This article contains spoilers for Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2.

In many ways, Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 mirrors Castlevania Season 2. The second season of "Castlevania" is widely considered to be the show's best seasonthat's a huge compliment. Both amplify the ideas, stories and actions of their debuts, deepening the core themes and giving increased screen time to the villains. And just like Castlevania Season 2, Nocturne's second outing wraps up most of the major arcs started in Season 1. However, certain threads are deliberately left hanging in case of a third season.

Members of the "Castlevania" creative team have made it clear that they are not done yet and would like to continue with "Nocturne" if Netflix approves another set of episodes. If that happens, season 3 will likely include the mysterious dark spirit seen slithering around in the background of season 2. This character never speaks, nor is he given an official name, although the vampire Olrox (Zan McLarnon) calls them several times. Old Man Coyote — Trickster in some Native American folklore. Olrox at one point also calls them Mephistopheles, the diabolical character from the Faust legend of old Germanic folklore.

Although this character never reveals his true nature or intentions, they appear at several key points in the story, including one of the final shots of the season 2 finale. So who is Old Man Coyote, really, and what would could have for the third season of "Castlevania: Nocturne"?

Because "Castlevania" is a video game adaptationneeded a final boss, and with Dracula defeated in Season 2, a new villain was required to take over that role in Season 4 to send the series off. The candidate? Death itself, expressed by Malcolm McDowell. Trevor Belmont (Richard Armitage) battles the Grim Reaper at the very end of the first Castlevania show, paying homage to the character's frequent appearances in the games. However, the Netflix version of Death is a little different. He is less an agent of some dark cosmic purpose and more a corporeal being that feeds on the life force that leaves humans as they die. Death tries to bring Dracula back to life so he can continue to search for souls and "feed" Death, but Trevor bests him in battle, destroying his physical form. Dracula still returns to life in secret, but not as the warrior Death intended.

While Death is defeated, it stands to reason that he won't be completely gone. If the heroes of Castlevania couldn't wipe Dracula out of existence just by killing his body, then surely Death would stick around in some form. In Nocturne Season 2, three of Old Man Coyote's four appearances directly involve death. They come to claim the soul of Abbot Emmanuel (Richard Dormer) after Maria (Pixie Davis) kills him, loom over Mizrak (Aaron Neill) after he suffers a fatal wound, and appear behind Terra (Nastasja Kinski) as she watches the guillotine executions in paris in the season finale.

Additionally, Old Man Coyote's smoky form resembles Death's skeletal form, and their only non-death appearance in Nocturne is when Olrox addresses them directly before destroying Emmanuel's Dark Book of Spells.

When Olrox summons the spirit he names Old Man Coyote, he seems to know the dark figure well. "I know who you are," he says, referring to the creature's many different names. "I know what promises you make and how tempting they are." It's understandable that some of the more religious characters in the show assume that Old Man Coyote is the devil, since according to Olrox, they operate out of dark dealings. However, Castlevania has never indicated that the "devil" is real in its mythology, meaning that this is more likely a different kind of creature that different groups throughout history have attached their own folklore and beliefs to.

The biggest clue to the dark spirit's intentions comes in that very first scene with Olrox. The vampire finds the dark book of spells that Emmanuel used to operate his master machine and create nocturnal creatures from human corpses. He mentions that the book is written in Enochian, an occult language from the earliest days of the world, and tells Old Man Coyote that neither they nor the book belong to the mortal realm. Then he lit the tome.

If Old Man Coyote really is Death with a new face, they could be the ones who have been providing the tools and knowledge for Emmanuel all along. It fits with Death's character, as creating creatures of the night and empowering Erzebeth Bathory would lead to widespread death, giving Death more power.

If Castlevania: Nocturne gets a third season, it's likely that the series will adapt some of the stories from the video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. That game features Richter Belmont (Edward Blumel in the Netflix series), Maria Renard, and Alucard (James Callis in the Netflix series). It's also the most famous and praised Castlevania game to date, so it would make sense for Netflix to adapt it.

Death features prominently in Symphony of the Night, so if that is indeed the true identity of the dark spirit in Nocturne, they could play into some adapted arcs from the game. Even if they're a brand new character, it's pretty clear that the show is setting them up as the next big bad. In the season finale, they place a ghostly hand on Terra's shoulder as she watches her daughter from the shadows. Terra is clearly torn between her old life and her new identity as a vampire, and she just might be conflicted enough to become Old Man Coyote's tool.

Seasons 1 and 2 of Castlevania: Nocturne are now streaming on Netflix.