Do Alpha's Sita and Durga belong in the SpyVerse's ultimate boys' club?

The YRF Spy Universe has always known how to end on a promise. A cameo here, a cryptic phone call there, a familiar face stepping into the shadows just before the last scene or, in some cases, even a post-credit scene. Those final moments are usually invitations to the next mission.

Alpha, the latest in that universe, follows the same formula, but with one crucial difference. Instead of teasing the return of another male superstar, it asks a much bigger question: what happens when the SpyVerse is no longer just Pathaan, Tiger and Kabir's playground?

Until now, the franchise has largely revolved around three larger-than-life men – Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan), Tiger (Salman Khan) and Kabir (Hrithik Roshan). It has, of course, featured formidable women before. Katrina Kaif's Zoya has long been one of the franchise's finest spies, Deepika Padukone's Rubina proved she could match Pathaan step for step, and Kiara Advani's Kavya in War 2 established herself as more than just another love interest. Yet, for all their strength, these women largely existed within stories headlined by men. Alpha changes that equation.

By placing Sita (Alia Bhatt) and Durga (Sharvari) at the centre of its narrative, the film introduces SpyVerse's first female-led chapter. Their arrival isn't merely about adding two more agents to the roster; it expands the universe itself. And that naturally raises a larger question: where exactly do Sita and Durga fit in a world built by Pathaan, Tiger and Kabir?

Spoiler warning: If you've managed to dodge Alpha spoilers so far, consider this your final checkpoint. The next section discusses the film's ending and where the SpyVerse heads next. Mission aborted? Come back after you've watched it.

The brightest part of Alpha comes into its final moments.

As the film draws to a close, Colonel Vikrant Kaul (Anil Kapoor) invites Sita and Durga to join Pathaan, Tiger and Kabir. The moment lasts only a few seconds, but it lands like a mission briefing for the future of the franchise. More than a crossover tease, it signals that the SpyVerse is finally making room for a new generation of heroes.

The bigger question, however, isn't whether Sita and Durga belong. It's how they belong.

A different kind of spy

Before Alpha, the YRF Spy Universe was built on highly trained but fundamentally human operatives. Tiger relied on instinct and experience. Kabir combined military precision with emotional restraint. Pathaan survived through resilience, intelligence and sheer willpower. Their stories were grounded, at least emotionally, in sacrifice, espionage and geopolitics. Alpha changes the rules.

Sita and Durga aren't simply younger spies stepping into an established system. They are genetically enhanced super-soldiers, products of the experimental Alpha serum. Where the earlier heroes won battles through training and endurance, these two enter the battlefield with abilities that push the franchise into entirely new territory.

That makes them less successors to Pathaan, Tiger and Kabir than the beginning of a different era.

The mythology beneath their names

One of Alpha's most interesting choices is that it doesn't use the names Sita and Durga simply because they sound powerful. The mythology informs both characters. Sita's journey deliberately echoes - and subverts - the Ramayana.

Kidnapped as a child and raised in isolation by the rogue commander Fateh Singh Lakhawat (Bobby Deol), whom she repeatedly calls a rakshas, her childhood is defined by captivity. But unlike her mythological namesake, this Sita doesn't wait for rescue. She escapes, turns the serum forced into her body into a weapon, and decides to burn down her own Lanka.

Alia Bhatt plays her with remarkable restraint. Her Sita isn't driven by swagger but by survival. Every fight feels deeply personal, shaped by years of trauma rather than the thrill of combat. Durga, meanwhile, embodies the warrior goddess more directly.

Raised separately by her biological father, Sharvari's character enters the story with explosive confidence and relentless energy. If Sita is calculated, Durga is instinctive. If Sita fights from years of buried pain, Durga fights to protect.

Together, they become complementary forces rather than competing heroes.

Where do they fit?

Their connection to the wider SpyVerse comes through Kabir.

When the sisters arrive at his secluded monastery safe house, the cameo serves a purpose far greater than fan service. Kabir doesn't simply help them escape danger; he also validates them. His presence establishes Sita and Durga as trusted allies within the existing network rather than outsiders waiting for acceptance.

By the time Colonel Vikrant Kaul directs them towards Pathaan and Tiger, the invitation has already been earned.

More than reinforcements

The biggest shift Alpha brings isn't the introduction of two new characters but the possibility that the SpyVerse is no longer defined by the same three men who built it. Sita and Durga don't replace Pathaan, Tiger or Kabir. Nor do they simply become female versions of them.

They arrive with different emotional histories, different powers and different ways of fighting. Their presence broadens what a YRF spy can look like and, in doing so, changes the identity of the franchise itself.

Whether that evolution ultimately strengthens the SpyVerse or nudges it too close to superhero territory is a conversation audiences will continue to have. What feels certain, however, is this: the YRF Spy Universe is no longer just a boys' club. For the first time, its future may belong just as much to Sita and Durga as it does to Pathaan, Tiger and Kabir.