Michael Corvin

Michael Corvin (in Hungarian: Corvin Mihály) is a fictional character from the Underworld series.^[1] He also appears in the novelizations of these films.^[2][3] He is portrayed by Scott Speedman in the first two films and by Trent Garrett through motion capture and prosthetics in Underworld: Blood Wars. He is the first Vampire/Lycan Hybrid from the mythos.

Creation

Michael Corvin was created by Kevin Grevioux, Len Wiseman, and Danny McBride.

According to the writer and directors commentary on the original theatrical release, Michael Corvin's role as a Vampire/Lycan Hybrid was the first character they created in the franchise when they were first writing out the script.

According to director Len Wiseman, "You'd think that the concept of vampires and werewolves mixing it up had been done more than a few times on film. But according to Wiseman, the mix hadn't really been done in decades. "It's funny because a lot of the talk has been that it's a simple concept and why hasn't this been done before. It's true. When we decided let's do vampires and werewolves, we thought that concept's been done. Of course it's been done. We talked to our agent, we went on the Internet, we looked at everything, and outside of the 50s, it just hasn't been done. It was kind of shocking to us".^[4]

Character

Little is mentioned in the first installment about Michael's immediate family history, past and background, but his ancient family history, the legacy of his ancient ancestor, Alexander Corvinus, plays more of a crucial plot device in the franchise.

Described in the novelizations as "compassionate" and a "born healer", Michael began studying medicine around the age of 20. He was an aspiring young 28-year-old doctor and trauma surgeon by the events of the first film.

A few years before the events of the first film, Michael had been engaged to a woman, named Samantha, before she dies in a tragic car crash, leaving Michael devastated, as he did not possess the type of medical training to treat her for her injuries before help could arrive. In the first installment, he insists that he has no doubt in his mind that if he had known back then what he knew now that he could have saved her.

After the tragedy, Michael would focus his efforts into specialising in trauma surgery and, after a few years after the crash, Michael obtained his medical degree, decided to take-off and relocate to Budapest, Hungary, remembering the summer he had once spent there with his grandfather. According to the novelization, Michael had only been in Budapest for a matter of months before the events in the first film.

According to Scott Speedman, the actor who portrays Michael in the franchise, about how his "personal lack of gun knowledge worked in his favor"; "I get to carry a gun once in the movie and I didn't know what I was doing, and that was appropriate. I'm the "girlfriend". Every time I've got this shocked look on my face and she throws me to the ground. I'm screaming in terror. When I was watching it I was like, "Wow, how weird." I'm fine with it. I'm glad I didn't have to know what I was doing with guns. That was easy for me".^[5]

Personality

Michael is a less complicated person than Selene. At the beginning of the events of the first film, Michael seems to be living a very stale and routine life. One of his fellow interns and fellow American at the hospital, Adam, when asked about Michael, said, "He comes in. He does his job. And then he goes home: Other than that, I really don't know what to tell you. Interns pretty much work round the clock. We don't have much of a life".

According to the novelizations, in his spare time, Michael read fiction, mainly mystery and thrillers (when she searched his apartment, Selene saw a fiction book amongst his medical texts and an English–Hungarian dictionary).

Fictional biography

Both of Michael's paternal grandparents originally came from Hungary, before they migrated to America in the 1940s, after the events of World War II. Michael himself was born sometime in 1975. As a kid, his grandfather had once taken him on a summer vacation to Hungary. According to the Underworld novelization, prior to moving to Hungary, he had lived in Long Island and still had friends there.

In the novelizations, he is described as a "born healer"; he took up medicine at around the age of 20. According to the novelizations, Michael once had a summer job as a lifeguard at Coney Island, as the training saved his and Selene's lives after they'd crashed into the Danube River, after Selene passed out from heavy blood loss. He also seems to have had some prior experience with mechanics, as he was able to get an old SUV working in the second installment.

At some point, a few years before the events of the first film, he was engaged to a woman called Samantha, who later died after a car accident.

After the tragedy, Michael focuses his efforts into specializing in a field the Trauma surgery and, after obtaining his Medical degree, a few years after the crash, decided to take-off and relocate to Budapest, Hungary, after remembering the summer he had once spent there with his grandfather. After the accident, he "didn't see a reason to stick around", (alluding that his parents and grandparents are all dead), he decided to relocate to Hungary in an effort to start-over, in his own words, "to move on, to forget".

He took up residency as an interning trauma surgeon at the Saint Istvan hospital in Budapest. According to the novelization, the hospital Michael's residency was at was the Karolyi Hospital, and had only been in Budapest for a matter of months before the events in the first film.

Underworld

In the events of the first film, Michael is repeatedly caught in the middle of a conflict between vampire Death Dealers and Lycans, as his blood might hold a rare genetic trait needed by the Lycans for a hybrid experiment. Despite the help of Selene, he is bitten by the Lycan leader Lucian. This sets him on the path to become a Lycan, and allows Lucian to gain a blood sample to confirm that Michael has a rare genetic trait for immortality. Selene and Michael work together to evade the Lycans, and understand Michael's significance to the conflict. He is eventually captured by the Lycans, who take him to Lucian.

Michael is finally able to understand what motivates Lucian in the war, in part because Lucian's memories were passed on to Michael when he bit him. Selene and the death dealers interrupt the meeting, and in the commotion Michael is shot with a lethal amount of silver nitrate bullets by Selene's jealous suitor, Kraven. This would normally kill a Lycan, but Selene bites Michael, saving his life by transforming Michael into the first Hybrid. Viktor fights Michael, having been against the creation of a hybrid in addition wanting to eliminate other descendants of Alexander Corvinus. Selene intervenes and kills Viktor.

Underworld: Evolution

In the second film, Selene and Michael are on the run from both Lycans and Vampires. Michael learns to master his power. The duo confronts the last Vampire Elder, Markus Corvinus, and narrowly manage to escape him, they encounter a warehouse, in which they have sexual intercourse. They encounter the vampire historian Andreas Tanis, and through him Michael learns more of his familial connections with the Vampire and Lycan races. They investigate a cargo ship where Michael encounters his forefather, Alexander Corvinus. Michael is interrupted by Markus, who impales Michael on a steel beam beneath a nearby dock. Michael originally appears to die, but eventually his powers heal him and he joins the fight against Markus and William. Michael manages to kill William by ripping his head apart and Selene kills Markus.

Underworld: Awakening

In Underworld: Awakening, Michael and Selene are captured and held captive for twelve years while Selene gives birth to their daughter Eve (presumably conceived just before capture or during the events of Evolution). Eventually Selene escapes and rescues Eve. During the rescue, she finds Michael trapped in a cryo-chamber and shoots the glass to weaken it. When Selene and Eve return, Michael has escaped and they are unable to find him.

Underworld: Blood Wars

After escaping the Antigen facility, Michael is captured by the lycan Marius. Michael's blood is drained to temporarily give Marius powers. Michael's life left unknown in this film.

Skills and Hybrid abilities

As a human, Michael possessed a great deal of medical knowledge due to his training to become a doctor. After being transformed into a hybrid, Michael gained many powerful abilities. In Evolution, Selene tells Michael that there has never been a hybrid before and as such, his power could be "limitless."

• Blood Sorting: After being bitten by Lucian, Michael gained access to some of his blood memories that he was able to view over time during Underworld.
• Shapeshifting: Michael possesses the ability to shift between his human appearance and his more bestial hybrid form.
• Superhuman Endurance: Whether he is in his Hybrid form or human form, Michael can withstand several gunshots and still have enough strength to fight. After adapting to his new status, he is able to withstand several powerful blows from Immortal Elders Markus and William on separate fights, the latter whose raw strength is enough to shatter solid stone.
• Superhuman Strength: In human form, Michael is able to fully stop a truck that had just initiated its brakes, can break steel chains and rip a first aid kit box from a wall. When changed to his Hybrid form, Michael's strength increases significantly. He holds his ground against Viktor, a centuries-old Vampire Elder, in physical combat immediately following the transformation, taking the Elder by surprise with his incredible speed and strength before ultimately falling prey to Viktor's much greater combat experience and superior battle technique. Although Michael is one of the most physically powerful beings of the series, his lack of combat experience tends to put him at a disadvantage when facing particularly experienced combatants, though his raw strength, speed and rage is often enough to compensate for this when facing the average Vampire or Lycan; Viktor is the only non-Hybrid being that Michael couldn't defeat due to Viktor's vast combat experience as an Elder Vampire. He can also punch through a Werewolf's chest with ease. His strength is so great that he is able to kill William, the first Werewolf in existence (who had been weakened by centuries without sustenance), by tearing his head in half with his bare hands, despite having recently recovered from being impaled by Markus. He also holds his own against another Hybrid, Markus, despite the latter's status as the eldest of the Vampires.
• Superhuman Healing: Michael possesses an extremely potent healing ability as seen when he was impaled through the chest by Markus Corvinus and died only to regenerate and come back to life on his own a few hours later.
• Superhuman Speed: Due to him being a Hybrid, Michael's speed greatly exceeds both Lycan and Vampire, allowing him to move faster than the eye can see, and can move several metres in less than a second, in a manner akin to teleportation.
• Superhuman Agility: Michael can jump higher and move more athletically than both Vampires or Lycans.
• Sensory Synchronization: He and his daughter can perceive through each other psychically, as well as sense each others' presence as seen at the end of Awakening.

Production

Actor Scott Speedman notes that his hardest task was enduring the werewolf make-up.^[6]

Reception

Kevin L. Nault describes Michael Corvin as "Romeo" in this story, adding "Michael Corvin is a medical intern. He's not a gunfighter, nor a ninja, and most importantly, when attacked by werewolves and vampires, he does not turn into one."^[7]

See also

• Corvinus Strain
• Hybrid (Underworld)

References

External links

• Michael Corvin on IMDb