Look at it this way. After a single year the vampire in It's My Birthday Too was powerful enough to take on Thomas by herself and break a person's neck by running past them really fast, a technique favoured by Lord Raith himself. Mavra has been undead for at least a hundred years by this point, and I don't think you're understanding just what it means when Ebenezar McCoy tries to shut you down and fails. Ebenezar is the most directly dangerous man on the White Council. Mavra is not Dresden powerful, she's Senior Council powerful, and the only reason Harry is alive now after directly confronting her is because she was aiming for leverage to use at a later date (coincidentally Kemmler's last book - the one that has information on how to turn necromancy against the Black Court - turned up in Chicago a year later).

Secondly, the way the Black Court spread (and spread is definitely the right word, they're like a virus) means that in the modern, tightly clustered world, Mavra could have her own army overnight. A single master vampire under her control in each major city in the United States would give her a force numbered in the millions in under a day, tens of millions in two, and around a hundred million in under a week. This being extrapolated from Harry's estimates of their growth during Blood Rites, when they were laying a trap for him and not actively going out on a recruitment drive.

I think that covers all your points there.

 

The only thing i can say about this is, yes there is information on how to use necromancy against the BC, and harry knows what it is. Assuming its information powerful enough to seriously hinder/neutralize the black court, i don't see how Marva can be a big bad in the end

 

Except for the part where, y'know, he's DEAD. Now is a perfect time to start a huge problem for the WC that spans several books, sets up Mavra to be a Big Bad, and potentially set off the Apocalypse.

 

Mostly dead.

Look, you're right that Mavra has some insane power behind her, but I just don't see her being the villain in the end. And I'd honestly be somewhat disappointed if that were the case.

 

This is the main problem I have with Marva being the Big Bad. A big bad sure, but not the Big Bad. If Marva was that much of a bad ass sorcerer/vampire she would have never let Dresden leave the grave yard in Dead Beat with information on how to turn Kemmeler's knowledge against her court. She is simply too smart and experienced to do something that foolish. She didnt get to be her age by simply letting powerful enemies go, especially someone who has proven as problematic as Dresden in the plans of the BC.

And Custer, yes Dresden is dead at the moment, but anyone with a quarter of a brain knows he wont stay that way. Too many people with power are too invested in him to let him die. Namely Mab, Uriel, and Odin to name a few. Oh yeah theres like 10 books left.

 

I think the reason Mavra's still bopping around isn't because she's super-powerful (though she is), it's because her specialty is not dying. She always plays it ridiculously safe. She has a doppelganger die in her stead instead of fighting Harry and co. She blackmails Harry into chasing after the Word of Kemmler instead of doing it herself. When he says that he can necromance her face in and has favours he can call in all over the place, she lets him walk away instead of dealing with him there and then.

She's not a winner, she's a survivor.

 

True. Though, to be fair, sometimes winning just means out-living the competition.

Yes, Mavra is A Big Bad. The degree of her badness can be debated.

But think of all the other powerhouses we've met - or have yet to meet. Ferrovax, Mab, Titania, the Mothers, the Archangels, the Denarians, Odin. In the Dresdenverse, power is fucking everywhere. The Biggest Bad of all is probably someone who has yet to make a full appearance - though my vote is for Titania, as anyone who's read my stuff knows.

Anyhoo, back OT: I'd like to see Faith again. She's grown up by now, and a fanfic fave. Love to know how she actually turned out.

 

The Biggest Bad? The Final Villain? My vote is on Dresden. What? Don't tell me that wouldn't surprise everyone (and could be Epic if done right).

 

Please, the big bad is going to be God.

 

I posit that the Big Bad for the series will end up being the Anti-Christ. The reasoning for this is as follows:

1) The books end in an "Apocalyptic Trilogy"
2) Apocalypse refers to the Book of Revelations
3) The Book of Revelations details Armageddon, or the second War between Heaven and Hell
4) The second War ends when Christ slays "the Beast" and casts it down into the Pit

From this, it is a logical conclusion that the Ant-Christ will somehow exist within the Dresden-verse. In Christian mythology, really the sole purpose of the Anti-Christ is to begin Armageddon. Therefore, it is safe to assume that whoever's masterminding the plot to begin the War is the Anti-Christ. Thus, the Big Bad is the Beast.

It's too bad I couldn't fit another couple of B words in that last sentence. Would've made for some awesome alliteration.

 

Apocalypse is a generic term for the end of the world, dude. Just because it's roots are biblical doesn't mean all usage of it is.

 

I think that one scene where Kincaid tells Harry he could "shoot him from a mile away and he'd be dead before he heard the shot" is going to be involved with the huge twist at the end of the next one.

I've always thought Kincaid, on orders from Ivy, killed Harry knowing that he could be resurrected and free of the influence of the Winter Court.

 

I have a hard time seening Ivy ordering Harry's murder. Especially after that spiel about how it's dangerous to get close to the Archive because it affects her impartiallity and can cause problems for future incarnations.

 

I hope not. Seems like a huge cop-out.

 

If it is Kincaid, I'd prefer it to be to *defend* Ivy without her knowing - they're close enough that she might get drawn in if Dresden's enemies decide to gang up and dogpile him. Or maybe because she's hit puberty and has started to hang posters of him on her wall and write 'Mrs Ivy Dresden' in lovehearts in her diary.

 

I don't see the Archive keeping a diary. Seems a little masterbatory.

 

Perfectly logical reason for her to keep one as a teenager then.

 

Doesn't Anti-Christ just mean "anyone who denies the existence/holiness of Jesus Christ"?

Anti-war. Anti-drugs. Anti-Christ; somebody who opposes or denies Christ... like an Atheist or unbeliever?

 

Come on man. Anti-Christ

 

The big bad is obviously Molly and her big bad seductive knockers.