WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Attack on Titan Season 4, Episode 18, "Sneak Attack," now streaming on Funimation, Hulu and Crunchyroll.
The war between Marley and the Eldians is coming to a head in Attack on Titan as the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The last time these nations warred, a hero named Helos emerged as the man who killed the Devil of All Earth -- the creature that created Titans -- and worked together with the Tybur Family to drive King Fritz and the Eldians into exile. However, it was eventually revealed that Helos was a lie meant to spare Marleyans from being forced to credit the Eldian Tyburs for ending the war with King Fritz's cooperation. Now at war with Eldians once again, Marley finds itself in the same position as the Great Titan War: it needs a hero.
Marleyan hatred for Eldians is a blood feud going back millennia, so this time around, they probably won't be any more inclined to accept an Eldian hero than they were before. Unfortunately for them, most of the people fighting for Marley who stand any chance of making a difference are the very Eldians that the Marleyans despise so much. The only thing that's certain is that the world will be a very different place when this war ends, and even General Magath knows that the people of Marley will need someone to get behind as their savior who can lead them into the future. Let's take a look at the most likely candidates to become the new "Helos."
General Magath is the Only Marleyan Difference-Maker Left
Theo Magath has already done more to save the world than most people will ever know, using his excellent marksmanship and long-range cannon to seriously wound Eren and Zeke. Blowing Eren's brains out and obliterating Zeke's nape, Magath is doing more than could ever be asked of a human in a battle of Titans, and Eren and Zeke likely would have already come into contact if not for him. As a Marleyan, he is a man the people would most likely rally behind. After all, the very reason Helos was claimed to be Marleyan was so that the people would accept it, whereas they would have far less, if any, faith in an Eldian savior.
Porco Galliard Fights for Marley with Everything He's Got
While not the most skilled Titan Shifter, considering he's frequently having his skull bashed in or being torn limb from limb, Porco Galliard never gives any less than maximum effort. The idea of Helos was to give the Marleyan people a good, believable story, and every good story has an underdog. Galliard is the most underdog of any Titan Shifter, as he possesses the smallest and most fragile Titan of any of the Nine. Although he's an Eldian, he is the lesser of two evils after the devastation of Eren Jaeger's assault on the Liberio Internment Zone, so anyone who could defeat the monster who slaughtered so many innocent lives would be beloved by all.
Gabi Braun Has a Sense of Destiny About Her
Gabi Braun has an extensive, on-the-record history of being a devout believer in Marley. Her devotion could even be backed up by General Magath, who appears to have a soft spot for her. Gabi has spent the Final Season on an accelerated character arc similar to a young Eren Jaeger's. Victimized by a vicious attack, developing a passionate hatred for the enemy and learning that people aren't evil just because of where they come from, Gabi and Eren have a lot in common. Now that Gabi has developed a degree of sympathy for the people of Paradis Island, she might be in the best position to broker some form of peace, much as the Tyburs did during the Great Titan War. This time, however, lies shouldn't be necessary should Gabi succeed in ending the war, as she has been openly loyal to Marley her entire life, despite being an Eldian.
Reiner Braun Will Do Whatever It Takes to Save the World
No character has come further in Attack on Titan than Reiner Braun. In his youth, he fought for Marley so that his family could live together, but the man he's become is sick of war and just wants peace at the end of his term as the Armored Titan. He's respected far more than Marley's warriors typically are, and Marley even launched their current assault on Paradis Island at Reiner's urging. As it turns out, Reiner might have already saved the world, seeing as the Marleyan invasion is the only reason that Eren and Zeke haven't already unleashed the Founding Titan. Like the fictional Helos, Reiner is a warrior who throws himself into battle to fight the world's greatest enemy. There's no one better to be the next Helos than the man who's respectfully referred to as "Marley's Shield."
