After surviving the murder of the rest of his family in The 100 season 6, Russell Lightbourne, also known as Russell Prime, is going to have a role as an antagonist in season 7. Russell was the king of Sanctum, one of the two people who developed the mind drive technology that allowed the Primes to live for centuries, by hijacking bodies and presenting themselves as immortal gods to the people of Sanctum.
The 100 season 6 saw the protagonists arriving at the moon Alpha, where the Eligius III mission was headed before the world ended the first time. After barely surviving the radiation traps and the red sun madness, they tried to work with the people of Sanctum. As the Primes were more interested in Clarke’s royal blood/nightblood and their ability to create it, the chances for cooperation fell apart completely.
While Russell was one of the more reasonable Primes on The 100, he was far from a good guy. Upon discovering that Clarke had black blood and, therefore, could be a host, he and his wife Simone almost immediately used her to revive their daughter, Josephine. This led everyone else to think that Clarke was dead since it was a fluke that any part of her mind survived. From this point, a peaceful resolution was impossible, ending with the deaths of all the Primes except for Russell, pointing to him continuing his antagonist role in the final season.
When Clarke ejects the Primes out of the airlock on Eligius IV, Russell didn't just lose his wife and daughter permanently, but all the other 11 Primes that had been his family since arriving at Sanctum two centuries before. He goes after revenge in “The Blood of Sanctum”, trying to kill Madi at first but then ultimately teaming up with her when he realizes she’s possessed by Sheidheda; he was later overpowered by the army Madi had as the Commander.
All is not lost for Russell, though, as some of the people of Sanctum still believe in the divinity of the Primes, even after they were exposed as living forever through technology, not being gods. If he manages to escape from captivity, he could rally them together to fight back, especially as he could expose Murphy and Emori as frauds impersonating Daniel and Kaylee Lee. The other route The 100 could go is making him an ally. This has happened many times before, with examples running from as early as season 1.
Russell was ruthless, but he did show compassion and seemed at least somewhat reasonable. This leaves room for him to be, if not redeemed, an eventual ally. He knows much more about Sanctum than anyone else and still has some credibility with his people. So if a bigger enemy arises, Clarke and her people may have no choice but to turn to him for help. Like so many other things from The 100 season 6, Russell’s story was left just short of a resolution. He’s clearly being set up to play a role as a villain again in The 100 season 7.
