Marcus Corvinus
Underworld
D.O.B.	Sometime in the 5th century
Age	1,500+
Birthplace	Hungary
Hair Color	Red
Eyes	Blue in Vampire state Black in Hybrid form
Species	Vampire (formerly) Vampire/Lycan Hybrid
Title	Vampire Elder First Vampire Medieval warlord
Relatives	Alexander Corvinus (father) Helena Corvinus (mother) William Corvinus (twin brother) Unnamed human Corvinus (brother) Michael Corvin (distant grandnephew) Eve (distant grandniece) Viktor (progeny) Amelia (progeny)
Status	Deceased
Actor	Tony Curran

Marcus Corvinus is a member of the Corvinus Clan, the original Vampire Elder and the ancestor of all Vampires. He is the main antagonist of Underworld: Evolution, and is portrayed by Tony Curran.

HistoryEdit

Born sometime in the mid to late 5th century^[1], Marcus is the son of Alexander and Helena Corvinus and the twin brother of William. Like his brother William, he inherited the virus in active form which had previously transformed his father into the first Immortal. Marcus had a strong bond with his twin brother. While William was bitten by a wolf and became the first Werewolf, Marcus was bitten by a bat, mutating his Corvinus Strain with bat DNA which resulted in him becoming the first Vampire, and the progenitor of the entire Vampire species.

William soon went on to ravage the countryside of Hungary, infecting the populace with his highly infectious lycanthropy virus. In order to combat the growing Werewolf threat, Marcus approached Viktor, a dying warlord, to borrow his military genius and army in exchange for immortality. Viktor accepted and became one of the Vampire Elders. It is likely that Marcus also personally infected Amelia, as she is a Vampire Elder of similar age to Marcus and Viktor.

600 years later, in 1202 A.D., Viktor led a charge into a Hungarian village which William had previously passed through. Instead of finding only William, they found an entire village of newly turned Werewolves. Viktor's army (now the Death Dealers), including Amelia, subdued and severely injured William. Marcus pleaded for his brother's life, but he had been betrayed by Amelia and Viktor, who meant to lock William away for life. Viktor, thinking that if any of the Corvinus brothers were killed, the Immortal bloodline would eventually die, (a lie told by Marcus), locked William far away from the reach of Marcus. Marcus then swore vengeance against Viktor and all those loyal to him, but was able to do little, as the Death Dealers were loyal to Viktor alone.

As the army became the first Vampire Coven, the Chain was implemented, a system where only one Elder ruled while the other two slumbered in hibernation. Viktor, with the aid of Amelia and the Vampire Council, undercut Marcus's power, ensuring he would never have the strength to free his brother. Thus Viktor remained the true leader of the Vampires, going as far as to allow himself being referred to as the "oldest and strongest" of them. Marcus claimed that he enjoyed the company of Andreas Tanis, the Official Historian of the Coven, most likely because Tanis knew that Marcus was indeed the original Vampire.

Underworld: EvolutionEdit

On the eve on Marcus's Awakening for his century of rule, a Lycan plot to combine the Vampire and Werewolf bloodlines becomes evident. A captured Lycan scientist named Singe explains the plans of a powerful Lycan named Lucian under duress - and is killed by a death blow from Viktor. His blood seeps into Marcus's tomb and revives the slumbering Vampire, making him a Vampire-Lycan Hybrid. Marcus beheads the treacherous Coven regent, Kraven (who had attempted to assassinate him) with his wing talons, after learning his memories, and burns down the Old World Coven, Ördögház.

Determined that the time has come to free William, he seeks out Selene, a Vampire Death Dealer who holds half of the key to William's dungeon. He fails on his first attempt thanks to Michael Corvin, Selene's Hybrid lover, who is also a distant relative of Marcus. He learns from Tanis that the other half of the key is held by his father, who had retrieved it from Viktor's body. Marcus attacks and seemingly kills Michael, then drinks Selene's blood, learning the location of his brother. Marcus then confronts his father, and mocks his "sentiments" about the world belonging to the human race, and accusing him of rejecting his own sons, and standing by while William was imprisoned. He then reveals his true plan - to rule over a new race, one in his image. He seeks to replace his "failed" race of Vampires who have followed Viktor moreso than himself with that of Vampire-Lycan Hybrids. Marcus then wounds his father, and retrieves the other half of the key.

Journeying to the old fortress, Marcus proceeds to release William from his dungeon. Their bond is so strong that even the crazed William recognizes Marcus, and refuses to harm him. They are soon interrupted by Selene and the survivors of his father's company. Marcus combats Selene, and is enraged when a resurrected Michael fights and kills William. Marcus drives a wing talon through Selene, who survives due to her having previously drank of Corvinus's blood. However, Marcus is also distracted by the death of his twin at the hands of Michael, and is wracked by shock and grief. These emotions cause him to be temporarily stunned and off guard, and gives Selene her opportunity. She breaks off the tip of one of Marcus's talons and impales his head with it, before shoving him backwards into the still whirling blades of a crashed helicopter, cutting him to pieces and killing him.

Powers & AbilitiesEdit

Because Marcus is the first Vampire, his powers are superior to that of the rest of his kind, including Viktor and Amelia. His transformation into a Hybrid greatly enhanced his already formidable powers and granted him the ability to transform into a demonic looking beast with bat-like features. He also has enough control over his transformation that he can turn only his hand into a claw as well as his wings, and can presumably change other parts of his body.

Due to his age, he is also likely versed in weapons use, at least those of the medieval kind, such as swords, as he was seen using one to attack his father.

• Superhuman Strength: As the first of his kind, Marcus possessed physical strength which far surpassed that of any other Vampire, including Viktor or Amelia. After his transformation into a Hybrid, his formidable strength was further enhanced, as shown when he lifted a massive, solid stone door to reach William, pulled down a helicopter from mid air using one of its cables and overpowered other Hybrids such as Michael or Selene (though Marcus also had the upper hand due to his superior combat experience) on various occasions.
• Superhuman Endurance: Marcus is able to endure multiple injuries, including being partially crushed by a small truck, sustaining multiple gunshots at point-blank range, having one of his hands destroyed by a helicopter blade, having one of his wing talons broken, being stabbed through the brain by said talon (though it did stun him) and was only killed when Selene pushed him against the same helicopter blade that completely tore his body apart.
• Superhuman Healing: Marcus likely has a very potent healing factor, given his age and status, which is only further enhanced after becoming a Hybrid. He was able to recover from various injuries due to being partially crushed by a truck in little more than a day.
• Superhuman Speed: As a Vampire (and later Hybrid), Marcus can move at great speeds.
• Blood Sorting: Like all Elders, Marcus can read a person's memories by drinking their blood.
• Flight: Due to him being a Vampire-Lycan Hybrid, Marcus developed a pair of bat-like wings that can deploy and retract onto his back. The tips of his wings are also extremely sharp and can be used as weapons to impale or slash opponents.

TriviaEdit

• Marcus's name is derived from "Mars", the ancient Roman God of War, an appropriate name for the son of a warlord.
• Tony Curran states in the production notes that Marcus is younger than Viktor, hence Marcus was only a Vampire for a few years before turning Viktor^[2]. However, in the novelizations, Marcus is described to be chronologically older than Viktor.
• Marcus's name is misspelled as "Markus" in the opening text crawl of Underworld: Evolution. The novelizations, credits, official websites, and production notes all spell his name as "Marcus".
• Marcus is the first Vampiric/Hybrid character shown to be feeding on animal blood.

QuotesEdit

Main article: Marcus Corvinus/Quotes

GalleryEdit

Marcus, slain by Selene.

Marcus in his Hybrid form.

A wounded Marcus looks on as Selene and Michael escape him.

Marcus covered in blood.

Marcus screaming in rage.

Marcus with William.

A joke behind the scenes image of actor Tony Curran with a Werewolf.

Marcus in Underworld: Evolution.

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ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ "After sixteen centuries, William, the father of all werewolves, was dead." ~Underworld: Evolution novelization
2. ↑ "It also means that Viktor, who is played by Bill Nighy in a flashback sequence that begins the new film, was merely a usurper. “I was the first,” declares Tony Curran of Marcus, “but it doesn’t mean I was the most powerful. I was an arrogant young vampire; Viktor was a powerful man and when he became a vampire, being older and more experienced, he took over the leadership." ~Underworld Evolution full production notes