‘Alita: Battle Angel 2’ plot, spoilers: 4 ways Alita’s story would continue based on the manga series

The fate of “Alita: Battle Angel 2” may be in limbo right now, but the possible storyline for the sequel is not too difficult to imagine. Fans of the cyberpunk live-action adaption could check out the events following Hugo’s (Keean Johnson) death and see what Alita (Rosa Salazar) could be doing next.

Alita mourns Hugo’s death

Fans familiar to the manga series “Gunnm” or “Battle Angel Alita” would agree that the first movie only scratched the surface of Alita’s story. In the original series, Hugo’s death had set the series of drastic changes in Alita’s life in motion. This tragic event is what leads to her career as a Motorball player.

The 2019 film’s ending showed Alita as a celebrated Motorball player but still filled with grief following Hugo’s death. The ending scene could have been a flash-forward and “Alita: Battle Angel 2” would flesh out more how Alita is going to process the death of the only man he ever loved.

Alita runs away from Ido, officially joins Motorball

Alita’s mourning was crucial in the manga because it led to her wanting a new life quite literally. It meant running away from Ido (Christoph Waltz) and leaving behind anything that reminds her of the life that she had when Hugo was still around. This will be an interesting development in “Alita: Battle Angel 2” to give more nuance to the father-daughter connection that Alita and Ido share.

While the separation of Ido and Alita was a very emotional one, it was an important bridge to how she became a Motorball fighter in the manga. If the movie chooses to follow this route, “Alita: Battle Angel 2” might not pick up exactly where the first movie ended. But it was a good sneak peek into Alita’s success in the Motorball tournament.

Alita climbs up the ranks to challenge Jashugan

The first movie’s final sequence also hinted that Alita will be a beloved Motorball player in “Alita: Battle Angel 2.” Considering her cyborg body, it is hardly surprising and most likely the same case in the sequel. Eventually, her fight with the reigning champion named Jashugan is inevitable.

Alita meets Nova in Zalem

This is where “Alita: Battle Angel 2” and the manga might differ a little because in the latter Alita was not fixated in facing Nova to avenge Hugo’s death. She actually retired from Motorball after defeating Jashugan and became a singer.

The idea of going to Zalem only came to her after a couple of years when she received a taunting message from Nova. However, the ending of the first movie seemingly suggested that Alita’s main goal in winning Motorball races is to win the money to reach Zalem. Obviously, “Gunnm” offers plenty of materials to set up the sequel but Disney has yet to decide if “Alita: Battle Angel 2” should see the light of day.