BioWare is reviving its beloved science fiction series with Mass Effect 4 after the proverbial nail in the coffin that was Andromeda, but there are plenty of characters who were killed off in the original trilogy that should stay dead. Especially when trying to leverage nostalgia for a new game, it's easy to lean on beloved characters as a crutch. There are a number of BioWare story tropes Mass Effect 4 shouldn't include, and while some characters are more than likely to return, the game should strive to separate itself from the original trilogy and not jump through hoops to ensure fan favorites return to life in some way.
Information on Mass Effect 4 is still extremely scarce, and it doesn't even have an official title. The teaser trailer was released in December 2020, and BioWare has been mostly silent about the project since. 2017's Andromeda was the last new game in the series, but the Mass Effect Legendary Edition - bundled remasters of the original trilogy - was well-received this past year. With the teaser trailer heavily featuring Liara T'Soni, a prominent character from all three original games, Mass Effect 4 is looking to build on the success of the trilogy.
The most recent updates for Mass Effect and Dragon Age from BioWare gave very little indication of the direction ME4 is taking. Liara is the only character that is easily discernible in the teaser trailer. Since Asari can live for over a millennium, Liara's presence doesn't narrow down Mass Effect 4's timeframe very much, but it doesn't really matter. The series has already brought Shepard back from the dead once at the beginning of Mass Effect 2, so it's conceivable that any number of deaths could be retconned. Shepard's resurrection by Cerberus was an incredible undertaking, though, and Mass Effect 4 would do well to leave characters dead.
Although Mordin Solus can be saved in Mass Effect 3 (he can also die prematurely during ME2's final mission), his death is a very likely outcome which can only be avoided by a very specific set of choices throughout all three games. Mordin's death simultaneously concluded the storyline of Mass Effect's Krogan genophage, a bioengineered genetic mutation designed to quell their population. Mordin was involved in a modification of the genophage to make it more effective, then sacrificed himself to make sure it was cured, and such a powerful story arc shouldn't go to waste by bringing him back in Mass Effect 4.
Salarians have comparably short lifespans anyway, even compared to Humans, so if any significant time jump has been made, ME4 should just move on to a new Salarian companion. This same train of thought can be applied to most of the Normandy crew from the original trilogy. Thane Krios also had a noble death, and that shouldn't be squandered by reviving him. Other squad mates, even those who survived the war against the Reapers and live long enough to be in ME4, should similarly be replaced outside an exception or two. Mass Effect 4 should take inspiration from the original trilogy, but not retread it by reviving characters like Mordin.
The original Mass Effect trilogy has some very good villains of more humble stature than the colossal, galaxy-threatening Reapers. Two of the primary antagonists, Saren and the Illusive Man, played their parts well, but should remain dead as the series continues. Saren was a former Spectre who was indoctrinated by Sovereign, the Reaper vanguard in the first Mass Effect, and the Illusive Man was the enigmatic leader of Cerberus who hoped to emerge from the Reaper war with humanity at the forefront, though he too eventually succumbed to indocrintaiton. It will already be tough for Mass Effect 4 to work without the Reapers, but it should also avoid leaning on a crutch by reviving long-dead antagonists like Saren or the Illusive Man.
The Illusive Man especially would have been an interesting character to explore in the aftermath of the Reaper invasion, but bringing him back for a third appearance would undermine his role in Mass Effect 2 and 3. Since both he and Saren became victims of Reaper indoctrination, they could potentially be easy to write back into the story alongside a return of the Reapers in some form, but rehashing a story that was concluded a decade ago would be a huge misstep for ME4. The series needs to return to its storytelling and world building roots, but shouldn't rely on its original conflicts.
Mass Effect 4's teaser trailer implies Commander Shepard will play some part in the upcoming game. Even female Shepard's voice actor wants the character back for the sequel, but ME4 would be better off leaving the Commander dead. The change in protagonist wasn't necessarily the reason Mass Effect: Andromeda had a poor reception, and the series should still continue without Shepard at the helm. Based on the teaser trailer, the Destroy ending has most likely been canonized, but the issue with bringing Shepard back is that other choices players made in the original trilogy might be thrown out.
With Shepard gone, the game can make more vague references to the character without worrying about de-canonizing players' experiences with the first three games. The teaser trailer unfortunately seems to imply Liara is looking to bring Shepard back from the dead (again), but with the game so far off, it could also be viewed as a symbolic resurrection of the series, instead of the character specifically. Mass Effect 4 could succeed without Shepard and should make every attempt to do so, even if the Commander's arc didn't quite stick the landing with the controversial ending to ME3.
This seems like an incredibly unlikely move for BioWare to make after spending three games centered on the consequences of the Reaper invasion, but reboots - even soft reboots like Mass Effect 4 - always have a chance to undo the work of the stories that came before. Seeing how the galaxy responds to the desolation wrought by the Reapers is perhaps the most exciting aspect of the series continuing in the Milky Way. Especially if the Destroy ending is canonized and the Mass Relays have been rendered inoperable, there's a fascinating opportunity for ME4 to depict a scattered, broken society attempting to rebuild.
The most important aspect for the sequel to get right, from a storytelling perspective, is the emotional trauma of potentially millions losing their lives in Mass Effect's Reaper invasion. Especially with the Reapers targeting population centers across the galaxy, key figures and entire organizations will be gone, and Mass Effect 4 shouldn't immediately jump to an era where the dust has settled neatly. The stakes of the original trilogy are high because of death both close to Shepard and at large, and Mass Effect 4 shouldn't undo its predecessors work by wantonly bringing characters back to life.
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