All Assassin's Creed Present-Day Protagonists, Ranked Worst to Best
Assassin's Creed provides two storylines: the Assassin-Templar conflict of the past and the present, but which present-day protagonist is the best?
The Assassin’s Creed franchise jumps between the present and the past, allowing players to explore two identities while learning about the world, but there are vast differences in each modern protagonist’s quality. While some protagonists have experienced substantial growth and received ample attention from Ubisoft, a few characters became empty slates for storytelling purposes. Despite complaints about the present-day storyline, Ubisoft attempted to rectify it by using different storytelling styles before returning to their first strategy with Layla Hassan.
[Warning: full spoilers for the Assassin's Creed series follow.]
There are currently five Assassin’s Creed protagonists from the mainline games: Desmond Miles, Layla Hassan, the Initiate, and two Abstergo programmers that worked in the Abstergo Entertainment offices. Each character explored unique environments that revealed more about the Assassin’s Creed world, including how each modern faction operated and survived in such turbulent times. Unfortunately, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla left players without a clear protagonist, as it’s unclear if Basim will be the game’s next lead.
Little is known about several Assassin’s Creed protagonists, including names, gender, appearance, and whether they’re alive or dead. The franchise featured a time when the present-day storyline received far less attention than the past, resulting in some strange storytelling choices and a series of unappealing protagonists. It’s unlikely for many players to remember some of these protagonists, especially since Ubisoft is unlikely to contribute any more development to their stories in Assassin’s Creed Infinity. However, each played a role in the Assassin-Templar war and may appear in future projects.
After Desmond Miles died in Assassin’s Creed 3, Ubisoft struggled to find a modern-day protagonist to carry the storyline. Most of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag's budget developed Edward Kenway’s story and high-seas adventures. As a result, Black Flag’s protagonist became a voiceless, faceless character that could explore and unlock different sections of Abserto Entertainment’s offices. Despite their malfeasances, Abstergo remains a corporate giant. The research analyst’s name and appearance are unknown, suggesting they may take on the player’s identity. With the character’s lack of dialogue and development, despite Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag's past story being one of the series' strongest, its modern protagonist is the worst.
The Initiate is the only present-day protagonist that players can’t control in Assassin’s Creed. After widespread backlash to the modern storyline’s decline, Ubisoft refocused most of its attention on the Assassin-Templar conflict in the past. As a result, the Initiate is the only protagonist that cannot be controlled during cutscenes and instead is forced to watch through cameras and drones as present-day Assassins battle Templars.
Like Black Flag and Rogue’s protagonists, the Initiate has no name or face, and their status is unknown. However, unlike Black Flag’s protagonist, Ubisoft developed the Initiate outside of gameplay in Assassin's Creed: Unity and Assassin's Creed Syndicate and expanded the Initiates into an organization that assists the Assassins. Despite having less gameplay than Black Flag’s protagonist, the Initiate’s importance in Assassin's Creed's Assassin-Templar war overshadows the former Abstergo employee, and they bear witness to more critical events.
Like Assassin’s Creed Rogue’s storyline with Shay Cormac, AC Rogue’s Programmer becomes the first present-day Templar protagonist that players control. Shay Cormac’s story featured a significant departure from the average Assassin’s Creed game, exploring a character that could eventually join the Templar Order. The Assassin’s Creed Rogue’s programmer became trapped in their offices during a power outage and helped Templar Knight Otso Berg discover more about Shay Cormac’s memories. At the game’s conclusion, the programmer is offered a choice: join the Templar Order or die. Given the memories the programmer experienced and the gameplay available, it’s safe to say that this present-day protagonist likely joined the Order, making them the first (and only) modern Templar protagonist.
Like several protagonists in the Assassin’s Creed series, Layla Hassan once worked for Abstergo as a low-level employee. Her adeptness with technology caught the eyes of Sofia Rikkin, who recruited her and put her to work in Abstergo’s labs. Unfortunately, Layla’s ambitions and resistance to authority slowed her growth within the company and set her against powerful Templar agents.
Eager to prove her worth, Layla developed a portable Animus to explore the DNA memories of people unrelated to her. Abstergo sent Sigma Team to eliminate Layla, forcing her to join the Assassin Brotherhood and dismantle the company she once served. Layla Hassan remained the protagonist for Assassin’s Creed Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla, forming her own Assassin cell with Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane. Layla Hassan is the second-best modern protagonist in the franchise with the most dedicated backstory and gameplay compared to previously listed modern-day protagonists.
Unsurprisingly, the best present-day Assassin's Creed protagonist is the most important to the universe and the most character development: Desmond Miles. Though his personality seemed underwhelming at times, his role as the reluctant hero propelled the modern storyline forward and resulted in some exhilarating combat sequences in futuristic settings. Desmond Miles was the ancestor of many great assassins, including the Kenway line, Ezio Auditore, and Altair Ibn-La Ahad.
Unlike many Assassins, Desmond Miles sought to escape his life and hid from the Brotherhood, only to be kidnapped by Abstergo to test their Animus. As time progressed, Desmond embraced his Assassin identity and became key to saving the world from Abstergo’s actions. Unfortunately, Desmond Miles sacrificed himself at the end of Assassin’s Creed 3 and passed the torch to less impressive characters. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla revealed The Reader was Desmond Miles’ mind given a new form, possibly hinting at this character’s return.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla may have concluded Layla Hassan’s story, but the rumored Assassin’s Creed Infinity project could introduce a new protagonist. Basim Ibn Ishaq, the reincarnation of Loki, could become the series’ first antihero protagonist of the modern-day storyline. However, Ubisoft could continue creating named characters to carry the present-day plotline, especially since the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Infinity is rumored to explore multiple time periods. Infinity, the next rumored installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise, doesn't currently have a release date, as are many details concerning its development and story.