It is oknotto expect the Spanish Inquisition
For the longest time, people have criticized video games for deriving too much from Hollywood. It’s true. We know Solid Snake’s design from the originalMetal Gearis a copy-pasted Kyle ReesefromTerminator. We also know Solid Snake’s look fromMGS 2is Snake Plissken fromEscape From New York. Still, the tides are changing.
Recent years have provided a library of instances of Hollywood taking a lot of inspiration from video games — even when it makes zero sense. Twitter user@DesFleurBleuesdiscovered a scene in the new Russell Crowe filmThe Pope’s Exorcistthat attempts to make a Spanish Inquisition reference. Brave effort, but the film ends up accidentally showing the symbol of a different,absolutely made-upInquisition from theDragon Ageseries.
Can we talk about how “The Pope’s Exorcist” (yeah that film with Russell Crowe) uses the inquisition symbol from DRAGON AGE INQUISITION as the real-world-spanish-inquisition symbol?(which was spotted by@DesFleursBleues)pic.twitter.com/FubVAvNdsC
— Kelgrid’s Rancid Vibes (@Kelgrid)June 18, 2025
Maybe this is the work of the actual Devil, but we should consider other possibilities. Is this what you get when you put AI in charge of things? Is this what you get when the entire research department is just one guy googling the word “Inquisition”? How come a party of heroes from a highly successful video game garnered more search engine love than an old-timey, torture-happy group? Unless the producers have forged a tie-in that EA definitely doesn’t know about, someone has messed up big time.
Thisis what they were looking for, in case anyone is wondering:
The film premiered in early April, so it’s a surprise it has taken so long for anyone to notice this. Maybe FleurBleues is the only video game fan who went to seeThe Pope’s Exorcist.Maybe the thousands of memes ended up Psyop-ing us into not suspectinganythingregarding the Spanish Inquisition, but the truth is out there now.
This is a victory for players everywhere, though not for the devs ofDragon Age Inquisition.Yeah, you’re not off the hook for naming the heroes after one of the worst institutions in human history.
