The Titanfall franchise and Apex Legends share an expansive universe. Many of the legends in Apex have backstories with major links to Titanfall.
BY RYAN BRIDGES
It’s widely known that Apex Legends takes place in the same universe as the Titanfall franchise. Locations, weapons, and characters that appeared in Titanfall and Titanfall 2 also appear in Apex Legends. However, the connections between Titanfall and Apex run much deeper than simple cameos and references. In some ways, Apex Legends is a direct continuation of Titanfall 2.
One of the primary antagonists in Titanfall 2, Kuban Blisk, actually established the televised bloodsport called the Apex Games. The popularity, fame and wealth offered to the winner of the Games attracted the playable legends that exist in Apex Legends now. Many of these legends have backstories and lore that connect them to the Titanfall games. As such, these connections affect the expanded universe that Respawn Entertainment has created.
Ash Was a Titan Pilot in Titanfall 2
Ash is currently the only legend to make a direct appearance in the Titanfall games. In Titanfall 2, the robotic warrior was a member of a mercenary group led by Blisk called the Apex Predators. She was a pilot and controlled a Ronin-class Titan. During the campaign of Titanfall 2, she battles against the protagonist Jack Cooper and his Titan, BT. Her body was crushed by BT, but her remains were recovered and rebuilt.
In Apex Legends, Ash’s origins were revealed. She used to be a woman named Dr. Ashleigh Reid who worked for the Apex Predators. Reid was mortally wounded during a mission. Her mind was uploaded into a simulacrum and she became Ash. After she died in Titanfall 2 and was rebuilt, she reconnected with Blisk and was asked to run the Arenas. Eventually, she joined the Apex Games as a legend.
Bangalore Used to Work for Titanfall’s Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation
One of the primary groups that players fight against in the Titanfall franchise is the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation (IMC). This conglomerate attempted to colonize the Frontier during the wars that took place in Titanfall and Titanfall 2. Anita Williams, known as Bangalore in the Apex Games, comes from a military family. She and her four older brothers all joined the IMC’s military branch.
Towards the end of the war, during the Battle of Gridiron, Bangalore was injured by a Militia Pilot. Her only surviving brother, Jackson, escaped with her to the Outlands. The siblings were eventually attacked by an IMC Pilot for deserting the battle. Working together, they killed the Pilot and Bangalore kept his data knife.
Newcastle Joined the IMC with His Sister, Bangalore
Jackson Williams, who would later become Newcastle, joined the IMC military alongside his sister Anita. While in the military, Jackson became a combat-certified Pilot and had his own Titan. During the Battle of Gridiron, his sister was wounded by an enemy Pilot. Knowing that the battle was lost, Jackson decided to take his sister and abandon the IMC’s ranks. They used a power source possibly related to the Ark to travel to the Outlands.
At first, Anita resented her brother for going AWOL, as she was a true believer in the IMC. Eventually, Jackson revealed the truth that the IMC planned to use a device known as the Fold Weapon to destroy planets in the Frontier. Both the weapon and its power source, the Ark, were destroyed by Jack Cooper at the end of Titanfall 2.
Pathfinder is One of Titanfall’s Robotic MRVNs
Pathfinder was originally one of many MRVNs, which are robotic personnel designed for simple labor. These robots can be seen in multiple places in the Titanfall franchise making repairs. One MRVN was repurposed by a group of scientists attempting to use branthium as an energy source for the Outlands. Both Horizon’s son and Dr. Reid were members of this group. The repurposed MRVN would be used to recalibrate the branthium refinery.
Each scientist programmed a bit of their own personality and knowledge into the MRVN, which culminated in Pathfinder. The robot successfully performed his task, but the facility was attacked by the Apex Predators, who were led by Dr. Reid. Pathfinder prevented the Apex Predators from escaping with the branthium but was disabled by Dr. Reid, who shot him.
Valkyrie’s Father Was Killed During the Events of Titanfall 2
Kairi “Valkyrie” Imahara also has a strong connection to Titanfall 2. Her father was a famous mercenary by the name of Viper, who worked for the Apex Predators. Like Ash, Viper was killed by Jack Cooper during the events of Titanfall 2. Valkyrie was unaware of who killed her father, so instead, she blamed Viper’s leader, Blisk, for his death. She eventually confronted Blisk years later but was talked out of killing him when he recommended that she join the Apex Games.
Valkyrie then tracked down the remains of her father and his Titan. She brought the Titan to Rampart and had the wreckage reforged into a custom jetpack and suit of armor. Valkyrie scattered her father’s ashes and joined the Apex Games so that she could build her own legacy.
Wraith Can Phase Shift Just Like Pilots and Their Titans
Renee Hope “Wraith” Blasey is from an alternate dimension. In this dimension, the IMC won the war and controlled the Frontier. Wraith worked as a scientist and studied phase shift technology. Phase shifting was an ability used by Pilots and Titans in Titanfall. Ash herself used these abilities in Titanfall 2.
Because she was unable to find volunteers for her experiments, Wraith performed them on herself. This resulted in her losing her memory and hearing voices from different dimensions. Her partner, Amer Singh, decided to continue experimenting on Wraith despite her instability. One day, an alternate version of Wraith called the Voidwalker appeared and attacked Singh’s lab. The Voidwalker freed Wraith and gave her the technology to phase shift and travel across dimensions.
