| ā | Some history is based on truth, and others on deception. Viktor was not the first of our kind, as you were led to believe. He was once human, the ruler of these lands. Toward the end of his ruthless life, when the next breath meant more to Viktor than silver or gold, Marcus came with an offer, a reprieve from sickness and death. Immortality. And in return, Viktor was to use his army turned Immortal to help him.
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Viktor is a Vampire Elder who appears in Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. He is portrayed by actor Bill Nighy. He is the main antagonist in both Underworld and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.
Biography
Viktor expresses his anger towards Marcus.
Viktor was a Hungarian general and warlord born sometime in the mid to late 5th century.[1] [2] According to Andreas Tanis, Viktor was a ruthless and cruel feudal Hungarian warlord, and is described as having ruled over his domain with an iron fist. As Viktor was nearing the end of his life, Marcus Corvinus, the first Vampire, came to him with an offer: Immortality in exchange for Viktor's military expertise and army in combating the Werewolves, spawn of Marcus's own twin brother, William. When Marcus turned Viktor, the general became a first generation Vampire and Vampire Elder, and his army became the forerunners of what would later be known as the "Death Dealers".
In 1202 A.D., the Vampires were finally able to locate and capture William. Viktor promised Marcus he would not harm William, despite the Werewolf's uncontrollable nature. In order for him to deal with the problem without breaking his word, Viktor had Amelia, the third Vampire Elder, deal with William. Viktor and Amelia finally managed to find William and the Werewolf was captured. Viktor then betrayed Marcus, giving orders to keep William as far away from Marcus as possible. Viktor locked William away in a fortress, where he could not harm anyone or create more of his kind. However, with the Death Dealers loyal to Viktor, Marcus could do nothing. Viktor kept two keys to William's dungeon; the smaller one he kept in plain sight as a necklace worn by his daughter, Sonja, where Marcus could see it. The larger one, however, he kept with him at all times, going as far as to have a bronze frame welded to his ribcage to hold within him, where Marcus could never see it, as Viktor knew well that Marcus would free William if given the chance.
Viktor's cry of war in Rise of the Lycans.
The relationship between the two Vampire Elders was always strained. Viktor, with Amelia's support, undercut Marcus's power as ruler of the Vampire Coven, ensuring Marcus would never have the strength to free his brother. However, Viktor never staged an outright coup against Marcus, as he had been told that should Marcus ever die, all in his bloodline would follow him to the grave - including Viktor. To prevent this from happening, the Chain was constructed, a system in which only one Elder ruled while the other two slumbered. Viktor even domesticated a new breed of the Vampires' enemies, a humanized version of the Werewolves known as Lycans, which he used as watchdogs to guard the Vampires during the daylight hours. Eventually, Viktor was at the center of sparking a new war with the Lycans.
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Viktor and three Death Dealers ready to battle the Lycans.
Viktor's daughter, Sonja, falls in love with a Lycan slave named Lucian and becomes pregnant. Viktor eventually discovers this and fears the blending of the species that would result should the child be born. He and the council condemn Sonja, Lucian, and their unborn child to death. Sonja is burnt alive by exposure to sunlight while Lucian, chained to the floor, is forced to watch. Before his own execution, Lucian uses the full moon to transform and escape - but not before taking Sonja's pendant with him. He then summons the Lycans and original Werewolves to battle, during which time Viktor personally duels Lucian. Although the Vampire Elder is more powerful, Lucian makes use of Viktor's weakness, sunlight, to incapacitate the Elder, and stabs Viktor through the mouth. Viktor manages to survive and retreats with Andreas Tanis and the other Elders while the rest of the Vampire Coven are slaughtered by the Lycans.
Viktor with Sonja.
Viktor, determined to keep the location and map of the dungeon a secret from Marcus and Lucian, slaughters the family of the man he had commissioned to design it. He spares the man's daughter, Selene, due to her striking resemblance to Sonja. He turns her afterwards. The war rages on, and eventually draws to a close after Lucian is seemingly killed by a Vampire named Kraven. After this, Viktor gathers more power for himself, making himself leader of the Old World Coven, ĆrdƶghĆ”z, and going so far as to alter history. In the revised version of history set out by Viktor, he, not Marcus, is the original Vampire. In time, he exiles the Official Historian Andreas Tanis, who knew that Marcus was the first Vampire.
Underworld
Viktor after being awakened from hibernation.
In 2003, Viktor is hibernating, not to be awakened for another 100 years. However, Selene awakens him ahead of time, convinced that Lucian is still alive and that Kraven has made a deal with him. A furious Viktor confronts his protege, condemning her to be judged. Notably, Viktor seems to be more upset by Selene's relationship with a Lycan named Michael Corvin than her claims of Kraven's treachery. Viktor orders Selene be locked away until Amelia and the Council can arrive and decide her fate, which Viktor knows will doubtless be a death sentence. A tearful Selene begs Viktor to allow her to provide proof of her claims, but he ignores her.
Viktor in Underworld.
Later, with the help of a Vampire maid named Erika, Selene escapes the mansion, determined to find proof and clear her name. Selene returns later that night with proof of not only Kraven's treachery, but Lucian's plan to use the blood of Michael Corvin to create a Hybrid by blending the blood of the two species. Upon learning the truth of Selene's claims, and learning that Amelia has been assassinated by the Lycans, Viktor becomes enraged with Singe, a Lycan captured by Selene. Viktor punches Singe, tearing open half of his face and killing him instantly. A guilty Viktor apologizes to Selene for not believing her and the two leave to pursue Kraven. However, neither Vampire pays any mind to Singe's blood spreading over the floor of the Elders' Chamber, unaware of the consequences that will ensue.
Viktor promptly launches a full-scale assault on the Lycan lair, effortlessly breaking the neck of a transformed Lycan named Raze when the Lycan attacks him, then driving his sword through his chest. Kraven attempts to escape, but is forced to run and hide each time he sees Viktor. Viktor eventually comes upon Selene, who is in the process of biting Michael, making him a Lycan-dominant Hybrid. Furious, Viktor tosses Selene away from Michael and throws the latter through a wall and into the flooded courtyard. Unknown to him, Kraven had revealed his duplicity in the death of Selene's family just moments earlier. Selene tearfully confronts Viktor, accusing him of killing her family and murdering Sonja. Viktor protests that he has given her immortality in return, a gift he insists is far more important than her family. When confronted about Sonja's death, Viktor claims that he loved his daughter dearly, but he was forced to kill her to protect the Vampire species. Selene still clearly disagrees with Viktor's actions and he abandons her so that he can find and kill Michael. Viktor is then confronted by his ultimate fear: Selene's bite has reacted with the Lycan virus and the Corvinus Strain in Michael's body, causing traits of both Lycan and Vampire to appear.
Michael attacks Viktor, initially showing speed and strength unmatched by even the Vampire Elder. However, Viktor, using Michael's lack of combat experience to his advantage, is able to subdue him. Viktor's bodyguards come to finish off the Hybrid but Selene kills each of the bodyguards. She is then punched aside by Viktor. Michael rushes to her aid but is overtaken by Viktor, who begins to strangle him. Upon seeing this, Selene makes the decision to kill Viktor. She slices his head in half with his own sword, saving Michael and avenging both her family and Sonja all at the same time.
Underworld: Evolution
Later, Viktor's body is retrieved by the Cleaners, an organization dedicated to cleaning up after the Vampire-Lycan war, led by the original Immortal, Alexander Corvinus. Alexander extracts the key from beneath Viktor's flesh, only to later have it snatched by his son, Marcus. Viktor's dead body is most likely destroyed when Alexander Corvinus's ship is blown up.
Blood Enemy
In the non-canon novel Blood Enemy, Viktor is awakened in 1400 by Marcus shortly after the death of his wife, Ilona, who was killed in a raid of mortals led by the charismatic but insane monk Brother Ambrose. Having led the Vampires and Lucian, who is still a servant of the Vampires at this time, against Ambrose's village, Viktor bites Ambrose, intending to make the monk his Immortal servant if he transforms, although he is satisfied when Ambrose dies of a violent allergic reaction to the Vampire virus. Although Viktor subsequently attempts to arrange a marriage between Sonja and Marcus's son, Nicolae, his plans are ruined when news of this match prompts Sonja to admit her feelings for Lucian. With Sonja dead, Viktor permits Nicolae to lead a Vampire raid against a silver mine that Lucian had recently captured, but this assault, while destroying most of the Lycans, results in Nicolae's death when Lucian transforms without the aid of the moon for the first time.
Personality
Viktor presides over the Vampire Council.
| ā | The dangers of the forest are not greater than those of the council. You [must] learn the dance of politics. To be ruthless and cunning.
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Although not a pure-born Vampire, Viktor is nevertheless obsessed with the purity of the bloodlines, as shown in his attempts to establish a hierarchy by trying to arrange for Sonja to become an Elder. His fixation on blood purity is so great that he considers his victory over various Lycans to be only natural, as he views them as nothing more than animals and slaves. Due to this, he views the possibility of a Hybrid as an "abomination" and takes extreme measures to prevent such a creature from ever existing. Viktor also views immortality as a gift above all others, as seen when he tries to reason with Selene when she discovers he had killed her family, that his "gift" to Selene should more than make up for what he took from her. This interest in blood purity is also exhibited in Viktor's false claims that he and Amelia are pure-born Vampires.
In both Underworld and Rise of the Lycans, Viktor is shown as a skilled, ruthless and charismatic leader for the Vampire race. He is also power-hungry and quite manipulative, as he takes steps to alter Vampire history books into viewing him as the first and most powerful of the Vampires. He rules over Marcus and undermines his power at every turn with Amelia as his ally, even banishing Vampire historian Tanis, the only Vampire who knew the truth. However, he is also extremely arrogant and equally as brutal towards anyone who disobeys the rules created by himself and the Council. This is arguably the driving factor of Lucian's rebellion against the Vampires and causes Viktor to gain a fair share of enemies, even among those of his own kind (such as Tanis, Marcus and Coloman, among others). As noted by Tanis, Viktor is not known to express gratitude over anything. He also apparently does not adhere to the rules he himself implemented, as noted by Kraven when speaking about the murder of Selene's family, implying that Viktor continued to attack and feed directly from humans, even though it was forbidden to other Vampires. In spite of this, he forces other Vampires to strictly follow the Council rules and is quick to punish or kill anyone who disobeys those rules.
Viktor is also shown to be a caring father to both Sonja and Selene. With Sonja, he trains her as a warrior and frequently lets slip Sonja's constant absences from Council meetings and her constantly disobeying him. He is even willing to work the Council into sparing her life after discovering her affair with Lucian, but refuses when he learns that she is pregnant with Lucian's child. Despite ordering her execution, Sonja's death haunts Viktor for the rest of his life. This immense guilt led him to sparing Selene from the murder of her family due to her striking resemblance to Sonja, raising her as his heir in all but name. However, Viktor places the integrity of the Vampire bloodline above all else and takes no qualms in having Sonja executed after discovering her pregnancy, and trying to kill Selene for her relationship with Michael Corvin, a Hybrid. Despite this, he does show genuine (if momentary) signs of sadness over these actions. However, he views Lucian as the one responsible for his daughter's death, despite Lucian having always been a loyal servant to the Vampires and saving Sonja's life on more than one occasion.
Relationships
Viktor loved his daughter Sonja dearly, though he was also rather controlling of her and didn't seem to care much for her personal desires or wishes. Viktor was adamant she join the Council and was grooming her to become an Elder. He was frustrated by her lack of interest in Council matters and her defiance of him, seeming to expect that she be completely obedient to him. When Viktor discovered that Sonja had not only helped the Lycan slaves to escape, but was in a relationship with one too, he was furious with her, striking her across the face in anger and placing her under arrest. Despite this, Viktor seemed willing to forgive Sonja out of love for her and was prepared to make the Council release her. However, after she revealed she was pregnant with Lucian's child, Viktor was disgusted, even stating that he "regretted the day your [Sonja] mother died to give you life." Viktor was even prepared to sentence Sonja to death for her subversion, not so much as glancing at her in the moments before her execution. He was shown to be devastated by her death, though; he still mourns for Sonja centuries later, but tells Selene that he viewed her death as being 'necessary' for the survival of the Vampires. Viktor never speaks of Sonja, with few Vampires - including Selene - ever even knowing she existed. Viktor perhaps did this to erase the 'Lycan taint' from his family name; however, it is also possible that her death was so painful for him, that Viktor couldn't bear to be reminded of her.
Viktor's continuing love for Sonja and grief over her loss later motivated to spare and transform Selene. Viktor clearly views her as his surrogate daughter - a replacement Sonja - though he takes careful steps to ensure she is completely loyal to him and his cause, starting by telling her that Lycans killed her family, causing her deep-rooted hatred of them. However, for a second time, Viktor's obsession with Vampire superiority and law takes precedence over his affections for Selene. When he learns she has woken him early and has also been 'fraternizing' with a Lycan, he is immediately suspicious and has her placed under house arrest. He later strongly implies that he will kill her for treason - albeit reluctantly.
Viktor harbors a great deal of hatred for Lucian. He blames him for Sonja's death, claiming he "defiled her". In the early stages of Lucian's life, Viktor claimed to think of him as his "son" and appeared to have some respect for Lucian. However, his attitude towards him appeared to be that of a master to a loyal dog, than a true equal. He even had Lucian whipped for disobeying his orders not to transform, despite the fact that Lucian did it to save Sonja. He is deeply disappointed with lucian's subversion, telling him that he has "stung him with your [Lucian's] betrayal". When Viktor decides that Lucian has become a potential threat to keeping the Lycans subdued, he orders him to be disposed of without a second thought and is seemingly untroubled by it. Viktor grows to truly despise Lucian after his successful rebellion against the Vampires, and the revelation he had been in a relationship with Viktor's daughter. Viktor even went as far as saying he "should've killed you [Lucian] as a child." Viktor was very grateful to Kraven when he killed Lucian (though this was later revealed to be a ruse). When he discovers Lucian's body, Viktor looked over it with nothing but contempt, before pulling Sonja's pendant from around his neck.
Viktor had a complicated relationship with Marcus. He appeared to view Marcus as an equal, but derided his attactment to his Werewolf brother William and thought nothing of deceiving him to capture William, though he claimed it was for the good of the Vampire species. Viktor also took steps to undermine Marcus' power and ensure he never find and release William, implying that he was suspicious of his sire and never fully trusted him.
Not much is known about Viktor's relationship with Amelia, though they appeared to have a mutual respect for one another and both allied themselves against Marcus, sharing the common goal of capturing William to preserve their species. Viktor appeared to be saddened when he learned of Amelia's gruesome death at the hands of Lycans.
Viktor seemed to hold Kraven in a high regard, likely due to his belief that Kraven had killed Lucian. He placed a great deal of trust in Kraven, making him regent of his coven during his hibernation and also allowing him to know of Viktor's rule-breaking in regards to hunting humans. He was also willing to believe Kraven's version of events over Selene's. Despite this, he never truly viewed Kraven as an equal; he treated him with disdain and came to view him as incompetent for his failures. Viktor likely felt a great deal of animosity for Kraven after learning he had betrayed him.
Powers & Abilities
Viktor wielding two daggers.
As a Vampire Elder and one of the oldest Immortals in the series, Viktor is an extremely powerful Vampire and easily one of the most powerful immortals. He possesses all of the attributes of his kind, though on a far greater level. He holds the distinction of being the only pure Vampire shown to be capable of physically overpowering a Lycan in its transformed state.
Due to his extremely advanced age, he also has over a millennium of experience in hand-to-hand combat and weaponry use, which he uses to outmatch the Hybrid Michael Corvin (although not without sustaining considerable damage to himself). Also due to his millenia-long experience as a former military leader, Viktor is extremely skilled in strategy and tactics as well as politics, and was seen for centuries as the greatest of the Elders due to his cunning and manipulations, though his arrogance, his violent streak and inability to follow his own laid out rules sometimes places him on the losing end of a situation.
- Superhuman Endurance: Viktor is capable of taking a considerable amount of damage without slowing down. When going against Lucian, he was able to keep fighting despite the Lycan's clever use of sunlight to inflict burns on him, and survived being stabbed through the mouth with a large sword. During his fight with Michael, he is punched and clawed several times, yet he continues to get back up. In the end, it was only due to dismemberment that he was finally defeated, but even so it took a while for the top of his head to slide off.
- Superhuman Strength: Viktor is tremendously strong, even for a Vampire. He is able throw people through walls, and punch an untransformed Lycan with enough force to tear off one side of his face and was able to single handedly overpower and kill a fully transformed Lycan with ease. He is also able to go toe-to-toe with a recently-turned Hybrid, Michael Corvin, and hold his own. Viktor and the two other Elders are the strongest of all vampires (with the exception of Selene pre-Vampire Corvinus Strain Hybrid).
- Superhuman Healing: Viktor has the Vampiric ability to heal from almost any injury faster than a human. He is able to heal from a sword driven through his mouth and quickly recovers from burns caused by exposure to sunlight.
- Superhuman Speed: Viktor is incredibly fast, and can outmaneuver most other Immortals.
- Superhuman Agility: Viktor can jump and twist, and is seen leaping from high places and landing with ease.
- Blood Memory Sorting: As with all Elders, Viktor is able to sort his blood memories and can obtain memories from drinking another person's blood.
Trivia
- Viktor's name is a Eastern-European variant of "Victor", which is from a late Latin personal name meaning "victor", or "conqueror" -- an apt name for Viktor's character, who, even before becoming a Vampire, was a Warlord.
- Actor Tony Curran (Marcus) states in the production notes that Viktor is older than Marcus, meaning Marcus had only been a Vampire for a few years when he turned Viktor, an older, and a more experienced man.[3] According to the novelizations, however, Marcus is chronologically older that Viktor.
- According to Viktor's official bio on the official website, his weapon of choice is a silver-plated sword, an effective weapon against a Lycan in close quarters combat.
- Viktor is comparable to Vlad the Impaler, as according to the novelization of Rise of the Lycans, Viktor was historically infamous for "dining amidst a field of gallows and impaled prisoners" when he was still mortal, something that Vlad "the Impaler" Dracula was also famous for about one thousand years later. Poetically, in the novelization of Underworld, he is described by Michael as a "real life Dracula". Another comparison is his wife, Ilona, who shares a name with Ilona SzilƔgyi, the second wife of Vlad III
- Viktor is also comparable to King Acrisius of Argos in Greek mythology. Both sentence their respective daughters to death for having fallen pregnant with a child they fear will threaten their powerbase.
- In Blood Enemy, Viktor rides a black warhorse named "Hades", and is identified as "Lord Viktor of Moldavia".
- Viktor is the only character that has an active role in all of the first three Underworld films.
Quotes
- Main article: Viktor/Quotes
Gallery
Underworld
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
References
- ā "...Viktor was a haughty, ostentatious Vampire Elder over 1,400 years old." ~ Underworld: Evolution production notes, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans production notes, Underworld: Evolution official site
- ā "Viktor is a haughty, ostentatious Vampire overlord nearly 1,000 years old." ~Underworld: Rise of the Lycans official site
- ā "It also means that Viktor, who is played by Bill Nighy in a flashback sequence that begins the new film, was merely a usurper. āI was the first,ā declares Tony Curran of Marcus, ābut it doesnāt 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
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| Characters |
| Major Characters |
| Lucian - Sonja - Viktor - Raze - Andreas Tanis |
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| Soren - Sabas - Orsova - Coloman - Kosta - Luka - Xristo - Sandor - Ivan - Ilona - Casmir Janosh - Covasha family - Malvina - Ulrik - Lucian's Mother |
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| Locations |
| Castle Corvinus - Elders' Ship |
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| Corvinus Strain - Vampire Council - Death Dealer - Vampire Elder - The Chain - Blood Memories - Budapest Coven - Moon Collar - Vampire-Lycan War - Vampire-Werewolf War |
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