Summary
Lucifer abandoned Rory to fulfill his destiny and become the therapist of the damned in Hell, helping them break their Hell loops and find redemption.
Rory's act of time travel caused a predestination paradox, compelling Lucifer to abandon her in order to safeguard the timeline and guarantee the existence of her future self.
Although Rory initially feels forsaken by Lucifer, she eventually comprehends and pardons him. She acknowledges the significance of resolving the Hell loops and relies on her father's love and selflessness.
Lucifer season 6 revolves around the mystery of why Lucifer left his daughter, Rory, without a father figure. At the beginning of the season, Lucifer was about to become God but was thrown off track by the sudden appearance of his half-angel daughter, Rory. His focus shifted to proving his commitment to her, while Rory herself struggled with her resentment towards her father, the Devil. Rory, also known as Aurora "Rory" Morningstar, made her first appearance in Hell at the start of season 6.
She sought help from two individuals who came close to killing Lucifer: his twin brother Michael and Dan Espinoza. Rory eventually brought Dan back to Los Angeles as a ghost and confronted Lucifer directly. She also reached out to her mother, Chloe Decker, and it became evident that she truly was their adult daughter, who had time-traveled to a period before her own birth. As a half-celestial being, Rory possessed the ability to self-actualize like other angels. Struggling with the pain of her mother's future death, for which Lucifer was absent, Rory gained the power of time travel, further complicating the situation.
How Lucifer Abandoned Rory
Rory traveled back to 2020 to confront Lucifer about his abandonment of her and Chloe. Lucifer had left them because he felt his duty was to redeem the damned souls in Hell, allowing them to escape their never-ending torment and enter Heaven. This decision meant he missed out on watching his own daughter grow up. While exploring how to become God in season 6, Lucifer found himself helping the damned souls, including Dan, break free from their Hell loops and find their way to Heaven. Eventually, he realized that his true purpose was not to be God, but rather to become a healer in Hell instead of its jailer.
In order to help every soul become deserving of Heaven, Lucifer made the choice to become the therapist of the underworld. This led him to leave Los Angeles and return to Hell, where he would fulfill his destiny and remain for countless millennia. To ensure the well-being of Hell and Earth, Lucifer allowed his brother Amenadiel to ascend as the new God. Thus, he made the difficult decision to abandon his daughter Rory in order to do what was necessary for the greater good.
Lucifer Abandoned Rory Because Of The Timeline
Lucifer left Rory behind to protect his daughter and preserve the timeline. Rory's time travel created a paradox that would be undone if Lucifer stayed in Los Angeles. During Lucifer season 6, the Devil and his daughter grew to love each other. If Lucifer didn't abandon her as she remembered, he would risk erasing the adult Rory from existence. By returning to Hell and leaving Rory and Chloe without a father, Lucifer ensured that adult Rory could rejoin the future as intended. Additionally, this meant that baby Rory would eventually travel back to 2020 and cause the predestination paradox. Before Lucifer went back to Hell, he saved Rory from being kidnapped by Vincent Le Mec, who was Dan's killer. Crucially, Lucifer also prevented Rory from killing Le Mec, an irreversible action that would have resulted in Rory possessing her own Devil face like her father's. Out of love for Rory, Lucifer wanted to ensure that his daughter didn't damn herself and repeat the same mistakes the Devil made in the past.
The irony of Lucifer's ultimate decision in Lucifer season 6 to depart from Rory and Chloe is that it also ensured Rory's upbringing without a present father, mirroring Lucifer's own experience with God as an absentee father who banished him to Hell for his defiance. However, as Lucifer learned to understand and forgive God in season 5, his love for Rory compelled him to make the sacrifice of not being able to raise her, ensuring her continued existence in Lucifer season 6 and beyond.
Closing The Loop Was As Important For Rory As Lucifer
Lucifer had initially been punished for abandoning Rory, but he had a valid reason for doing so. Rory also had to make some sacrifices. When she realized that her presence and anger towards her father were causing him to help close the Hell loops, she decided to step back and accept this new version of him. As a result, Rory decided to return to the future to say a final goodbye to her dying mother and to distance herself from Lucifer. This decision clearly demonstrates that closing the Hell loop was just as significant to Rory as it was to Lucifer.
Lucifer Abandoning Rory Set Up The Ending
Despite the necessity of her return to avoid being erased from existence, she could have opted to dwell in her anger and persistently punish her father for his absence. Nonetheless, upon discovering the reasoning behind her perceived abandonment in Lucifer, she graciously stepped aside to allow her father to proceed with his plans.Lucifer brought about happy endings for everyone by leaving Rory behind. The show then delved into Lucifer's post-abandonment journey. He descended to Hell and transformed into a therapist, attending to the tormented souls there, striving to heal Hell instead of just acting as its guardian. This creative twist had already been devised by showrunners Joe Henderson and Ildy Modrovich during season 5. In an interview with Collider, Henderson explained that Lucifer subjected both himself and the denizens of Hell to punishment. Yet, in his quest for redemption, he aimed to shape something beautiful out of the darkness. Modrovich expanded on these ideas.
"It never felt appropriate for him to assume the role of God. Instead, what felt true to him was to impart the knowledge he had gained, to share his unique perspective. He understands the struggles of being the outcast, of grappling with self-hatred and unworthiness – those were his sources of strength. If he could assist others in their own journeys, he considered it his superpower."
Additionally, it seems that after the final episode concluded, there was an even more joyful outcome for Lucifer, Chloe, and Rory. Rory returned to the future to bid farewell to her deceased mother, thus bringing a resolution to her tragic storyline. However, being a half-demon and half-angel, Rory possesses the ability to manipulate time. According to Henderson and Madrovich, Rory can also traverse between Heaven and Hell, and she takes full advantage of this power. "She possesses wings, functioning as an angel, capable of descending at any time. We ensured it was clear to everyone that she would be there," disclosed Modrovich.