Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘The Old Guard 2,’ Andromache of Scythia, aka Andy, returns to save the world from the nefarious designs of another immortal named Discord. Andy and her team are subjected to intense physical and emotional turmoil, especially with Andy’s former partner joining the enemy to create problems for her and the rest of the world. In all of this, Andy’s warrior spirit comes to the fore, as even after losing her immortality, she continues to fight with the impeccable experience she amassed over her very long life. At one point, she says she was worshipped as a goddess, which might lead one to believe that her character has been pulled from a real historical figure.
Andy in The Old Guard is a Purely Fictional Creation
The character of Andromache of Scythia comes from ‘The Old Guard’ comics co-created by Greg Rucka, who has also served as the screenwriter for the Netflix films. He revealed that the character of Andy was one of the first things that came to him and eventually led to the creation of the comic book series. But first, he was fascinated by the idea of “ghost soldiers.” He’d previously read about the myth of these mysterious soldiers who come in when they are desperately needed, and they disappear just as quietly when their task is done.
This laid the foundation of the Old Guard in his mind, and as their leader, Andy was the one he thought of. The writer did not have any specific inspirations to draw from, but the character came to him almost fully formed. Details about her had rattled around in his brain for a long time, so he laid down a few facts about her. He knew that she had to be an immortal. With the ability of not being able to die, she would have to be extremely old. In terms of her age, he never thought about centuries, but millennia.
Because of her age, she would also be one of the most dangerous people in the world, because she has gained skill and experience over thousands of years, which isn’t something one can compare to or try to live up to unless they are of the same age. Another thing that he settled on was that her age also made her one of the loneliest people on Earth. Seeing things being born and dying over and over again in her thousands of years of lifetime can take a toll on anyone, and despite her strength, Andy couldn’t be immune to the heartbreak and devastation that comes with the death of others.
Andromache of Scythia Could Draw Parallels to Historical And Mythical Figures
While Greg Rucka didn’t have any specific historical figures in mind while creating Andy, one can’t help but focus on the choice of words while describing her, especially her name. Rifling through the pages of history books, there is little to no chance for one to find a warrior named Andromache of Scythia, but the name “Andromache” and the region “Scythia” remain very real things. Andromache’s name appears in Greek Mythology as Hector’s wife, in reference to the Trojan War. But if one is to refer to warriors, one would prefer to look towards the Amazons, where Andromache is referred to as the warrior queen who went toe to toe against Heracles.
In the same vein, Scythia is a real place, which refers to the areas of modern-day Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The Scythians were a nomadic people who had an ancient and brutal past, which would be in line with Andromache’s connection to them. Still, considering that Andy is revealed to be around 6700 years of age, and the Scythians lived a couple of thousand years after her birth, one can’t help but wonder if the “of Scythia” in her name came much later. Considering that there is still a lot left to be explored in Andy and her team’s story, especially with Quynh coming back into the picture and Discord becoming a major player in the story, more information about the protagonist might come to light and reveal more details about where she really comes from and who she really is.
Read More: How Did Discord and Quynh Lose Their Immortality in The Old Guard 2?
