Spoiler AC1 and AC2
Ezio gets stabbed in AC2 and pops up unharmed...cuz he's the prophet and can't die? So I'm gathering Al Mualim really tried killing Altair in AC1 and because he couldn't he came up with his lie to explain why Altair didn't die? Did anyone else guess the same thing? Did Al Mualim send Altair into those assassinations half hoping he'd succeed and half hoping he'd fail because he saw him as his greatest threat from the start? I often wondered why he would send in his best assassin without his best weapons (stripped of rank remember?). It was just inconceivable to me.
Wow, never thought about that before. But that makes sense. Good theory lilk.
Oh, and don't forget, Al Mualim stabbed Altair in the beginning of AC1. After he saw that Altair survived, he had to BS something about "sleeping in the womb" to save face. Then he tries to kill him by sending him to kill 9 powerful people.
"When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite."- Winston Churchhill
"Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you
Though it has yet to be explained either way, I don't buy into any supernatural bit about immortality in the AC universe. I don't believe for one minute that Altair is still alive and out there somewhere, nor do I believe that Ezio is invincible. I've seen tons of movies where the hero inexplicably picks him/herself up after a serious injury and still goes on to save the day and doesn't end up dying. It's really not uncommon and rarely gets an explanation.
Since this series has basically implied that religion as we know it was all nothing but illusion used to control the masses, it doesn't seem likely to me that they would suddenly do a 180 and go into prophets and whatnot. A chain of events set into motion does not a prophecy make. To those religious-minded people viewing it without insider knowledge, it could seem like a prophecy, just as a cell phone might appear to be magic if seen by someone in the 19th century.
Minerva was not a god, and she did not claim to be. Her people died too. It wouldn't make sense for them to suddenly, from the afterlife no less, make a human immortal. The Apple is not magical either, it is merely a form of image projector combined with a catalogue of ancient knowledge. It couldn't make Altair or Ezio immortal any more than the first civilization could have done for themselves. And we all know what happened to them.
That's my view on this series from the info available thus far.
Oh, I wasn't saying either are immortal. Dying of old age is perfectly natural as Altair does say he's getting too old to fight anymore etc...but you are right Asaic, that doesn't explain how they can be stabbed and come back to life (or just the serious injury theory).
I always thought that Altair's stabbing was just Al Mualim using the Piece of Eden to make him think he was stabbed, and subsequently "reborn." That would also explain why Al Mualim said, "You saw what I wanted you to see," after Altair recovers.
As for Ezio, I was thinking what Asaic thought, ie he simply survived the stabbing because he's the hero. There's not really a better explanation than that IMO.
i recall a good ubi discussion on the topic of ezio surviving the stab. after borgia knocks ezio down and becomes invisible, ezio lays prone and pulls out the apple. ezio creates an illusion of the apple and the stabbing. later, borgia has the staff with fake apple on it but cannot open the vault. ezio opens the vault, but he leaves the fake apple on the staff when he enters. mineva asks for the real apple from ezio when he meets her, and he presents it to her.
i recall a good ubi discussion on the topic of ezio surviving the stab. after borgia knocks ezio down and becomes invisible, ezio lays prone and pulls out the apple. ezio creates an illusion of the apple and the stabbing. later, borgia has the staff with fake apple on it but cannot open the vault. ezio opens the vault, but he leaves the fake apple on the staff when he enters. mineva asks for the real apple from ezio when he meets her, and he presents it to her.
Seems possible.
If this were true, it would likely be detailed in Assassin's Creed: Renaissance. Anyone have a copy? 
I may get it when it comes out (which is supposed to be Feb. 26 in North America). I think it already came out in the UK though.
That's an excellent theory ian. Makes more since than anything I was thinking of lol.
Wow, I guess that seems plausible. However, I think that's reading too deeply into it. I have to agree with Asaic here. However, I do believe that Altair's death didn't go as planned for Al Mualim, and that he was only covering up a mistake when saying "you saw what I wanted you to see".
I found it badass, by the way, when Ezio multiplied. Maybe he should've created illusions of everyone Borgia'd killed as well 
"When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite."- Winston Churchhill
"Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you
My parents wanted to buy me Renaissance for Christmas, but I didn't want any spoilers. When I do get it. i'll check for you.
Thanks to SBIzokronus for the fantastic sig!
hahaha, imagine Petrucio beating up Borgia.
My brother got me Renaissance for Christmas, and like Joe i didn't want to read it before i had played the game. Finished the game and then forgot about it, but you guys have just reminded me, I'll get started tonight.
