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Magic: The Gathering Officially Reveals Jace’s New Planeswalker Replacement
Wizards of the Coast has revealed that Jace Beleren, a founding Planeswalker of Magic: The Gathering, will be replaced as a central hero by a new character named Tam, following storyline events in the upcoming Reality Fracture set. The reveal marks a major shift for the card game's ongoing narrative, as Jace, once a stalwart protector of the Multiverse, has instead become the storyline's villain, with his fractured psyche giving rise to a ruthless alter-ego called the Theorist.
According to the short stories accompanying the set, Jace's consciousness splintered after a failed attempt to rewrite reality using the dragon Ugin's power, spawning the Theorist, who created an alternate "Echoverse" intended to overwrite the true Multiverse. Tam, introduced earlier as a Strixhaven student, is revealed to be an authentic person built from fragments of Jace himself, originally intended as his successor; after betraying her friends to aid the Theorist, she has begun questioning his plans, setting her up as the new hero to emerge from the storyline.
In short
- Jace Beleren becomes the villain in Magic's new Reality Fracture set.
- His fractured psyche created antagonist "the Theorist" and Echoverse.
- Tam, made from Jace's essence, is positioned as his heroic replacement.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Making Tam the central hero gives the story room to explore the consequences of Jace’s fall and lets a newer character develop beyond her origins as his intended successor. Her doubts after helping the Theorist could make her struggle with complicity, identity and responsibility a compelling way to carry the narrative forward.
The case against
Replacing Jace as the central hero risks sidelining a long-established character whose history has anchored the Multiverse storyline for many readers. Tam’s close ties to Jace and her betrayal of her friends may also make her feel less like an independent successor, so the change could seem premature unless the story gives her time to establish her own motives and relationships.
Explained simply
Magic: The Gathering is a fantasy card game whose story follows characters across a connected world called the Multiverse. Planeswalkers are powerful figures who can travel between its different worlds, and Jace Beleren has long been one of the story’s central characters.
The upcoming Reality Fracture set centres on the consequences of Jace’s attempt to reshape reality with the dragon Ugin’s power. The story says this divided Jace’s consciousness, creating the ruthless Theorist, whose Echoverse is meant to replace the Multiverse.
Tam, first introduced as a student at the magical school Strixhaven, is made from fragments of Jace and was intended to succeed him. She has helped the Theorist but is now questioning his plans, putting her at the centre of the story’s next chapter.