film then takes place in 2024 where Connor MacLeod is now mortal since becoming the final winner. Not willing to risk he may ever return to Zeist, Katana sends assassins who become immortal as they arrive on Earth. MacLeod kills them, regaining his immortality and youth in the process. Using the magic of the Quickening, MacLeod summons Ramírez back from death. The two fight alongside each other again, then Ramírez sacrifices his life to allow MacLeod a chance to escape a death trap. In 2000, a director's cut was released called Highlander II: Renegade Version. In this cut, all references to Zeist are removed. Earth's immortals are now said not to be aliens but immortals who were born in an ancient civilization lost before recorded history. Ramírez and MacLeod were still depicted as revolutionaries against Katana, said to be another immortal, and they are still seen forging a bond through magic (though the magic is no longer referred to as the Quickening). When they are captured by Katana, the trial scene has replacement dialogue to explain that the immortal criminals will be exiled into the far future. As before, they will be forced to fight each other for the chance to either become mortal or return to their rightful home in the distant past, their crimes pardoned. The film Highlander III: The Sorcerer (1994), also called Highlander: The Final Dimension, acts as an alternate sequel to the original film and removes Highlander II from its continuity. Similarly, Highlander II cannot exist in the same continuity as Highlander: The Series. Comic books Dynamite Entertainment published a comic book mini-series acting as a prequel to the original Highlander film. The mini-series, entitled Highlander: The Way of the Sword, reveals that the sword Masamune gave to Ramírez was originally meant for his adopted son Ren. Ren later learns he too is immortal and carries a grudge against Ramírez for the next 2,500 years. Ren also trains with the immortal sorcerer Nakano and learns the art of metallurgy. Animated series continuity Highlander: The Animated Series (1994-1996) takes place in an alternate timeline from the films in the 27th century. A character named Don Vincente Marino Ramírez (Benedict Campbell) is an ally of Connor's in the 20th century. He is different than the character Sean Connery portrayed in the film but shares a similar appearance. After a meteorite devastates much of the planet and leads