WARNING: The following article contains references to sexual violence.
While Don't Breathe featured likable but troubled protagonist Rocky (Jane Levy), the villainous Blind Man takes center stage in Don't Breathe 2. While The Blind Man (aka Norman Nordstrom, played by Stephen Lang) is far from the first villain to become an antihero, he seems like an odd choice for such a transformation (barring any surprise reveals about the character in Don't Breathe 2). Lang was great in the role, and entertaining to watch, but The Blind Man was also a kidnapper, murderer, and whether he sees it that way or not, a rapist.
Freddy Krueger fans notwithstanding, it's generally not the easiest thing in the world for audiences to root for a murdering sexual predator, no matter what kind of tortured backstory he might have. Sure, it's terrible that his daughter was killed by a drunk driver, but kidnapping the young woman responsible and trying to force her to bear him a new child goes way beyond the pale of the normal drive to avenge a lost loved one.
To make that aspect of The Blind Man even more repugnant, once that captive died, and Levy's Rocky is taken, Norman is content to switch her into the role of unwilling surrogate. It's absolutely gross and disgusting, rendering him extremely hard to like. That's exactly why so many fans have been puzzled by the idea of making The Blind Man the protagonist in Don't Breathe 2, instead of bringing back Rocky.
While Rocky wasn't a squeaky clean, totally innocent person in her own right, her motivations for robbing The Blind Man were at least somewhat understandable, as she had a little sister to care for. By the end of Don't Breathe though, she's been put through enough hell by her foe that she's likely earned absolution. Still, many fans wanted to see Rocky return, and the movie definitely left the possibility open. Yet, as revealed by producer Fede Alvarez and director Rodo Sayagues, who also co-wrote both Don't Breathe movies, no real consideration was given to having Rocky come back.
Alvarez felt that on a personal level, Levy had been put through enough hardship on his Evil Dead remake and Don't Breathe, and didn't want to ask her to do that again, even if she was willing to. Sayagues' opinion is a bit different though, as he suggests that he and Alvarez just couldn't find a place for Rocky in the sequel story they wanted to tell. Clearly, both men found focusing on The Blind Man the more intriguing option, and while he's certainly interesting, the fan response to their decision has leaned negative. Alvarez has mostly dismissed that opposition though, rightly pointing out that being asked to root for or empathize with reprehensible characters in movies or TV shows is nothing new. Fans will soon find out if their decision to give The Blind Man the spotlight in Don't Breathe 2 paid off.
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