Raised by Wolves season 2 has placed a great deal of mystery surrounding the millennia-old android known as “Grandmother,” in particular, what her powers are, who created her, and why she is on planet Kepler 22-b. The series has portrayed her performing a few extraordinary bits of behavior and making the occasional sound effect, but not much more has been explained regarding this new character. There is still a lot the show has yet to reveal to explain her purpose and whether she will work with or against Mother and Father.

During season 1, Raised By Wolves told the fascinating backstory of how Mother (Amanda Collin) was created and gave viewers an unexpected look at her creator through a memory pod. An atheist named Campion Sturges (Cosmo Jarvis) reprogrammed her from being a violent necromancer in Raised by Wolves ravaging the atheists to a nurturing caregiver meant to help raise a new era of humanity. Her story became much more complex giving each decision she made more depth and her relationships with humans, both atheist and Mithraic, more nuance. As Raised by Wolves season 2 has introduced what looks to be another necromancer in Grandmother, an equally riveting backstory would add even more complexity to a world of already divided factions.

Related: Raised By Wolves Introduces 2 Major Mysteries In Season 2 Episode 4

Raised by Wolves showed audiences Grandmother being brought to life by Father (Abubaker Salim) added fuel blood to the skeletal remains of a long-dead android, but not much more about her has been revealed. Her actions since coming back online have been remarkable, yet confusing. She has been seen emitting a gold light hovering first above Father and then his child Campion (Winta McGrath) at random moments during the season, and she displayed an image of the fetus of Tempest (Jordan Loughran) inside Father’s shed. It is unclear what the reasons were for these actions or what they may lead to, but here are a few speculations.

What Is The Extent Of Grandmother’s Powers?

Raised By Wolves Grandmother Glowing In Trees

The first time Raised by Wolves showed Grandmother in action was when she glowed brightly while hovering above Campion and a Mithraic believer, Tamerlane (James Harkness). Her purpose for appearing was unclear, but it helped Campion evade his pursuer. When she performed the same behavior in front of Father, his eyes flashed some kind of effect similar to Mother’s when she applies her necromancer eyes. The reason for this may be that Grandmother is one of the original necromancer models capable of influencing or controlling other androids. Her glowing light may also be an indication she has capabilities that supersede those of Mother’s. As Mother’s exterior transforms into a bullet-proof material upon inserting her necromancer eyes, Grandmother seems to have the ability to transform her exterior without any assistance. Perhaps she is even more indestructible in that state than Mother and possibly more dangerous.

Grandmother’s ability to display the image of Tempest’s fetus was another shocking moment viewers had not yet seen from an android in either season of Raised by Wolves. Perhaps she has the ability to sense any living creature in her vicinity, even one still in the womb. It could also be that Grandmother possesses multiple medical functions demonstrating she has been programmed with caretaking capabilities just like Mother and Father. It is possible Grandmother felt a maternal instinct around a pregnant Tempest and began some sort of medical protocol. Whatever the causes for Grandmother’s behaviors are, she seems to display new and different abilities every time she is activated.

Who Was Grandmother’s Creator?

While Mother’s creator Campion Sturges was a relevant player during the war on Earth between the Mithraic and the Atheists, Grandmother’s creator predates the Religious War and likely constructed her amidst a very different set of circumstances. It was revealed that the character of Raised by Wolves' Grandmother was built thousands of years before the events of the show by members of a lost civilization that existed on the planet. As not much is known about what occurred on Kepler-22b before the arrival of the Atheists and Mithraic, details surrounding this lost civilization remain a mystery.

Related: Raised By Wolves: Why It's So Dangerous That Androids Are Lying Now

What Is Grandmother’s Purpose?

raised by wolves, grandmother

Based on what Raised by Wolves has shown of Grandmother, it is evident she is capable of a great deal more than her resuscitator Father could have imagined. As she seems to be a necromancer like Mother, it is possible she was purposed with significant responsibilities at the time of her creation. Her functions immediately suggest her powers are formidable, so it's even a possibility that her creator intended her to be a weapon. If there was there a war raging in Raised by Wolves'  Tropical Zone during the time of her creation, she may have been built to play a pivotal role. It's also possible those powers were to be used in a defensive capability and she was programmed to be a guardian. Maybe she was even an authority figure during her time meant to keep order and peace. Her purpose, while unclear, was obviously a significant one and could be again.

Perhaps the most pressing issue surrounding Grandmother is whether her programming will have her cooperate with Mother and Father or whether their goals will collide. It seems very likely Grandmother is a superior model to the others, so if they should find their efforts conflicting with hers, she very well could be unstoppable, even by another necromancer. Grandmother seems to not pose any threat to the children or Raised by Wolves' Atheist community, The Collective, but it is possible she has been surveying the surroundings to fully assess every situation. If Mother is forced to go up against Grandmother at some point, the clash could be a severe one.

The mechanical creatures in Raised by Wolves have often proven to be complicated characters to which audiences have had to pay close attention in order to figure out moral standards. Mother has shown what many would consider morally grey behavior, and the Trust has performed a number violent acts for what it described as the greater good. As Grandmother has the potential to be the most powerful machine yet introduced in the show, her potential to possess similarly ambiguous motives could add significant complexity and change the course of the story entirely.

Next: Is Sol Real? Where Raised By Wolves' Mysterious Voice Is Coming From

New episodes of Raised by Wolves are released Thursdays on HBO Max.