Virgil: A Small Act of Kindness in the Inferno

Virgil: A Small Act of Kindness in the Inferno Virgil doesn't need a long list of powers to stand out in the original Inferno. Mercy encounters plenty of people who want something from her or want to hurt her. He gives her something he values, with no demand attached. Spoilers for Inferno #1–5. He's the blind man who warns her on the train while she still thinks she's Grace. Later, when she's aware of who she is and what this place is, he tells her his name. He says bad choices brought him there. He rides the train and asks for forgiveness, without knowing whether he will ever get out. Then he gives Mercy his late wife's watch. It has helped him hold on to his sanity, and he thinks it might help her through the trials ahead. His explanation for helping is simple: he wishes someone had helped him. I wouldn't turn the watch into a magical artifact just because it becomes important. The pages don't establish a spell inside it. They establish what it meant to Virgil, and that he is willing to let someone else have it. Likewise, the empty bench after Mercy looks back doesn't give us enough to assign him teleportation. The watch comes back into Mercy's thoughts when she's negotiating with Belia over Grace's release. Mercy then offers to stay in her sister's place. That doesn't mean Virgil secretly engineered the entire rescue. It means the kindness he offered stayed with her, and the story brings it back at a moment when she has to decide what she is willing to give up for someone else. We don't get a confirmed release for Virgil in this miniseries. He helps without knowing that doing so will buy him anything. In a story where so many people are trapped in the consequences of what they've done, that is a worthwhile thing to remember about him.