Some Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth fans are pretty convinced a major Crisis Core character is about to re-emerge in the remake sequel.
Genesis Rhapsodos has enjoyed cult status among Final Fantasy 7 fans in particular since Crisis Core, and he's sort of been thrust back into the spotlight with 2022's Crisis Core Reunion remaster. A former Soldier First Class, Genesis ended up becoming Crisis Core and protagonist Zack's main antagonist, while constantly quoting the epic Loveless to anyone within earshot.
Some of the more "hardcore" Final Fantasy 7 fans are convinced Genesis is primed for a big entrance in Rebirth later this month. The whole theory pretty much revolves around Genesis's corpse being collected by two members of Deepground, Weiss and Nero, at the end of Crisis Core, with the two villains intending to make Genesis their "brother."
This actually ended up playing out in Final Fantasy 7's weird Dirge of Cerberus spin-off, where Genesis appeared right at the very end of the game in a "secret" ending. The implication here, between Weiss and Genesis, is that the latter would be set up as the main villain in an eventual, next Final Fantasy 7 spin-off game, but this never actually came to fruition.
Ever since then, Genesis fans have longed to see him in another new entry in the Final Fantasy 7 saga, and some think Rebirth is about to answer those prayers. Comments underneath the Reddit post below, for example, speculate that Genesis could well be a factor thanks to Zack's presence in the new game - which we already know will be "immensely important."
Who is ready for my comeback on 2/29?from r/FFVIIRemake
Other comments joke that Cloud will have a hard time understanding just who the hell Genesis actually is, unless Zack sits him down for an hour-long chat at some point. Some even say that Genesis would be a welcome return, given how Final Fantasy 7 Remake's Intermission DLC made Nero and Weiss interesting characters and villains to battle.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth launches on February 29, so there isn't too long to wait until we find out if Genesis truly is returning to the fold for the first time in years. Perhaps he'll have a new play to quote now, given he used up all of Loveless's lines at the end of Crisis Core.
Read up on our very own Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth preview for what we made of the remake sequel when we played it for ourselves.
