Why Kate Beckinsale's Hair May Be the Key to Underworld: Blood Wars

It appears as though the Underworld series is finally getting a new and possible final chapter to the films that began in 2003. The trailer for Underworld: Blood Wars dropped on Wednesday, and while it doesn't tell us much of the plot, it's obvious that the rivalry between Vampires and Lycans is still alive and well.

But the real focus of (almost) every Underworld film has been on Kate Beckinsale's Selene, and the same seems to be true of Blood Wars.

This time, there's something quite different in Selene's appearance. In the first and last glimpses of her within the trailer, she can be seen with two distinct hair colors — what appear to be long white streaks — but in most of the trailer, her hair is fully dark:

If Vampires Don't Age, Why The White Hair?

Now, hair color may not seem significant, but taking into account that a vampire's appearance doesn't change due to the inability to age, Selene's hair color change at some point in the movie must be due to some unnatural occurrence being inflicted on her.

And that visible change in appearance will likely affect Selene in more than just superficial ways.

She may become someone completely different in Underworld: Blood Wars, undergoing a transformation that either further advances her physical limitations or weakens her overall health, or possibly even turns Selene into a human — although she wouldn't really benefit from reverting back to a human in a time of Blood Wars, when it sounds like being immortal would be kinda helpful.

During Underworld: Evolution, the father of the vampire clan (Alexander Corvinus) gave Selene some of his blood, which imbued her with abilities beyond that of a vampire or lycan. Here's how and why Selene's new appearance in Underworld: Blood Wars could see her undergo another transformation, similar to her evolutionary step forward in Underworld: Evolution.

Will Selene Become Even Stronger Than She Already Was?

The most plausible scenario could depict Selene becoming even more powerful, and that transformation might be due to a gift she'll receive from another supernatural creature in Blood Wars. Or it's possible Selene will take the power of another supernatural individual, to where the visible change in hair color is due to her taking possession of another's inert abilities.

Going back to the trailer for Blood Wars, it's obvious that the Lycan and Vampire clans are still feuding, but it appears as though another clan has also joined in the conflict. The unidentified clan can be distinguished by their long flowing white hair, similar to the shade of white highlights in Selene's hair.

One could argue that these white-haired people are either members of the Lycans of Vampires, but within the screenshots of the trailer, these white-haired individuals can be seen fighting the Lycans ... and they likely aren't Vampires either, simply based on everything we've seen in the series so far.

It's possible these unidentified individuals either bestow a new power on Selene ... or Selene will wind up taking a power from someone crucial to their clan, resulting in the subtle change in Selene's hair color.

However, it's also possible the change in Selene's hair color might be indicative of something else entirely.

Will Selene be drained of her abilities, resulting in the change of appearance?

Selene's hair color could also be changing due to a physical fallout from being weakened after her tumultuous battle has reached its climax, like Rogue in the original X-Men movie. The change in Selene's hair color may be the defining characteristic to depict said change.

Although, it's possible Selene will undergo an even more unexpected transformation.

Could Selene Be Turned Into A Human?

The change in her hair color may be due to the effects of natural aging, if an as-yet-unidentified character is responsible for turning Selene into a human. We don't know from the trailer who is behind the attacks on the Vampire clan, despite seeing the Lycan clan attacking vampires and hearing of the ensuing conflict. But that person or group could be capable of injecting Selene with a serum that cures her of vampirism.

Or, in another potentiality, Selene could be captured by another research company, which drains Selene of so much blood that her vampiric abilities are reduced dramatically, to the point of making her appear human to others. Selene can already walk in the sun; without any extraordinary vampiric abilities, she's just like any other person, which means a Blood War could be a dangerous fight indeed.