked to pinpoint a primary focal moment in Tomb Raider, I would say Roth’s death, no question. Knowing what comes after makes it more emotional rather than less. This is the number one catalyst that sends Lara down the path she ends up taking. How must it have felt to lose her father figure twice over? The Survivor’s Guilt deepens, and this is what made it a truly ingrained trauma.

“I wish they had killed me instead,” she bitterly laments. But she continues, again telling herself to push through the pain: “But they didn’t. I’m here, I’m still alive, […]” She chooses to compartmentalize this horrible tragedy rather than confront it. After all, she hasn’t the time to fall into catatonic uselessness. Lara Croft takes up the mantle and becomes the leader. Now it is she and she alone who will ensure the crew’s survival.

I would also like to point out a curiosity about Lara’s professional field. As terrified as Lara is of her situation and the Solarii, she’s still absolutely fascinated about their culture. Pay attention to her tone in the Challenge Tombs; she sounds mystified and intrigued all at once, as if she can almost forget where she is and get lost in what the shrines once meant, and how the Solarii repurposed them.

As the game goes on, Lara reveals she’s something of an anthropologist, devising theories and taking mental notes about the day-to-day life of the cultists on the island. At once she recognizes them as human men yet finds it easy to kill them and protect herself. Or maybe she’s looking at them as a species devoid of humanity? Either way, it’s a disturbing look into Lara’s mind.

At the end, Lara discovers that her grounded, scientific view of the world was incorrect. The force keeping both the survivors and Solarii on the island of Yamatai is the angry soul of a centuries-old Japanese queen, trapped in a decaying body. Her friend Sam, a descendant of the Yamatai people, has been chosen as the queen's new vessel. But Lara will not allow it, and ascends the Chasm Ziggurat to rescue her beloved friend and destroy Queen Himiko once and for all. The climax concludes with a perfect lead-in to a new entry.

Lara: “I’ve been so blind… so naïve. For years I resented my father, doubted him like the rest. But he was right about so much. I just wish I could tell him that now. There are so many mysteries that I once dismissed as mere stories. But the line between our myths and truth is fragile and blurry. I need to find answers… I must understand.”

Lara has witnessed the unexplained supernatural, and has no answers as to what happened. Suddenly, her father, the “Crazy Croft,” no longer seems so crazy; she has discarded her veiled perspective of the world. So what will she turn to? Her father’s research. And she’ll begin following up on the mysteries he left unsolved.

In between the first and second games, Lara will:

    1. Return to Yamatai to stop a cult that worships a cult;
    2. Encounter Trinity for the first time while en route to saving Alex’s sister Kaz;
    3. Meet one of her father’s old flames, who had kidnapped Grim’s brother; and
    4. Learn Himiko did indeed possess Sam, who winds up in a mental hospital.

But above all, Lara will be faced with the reality of her PTSD.

So, “What does it mean to be Lara?”

Lara is determined, strong, and intelligent. She has a small penchant for sarcasm but usually plays it straight. She loves archaeology and ancient world history. She isn’t fearless, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes for her and her loved ones to survive, and that’s what makes her powerful. She’s resourceful, good with a gun, a master archer, and not too shabby with an axe. She’s also reasonably limber and dare I say athletic.

Tomb Raider was the perfect setup to expand a character arc, and I’m interested to see where the trilogy takes us from here in a cross-game context.


Chapter 2 – Rise of the Tomb Raider

“What does it mean to be a Croft?”

Having finished the prologue, Syria, and Croft Manor in one sitting, a truth became apparent: Lara is obsessed. If this game had shown us nothing more than that, it would have succeeded as a part of the trilogy. She can no longer afford to let her traumas haunt her, and has instead dived straight into busywork. Lara has been revisiting Richard’s research, a compulsion taking over her to succeed where he could not. She wants answers; Dad was on the verge of finding them; and so to honor her father’s memory, she has gone to Siberia in search of the Divine Source. Perhaps in a way, attempting to honor Richard is also part of her Survivor’s Guilt.

During my first playthrough, I thought the multiple reasons for Lara’s journey muddied the plot. However, revisiting it with a fresh mindset was illuminating. After Lara was imprisoned in the abandoned gulag, Ana said something that struck me:

Ana: “What would you even do with the artifact? Show it to the world? Redeem your father’s good name?”

And I realized, Lara herself doesn’t know why she's here. She has yet to grasp that she’s looking for the Divine Source because she wants another adventure. And what better excuse is there than to follow in Dad’s footsteps? She does want to posthumously reconnect with him in a way, but when she set out, Lara never understood the magnitude of finding the Source.

Ana hit the nail on the head. Right now, Lara is drifting, wondering what she should do with her life. Over the course of the trilogy, we’ll see that come to a boiling point and spill out of the pot.

After making it to the Geothermal Valley, there’s a Camp Journal available where Lara exposes more of her inner narrative.

Lara: “Trinity being here, the people they’re hurting… that’s down to me. I led them here. God, it’s happening again, isn’t it? People are suffering because of my actions.”

She soon tries to rationalize and talk herself down, but those were her most immediate thoughts. She has already decided it’s her fault that Trinity might locate the Divine Source, despite the book being stolen not being in her control. Lara can’t bear to see tragedy befall people, and if she’s involved in any way, she immediately runs to blame herself—which is where the Hero Complex comes in. Thematically, this fits with the concepts of side missions and Lara’s eagerness to help. This is reinforced by something said in another Camp Journal:

Lara: “I want answers, but what choice do I have now? I can’t let Trinity wipe these people out. There are lines here that I crossed a long time ago, and there’s no going back. I’ve got to help them.”

A classic example. She tries to take control and help everyone. Because she had to do it on Yamatai, and had to do it several times more in the comics, she feels like it falls upon her, and is thus stuck repeating this cycle.

This game also elaborates upon Lara’s anthropological interest in a subtle way: she tones down her sarcasm when speaking to the Remnant, versus jabbering with her friends or in Camp Journals. There are some less straightforward lines peppered throughout, but it’s mostly “Point A to Point B” conversations. Trite though it may seem, I think this was deliberate. Showing Lara, an intruder in the natives’ land, speaking so callously wouldn’t fit her personality nor the narrative. She’s very respectful of other cultures, perhaps not for their benefit, but for her own protection.

Curiously, there wasn’t much more on Lara's character development to point out until the very end. While there were scenes that reinforced her personality and growing beliefs, there weren’t many notable scenes of true growth. But the climax made up for it with the power it held.

As Lara finds Ana in the Chamber of Souls, she speaks passionately about her new belief, that some secrets are better left hidden. Ana parrots back to Lara the ideals she had when she set out in this adventure. Lara responds that death is a part of life, and calls back to Roth’s lesson about loss versus sacrifice.

In Tomb Raider…

Roth: “Sometimes you’ve got to make sacrifices, Lara. You can’t save everyone.”

Lara: “I know about sacrifices.”

Roth: “No. You know about loss. Sacrifice is a choice you make. Loss is a choice made for you.”

In Rise of the Tomb Raider…

Ana: “What about your father? You’re dooming him to be mocked by history. How can you let this go? When you’re so close?”

Lara: “I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

As she shatters the Divine Source, Lara learns first-hand what it means to sacrifice. However, it wasn’t just Richard’s reputation on the line; destroying the Divine Source means the death of the Deathless Prophet and his guidance, which his people have relied on for hundreds of years.

As Jacob lies dying, Lara says to him, "I’m sorry. All I wanted was to make a difference." He responds, “You already have.” While this platitude is sweet, it becomes clear later that she doesn’t take it to heart. This adventure ended in Lara destroying the way of life of an entire civilization still rooted in the Byzantine era. She had to sacrifice Jacob in order to protect them, to protect the world… and now they’ve lost him. While Jacob did consent to his death, in the end it was by Lara’s hand.

Yet she continues forward. Lara went on this journey seeking answers, but with Ana’s death has only found more questions. And so she vows to take down any Trinity operative cells she can find across the world, intending to discover the mysteries they're after, and hoping that she may find the answers she needs.

This story has been the perfect bridge, a showcase of Lara’s Survivor’s Guilt and Hero Complex still haunting her. It gives her to us obsessed, yet aimless and directionless, trying to make peace with deeper past trauma. It shows her growth, learning when sacrifices are necessary. But most importantly, it gives Lara more mistakes to suffer under, the weight of more sins to hurt her so that she might be free by the end of the next game.

In between the second and third games, Lara will:

    1. Encounter a professor and a cult looking for a mysterious mushroom;
    2. Truly free Sam from Himiko’s possession and cut off their relationship for good;
    3. Shift her obsession onto stopping Trinity, losing sight of why she ever wanted to adventure; and
    4. Meet what Trinity consider to be God: the ancient, sacred Tree of Eden, whose bark has hallucinogenic properties.

This game has asked us, “What does it mean to be a Croft?”

A Croft follows their heart; they do what they love without caring about social status. They have an unshakable loyalty to their family, be it chosen or blood-related, and honor their memory the best way possible. They know when to cut their losses and how to make sacrifices. But above all, a Croft aspires to be extraordinary; and the extraordinary is in what they do, not who they are.


Chapter 3 – Shadow of the Tomb Raider

“What does it mean to be the Tomb Raider?”

Tomb Raider.

An island expedition gone wrong. Friends died. Lara resolved to save her crew mates and loved ones.

Rise of the Tomb Raider.

A journey to find answers on the supernatural. Lara wanted to redeem her father’s name. It resulted in the death of a lost people’s leader.

And so we come upon the third story, with the biggest social aspect to date. A giant city and three smaller towns, where Lara can meet with people and learn their stories, struggles, and journeys. The Shadow of the Tomb Raider looms large, casting a gloom wherever Lara goes. Since Siberia, Lara has become a famous archaeologist-adventurer for publicly revealing the Temple of Aton in the comic story Survivor’s Crusade. However, she’s since gone off the grid; Lara and Jonah have been taking down Trinity cells throughout South America, having stumbled across a particularly large find.

Her obsession has shifted. What was once about needing answers for the world’s supernatural myths, has transformed into needing answers on what Trinity is after, and why did her father have to die for it? And this obsession has captivated her in a dangerous way.

We open the story proper with Lara trapped in a cave. After she emerges with a nasty leg wound, the first thing she does is smile. She loves this. She has truly become an adrenaline junkie. A simple expression, yet a perfect display of how she’s changed in the intervening three years. And her obsession has grown to where her Problem Avoidance influences any issue, even a physical wound. She deflects the conversation whenever Jonah asks about her wounded leg, focusing solely on dismantling Trinity.

The Trinity obsession results in Lara stealing the Dagger of Chak Chel, triggering the tsunami that wreaks havoc upon Cozumel. She takes it all in, yet displays a highly inappropriate reaction toward it. Though she did try to save a little boy, once she finds Jonah he’s all she cares about. Immediately she starts raving about how they have to leave now and stop Dominguez now and that it’s all her fault and she has to hurry hurry hurry and fix it I have to fix it Jonah I’m the only one who can please please let’s just go.

So Jonah snaps. He’s fed up, having lost hope that Lara would have a humanitarian reaction, like she might’ve prior to the second game. Instead, she began panicking, thinking about how the situation relates only to her, her father, and Jonah. It was emotional to watch Lara compartmentalize something she caused yet again, and be finally called out on it.

There’s no eloquent way to phrase it: Lara has fucked up and can’t own up to it properly. There’s admitting you made an irreparable mistake, and then there’s blaming yourself because it’s all you know how to do. Lara is doing the latter and has been for quite some time.

The plane crashes in the Peruvian Jungle, and Lara learns that the pilot Miguel has been mauled to death by jaguars… all because she refused to turn back, land, and wait one more day. The burden of her sins bears down on her like the weight of the Earth, and she still casts an ever-growing shadow.

All is not lost, however: she finds Jonah, hardly worse for wear. As she tends to a minor malady he sustained, they have a short conversation.

Jonah: “I think we should… maybe stop and take stock. We’ve been pushing so far forward, heh, flying into that storm—”

Lara: “I-I didn’t think it was gonna be that bad. I—”

Jonah: “Well, I should’ve… insisted we turn back. I mean, I get it. You lock onto a problem, and everything else just disappears.”

Lara: “Jonah—”

Jonah: “I—hey, I’m with you. It’s my choice. Most of the time… But if we die, who stops the cataclysms? Who keeps Trinity from doing what they want?”

Lara grimaces, her lips twitch, and she frowns. She then looks away as she takes care of Jonah’s wound. Her mouth opens and closes a couple times while she thinks about how to respond.

Lara: “Sometimes I feel like I have to keep going and if I don’t, then I’ll just let everyone down…”

Lara has at last said it aloud. In so many words, she has described her Hero Complex. With this, the healing has begun.

After the defeat of the Empress Jaguar, Lara and Jonah take more time to converse, foreshadowing not only where Lara’s character development will ultimately take her, but how the trilogy will conclude. Jonah wouldn’t trade reality as it is now for a second chance with his brother, and Lara is starting to wonder if she feels the same about her parents and other loved ones.

She falls asleep and has a vivid memory of the day of Richard’s death. She remembers an argument between her parents.

Richard: “Amelia, this is very, very important. I cannot abandon my responsibilities, just on the verge of—”

Amelia: “You are always on the verge! Your obsession is destroying this family.”

Richard: “Obsession? I’m obsessed?!”

Amelia: “You are missing your daughter’s childhood because you’re always in some tomb on the other side of the world! Why can you be happy with what you have?”

It’s a bit more spelled out, but another lead-in to the ending. Lara herself is not happy with what she has, and as a result doesn’t realize what she wants. All she knows is that she wants Trinity dead and her parents back: one task monumental, the other impossible. However, there is something else she wants, something awakened in her on Yamatai. And she can’t admit it what she truly desires. This is backed by Lara’s message on the completed Mystery of the White Queen artifact story.

“I used to love to play make believe. Back then, everything was a great adventure. I wonder when I stopped having fun?”

Lara has grown too hardened by her experiences and lost sight of her love of archaeology and the thrill of the adventure. Tomb Raider Forums user Grimaldi has a wonderful analysis that Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a “coming of youth” story, where Lara unlearns her burdens and falls back into her younger self’s more fun-oriented adventurous ways.

To quote Grimaldi: “Throughout Shadow, there’s references to childhood and youth, which ultimately lead to me see the game as a coming of ‘youth’ story as opposed to age. Lara, rather than becoming more cynical and jaded as she gets older, seems to gets back in touch with her younger, more carefree side which was taken from her the day Trinity killed Richard. If intentional, I think it’s a nice direction for the writers to put her in, considering how grim her life has been up to this point.” ( source - https://www.tombraiderforums.com/showpost.php?p=8152046&postcount=36 ) It’s a compelling analysis, and I find it aligns perfectly with the themes and narratives of the third game’s plot.

As everyone knows, upon reaching Paititi the momentum that had been building has ceased. I can’t be certain, but rather than a clumsy way of inserting the Hidden City into the plot, it seems to have been an intentional decision to weave story and gameplay together. At the start of the game, we see Lara’s obsession is rather unfocused, directed toward dismantling Trinity cells. However, after joining the Rebellion she has a clear direction for the first time since Siberia three years ago. Living and exploring in Paititi reintroduces Lara to day-to-day life, removing the blinders and beginning to free her one-track mind.

To elaborate, some banter in Cozumel and Kuwaq Yaku implied Jonah was handling the locals, while Lara committed herself to research and expedition. With Jonah now under Uchu’s watchful eye, Lara is forced to “fend for herself” among the people and reintegrate. Thus, she begins to open up to those around her and step out of the shell she had built. This is another lead-in to the concept of side missions, which serve to remind Lara that her corner of the world—where she has been stuck since Yamatai—isn’t the only one.

Speaking of side missions, I found it curious that “Dice with the Dead” spoke so much to Lara’s character arc. Each of the five outcasts Lara talks to relates in some way to her past or her future. While this is an analysis on Lara in particular, it would be remiss to ignore these NPCs altogether.

    • The Forlorn Lover: Echoes Lara’s relationship with Sam. Lara could easily fill the Outsider’s shoes, and Sam in the Forlorn Lover’s. Until Lara inspired Sam with her dedication, Sam was unable to break free of Himiko’s control. Like the Hidden City’s lovers, Lara and Sam never saw one another again, but Sam has been trying to keep her memories of Lara close.

    • The Upholder: He, Richard, and Lara were outcast for telling the truth. And like Richard, the Upholder lost everything. However, he followed Lara’s path more closely: in losing it all he realized his true calling. This man has devoted his life seeing the true royal legacy of Paititi on the throne, and now “serves the future by protecting the past.”

    • Chasca: A bit of a stretch, but Chasca sacrificing her status for her lady’s daughter reminded me of Lara putting herself in harm’s way repeatedly on Yamatai. In doing so, the Endurance crew mates were shielded from some of the worse horrors that Lara had to endure. While no one truly emerged unscathed, it’s undeniable that Lara received the largest “punishment” for survival.

    • Paimo: Unhappy with his life, he lived in his family’s shadow until a miracle and revelation occurred. He now lives as a hunter, freed from the shackles of expectation. Lara is obviously unhappy with the road her life has gone down; she misses her parents and the loved ones she lost. Right now, she is living in the shadow of who she believes she has to be.

    • Moraekah: Her reason for being outcast isn’t elaborated on, but there are implications that it was due to her love of traveling outside the Hidden City to find relics to sell. Her wisdom is boundless, and her moral compass is strong—indeed, Moraekah is several of Lara’s facets. She represents Lara’s potential future, her conscience, and her sense of wonder. Moraekah is mysterious simply because she symbolizes much of Lara’s potential.

Lara returns to the quest giver, Pisco, with the lessons she’s learned from the five outcasts.

Lara: “I learned that… sacrifice can make your life better. That you shouldn’t be constrained by the legacy of your family; you can find your own path. Love is stronger than death, and you need to believe in something greater than yourself. But ultimately, you can’t control everything. It’s what you make of your situation that defines you.”

This has essentially spelled out the endgame of Lara’s character arc, but I’ll press on nonetheless.

True Queen Unuratu of Paititi is captured, having discovered that the Silver Box of Ix Chel is not in the city and Dominguez, the leader of Trinity and Paititi, may have won. Seeing her so crestfallen, Lara tries to convince Unuratu that there is still hope, and together they realize there may still be a clue in the Last Emperor’s Tomb.

Yet Unuratu warns Lara that there may be dangers: cultists, crowds of loyalists, and Dominguez himself: “It will be dangerous,” she states. Lara simply responds, “I’m sure.” Contrast this to the first game, where she pleaded with Roth, “Please come get me.” She is now in the encouraging role; she is now the seasoned adventurer. Lara is well on her way to embracing her new self.

They find the clue, but Unuratu is killed by Rourke, Trinity’s second in command. Jonah and Lara escape Paititi in search of answers, but are caught by Trinity and separated in the Porvenir Oil Fields. Rourke appears again, taunting her, claiming that he killed Jonah with his own hands.

And Lara goes mad.

Lara snaps, fueled solely by thoughts of killing Rourke. Soldier after soldier is slaughtered, leaving nothing but mangled corpses and scorch marks in her wake.

Yet her main target escapes, and Lara has only caused senseless destruction. She led Unuratu to her death, orphaning her son Etzli, just like Lara herself was. Trinity destroyed yet another family, and this time it’s on Lara. Weighing atop it all is the death of Jonah, her last true friend and confidante. And so, she breaks down sobbing, staring at the blackness caused by her and her alone.

But Jonah arrives no worse for wear, and Lara sobs harder, crying, “I’m making everything worse.” Everything has come to a crest. Lara could not save her friends on Yamatai. She had to sacrifice Jacob in Siberia, destroying the Divine Source and the ways of the Remnant. She was unable to clear her father’s name. In this moment, Lara truly believes that all she has ever done is make things worse.

Jonah grounds her, however, and this does more than just showcase their friendship. He’s able to stop Lara from spiraling out of control by redirecting her focus to the riddle. In gratitude, Lara tells him, “What would I do without you?” The weight of this question is heavier than meets the eye; what would Lara do without Jonah? He has been there to support and guide her. What choices will Lara make when she doesn’t have someone acting as her anchor?

After Lara and Jonah return to Paititi, the Silver Box in hand, the Rebellion sets into motion their final stand against Dominguez. Before Lara separates from the main group, Etzli gives her the eclipse piece of his mother’s amulet, and says, “After today, the eclipse will no longer represent us. We keep the sun, but you remove the shadow.”

This statement is not just about dismantling the amulet or Lara restoring the sun. He also means Lara will soon remove her own shadow, freeing herself of the expectations and burdens she’s placed upon herself. Yet she approaches the final battle alone, without the support of friends for the first time in years. Every decision she makes from this point onward is her own driven by her personal growth.

She makes her way through a climactic hazard of crumbling ruins and Trinity facing the wrath of not only the Rebels, but the Yaaxil, the hellish goddesses protecting the Silver Box. Their leader, the Crimson Fire, reveals to Lara in so few words that Lara will be taking Unuratu’s place as a cipher for Ix Chel. And so, they give chase. It all ends with Lara defeating Dominguez, ending Trinity once and for all. She lays him down to rest, swearing that she will choose to protect Paititi.

As the power flows into her, Lara sees a vision of what her life could’ve been. It’s a moment that will stay only in her heart. She lets go of her parents, of wishing she could’ve known her mother longer, of wishing her father hadn’t been so absent before his murder. The pain of her fractured childhood and all the what-ifs about her parents fade away. She knows that they’re proud of her, that she was loved by them, and that she, in turn, will love them always.

At this point, the Crimson Fire makes her reappearance, the Dagger of Chak Chel in her hand. She returns to Lara the Mask of Ix Chel, bidding her to lay on the dais. Lara’s thoughts race as she recalls things friends and foes alike have told her about what must be done. She lays down and prepares herself, closing her eyes.

At the end of the second game, recall this exchange between Lara and Ana.

Ana: “This is your chance, Lara. Everything I’ve done. Everything you’ve done. Another Croft doesn’t have to die for this.”

Lara: “But I’m willing to.”

Three years ago, beneath a glacier in Siberia, Lara proclaimed that she was willing to die to protect the world. She did not have to then, but on the final day of the eclipse, she at last proves the truth behind those words. Lara fully expects the Crimson Fire to pierce her heart with the Dagger of Chak Chel… yet the power of Kukulkan is drawn into the Dagger without breaking her skin. Two days later, we see the same woman seemingly unscathed.

However, I would like to propose Lara Croft did die during the ritual. That is, the Lara Croft burdened by a need to control dangerous situations; the Lara Croft who wanted to die to make things right again; the Lara Croft who blamed herself for everything that had ever gone wrong for her and her loved ones. These facets are all killed during the renewal of the sun.

And she is reborn as the Tomb Raider.

This neatly transitions to the question, “What does it mean to be the Tomb Raider?”

The Tomb Raider adventures because of her natural sense of wonder. She wants to explore for fun in her profession, to study the artifacts of the world and keep them from falling into the wrong hands. She’s respectful of indigenous cultures and loves to learn more about them. She also loves traveling the world over, looking for mysteries to discover. The Tomb Raider isn’t the only one who does all this, but there is only one Tomb Raider, and she carries the title with pride and dignity. And if ever there arises someone trying to mishandle mystic artifacts for their own gain, the Tomb Raider will be there to stop them.

Her first adventure as the Tomb Raider—not as a Survivor is Born, Woman Versus Wild, or Master of the Jungle—is seeing that her sisters-in-arms the Yaaxil made it home safely. She returns with her good findings and reports them to her friends, and a former Rebel named Q’orianka asks our heroine what her plans are now. The Tomb Raider smiles mischievously, setting the stage for a brighter future full of new stories to seek.