Yellowjackets season 2 power rankings: Who’s the Antler Queen?

The heat is on in Yellowjackets season 2 (or, at least, as much as they can amid a frigid winter in the 1990s timeline that’s leaving the team starving and freezing). Showtime’s new season has everything: mysterious deaths, woo-woo groups, dogged police officers who hang out with teenager girls and cannibalism.

In conditions like this, it’s easy for a hierarchy to form — especially one that yields the long-awaited reveal of the Antler Queen YellowjacketsSince the beginning of season 1, the show has looked promising. With mysteries piling up across the first two episodes of season 2, we’re going to be running through the power rankings each week, exploring who’s poised to lead and who’s set to feed the cannibal cult.

This is because the criteria to be considered are somewhat loose. Yellowjackets’ first foray into frosty cannibalism, we’re playing it by ear. I will suffice it to state that only those who are able to rise to the Antler Queen’s throne (and whether they came closer in each episode to her or that title), will ascend the ranks. The Antler Queen appears to be responsible for the brief glimpses of cannibalism that we see in the pilot. Therefore, being able to step up means you are also taking the initiative to eat other people.

Who is on the rise in Yellowjackets’ cannibal cult?

Photo: Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

Shauna —Shauna led the charge for cannibals and convinced the team it was a waste to waste a deliciously chargrilled meal. Jackie. While Shauna’s really never had leader vibes before this exact moment, this could easily be her first step toward Antler Queendom.

Lottie —Lottie is still a question: Are she Antler Queen? Or more of a Yellowjackets High Priestess. There’s not much to suggest her modern-day cult is cannibalistic, but she’s clearly got SomethingThis is because she’s able to compartmentalize certain parts of herself as a leader and in her trippy vision of zombie Laura. She doesn’t do a TonEpisode 2: She It isTravis already saw him as a shining religious icon in visions. So it feels like that’s potentially a hop, skip, and a jump to leading your friends to ceremoniously eating the corpses of your other friends.

Taissa —From current-day events, we know that Tai commands and has clearly demonstrated his commanding ability SomeSome of her fucked up remnants from the time she spent in the woods. But aside from ordering the group to finally lay Jackie to rest, she doesn’t do much in episode 2 (or, at least, not a ton aside from hungrily devouring the flesh of their teammate, which pretty much everyone does, so). She has some sort of freaky vision of a besuited weirdo, but that all happens while she’s asleep; since Lottie seems to have the spiritual leader thing on lock, it seems unlikely (this week) that Taissa makes a play for the crown of horns.

Crystal — Crystal moves up the rankings slightly because she’s clearly important, but that’s exactly the problem: She’s a new character for season 2. Do you really expect the Antler Queen to be some rando who didn’t show up in the first season? Were they just forgetting about her, or do we believe the showrunners? Benioff and Weiss are who you think is leading this ship. Anyway, Crystal’s definitely got a role to play, and one that clearly ties in closely with Misty, but this definitely isn’t her story… or her cult.

Travis — Travis never really seemed into the supernatural woodsiness of the crash — maybe because he was mostly distracted by Natalie — but he took a few strides so far in season 2 thanks largely to hanging his hope of Javi’s survival on the vaguely psychic-seeming visions of Lottie. Although he did get a small rise in rankings, his odds of being too prominent in this teen-girl cult are very slim.

Who’s falling off the Yellowjackets food chains?

Photo: Kailey Schwerman/Showtime

Van — Van’s a great kid, and would be a pretty tremendous enforcer or right-hand woman to any aspiring bovidae-esque cult leader. So far, though, she doesn’t seem like much of a leader herself, so she’s falling this week. On the other hand, she is deep into the cult lore, which we know because she’s one of the three girls who shows up and kneels at the heart altar at the end of season 1.

Natalie — Natalie is one of the few Yellowjackets that doesn’t really change much this week, mostly because she’s spent so much time uninterested in the rest of the team’s general shenanigans. However, her purchase of cannibalism is a minor step in the right direction, while she makes a major mistake by questioning Lottie’s motives and refusing to search for Javi.

Misty — Misty has lost even the lowliest tea-making privileges, so things aren’t looking up for her leading any kind of cult so far in the second season. Now, that isn’t a huge surprise, given teen Misty isn’t much of a leader at all, but this is still about as low as her leadership stock has fallen so far.

Gen — Still mostly anonymous, Gen’s chances of becoming Anter Queen aren’t looking great. We’re not definitively calling anything just yet, but it doesn’t seem totally unfair to call her one of several Red Shirt Yellowjackets who seem destined to get sacrificed to the forest’s cruel cannibal god (or worse).

Coach Ben —Only one leaves the Jackie meal and is clearly disturbed by what he finds. His stomach may be morally pure, but he’s not climbing the rankings without a bit more nutrition.

Mari —The Red Shirt Sorry, Mari.

Jackie — Jackie gets an honorable mention just for showing up, but her chances aren’t looking great considering both how dead she already is (and has been for months) and the fact that she was the main course for the first ever Yellowjackets forest banquet. However, since she’s still around, at least physically, she does get a spot on the list.

Akilah —This season, the girl was recast. That’s Red Shirt shit for sure.