Merlin (TV series)/Characters: Difference between revisions
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* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: His ability to use magic.
* [[The Caretaker]]: To Freya.
** The Druids see Merlin as this,
* [[Chew Toy]]: Too [[Adorkable]] not to become this.
* [[Chronic Hero Syndrome]]
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* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]
* [[Disappeared Dad]]: {{spoiler|Until
* [[Dragon Rider]] : For relatively practical reasons.
* [[Eyes of Gold]]: When using magic.
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* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Arthur. Though the [[Yaoi Fangirl|fangirls]] tend to disagree...
* [[I Have Many Names]]: Emrys, among others, according to Mordred and the Great Dragon. Somewhat [[Inverted Trope|inverted]] as Merlin himself is unaware of most of them.
** He has also given himself a name for his [[Secret Identity]] as an old man: "Dragoon".
* [["I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight]]: Merlin tries this on {{spoiler|Morgana}} in
* [[Instant Expert]]: At casting certain spells. Some can be slightly more difficult though.
* [[Last of His Kind]]: Merlin's father is revealed to be the Last of the Dragon-Lords, Mages who posessed the ability to command and bend Dragons to their will. Upon his father's death, Merlin inherited the gift and the responsibility of being the Last Dragon-Lord.
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* [[The Masquerade]]
* [[Morality Tropes]]:
** [[I Did What I Had to Do]]
*** It's actually lampshaded in a hilarious [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4Ik_sSRo58&feature=related commentary in
{{quote|'''Katie McGrath:''' You do everything to not kill anyone else. The Dragon says kill [Morgana], and you're like "all right."
'''Colin Morgan:''' [[Crowning Moment of Funny|No, I kill loads of people. I kill at least one person an episode.]]
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]
* [[Nice Guy]]
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]:
**
* [[Papa Wolf]]: A non-parental example, but he is ''fiercely'' protective of Arthur and Gwen.
* [[Playing with Fire]]: As with [[Blow You Away]], Merlin's elemental powers are usually based in fire or air.
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* [[The Snark Knight]]
* [[The So-Called Coward]]: According to Arthur.
* [[Trickster]]:
** Particularly when masquerading as the elderly "Dragoon", he seemingly revels in this role.
* [[Underestimating Badassery]]: ''Everyone'' does this to Merlin, except maybe Lancelot and Gaius (who know his secret) and Guinevere, who has teamed up with him in several dangerous situations.
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* [[24-Hour Armor]]: It's not very consistent, but sometimes he can wear his armour at the oddest times, including to banquets and other casual celebrations.
* [[Anchored Ship]]: Arthur and Gwen. Since
* [[Anti-Hero]]: Type III.
* [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other]]: With Merlin and Morgana... sort of.
* [[Badass in Distress]]: ''All the time''. Most of the time he doesn't even realize it.
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* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: His feelings for Gwen.
* [[Catch Phrase]]: "Shut up, Merlin." and "I am not fat."; note, the last one no longer applies, as Arthur ''is'' fat now, or at least, he is getting fatter.
* [[Chick Magnet]]:
** Although this is kind of lampshaded in the Series 1 Episode 2 DVD commentary for the scene where Merlin mentions that Arthur "gets all the girls":
{{quote|'''Bradley James:''' All the girls? Morgana? That one girl who's my adopted sister? Oh yeah, he gets all the girls, he does. Look, they're surrounding him! Argh! Someone get a stick to beat them off with!}}
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* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]
* [[Flaw Exploitation]]: It didn't take long for Morgana to pick up on Arthur's love for Guinevere and use it to her own advantage on at least two separate occasions.
* [[Flirty Stepsiblings]]: Arthur and Morgana are kind of like this during
* [[Giving Someone the Pointer Finger]]: To Merlin, often.
* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: A couple of times, when Lancelot or Gwaine look particularly friendly with Gwen.
* [[Hair of Gold]]
* [[Heroic BSOD]]:
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Merlin.
* [[Honor Before Reason]]
* [[Hot-Blooded]]
* [[Incest Subtext]]: {{spoiler|Now that Morgana has been reveled to be his half-sister, their [[UST|reletionship]] in
* [[Knight in Shining Armor]]
* [[Jerkass]]
* [[Jerkass Facade]]
* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]
* [[Last Girl Wins|Last Guy Wins]]: Arthur may have known Gwen [[First Girl Wins|longer]] than her other two love interests, but he was the last to be introduced as a potential love interest for Gwen in
* [[Lawful Neutral]]: [[In-Universe]], often laments in private that he must adhere to the laws of Camelot, even if he personally disagrees with them or it causes those he cares about to suffer.
* [[Like Brother and Sister]]: Arthur and Morgana become this in
** And then they became {{spoiler|ACTUAL brother and sister. Well, half at least
* [[Like Father, Like Son]]: Merlin (and Gwen's) entire purpose is to ensure that this ''doesn't'' happen. However, Arthur and Uther ''are'' similiar in a lot of ways.
* [[Love Hurts]]
* [[Love Redeems]]
* [[Love Triangle]]: Arthur/Gwen/Lancelot.
* [[Manly Men Can Hunt]]: At least six episodes and one deleted scene involve him out hunting in the forest with Merlin or his knights, in fact it's a crucial part of
** And occasionally played for laughs:
{{quote|'''Arthur:''' After
'''Morgana:''' And killing things mends a broken heart?
'''Arthur:''' [[Rule of Funny|No, but it's good fun.]]
* [[Marry for Love]]: He's determined to do this, and even manages to make it sound like a politically sensible idea: "I'll be a much better king for the strength and support of a woman I love."
* [[Master of Delusion]]: He ''still'' doesn't suspect Merlin of magic. Not even a little bit.
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* [[Nobody Calls Me Chicken]]: Never explicitly, but the best way to get Arthur to do something is to insult his bravery.
* [[Not a Morning Person]]
* [[Oedipus Complex]]: In the episode
* [[The Promise]]: "When I am King, I promise you; things will be different. We can be together."
* [[Puppet King]]: Sadly, he comes across as this in
* [[Shirtless Scene]]: A LOT.
* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: With Morgana.
* [[Spirited Competitor]]
* [[Submissive Badass]]: To Guinevere. Though she's half his size, there's a definite theme of Gwen being the more dominant one whenever they get physical (tackling him in
* [[Sugar and Ice Personality]]: He maintains a stoic demeanour when in front of his father, the court and his knights, but relaxes considerably when he's alone with Merlin, and is quite the big softie when it comes to Guinevere.
* [[Unlucky Childhood Friend]]: Morgana.
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Morgana is the beautiful ward of Uther who suffers from premonitions in her dreams, unaware that she is in fact, a seer. She is close to her maidservant Gwen. Her strong sense of justice often clashes with Uther's rules and judgement.
In
In
* [[Action Girl]]/[[Dark Action Girl]]: In
* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]: Seems particularly interested and intrigued by Alvarr in
* [[Antagonistic Offspring]]: To Uther.
* [[Anti-Hero]]: Pre-[[Moral Event Horizon]].
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* [[Bad Boss]]: Consitently treats Agravaine poorly and is very quick to insult and blame him when things go wrong, even though he has [[Hypercompetent Sidekick|been of enormous help]] to her at great personal risk.
* [[Bad Dreams]]
* [[Big Bad]]:
** {{spoiler|May be in a teBigBadDuumvira with Mordred come
* [[Big No]]: In
* [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing]]: In the first episode of
* [[Bond Villain Stupidity]]: Where do we even start?
* [[Bratty Teenage Daughter]]: Practically an [[Inversion]]. She could be quite bratty in the first series (understandably so, given her status) when she was merely Uther's ward, but by the time her true parentage is revealed, she had moved from "bratty" to "homocidal".
* [[Break the Cutie]]
** [[Kill the Cutie]]
* [[Broken Bird]]: Morgana's resentment towards Uther's hatred for magic and those who use magic led to her [[Face Heel Turn]], so much that Merlin sympathizes with her in
* [[Cain and Abel]]: Now that she's trying to kill Arthur. Even after learning that he's her brother. It's a far fall from when she actively ''defended'' him in
* [[The Caligula]]: Her short stints as Queen of Camelot didn't seem to involve anything except demanding that the people accept her as their ruler, killing them when they refused, and burning their crops just to drive the point home.
* [[Clasp Your Hands If You Deceive]]: A couple of times in
* [[Cleavage Window]]: Most of her outfits.
* [[Conflicting Loyalty]]: Ended by
* [[Cool Big Sis]]: To Arthur. At least in
* [[Dark Magical Girl]]
* [[The Dark Side Will Make You Forget]]: She starts out with the best of intentions, (her first act of treason is to avenge the death of her best friend's father), but her fear and tendency to take everything personally eventually leads to violence and genocide.
* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Only to revert back into an [[Ice Queen]] in
* [[Dreaming of Things to Come]]
* [[Driven by Envy]]: This seems to be the source of her newfound hatred toward Guinevere, considering that her former serving maid is destined to be Queen of Camelot - a position that Morgana believes is ''hers''.
* [[Et Tu, Brute?]]: She ''did not'' take Merlin's betrayal or Uther {{spoiler|not publicly recognizing her as his biological daughter}} well...
* [[Everything's Better with Princesses]]: [[Averted]]; she is always known as Lady Morgana and apparently has not been awarded the title of Princess, even though she has been Uther's ward since early childhood
* [[Evil Is Petty]]: Sure, her animosity toward Uther and Merlin is almost Shakespearean in nature, but her treatment of Gwen is just catty and mean.
* [[Excessive Evil Eyeshadow]]
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* [[False Friend]]: Towards Merlin, and later towards Arthur, Gwen, and (in a daughterly manner) Uther.
* [[Faux Action Girl]]: She is presented as a feisty girl with a sword, but she never accomplishes anything. Read [http://zahrawithaz.livejournal.com/1893.html this.]
* [[Flirty Stepsiblings]]: Arthur and Morgana are kind of like this during
** As of
* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: Morgana becoming evil (or at least becoming an enemy of Camelot and its people).
* [[Green Eyes]]
* [[Hard Head]]: Holds the record for being knocked unconscious more than any other character on the show, which is saying something. What do you expect? She's Merlin's equivalent of [[Smallville|Lex Luthor]].
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Kate McGrath said that Morgana sort of "shuts down" in
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Gwen. This starts to deteriorate in
* [[Hot Chick with a Sword]]:
* [[Internalized Categorism]]: Morgana explicitly tells Uther that she hated herself for years after realizing that she had magic, having been brought up for a significant portion of her life by a man who claimed that it was evil and executed anyone who possessed it. It almost becomes a [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]: having taken in Uther's teaching that magic was evil, she subconsciously believes that having embraced her magical side, she ''has'' to act evil.
* [[In the Hood]]: Is often wearing one when {{spoiler|she's up to no good
* [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope]]: Has shades of this through the first two series, attempting to kill Uther at least twice because of her hatred towards him. By the third series, she's long since become a [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing]] and crossed the [[Moral Event Horizon]]. By the fourth, the Morgana who'd rather die than see a child hurt in
* [[Katie McGrath]]
* [[The President's Daughter|The King's Ward]]
* [[Knife Nut]]: She carries a knife with her at all times during the course of
* [[Lady in Red]]
* [[Let's Get Dangerous]]:
* [[Like Brother and Sister]]
* [[Like Father, Like Son|Like Father Like Daughter]]: The great irony of her character.
* [[Long-Lost Relative]]: She is revealed to be Morgause's {{spoiler|''and'' Arthur's}} half-sister.
* [[Making a Splash]]: Whereas Merlin's powers seem to be based on [[Blow You Away|air]] and [[Playing with Fire|fire]], Morgana is often connected with water, most obviously in
* [[Mama Bear]]: Morgana's strong attachment towards Mordred causes her to become very protective of him and a willingness to do anything for him in order to keep him from harm's way.
* [[Memento MacGuffin]]: The bracelet she received from Morgause to help her sleep.
* [[The Mentally Disturbed]]: You could definitely make a case for Morgana.
* [[Morality Pet]]: Is more or less one for Uther, and is definitely one for Morgause.
* [[More Than Mind Control]]: Being under Morgause's guidance for an entire year must have made her the way she is in
* [[Ms. Fanservice]]
* [[Not So Different]]: Annis calls her on her similarities to Uther, despite her hatred of him.
* [[Oh Crap]]: Morgana in "A Servant of Two Masters" upon seeing the 80-year-old disguised Merlin, having had visions of him as "Emrys" and forseeing that [[The Only One Allowed to Defeat You|he will stand over her]] on a corpse-littered battlefield, [["The Reason You Suck" Speech|admonishing her for her misdeeds.]] Occurs again for "The Sword in
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Her father died ten years ago, and her mother's whereabouts are unknown. {{spoiler|But as it turns out, Uther is her biological father and kept it secret all along.}}
* [[Parental Substitute]]: Of sorts, towards Mordred.
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* [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]: Which leads to her [[Face Heel Turn]].
* [[Shadow Archetype]]: To Merlin.
* [[Shipper on Deck]]: Morgana became a bit of a shipper of Merlin/Gwen in
* [[Show Some Leg]]: Morgana devises this plan in order for Gwen and her to escape from bandits in
* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: With Arthur.
* [[Smug Snake]]
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* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: Along with Morguase. Given Uther's treatment of those with magic, her shift in alignment is understandable and [[Alternate Character Interpretation|her side may even have the moral high-ground over Uther]], but like Uther, she uses some ruthless tactics to achieve her end.
* [[Wild Hair]]: In series four.
* [[Woman in Black]]: As of
* [[Woman in White]]: Sometimes in
* [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit]]: Occasionally. She gets really good at almost fooling everyone.
* [[You Are What You Hate]]: As several characters point out to her in
== {{spoiler|Queen}} Guinevere [Gwen] {{spoiler|Pendragon}} ([[Angel Coulby]]) ==
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<small>'''Merlin''': "You have such a good heart, Gwen. Don't ever lose that."</small>
Guinevere -- nicknamed Gwen -- was the maidservant of Morgana and a good friend of Merlin's. She is a hardworking and kindhearted, young woman who is often awkward and shy when it comes to romance.
* [[Adorkable]]: More so in
* [[Anchored Ship]]: Arthur and Gwen. Since
** {{spoiler|Now averted, as the two are getting married
* [[Angel Coulby]]
* [[Badass Damsel]]
* [[Beauty Mark]]:
* [[Berserk Button]]: None of her own, but notable considering she is almost everyone ''else's'' berserk button. Mess with her, and there'll be a wave of very angry warlocks, princes and knights out to get you.
** She gets one in
* [[Break the Cutie]]
* [[Brown Eyes]]
* [[Character Development]]: From shy, stuttering maid to regal, confident queen.
* [[Chickification]]: In
** Rectified in
* [[Cleavage Window]]: Sometimes, from
* [[Closer to Earth]]
* [[Damsel in Distress]]: A couple of times, but [[Memetic Mutation|not nearly as often as you'd think]]. It's probably because the (very few) Gwen-centric episodes ''do'' [[Never Live It Down|involve her in considerable distress]].
* [[Dogged Nice Girl]]/[[Unrequited Love]]: Towards Merlin in
* [[Dude Magnet]]: [[Zig-Zagging Trope]]. This is something of a [[Memetic Mutation]] due to her reputation in the source material. In this version, [[Foregone Conclusion|Arthur and Lancelot]] have fallen in love with her, and Gwaine and Helios have shown brief interest (however, both are characterized as being womanizers; in their case, it's not so much that Gwen is special so much that Gwen is ''there''). The trope was [[Subverted]] with Merlin, who shows [[Oblivious to Love|no romantic interest in her at all]], despite her obvious crush. If you're keeping track at home, ''Arthur'' has been romantically linked with more women than Gwen has with other men. <ref> In order, they are: Morgana, Sophia, Guinevere, Vivian, Elena, Mithian</ref>
* [[Expository Hairstyle Change]]: Her hair goes from practical buns to long, loose curls as she rises in status.
* [[Fan Service Pack]]: [http://oi39.tinypic.com/2lwm890.jpg See for yourself]...
* [[Forceful Kiss]]: To Arthur in
* [[Girl Friday]]: Can be this at times to Merlin, especially when they're teaming up to solve mysteries.
* [[Girl Next Door]]
* [[Hair Decorations]]
* [[The Heart]]
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Morgana. {{spoiler|This starts to deteriorate in
* {{spoiler|[[The High Queen]]}}: As of the end of Series 4.
* [[Huge Guy, Tiny Girl]]: With Arthur.
* [[I Will Wait for You]]: At the conclusion of "Queen of Hearts", she promises to wait for Arthur to become King, at which point they can marry.
* [[Let's Get Dangerous]]:
* [[Like Brother and Sister]]
* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: In the first series, she (understandably) only had two outfits.
* [[Love Hurts]]: The poor girl never catches a break -- her feelings for Merlin are unrequited, her brief romance with Lancelot abruptly ends when he leaves Camelot, only to return and their romance is rekindled until Lancelot leaves again after noticing Arthur's and Gwen's feelings for each other, leaving Gwen upset, and her budding relationship with Arthur constantly becomes strained because of their social classes.
* [[Love Triangle]]: At the centre of the most famous one of all.
* [[Mama Bear]]: It turns out that messing with [[Platonic Life Partners|Merlin]] will turn the [[Beware the Nice Ones|usually mild mannered]] Gwen into one of these. '''GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!'''
* [[Messy Hair]]: In
* [[Muggle Best Friend]]: To Merlin.
* [[Nice Girl]]
* [[Ninja Maid]]: In
* [[Of Corsets Sexy]]: Wears them as outerwear in Series 2 and 3. She seems to be wearing them as underwear in Series 4.
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Her father was executed at Uther's hand, and her mother's whereabouts are unknown.
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* [[Rich Suitor, Poor Suitor]]: Their social classes aren't played into the [[Love Triangle]], but Arthur (rich suitor) and Lancelot (poor suitor) for Gwen.
* [[Romantic Two-Girl Friendship]]: With Morgana.
* [[Second Love]]: As Gwen realizes her feelings for Merlin are unrequited in
* [[She Cleans Up Nicely]]: Gwen's new look in
* [[Shrinking Violet]]: Though she grows out of it.
* [[Silk Hiding Steel]]: A kind castle maid who takes pride in her work. If neccesary, she can fight reasonably well.
* [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man]]: What attracted Gwen to all her three love interests.
* [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]: With Lancelot.
* [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]]: With Arthur and Lancelot. Her supposed crush on Merlin is more or less abandoned between
* [[When She Smiles]]: So very much.
* [[Will They or Won't They?|Will They Or Won't They]]: Arthur and Gwen. Their budding relationship constantly grows strained because of their different social classes.
** [[They Do]]: They are {{spoiler|finally married at the end of
* [[Your Cheating Heart]]: {{spoiler|[[Averted]], despite the legendary expectations. She's faithful to Arthur, and [[Kissing Under the Influence|kisses Lancelot only when under a spell]]}}.
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* [[Disproportionate Retribution]]
* {{spoiler|[[Final Speech]]}}: He manages {{spoiler|a few last words to Arthur before slipping into a coma that he awakens from only very briefly}}.
* [[Freudian Excuse]]: His extreme hatred of magic comes from the circumstances of Arthur's birth:
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Is rendered catatonic after
* [[Hypocrite]]
* [[Jerkass]]
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* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]}}
* [[Knight Templar]]/[[Knight Templar Parent]]
* [[Like a Son to Me|Like A Daughter To Me]]: Morgana. {{spoiler|Quite literally
* [[Love Makes You Evil]]: He hates magic so much, because it caused a death of his beloved wife.
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]
* [[Papa Wolf]]: Is very protective of Arthur and Morgana when it comes to life-threatening situations (usually Arthur) or kidnapping attempts (usually Morgana).
** We all knew that once Aredian [[What an Idiot!|pulled a knife on Morgana]] in
* [[Parental Substitute]]: For Morgana.
* [[Pet the Dog]]: At the end of
** He personally acknowledges what Merlin has done and thanks him when Merlin lies to protect him from an enraged Arthur who found out the truth about Uther and his birth. He also warns Merlin that he will hang him if he ever reveals to anyone what happened, which you could interpret as protecting his son.
* [[Troubled Sympathetic Bigot]]: His hatred of magic stems from his grief and guilt over his wife's death (troubled), he dearly loves both his children (sympathetic) and yet he is utterly ruthless and hypocritical when it comes to eradicating those that practice magic (bigot).
* [[Villainous BSOD]]: Suffers a nasty one once Morgana brings to light how much she trully hates him in
* [[Villain Protagonist]]
* [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]]: He is convinced that magic is evil and threatens Camelot.
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The court physician, Gaius took Merlin under his care in his arrival to Camelot. He attempts to voice reason to Uther's judgement and ideals, but often gets rebuffed until his suspicions are proven correct.
* [[As You Know]]: Gaius is the KING of this trope. How many hundreds of time have we heard him say some variation of: "you/he/she can't use magic or you'll be killed" or "we can't tell the anyone about Morgana/Agravaine/any other obvious villain because they'd never believe us
* [[Badass Grandpa]]:
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: Saves Merlin from Morgause in
* [[Canon Foreigner]]: You won't find any Gaius in [[King Arthur|Arthurian legends]], he was created specifically for the show.
* [[Cool Old Guy]]
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* [[Like a Son to Me]]: Merlin.
* [[The Masquerade]]: He's a retired magician.
** Becomes a [[Broken Masquerade]] in
* [[The Medic]]
* [[The Mentor]]
* [[Mentor Occupational Hazard]]: Almost dies [[Rule of Three|three]] times.
* [[Oh Crap]]: In "Queen of Hearts", he is asked to identify a poultice as magical. After confirming it, he asks where it was found and is told: "Arthur's bedroom." He looks over at {{spoiler|a smirking Morgana}} and realizes that he's just {{spoiler|condemned Guinevere}}.
* [[Parental Substitute]]: For Merlin.
** To a lesser extent, Gwen as well.
* [[Retired Badass]]: He may have given up practicing magic, but he still has it in him.
* [[Secret Keeper]]
* [[Shipper on Deck]]: From the looks of
* [[Team Dad]]: To Merlin and Gwen especially, but also Arthur and Morgana (though he {{spoiler|messed up spectacularly in that case}}).
== Characters Introduced in
== Nimueh (Michelle Ryan) ==
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The sorceress who cast the spell that allowed Uther and Igraine to concieve Arthur. After Igraine died in childbirth as per the conditions of the magic, it served as a catalyst for Uther's hatred of magic and the massacre that followed. Throughout the first season, Nimueh works against Uther from a distance in order to undermine his rule.
* [[Arc Villain]]: She's only had a role in
* [[Big Bad]]: Of
* [[Evil Sorcerer|Evil Sorceress]]
* [[Killed Off for Real]]
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* [[The Vamp]]
* [[We Can Rule Together]]: She tries this with Merlin. It doesn't work.
* [[Wounded Gazelle Gambit]]:
== Mordred (Asa Butterfield) ==
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[[File:250px-Mordred1_7568.jpg|frame]]
Mordred is a young Druid boy who Morgana grows instantly attached to. According to the Great Dragon, Mordred will one day kill Arthur. Merlin's desire to help Mordred becomes heavily strained because of this. Also, another prophecy states that {{spoiler|Mordred and Morgana will be united in evil
* [[Because You Were Nice to Me]]: This is most likely the cause of Mordred's loyalty towards Morgana.
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* [[Evil Sorcerer]]: A very young one.
* [[Foreshadowing]]: He will someday kill Arthur.
* [[Freudian Excuse]]: Mordred's storyline starts with him seriously injured by Camelot's guards and his father executed by Uther; then he is imprisoned and sentenced to death. He returned to his people only to have his mentor killed, his village destroyed by Arthur and he's forced to leave Morgana to save himself. After that, he's openly hostile to the Pendragon, plus his caretaker is [[Manipulative Bastard|Alvarr]]; then Merlin, someone he considers sort of an ally, sides with Camelot instead. Three episodes, and he already has a hell of a [[Freudian Excuse]] for the day he will be the [[Big Bad]].
* [[Heartwarming Orphan]]: [[Subverted]].
* [[Innocence Lost]]: Probably [[Because Destiny Says So]]: he has to [[Big Bad|kill Arthur]], so a lot happens to make him change from a [[The Woobie|scared little boy]] to a [[Enfante Terrible|vindictive kid]].
* [[Little Miss Badass|Little Mister Badass]]: As demonstrated when he kicked the asses of a bunch of Camelot's guards with his magic in
* [[Now Let Me Carry You]]: Mordred is glad to take care of an injured Morgana, in thanks for her previously caring for him.
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: His father died and his mother was [[Missing Mom|never mentioned in the first place]].
* [[Parental Substitute]]: Not very lucky with them: the first one was killed by Camelot's knights and the second was a [[Manipulative Bastard]] who wants to use him and Morgana to bring Uther down.
* [[Put on a Bus]]: Unfortunately, Asa Butterfield (Mordred) won't be in
** [[The Bus Came Back]]: He's been recast for
* [[Rule of Three]]: Has appeared three times in the first two seasons.
* [[The Runaway]]
* [[Schiff One-Liner]]/[[Wham! Line]]:
* [[The Sociopath]]: A budding example.
* [[Sonic Scream]]
* [[Start of Darkness]]: In
* [[Telepathy]]: Has contacted several characters -- including Merlin and Morgana -- with his thoughts.
* [[This Is Unforgivable!]]: When Merlin attempts to prevent Mordred from escaping the Camelot knights in
* [[The Voiceless]]: Played straight in
== Lancelot (Santiago Cabrera) ==
Line 480:
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: With Percival.
* [[Brown Eyes]]
* [[Conflicting Loyalty]]: Always between what he wants and what he thinks he deserves. In his first appearance, it was between becoming a knight of Camelot and staying true to his ideals by not taking credit for something Merlin achieved; in later episodes, it exists between his fealty to Arthur and his desire for Guinevere.
* [[Did Not Get the Girl]]
** [[Everything but the Girl]]
* [[Evil Costume Switch]]: When he comes [[Back From the Dead]] as Morgana's [[Unwitting Pawn]], he's dressed in black. It's a wonder the good guys didn't notice...
* [[Failed a Spot Check]]: He did ''not'', which is the reason he is aware of Merlin’s magic. He clearly overheard Merlin’s incantation that helped him kill the Griffin. Worthy of noticing that he has been the ''only'' character to come to this logical conclusion.
* [[Foil]]: To Arthur.
* {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: With Merlin. It helps that they both think the world of each other.
* [[Honor Before Reason]]: Rejects the offer of becoming a real knight of Camelot in favor of first being true to himself.
* [[I Gave My Word]]: In "The Darkest Hour", he promises Gwen that he'll protect Arthur, no matter what.
* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: Leaves in
** And again in
* [[Knight in Shining Armor]]
* [[Longing Look]]: His expression of choice whenever in the vicinity of Guinevere.
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]
* [[Rescue Romance]]: Played straight and then [[Subverted]] in
* [[The Rival]]
* [[Romantic False Lead]]: His reappearance causes some conflict to the Arthur/Gwen romance.
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* [[Anti-Villain]]: Until his [[Heel Face Turn]], as he has ''very'' good reason to despise Uther.
* [[Big Bad]]: The final episode of series two.
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: {{spoiler|Comes to Merlin's rescue in
* [[Eccentric Mentor]]
* [[Eyes of Gold]]
* [[Heel Face Turn]]
* [[It Has Been an Honor]]: In
* [[Last of His Kind]]: {{spoiler|Not anymore due to the hatching of Aithusa
* [[Manipulative Bastard]]
* [[Evil Mentor|Morally Ambiguous Mentor]]
* [[Treacherous Advisor]]
* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: In
== Characters Introduced in
== Sir Leon (Rupert Young) ==
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[[File:Leonknight_1597.jpg|frame]]
A Knight of Camelot seen throughout
* [[Ascended Extra]]
* [[Backstory]]: Is linked with Gwen. We find out at the end of
* [[Badass Normal]]: It really shines in "The Tears
* [[Characterization Marches On]]: In one of his first appearances ("The Witchfinder"), he is shown tearing apart Gaius's study in an attempt to find evidence of magic, smashing bottles and overturning tables. It's difficult to imagine the later, more gentler, Leon doing such a thing.
* [[Disguised in Drag]]
* [[Knight in Shining Armor]]
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** [[Dark Action Girl]]
* [[The Baroness]]: The Rosa Klebb type.
* [[Big Bad]]:
* [[Big Sister Instinct]]/[[Cool Big Sis]]: Towards Morgana. Seriously, what sister would {{spoiler|give you a kingdom to reign over
* [[Blondes Are Evil]]
* [[Breakout Villain]]: She was only going to be around for a couple of episodes until the writers released how important she was to Morgana's [[Story Arc]].
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* [[Hot Chick with a Sword]]
* [[Kick the Dog]]: Putting a spell on Morgana to make her the vessel to summon the Knights of Medhir in order to destroy Camelot ''without'' telling Morgana probably wasn't Morgause's best idea in the world...
* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]: By ''Morgana'' in the
* [[Knight Templar Big Brother|Knight Templar Big Sister]]
* [[Lady in Red]]
* [[Long-Lost Relative]]
* [[Ms. Fanservice]]
* [[Only Mostly Dead]]: {{spoiler|Apparently killed in the
* [[Pet the Dog]]: In spite of her plot to murder Uther, Morgause does find time to reunite with her half-sister Morgana and give her a bracelet that would help her sleep. {{spoiler|And help her take over Camelot}}...
* [[The Reveal]]: She is Morgana's [[Long-Lost Relative|half]]-[[Separated at Birth|sister]].
** Not necessarily. It is possible to come up with a logical, if convoluted, timeline that reconciles their relationship ''and''
*** It's like this: Vivienne is the mother of Morgause and Morgana; Gorlois is Morgause's father and Uther is Morgana's father. Simple. They share the same mother, as Morgause got the special sleeping bracelet that she gave to Morgana, from her mother.
*** Confusion arises out the fact that when Morgause first appeared in Camelot, Gaius and Uther referred to her as "Morgana's half-sister". But at that point, Morgana's true paternity was a secret, which meant that if Gorlois was considered both Morgana ''and'' Morgause's biological father, they should have been described as ''full'' sisters, at least until the truth about {{spoiler|Uther's true relationship}} became known. As such, the only way the "half-sister" comment makes sense ''at that point'' would be if Morgause's father was someone ''other'' than Gorlois, leaving Vivienne as the parent they share in common. If Gorlois ''was'' supposed to be the shared parent, then they are clearly not half-sisters at all - which doesn't make sense considering they continued to call each other "sister" after [[The Reveal]].
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* [[Broken Bird]]
* [[Brown Eyes]]
* [[Chekhov's Gunman]]: She {{spoiler|returns at the end of
* [[Damsel in Distress]]
* [[Died in Your Arms Tonight]]
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* [[Enigmatic Empowering Entity]]: In her second appearance.
* [[The Gwen Stacy]]
* [[Involuntary Shapeshifting]]: {{spoiler|She transforms into a giant winged panther at the stroke of midnight
* [[Kuudere]]: Arguably.
* [[Lady in Red]]
** [[Little Dead Riding Hood]]
* [[Love Redeems]]: She's not ''evil'', but Freya says that Merlin's love for her saved her in more than one way.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Even though "Freya" isn´t one of the names given to the Lady of the Lake in the Arthurian legend, her name is Old Norse for "Lady", and alludes to Freyja, a goddess associated with love who rules over the fields of Fólkvangr, [[wikipedia:Avalon|''where half of those that die in battle go upon death]]
* [[Mysterious Waif]]
* [[One-Shot Character]]: Though, it is implied that Freya will one day return as the Lady of the Lake in future to help Merlin for helping her.
** {{spoiler|Freya appeared in the final episode of
* [[The Quiet One]]
* [[Really Big Cat]]
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* [[We Hardly Knew Ye]]
== Characters Introduced in
== Cenred (Tom Ellis) ==
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* [[Curtains Match the Window]]
* [[Early-Bird Cameo]]: Was first mentioned in ''
* [[Enemy Mine]] [[Fire-Forged Friends]]: Morgause and Cenred seem to be allies over their mutual hatred for Uther.
* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: He refuses to let his army die and withdraws the battle against Camelot once he realizes they can't win.
* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]}}
* [[Oh Crap]]:
* [[Ship Tease]]: There seems to be ''something'' going on between Cenred and Morgause. According to Morgause, Cenred only wishes to please her.
{{quote|'''Cenred:''' You are very beautiful when you're angry.
'''Morgause:''' Is that why you continue to defy me?
'''Cenred:''' You wouldn't like it if I made it easy for you.
* [[Tall, Dark and Handsome]]
* [[Tall, Dark and Snarky]]
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* [[Deadpan Snarker]]
* [[Disappeared Dad]]: Which gives Merlin and Gwaine something to [[Birds of a Feather|bond]] [[Not So Different|about]].
* [[Dual-Wielding]]: And he makes it [[Badass]].
* [[Guest Star Party Member]]: Throughout
* [[Hidden Depths]]
* [[Honor Before Reason]]: Refuses to expose his identity as the son of a knight out of his resentment towards nobles -- when Gwaine's father, a knight, died, Gwaine and his mother were left penniless, and the king in their land refused to give them any compensation. Gwaine would later change his opinion of Arthur after Arthur defends him.
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* [[Knight in Sour Armor]]: A minor example. His friendship with Merlin seems to be wearing down his cynicism.
* [[Loveable Rogue]]
* [[Man Hug]]: Gives one to Merlin in
** And again in
* [[Master Swordsman]]
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]
Line 702:
* [[Aloof Older Brother]]: Often away traveling from one place to another and never even visited Gwen when their father died.
** And where the hell was he when Guinevere was accused of witchcraft and almost burnt at the stake?
*** ''Twice
* [[An Axe to Grind]]
* [[Back for the Finale]]
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* [[Long Lost Sibling]]
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]
* [[Now Let Me Carry You]]: He pledges his fealty to Arthur in repayment for the rescue Arthur undertakes in
* [[Race Lift]]: The legendary Elyan was known as "Elyan the White". In the series, he's played by a black actor. Granted, "the White" would have referred to his pure soul, but it's still pretty funny.
* [[Remember the New Guy?]]
* [[Shipper on Deck]]: At the very least, he certainly isn't ''opposed'' to his sister dating the Prince of Camelot, judging by the smile on his face when they kiss at the end of
== Percival (Tom Hopper) ==
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A warrior who arrives with Lancelot in order to help Arthur and his loyalists take back Camelot. Having showed up in the very last episode of the third season, we know virtually nothing about him yet.
* [[Adaptational Badass]]: In the original legends, he is the epitome of [[Good Is Dumb]] and [[Idiot Hero]]; here, he is the strong, silent type and more than capable of holding his own.
* [[Badass Normal]]: Bordering on [[Super Strength]].
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: With Lancelot.
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* [[Eleventh-Hour Ranger]]
* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: Bradley James has freely admitted to having a man-crush on Tom Hopper.
* [[Friend to All Children]]: His [[Establishing Character Moment]] in the first episode of
* [[Gentle Giant]]
* [[Last-Episode New Character]]
* [[One Head Taller]]: He towers over the rest of the characters.
* [[Pieta Plagiarism]]: In the
* [[The Quiet One]]
* [[Sleeves Are for Wimps]]: He's got them in the featured picture, but most of the time his armour is sleeveless, the better to show off Tom Hopper's rather extraordinary biceps.
== Characters Introduced in
== Agravaine ([[Nathaniel Parker]]) ==
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* [[Affably Evil]]
* [[Bitch in Sheep's Clothing]]
* [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]]: He wears black, as does
* [[Creepy Uncle]]
* [[Dark Is Evil]]
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* [[Hidden Agenda Villain]]: He wants to sabotage Arthur's reign, but as of yet, we're not really sure ''why''. Unless his hatred of Uther extends to Arthur by proxy.
** A [[Deleted Scene]] reveals that he's {{spoiler|in love with Morgana}}.
* [[Hidden Depths]]: The end of
* [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]]: Agravine is much more capable that Morgana as a manipulator and user of [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]. In fact, if it where not for devotion towards Morgana, he would be a much better villain
* {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]}}
* [[The Mole]]
* [[Promotion to Opening Titles]]: As of
* [[Regent for Life]]: Played with. Though Arthur is more or less running Camelot, he appoints his uncle regent in his absence.
* [[Remember the New Guy?]]
* [[Treacherous Advisor]]
* [[Villain with Good Publicity]]
* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: Especially throughout
== Aithusa ==
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[[File:big_dragon_3903.jpg|frame]]
A white baby dragon that Merlin hatches from a long-dormant egg, and said to be a good omen for the coming Golden Age of Arthur's reign. The events of the
* [[Character Title]]: The episode in which he first appears is named after him.
* [[Chekhov's Gunman]]: Appears in the very last scene of
* [[Cuteness Proximity]]: Merlin is moved to tears.
* [[Diabolus Ex Nihilo]]: In the
* [[Egg MacGuffin]]
* [[Evil Albino]]: Apparently, though in his first appearance Kilgarrah comments on the auspiciousness of [[Heroic Albino|his whiteness]].
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== Helios (Terence Maynard) ==
A womanizing warlord that Morgana enlists in her crusade against Camelot and whose army attacks it at the end of
[[File:6400530697_b802a70d97_o-1_1768.jpg|frame]]
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* [[Action Girl]]: Isolde fluctuates between this and a [[Faux Action Girl]] before being {{spoiler|[[Killed Off for Real]]}}.
* [[Back-to-Back Badasses]]: See picture.
* [[Badass Longcoat]]: Tristan.
* [[Battle Couple]]
* [[Beta Couple]]: They serve as the catalyst for getting Arthur and Gwen back together.
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* [[Expy]]: According to writer Julian Jones, they are based on ''[[Mr. and Mrs. Smith]]''.
* [[Lovable Rogue|Lovable Rogues]]: They give this vibe.
* [[May-December Romance]]: No onscreen ages are given but Tristan certainly ''looks'' considerably older than Isolde (in real life, there is a 16 year age gap between Ben Daniels and Miranda Raison
* [[Tristan and Iseult]]: [[In Name Only]].
* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: Comparatively speaking.
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