Lucian (Underworld)

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Lucian is a fictional character and second-generation Lycan, the leader of the Lycan horde in the movie Underworld. He is portrayed by actor Michael Sheen.

[edit] Background

Lucian was once a Lycan servant to Viktor's clan until the early 1200s. At this stage, the Lycans were slaves to the Vampires, acting as their guardians during the daylight hours. In return, the vampires locked them up at night, thus ensuring the survival of both bloodlines by not alerting the humans to their presence. They were treated like dogs, but Lucian had no complaints, although his high status among the servants may have contributed to this - indeed, he considered himself to be better than his fellow Lycans. He was instrumental in the tracking of rogue Lycans. He later helped defend Viktor's daughter, Sonja, -- and all the vampires in the castle he served in -- against angry mortals. Having been responsible for repelling the attack, he was rewarded with a steel dagger with a wolf motif on the hilt. The next time he met those angry mortals was in an ambush while on the way to Viktor's castle with vampires and lycans, where Viktor's wife was killed and when his relationship with Sonja truly began, the two of them forced to hide together in a crypt when the sun rose while they were hiding from the mortals and a crazy preacher. They began an affair shortly after Sonja's arranged marriage to Marcus's son Nikolas was announced, and it was revealed later that Sonja was pregnant with his child, making their child a Lycan-Vampire hybrid. Before Sonja was killed, Lucian had married Sonja in the Chapel they used for their many secret rendezvous, it was a ceremony just between the two, but their plan to escape together was stopped short by Leyba; a wanton lycan servant that had an eye for Lucian. Frustrated at being spurned, she went to Soren and told him of the yellow ribbon Sonja had given to Lucian, which she had taken from Lucian's chambers. Soren then went to Viktor and told him of this.

Viktor feared the blending of the bloodlines that Sonja's pregnancy entailed, and had Lucian whipped in front of her. He then had her tied her to a stake in a specially-designed room, exposing her to the sun and burning her alive, forcing Lucian to watch. When night fell, the full moon rose and shone down on Lucian, allowing him to change into Lycan form and escape before Viktor could kill him. Before escaping he managed to take Sonja's pendant with him, the sole memento he would ever have of the love of his life. That night, he swore an oath to reunite the bloodlines, as his own child should have, and to destroy Viktor. After Sonja's death and Lucian's escape, Lucian raised an army of rogue Lycans and those who wished to fight against the vampires. His first accomplishment was capturing Viktor's silver mine. After failing to defend the mine and the loss of several Lycans to a surprise attack by the vampires, he fought against Nikolas. It was here he was first able to assume his Lycan form without the use of the full moon, and killed him.

Accordingly with Lucian's success, the Vampires began to demonise him. Lucian was the "most feared and ruthless leader ever to rule the Lycan clan", according to Selene in the opening of the first movie. Lucian had been a terrible and dangerous lycan war lord, and the major instigater of the war between the species. Vampiric lore says that he began the war himself almost a millennium ago. However, by the time the movie began, it was believed that Lucian's threat was over, and the Lycan himself was dead. According to the historical record The Fall of Lucian and His Army, written by Andreas Tanis (the vampire's historian): "Of the scores of brave souls who entered Lucian's fortress, a single vampire survived; Kraven, who was richly rewarded for not only setting the great blaze, but for returning with evidence of the Lycan master's demise: the branded skin, cut from Lucian's very arm."

The quote tells of an incident in 1409, where a brave team of Death Dealers attacked Lucian's stronghold, and a great battle ensued. Lucian had known of the Death Dealers' attack and when the vampires arrived, they were met by a force of Lycans much greater than they had expected. The Death Dealers were easily slaughtered. Kraven, a former Death Dealer, survived because he hid in fear of being killed during the battle. When Lucian found him, he offered him a deal: life, glory, and eventual leadership of both great covens, in return for claiming that Lucian was dead. As Kraven fled back to Ordoghaz, Lucian burned his fortress to the ground, and escaped into the night.

[edit] Underworld

Six centuries passed before anyone began to suspect that Lucian had indeed survived. By that time, Lucian had formed an alliance with the exiled vampire historian Andreas Tanis. Tanis provided Lucian with ultra-violet ammunition to aid in the war against the vampires (the ammunition acted as an artificial sunlight that burnt vampires apart from the inside-out). In return Lucian provided Tanis with first-generation Lycans as guard-dogs, and with a relatively comfortable existence.

Lucian's obsession with the Corvinus bloodline was later revealed to be a by-product of his desire to recombine the bloodlines, using a pure sample of the immortality virus, which he believed could be found in the blood of Alexander Corvinus's mortal descendants. Lucian found a dying scientist named Singe sometime after World War I, and offered him immortality in return for cracking the genetic code of the Corvinus line. Lucian periodically sent out Raze, Pierce, Taylor, and Trix - his oldest and most trusted lieutenants - to capture members of the Corvinus family. At one point, Raze and Trix were sent to capture Michael Corvin, but were ambushed by three Death Dealers in the process. Raze killed two of them, Rigel and Nathaniel. The third, Selene, escaped after killing Trix.

Hearing of Raze's failure, and frustrated by his continuing failures with other members of the Corvinus line, Lucian decided to capture Michael himself. He personally acquired a sample of Michael's blood, infecting Michael with the Lycan virus and imparting his own memories to Michael. Until then, Lucian had appeared (through Selene's distorted, one-sided perspective) to be a vile and evil mastermind bent on the destruction of the coven and obsessed with the Corvinus line. However, as Michael came to terms with the visions he was experiencing, he came to understand the last six centuries from Lucian's point of view.

The first step in Lucian's revenge required the blood of Michael Corvin. Lucian knew that merely injecting himself with Michael's blood would not be enough; he needed the blood of a Vampire Elder as well because the blood of a vampire Elder would make him a powerful Hybrid. Lucian sent Pierce and Taylor to abduct Michael, and he sent Raze - and a team of fully transformed Lycans - to bleed Amelia, a Vampire Elder, dry. Before Raze could return with Amelia's blood, Kraven arrived, followed by Viktor and a horde of Death Dealers. Before Lucian could react to this turn of events, he was betrayed by Kraven, who shot him in the back with Silver nitrate bullets that are designed to send the silver nitrate straight into the bloodstream killing a lycan much faster.

He regained consciousness several minutes later, just in time to see Michael and Selene together. Finally understanding how history was repeating itself, and realizing that his part was finished, Lucian was almost prepared to accept his fate, until he saw Kraven. Weak and bleeding from multiple gunshot wounds Lucian crawled on his hands and knees into an alcove behind Kraven. Although he could not reach him in time to stop Kraven from shooting Michael, Lucian stabbed Kraven in the leg, and instructed Selene to bite Michael, rationalizing that it would negate the ill effects of the silver and finish his work to create a blending of the bloodlines. As Selene sank her fangs, Lucian proclaimed, "You may have killed me cousin, but my will is done regardless." Kraven then shot Lucian with multiple liquid silver nitrate rounds, thus killing him. However, Lucian died satisfied, knowing that his wife would be avenged and his aim had been achieved.