Darius (Highlander)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Race | Human, Immortal |
| Gender | Male |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Age | 1943 (at time of death) |
| Born in | 50, Ural Mountains |
| Immortality | 90 |
| Affiliations | Goths, Callestina, Ursa, Xavier St. Cloud, Duncan MacLeod, Grace Chandel, Victor Paulus, Richie Ryan |
| Past affiliations | Grayson, Carlo Sendaro |
| Mentors | Ahasuerus the Parthian |
| Pupils | Grayson |
| Watchers | See Below |
| Status | Deceased (May 30, 1993) |
| Killed by | James Horton |
| Portrayed by | Werner Stocker |
| First appearance | Band of Brothers |
| Seasons | 1 |
Darius is a fictional character from Highlander: The Series, portrayed by actor Werner Stocker. He is an Immortal.
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[edit] History
Darius was born in 50 AD and lived as a nomad in the east of the Ural Mountains. Darius grew up to become a warrior and became the leader of his tribe. In the year 90, he led his tribe into battle and died, becoming Immortal. Darius later met the Persian emperor Ahasuerus the Parthian, who taught him all about immortality.
By the 4th century, Darius, became one of the greatest generals of the time, leading the Goths across two continents, fighting many battles. At that time, he found a young Immortal named Grayson, whom he tought everything and named him his second in command of the Goths. In 410, Darius led the Goths to sack Rome under Alaric I, King of Visigoths. There, he met another Immortal, Marcus Constantine, who was a Roman general. In the 6th century, he led the Goths at the gates of Paris. There he was confonted by a Holy Man - at the time was the oldest living Immortal. The Holy Man - a man of incredible spiritual power - sensed that Darius' conquest would lead to a dark and sinister age. He confronted him at the gates and made him take his head. The Quickening changed Darius, who became a peacemaker. Darius turned his armies away and became a priest, establishing himself in the church of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre in Paris. Grayson never forgave Darius for this change of heart.
Darius studied many religions, and over time practiced as a Buddhist, a Hindu, and a Roman Catholic priest. By 1814, Darius was living on Catholic holy ground. He helped many people including Ursa, a tall Immortal who rarely spoke, whom he let live on the church grounds. At the time, he also met the Immortal Xavier St. Cloud, a petty thief who was hiding from the law in his church. In 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo, Darius was helping the wounded when he met the Immortal Duncan MacLeod, who was a soldier fighting in the war. Darius showed him the effects of war, making him sensitive to the plight of mortal soldiers who would not be going home, causing Duncan question his involvement in the business of warfare. Eventually, Darius and Duncan became great friends.
In 1816, Duncan visited Darius at his church in Paris. Two men were robbing the church, and one of them shot Darius for refusing to surrender the church's valuables. Duncan killed one of the men and knocked out the other. Darius was not pleased with the violence perpetrated on his behalf, prompting Duncan to go to the United States to meditate on the role of violence in his life.
In 1993, Darius was still living in Paris, when Grayson attempted to draw Darius away from holy ground by killing Darius' friends. Darius sent a message to MacLeod, warning him about Grayson. Duncan realised that Grayson was going to kill Victor Paulus, another peacemaker and former pupil of Darius. Duncan rescued Paulus twice and sent Richie Ryan and Tessa Noël to Paris so he could prepare for battle with Grayson. Duncan fought and beheaded Grayson.
Months later, Xavier St. Cloud visited Darius in the confessional. Xavier told Darius about murders Xavier had committed earlier at a jewelery store heist. Darius was then visited by Inspector LeBrun, who suspected Xavier's involvement in the heist, but Darius was bound by the confessional not to reveal the details of Xavier's confession. Darius considered leaving holy ground to prevent further killings. Duncan faced Xavier, who lost a hand before escaping. Darius would also help Duncan protect the Immortals Ursa and Grace Chandel, who also needed protection.
Tragically, at the end of the year, Darius was murdered in his own church by the The Hunters, led by James Horton, who believed all Immortals to be threats to mankind. On Duncan's barge, Duncan, Richie, Tessa and Hugh Fitzcairn said goodbye to Darius and Duncan scattered Darius' ashes into the Seine River. His death would lead to Duncan's discovery of The Watchers.
[edit] Watchers
Here's a list of all of Darius' known Watchers:
| Years | Watcher |
|---|---|
| 1774-1778 | Henri LaSalle |
| ??-Jan 1816-?? | Father Raymond St. Martin |
| 1962-Nov 1967/1968-May 1993 | Ian Bancroft |
[edit] Appearances
Episodes - Band of Brothers, For Tomorrow We Die, The Beast Below, Saving Grace, The Hunters
Books - Shadow of Obsession
[edit] Trivia
- Werner Stocker was unable to shoot the last episode of the first season The Hunters because he was ill due to his cancer. That episode, which opened with his character's murder, edited together existing footage from earlier episodes for the first scenes. Stocker died by the time the episode was aired on TV. Although, his character had been always planned to die, his role in that episode was to be much larger.
[edit] External links
- The Nitpicker's Guide to Highlander
- Highlander Page for Beginners
- The shows & movies summed up
- Highlander Watcher Chronicles - Fan page of the series
