They really fumbled their best antagonist, fleshed out and believable, his motives were understandable and it really led many in the community to want to turn to his side. And in Ubisoft fashion they ruined it
i was honestly surprised to see him be the main focus of the expansion or at least them killing him at the end of it. i was honestly expecting him to make it out and survive/be rescued by faye in the end with an ambush taking our eyes off keener allowing him to make a run for it. even a sniper shot would work by faye
Hearing this video and then reading this comment I couldn’t disagree with that. He truly was a wasted potential. I recall in the first division he was doing a lot more better and then came division 2 new people making it so it got ruined.
I'm so happy someone shares my opinion on this. He was mapped out to be one of the greatest villains on a similar level of Thanos in the Marvel Universe. I truly wanted to take his side in the first game because he had extreme motives. Ubisoft butchered him completely, along with many other lore-friendly parts of this story such as the Hunters.
Keener is highly intelligent, resourceful and charismatic. His major flaw was that he kept burning bridges. He saw people/factions as tools that he dispose of instead of maintaining the bonds that kept them
@@redkommie80 and it’s that kind of thinking that got him killed. We have the support of the other agents across the states, defectors from enemy factions and the settlements. We are the ones thriving, he died alone.
His road from patriotic fanatic and SHD agent to becoming villain should be a movie tbh its such great story, after they killed him this game died for me.
A part of me was hoping that the Jake Gyllenhaal movie adaptation (is that still even happening?) would be a live adaptation of Aaron Keener's experience in the DZ. Alas...
Keener was, for the most part, a charming and intelligent operator. His anger at being abandoned consumed him. From hero to villain. Though in his eyes, he still saw himself as a hero. Just the hero that had to do bad, to get good done. But again, his views were twisted since his abandonment in the dark zone. Why his character worked so well throughout the Division games. I still want to know more about the rogue network he set up.
The Division always felt like it was missing something important ever since Keener died. Our best rival. Always one step ahead, silver tongued and deadlier than every enemy faction in the game.
And most of all, he was one of us our ultimate counter and foil an agent who was so damned good he was better than us at everything and he made all the other factions look like chump change. I think the keener we killed wasn’t really him, he was too out if character and having a body double to do work in the background while everyone thinks he is dead is something I could easily see him do.
Your narrative of the Division is so mysterious and suspenseful. It makes the lore of the game so interest and changes the perception of the entire gameplay. Thank you for your dedication
In either recruited or compromised, i cant remember which book. They sort of described ANNA and the division agents (not rogues) actually were able to use it to fight rogue ones. ANNA does not seem to mind who is using it, it provided assistant none the less. It has a more sassy tone and is kinda casual about killing people or its user dying. The book mentioned there are 3 physical locations hosting SHD, it reads to me there seem to be a location hosting ANNA instead of piggy back off SHD network.
What I want to know is what the hell ANNA stands for. We already know what ISAC is short for Intelligent System Analytic Computer, but I've no FUCKING clue what ANNA is supposed to be short for.
Aaron Keener was a great Antagonist, who I wanted to hunt down all through Division 1. But, at the same time I understood why he switched to a Rogue, I honestly probably would have done the same if I had been left behind, abandoned, denied any kind of help. Just wish they had done the end of his story better
It's possible. A few things I have heard are rumoring in the future we normal agents will be framed to look rogue in the public eye and we are going to be hunted. No longer "official". Could make things interesting again. The story has really been slow and boringly drawn out for the most part the past few years. They need to shorten the seasons as well. Having 3 weeks between manhunt targets just makes me play the game for one afternoon, take out the target and then not play again for another 3 weeks.
Black Tusk already disabled SHD's Main node, leaving Division to rely on the Mobile node. If Division lose the Mobile one, they have no choice but to turn Rogue so they can use their gadgets + ANNA seems to be much more superior than ISAC or Black Tusk's DIAMOND
My favorite Keener quote: The quarantine as it's set up is good - good at keeping idiots on the island. Sure, the Coast Guard's watching the water, and the JTF's guarding the bridges and tunnels, but the thing is this: the weakest component in any system is people. All it takes is one guy who'll take a bribe, one optimist who thinks he's smarter than everyone else, one desperate mother or father who'll do anything for their kid, and the whole system breaks down. And that one little slip, that one tiny crack - that's all I needed.
I think the player agent is de vilain, we are the mindless system soldier, that shoot at people before understand why they fighting for, Keener seems to me like a thanos, very radical but right in the end of the day.
@@neofulcrum5013 civilians won't win this war against black tusk, true sons and hunters, so dosen't matter if our agent is carring about civilians, we need firepower, and if the palyer agent wasan't so mindless he couldve listened Aaron Keener's plans and figure out all what he knew, we killed our biggest allie against the black tusk.
@@dusty3328 Keener is fighting to destroy the old world, He eagerly uses bio weapons because the world hasn’t suffered enough. The black tusk fight to install a puppet government and turn America into a dictatorship. We fight to give the actual government enough room to pick itself up and help people. Our guys eagerly work with the remaining citizens and as long as they aren’t damaging others chances of survival. We tend to leave them alone.
This is my speculation, but I think the rogue network is being used by us right now. And that the rogue network basically allows the agents to access all of ISAC's Systems without drawbacks. There is also the fact that I think Keener's legacy is indeed helping the Division tackle future problems. He did comment that he was always one step ahead of us, and it didn't seem to me that eliminating the Division was the primary goal. I rather believe that he was trying to pull the shroud out of whoever it is that allowed the collapse of society to happen. A lot of the new lore and content, at least in the games, points out that the Division's mission is flawed yet still feasible to be accomplished. I mean, Keener was doubting it, but I didn't encounter any information both in Division 1 and 2, pointing out that he specifically said that the mission isn't accomplishable. He simply was suggesting to adapt, and given that information, maybe ANNA was a way for the Division to adapt. At least it makes sense lore and game-wise how we are able to customize our agents to our preferences after Warlords of New York through levelling the SHD Watch. I may be overreaching it on this one, but heck, this is my opinion xD Please feel free to disagree and point me where I got it wrong o7
The way I see it, Aaron Keener is basically like Solomon Lane from Mission Impossible 5: Rogue Nation. Solomon Lane (played by the actor Sean Harris) is the former MI6 agent turned rogue anarchist and terrorist leader of the international shadow organization called "The Syndicate." Solomon Lane is the archenemy of Mission Impossible's main protagonist (played by actor Tom Cruise) Ethan Hunt. You could also say that Solomon Lane is basically Ernst Stavro Blofeld to Ethan Hunt's James Bond. You know what I mean?
With the movie on a backburner (last I heard), I would still really like some more media made for Tom Clancy Division series. A thought. An anthology miniseries based on a different character, either day of life after the green plague, or based on important moments from the games along with new stuff from a collection of writers and directors. Just a thought.
I fear that they're going the same "wacky, comic book villain" route with Sokolova too. She used to be more like pre-WONY Keener. You didn't really hear her much, instead you heard ABOUT her. But at the end of the SP manhunt, she's engaging in these lengthy, overwrought diatribes, literally negating all of her mystique, just like Keener did in the end.
Here's my two cents on the matter. I didn't mind Keener's portrayal in the second game as I assmumed eclipse was meant to do two things: Wipe away the last remnants of a government that wasn't worth it, and deny the Black Tusk from establishing a new dynasty through scorched earth tactics. The rest is history, those few who survive will be given a second chance in the long term. I also thought Keener allowing our agent to confront him was intended. As our agent would be a great asset if they could be turned. Keener is a capable fighter, and we aren't the first agents he's tried to recruit who refused. He just killed those who wouldn't side with him. This was probably no diffrent for him. After planting the seeds of doubt in our agent's head in the first game, and the first part of the final manhunt mission, us seeing the payload was probably where Keener thought it would all "click" in our heads and we'd finally understand. The only time he was probably "thrown off" the entire time was when we actually put up more of a fight than expected. If I had to guess the rogue network was intended to be activated at a later date or as a contingency in case he died to make sure his ideal new world came to pass and stamp out unwanted elements that may have managed to slip through the cracks. He can't be everywhere at once and to be completly fair having a backup in case someone managed the remove the mastermind from the equation sounds a lot like the kind of forsight Keener would have. Reguardless how vein he is. I understand it's far from perfect, as even if Keener thought he could 100% turn our agent, he'd still be making a substantial lapse of judgement by letting them within shooting distance of the payload. When it comes down to it, I don't think how Keener's story ended was all that terrible.
His condition at the end reminded me of Emeline Shaw. He looked run down and tired, just as she did as an asymptomatic person. I'm wondering if he somehow got infected, only to find out he was asymptomatic? Anyway, I too am a bit agitated at how his story ended. I guess I let myself believe that Keener had a bigger plan, and not seeing how it was supposed to play out (at least not yet) has left a bad taste in my mouth. I too refuse to believe anyone else is the main villain of this game.
Keener had a purpose and served it well. Good or bad he was great at it. Moreover, he stayed on mission, just readjusted. McManus is the one we have to get to now. Sokolova here and there we've been told lately but suckanus is the one pulling strings. Extremis Malis Extrema Remedia
The way Keener uncharacteristically changed in attitude and conduct is the same way the Fei Lau changed. And now they're both dead. Uncharacteristically.
I don't think Keener is really dead and it all comes down to one simple interaction that happens in The Tombs mission : "You shouldn't trust ISAC, its not that hard to fool".
What I dont understand about SHD agents is they go into the program being told, “you are the last line, there will be no support if you are deployed” and then when they are deployed with little to no support they get angry?? I dont understand their reasoning.
I haven't really played too much of The Division 2, much less understand the lore, but Aaron Keener was such an amazing antagonist in the first game that they had me actively seeking out collectibles to learn more about him.
I remember one of his logs in the first game where he sorta stopped and said “The man behind the curtain…” or something to that effect. I think he was one of the first to figure it all out.
What makes sense to me is during his own investigation of the outbreak, he learned about Sokalova and the Dir. of DHS, as well as the hunters. That’s why he made the People you’re working for being irrelevant comment.
I am genuinely interested and excited to see what else will be able to learn about Keener and his fellow rogue agents in the new year. I have a sneaky suspicion do that his version of ISAC is going to play a significant role.
I was re-listening to this as I'm hungry for more lore talk, and only now, *10 years later* I somehow realised what SHD stands for. I apparently just hadn't thought about it any deeper than "Shade"...
That dialogue at the last. Portrays Keeners background perfectly. "When you look at the balance sheet..." He basically differentiates between people throught assets and liabilities. Something a wall street dealer would perfectly understand. Because they analyze balance sheets on a daily. Then the part where he says "Its almost as easy as putting two bullets in the center mass and third one in the head." Thats something i believe is said in the military? Whenever engaging with an enemy you shoot two in the chest and one in the head. An effective way to confirm your kill. Great voice acting. The dialogue is said so menacingly too
I recall the brief cutscene where the agent is on the ferry to liberty island and Keener was observing it from the screen. He coughed briefly before laughing as the missiles hit the ferry. If I had to speculate, he was probably dying from some illness and might as well not escape
I 10000% think he isn’t dead; I think when Parnell screwed with ISAC’s recognition algorithms, he changed it that Keener couldn’t be recognized correctly. It totally fits with Keener’s personality and manipulative nature.
I mean yeah there is the screwed algorithms but "if" they have his body couldn't they just test and match his DNA, dental records, finger prints, especially if they know that ISAAC has been compromised
@@neofulcrum5013 I will not be surprised since Resurgence has a lot of room to cover any new additions to the lore and to explain a bit more about details we already know. We may even get to see events that lead to Keener building up his Rogue Network.
Aaron was an idealistic man who suffered horrible near-death trauma that, coupled with being flat out abandoned by orders of ill-informed high-ups, shattered him. That experience combined with his innate self-assurance that he was the smartest guy in the room to turn him into the beast we simply know as "Keener". As much as I hated him and loved beating his smug ass down in his manhunt, I also felt great empathy for him because it was really all so avoidable.
In the book compromised, the agents use Anna to reactivate their gear and to track the rogue agents they're tracking could possibly see something like that in game?
Personally i would say that keener should've lasted until maybe s3 or s4 manhunt cause that was when the black tusk were starting to come out of the shadows. maybe even till the end as he could've survived and kept leading the rogue network, i also didn't want him to last too long as many would've started to find him annoying and tedious rather than a villain that we could be excited about. as the for rogue network i would simply say that they've gone underground with the death of keener. Thing is keener was kinda like a rogue agent commander like how faye lau was a commander for the division. he was a leader that could rally rogue agents but with his death the rogue network didnt have a leader to organize themselves around. also i can't say that the rogue network would last long, the problem with the network is that its essentially a loose alliance between rogues leading various factions and this was highlighted with the manhunts. You had keener's warlords where dragov was only concerned about amassing a criminal empire, kajika was only concerned with revenge against the jtf, conley was a typical cleaner wanting to eradicate the virus, i would say that theo and kajika were the only true loyalists to keener's cause as both of their views were similarly aligned with keener's. also i would say keener made a mistake with abandoning theo. theo singlehandedly created the rogue network and knew the technical workings of it as well. keener would've definitely needed theo to maintain and watch over the network. To conclude, im kinda hoping the rogue network makes a big comeback somehow especially with the recruited novel and the recent manhunt telling us about st louis.
Keener is a surprisingly well-written antagonist; aside from being an polymath he's a very human and relatable character. I almost wish we hadn't killed him and instead he became the figurehead of the rogue agent faction which we could've gotten the option to join later in D2 or in the hypothetical D3.
I really did not enjoy the direction they took Keener in the second game. The Division ends with nothing but *potential*. An extraordinarily capable, extraordinarily motivated individual with the means to... Well, to do anything really, with the protein printer, Tchernenko and Amherst' research. Then in comes The Division 2 and he is all about anarchy through genocide? His demeanor with his agents is great and fits the charismatic and manipulative villain we knew from the first game, but they do nothing to sell you on his evident descent to madness, to the point that he is facing an army, on an island, alone, and without escape route. In a way, I feel like they just gave his character arc to Lau. It made sense for it to be Keener who went after the government, even more so, to have a personal vendetta against the president. You can sort of argue that he does, through this whole anarchy thing, but his revenge isn't directed at them. For some reason the object of his haltred aren't those responsible for wronging him, but literally everyone else. Natalya so far has been fantastic and I hope they land her third act better than they did with Keener.
Could have been awesome for D3 to have had the opportunity to join Keener side and run seasons based on whether JTF or Keener won out depending on the agents who join each side.
It really did blindside me with how easily we were able to take Keener out it didn't feel right to me at all. He was always not just 1 step but 2 steps ahead of everyone the man was genius he knew how to play everyone like a fiddle. The fact we seemed to be able to catch him off guard was just idk it didn't feel right. I was expecting him to pull off like a last minute get away at least but nope he died and it just wasn't right. The only way that I could make it make sense to me was that like Apollyon in the For Honor story needed to take herself out of the picture for her plan to actually work. So I been just telling myself that he let us kill him so his real plan would set in motion
I think Keener was Right...we got played,We were all(Well some or most of us) were focused on winning,and these fights and small battles,were leading us..to one thing.WAR...and this war is what Keener was warning us about.And WE didn't see it before it was to late,and it caused it almost everything and Allies and the white house is in peices,BUT maybe Keener has another gift to Give US the Agents Kelso and manny along with others a fighting Chance to WIN...Nat thinks she has one.But she is No aaron keener,She will lose. and when she does...THAT will be our victory.But till then,Keep looking for clues or what ever keener left.Cause who knows.they could help us win this war.
Great video as always! I too was a bit upset when they got rid of Keener, but I also did some lore searching and theory crafting of my own. What if Keener used Theo's decoy tech to make someone else look/act like him so that he could go into deep hiding for a while? Could it be plausible for him to do something akin to that? Which could in turn, would give him time to travel further west, or even south "recruiting" as he travels. It could be a good way to setup things for year 5 and/or the next DLC? Or even Division 3.
i wouldn't be suprised is he's actually still alive. most of the time in WoNY he was bloviating about how ISAC can't be trusted and soo on and then in the end when he's dying, the only thing that confirms if he's dead is ISAC? kelso, doesn't check if he's dead and the player character just stands there
they need a dlc in which you play as Aaron Keener, because in all honesty i dont think he's dead, i believe some time in the game's future he makes a sudden appearance while you're in trouble and helps you out, at the same time telling you everything thats been going on, and eventually you and manny realize it, while kelso goes rogue
Im kinda surprised people are forgetting about the Warlords of New York mission with the Hacker. he was able to spoof the records a few times to say a body was his when it wasn't. im gonna put my money on that happening along with either some one who looks similar or made to look similar to him.
Maaaan these rogue videos makes me so sad we dont get too choose what side we wanna be on 😢 like imagine having one rogue agent story and one division story. The more i hear from the views of the rogues i wanna be one of em xD
I really don't believe Keener would let himself die so easily. He probably used a body double to keep everyone off his back because the black tusk and the division were doing better than he anticipated. So that way he can finish with what he had truly planned
Had Kenner not fallen to Amherst's level by not being able to properly distinguish between saving the world and destroying it, I would have respected him more and may be I would have considered joining his cause.
Knowing keener the slimy bastard that he is and how quickly he was put down I feel like he traded places with someone to get the hell out and had kept a REAL low profile Being so careful he doesn’t even communicate with anyone kind of careful But he’s probably dead thi
I'd would love if the the division 1 agent you play as becomes the new rogue agent you have to kill but he kills you and you become him again at the end
what if he uploded his mind to the rouge network ? i just thought about this because we know keener shows up in the upcoming Descent game mode trailer and in PTS it says that Descent is like a simulation and our watch turn different color when we play Descent
Keeners story is sad but true he was betrayed by the government and the JTF so his reasons for going rouge is understandable, and let's be honest people most of us would go down the same path as he did. If I had a choice in the game to go rouge against the division and start a new journey i would take it because every rouge agent is different in there own ways and beliefs, but for me i would stick to a code that doesn't seem very bad to most people and it has three rules. 1. Help others, mainly citizens trying to get by the best they can. 2. Don't start fights unless they start the fight first to avoid trouble. 3. No killing unless there's no other choice in any situation. That's my code for being a rouge agent.
Turning rogue is a stupid idea no matter how you look at it. All these characters talk about being aware of themselves being expendable. But when you abandon someone with a big ego and a superiority complex he tries to get revenge for it. It was a bad situation in these areas, which got abbondoned. People may have made a bad decision. Even several maybe. But what should have mattered to Keener is that he made it out of this bad situation and survived! If he had kept his emotions straight it would have certainly made him a better leader in this scenario, aswell. ... But he had to throw a tantrum. Well, so be it! He got what he deserved for it in the end. A sad ending for a human with great potential who went down a very dark path.
