D&D 5E (2024) Cthulhu Confirmed!

[Chaltab]

It's pretty distracting in the workplace, to be honest.

I once had to intern at a Kinkos in the Abyss and it was just the worst.

 

[Selas]

According to the portion of text that is visible, this Cthulhu is not a prisoner. Every time you adapt a literary character, you create a new version of that character. There are lots of different Draculas, lots of different Frankensteins, lots of different Sherlock Holmes, and not quite as many different Cthulhus. The Cthulhu in D&D isn't the same as the Cthulhu in Call of Cthulhu, isn't the same as the Cthulhu in Underwater, etc. And since the character is fictional there is no true version of that character.

Some people tend to treat the original version of a character with greater reverence than any adaptation, but in this case, there is no reverence for HPL. As pointed out elsewhere, this author is well and truly dead, leaving people feeling free to do whatever they like with his characters.

The text specifically refers to it as a prisoner of the Dread domains...one that can only exert but a fraction of its capabilities. I'm not saying this is the same version from CoC, but is is a version of the character.

This isn't a Mythos book. It includes some mythos creatures to accompany one new domain - presumably R'lyeh. It will no doubt have several other new domains, featuring different horror subgenres*. It's not going to include the entire pantheon of Elder Gods, just the one mentioned in the PHB, and the useful monsters.

You're right, it's not, but cultists and Eldritch gods are intrinsic to cosmic horror; if this new book is going to expand on the cosmic horror domain more than what was presented in VGR, then just Cthulhu is not enough. Using VGR as an example, we might see up to 5-10 monsters from the mythos (and may include other Elder Gods) that can be paired with MM monsters to pad up the cosmic horror section.
Personally, I would like to see the King in Yellow, but that's wishful thinking since it wasn't made by Lovecraft.

Note, Bluetspur is basically an X-Files domain, not a mythos domain, and was described in VGR. It's unlikely to be revisited in this new book.

Bluetspur is also tied to Illithids, and though they fit the cosmic horror label, I expect they're making a brand new domain that fits closer to the reference material

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I once had to intern at a Kinkos in the Abyss and it was just the worst.

"Ma'am, we've scanned the document for you, but we need an email address to send it to you. No, that's your physical address. An email ... it's electronic. In the computer. No, you don't bring the computer in. Ma'am .... ma'am ... ma'am ..."