Cicero - Cassius Mirror

Red God Death Prediction: Cicero and the Cassius Mirror

In the last trilogy, we’ve seen how Pierce Brown constantly mirrors Lysander and Darrow, using their similarities and differences to drive the story. I think he’s doing the same thing on a smaller scale with Cassius and Cicero.

Why Cicero Mirrors Cassius Both Cassius and Cicero are classic “honor-bound” Golds: from Iron Gold families, shaped by dueling culture, with a deep belief in justice. But their loyalties aren’t the same. • Cassius — never fully loyal to Darrow’s cause. His commitment was personal: vengeance for his family’s slaughter and a desire to restore honor after Julian’s death. His ideal was a world where people like Julian didn’t have to die, but his loyalty was to the people he cared for, not the revolution itself. • Cicero — a true believer in Lysander’s new Shepard ideology. In Light Bringer, during the Iron Rain against the Ascomanni, he’s visibly driven by the injustice done to civilians. It’s the same sense of honor Cassius had, but with a harder, almost fanatical edge.

So while they share that core of honor and justice, Cicero’s devotion to Lysander’s vision makes him more dangerous and less likely to ever switch sides. However, I get the argument that he could switch due to his reaction after the sack at the Garder. His reaction to the brown growers dying with the trees shows a real genuine guilt and second guessing.

Why Darrow Will Kill Cicero Just as Cassius was killed by Lysander, Cicero will be killed by Darrow. Both right hand men or closest to the main characters must be sacrificed to balance the scales. However, as Cassius’ death will only fuel Darrow and drag on Lysander, Cicero’s death will drag on Lysander in addition to Cassius, “but if it must be guilt that drags you down brother, I will be your millstone.”

Bonus Prediction: Diomedes vs. Apollonius Separate from the main mirror, I think Diomedes will be the one to kill Apollonius. Apple is everything Diomedes hates about Gold excess: arrogant, self-serving, and indulgent. Taking him out would be a symbolic cleansing of that corruption from the Rim’s honor code, and a perfect “warrior of principle vs. warrior of chaos” moment.