What works in games doesn’t always translate well to other mediums. They probably nerfed Dante because if he was at DMC 3 levels from the outset, he would absolutely wreck everybody and that would get really boring really quick because there would be no tension or stakes in any of the fights. Aside from DMC 3, he’s pretty much just a static character who doesn’t really develop at all throughout the games, and you need to give a place for him to start from in order to go somewhere later on. Also, from what I can tell, he’s pretty much at the beginning of his career, so you could just say he’s just a little bit green. I imagine that as the series goes on, he will become more of the character that we know from the games in terms of powers and skill.
As far as Lady goes, I sort of get the concern, but I saw her cursing more as coming from a place of anger, hurt and trauma, a coping mechanism and way to just try to look cool but not actually meant to be cool. I mean, in her moments where she’s just being just kind of casual and normal with Dante, she noticeably doesn’t curse as much, which further shows that it’s just something that she projects to guard herself and prevent herself from getting hurt again. Also, it’s obvious that her character arc isn’t done yet, so she still has some room to grow and develop. I had this idea of her next season finding out that VP Baines ordered the massacre of the Makaian refugees, getting really angry, breaking her ties with Darkcom and goes rogue, wanting to get back at Darkcom and really upping the cursing. As the season goes on, she slowly softens and and realizes running solely on solely on revenge is very consuming and poisonous. Maybe it takes her realizing how much like the White Rabbit she is to finally snap out of it and give it up.
Concerning Vergil working for Mundus, I’m waiting to see season two to get the full idea of his character motivation. I can see them paralleling him with Mary’s/Lady’s both realizing they’ve been played and used by their respective superiors, making them turn and going rogue. Whereas Mary, let’s go of her revenge and anger, Vergil becomes more and more motivated (heh) by it. Maybe him needing more power is initially stoked by him being grateful to Mundus for saving him, and and when he finds out the truth, it becomes corrupted and something he instead seeks to gain to overthrow him.
The whole “War on Hell = War on Terror” is something I haven’t quite settled on yet. I need to see next season to see how it’s implemented and progresses before I make a proper, solid judgment on whether it was worth it or not as a story decision.
Ultimately, it’s an adaptation of Devil May Cry taking its world and characters and doing its own thing. It’s not the games and that’s fine. Personally, I had a fun time with this. Not trying to convince you to like the series. Just giving reasons why I think the show did what it did.
