In one of the most intense scenes in Pitch Black, Riddick (Vin Diesel) removes his iconic black goggles to reveal glowing iridescent eyes, prompting the Hunter Gratzner's pilot Carolyn Fry (Rhada Mitchell) to question why they shine so strangely. At this point in the film, the ship carrying several dozen colonists as well as Riddick as a prisoner has crash-landed on a strange world crawling with hostile creatures sensitive to light, and the only chance anyone has of surviving is trusting the perceived murderer. His unique ocular abilities, resourcefulness, and killer instinct become the only things standing between them and certain death once the planet's three suns go down.
Despite the fact that Pitch Black was a small-budget sci-fi thriller, its compelling storyline launched two sequels, Riddick 4 is finally moving forward, there's been renewed interest in developing Riddick's character, continuing the world-building associated with his home planet Furya, and the backstory behind his signature stare. Looking back through the lore developed by the films and game it's easy to see where older information has been contradicted by new plot points, making the origin of his eyeshine convoluted.
Riddick Received Surgery To Enhance His Eyes
During Fry's interrogation of Riddick, he discusses serving time in the Butcher Bay Correctional Facility, an inescapable Triple-Max security prison, where he found "a doctor," to give him a "shine job" though the game explains this is Pope Joe, a hermit who lives in the sewer system. After the procedure was done, a spiritual guide named Shirah told Riddick he'd been "blind for far too long," suggesting that his eyeshine was one of many dormant abilities inherent to Riddick's homeworld of Furya that had now been awakened in him. Some of this was too much exposition for Pitch Black however and was wisely expanded on later in the franchise.
In the Hunt for Riddick mini-game created for marketing purposes on the official Riddick website, in which a Rookie Mercenary researches Riddick to discover his whereabouts, players learn that he paid Cutter to surgically enhance his eyesight, and mentions Ursa Luna Penal Facility when it happened, not Butcher's Bay. Fortunately, it almost doesn't matter where Riddick received his shine job because in The Chronicles of Riddick, Kyra explains it would be impossible to get in prison, particularly since only 0.2% survive the procedure. Riddick can never be trusted, so the competing theories, along with the perception that he's been lying, only add to the mystique of his character.
What Can Riddick's Eyes Do?
Even if Riddick 4 will end the franchise, there's still a lot of lore surrounding Riddick and the Furyans to explore, particularly since even Furyans of high standing (such as The Purifier) don't have eyeshine. Given that Riddick's eyes are most certainly a dormant Furyan trait and not the result of surgical enhancement, they're a genetic development that helps him see exceptionally well in the dark to navigate treacherous environments and overpower his enemies. Taking the agency away from Riddick's eyeshine origins does change the meaning behind his storyline, making him a hero of destiny for his people rather than an outcast who chose to embrace (and dominate) the dark.
Furyans aren't necessarily superhuman, but surviving in Furya's harsh environment creates incredible strength, endurance, and fast healing. With Riddick's eyeshine in Pitch Black, he's on his way to becoming one of Furya's most powerful warriors. When combined with the Wrath of the Furyans, the collective suffering of the billions of Furyans who couldn't escape the Necromonger massacre, Riddick is practically unstoppable, provided no one shines a light in his eyes. Sensitivity to light is the one thing that can literally cripple Riddick, while symbolically, keeping him in the dark ensures his status as a mercurial antihero remains intact.
