Merlin (TV series)/Characters: Difference between revisions

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* [[Little Miss Badass|Little Mister Badass]]: As demonstrated when he kicked the asses of a bunch of Camelot's guards with his magic in 2x03 and 2x11.
* [[Little Miss Badass|Little Mister Badass]]: As demonstrated when he kicked the asses of a bunch of Camelot's guards with his magic in 2x03 and 2x11.
* [[Now Let Me Carry You]]: Mordred is glad to take care of an injured Morgana, in thanks for her previously caring for him.
* [[Now Let Me Carry You]]: Mordred is glad to take care of an injured Morgana, in thanks for her previously caring for him.
* [[The Other Darrin]]: {{spoiler|He's been recast as [http://ontd-merlin.livejournal.com/378554.html 23 year old Alexander Vlahos]}}.
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: His father died and his mother was [[Missing Mom|never mentioned in the first place]].
* [[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.
* [[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.

Revision as of 12:53, 18 June 2016


The characters of the BBC 1 series Merlin:

Note: Season 4 has aired, so there will be spoilers!

Note to editors: See the Spoiler Policy before blanking everything out.

Main Characters

Merlin (Colin Morgan)


The titular character, Merlin must protect Arthur -- who will one day become king of Camelot and unite the lands of Albion -- while keeping his magic a secret.

Katie McGrath: You do everything to not kill anyone else. The Dragon says kill [Morgana], and you're like "all right."
Colin Morgan: No, I kill loads of people. I kill at least one person an episode.

  • Nice Guy
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: 2x12 has a double whammy: he releases the Great Dragon and poisons Lady Morgana. The former allows the dragon to finally take revenge on Camelot and King Uther, while the latter is a huge reason behind Morgana's face heel turn.
    • 4x03 In disguise, he accidentally kills King Uther with magic and in front of Arthur: Arthur has now lost both his parents to magic and he knows.
  • 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.
  • Power Perversion Potential: Fanfic has him magically undress a partner rather often.
  • Secret Keeper: He's the only one who knows about Lancelot's feelings for Gwen.
  • Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: His actions against Mordred and Morgana, at the guiding of the Dragon, are significant factors in driving both to become the very evil the Dragon predicted in the first place.
  • Servile Snarker: Occasionally.
  • Shipper on Deck: He ships Arthur/Gwen, probably more than they do themselves.
  • The Smart Guy: He's definitely this (especially when compared to Arthur), as he is one of the wisest characters. From the cast's commentaries, the actor is described to be this in Real Life, as well.
  • The Snark Knight
  • The So-Called Coward: According to Arthur.
  • Trickster combined with Trickster Mentor at times, when Arthur starts seeking his advice, due to his witty, carefree and joking attitude. Merlin apparently possesses this trait in all the legends, as well.
    • 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.
  • Unlucky Childhood Friend: Will.
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension: With Morgana.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: With Arthur.
  • When He Smiles: Merlin has a goofy grin that is both adorable and quite beautiful at the same time.
  • With Friends Like These...: Arthur.


King Arthur Pendragon (Bradley James)

The prince of Camelot, Arthur starts out as a Jerkass but ends up developing a Hidden Heart of Gold thanks to his gradual strong friendship with Merlin, Morgana's guidance, and his inevitable and budding romance with Gwen.

  • Anchored Ship: Arthur and Gwen. Since Season 2, although both know of their mutual feelings for each other, they've refused to upgrade their relationship because of, among other things, their different social classes.
  • 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.
  • Badass Longcoat
  • Badass Normal
  • Berserk Button: He reacts badly to any perceived slight against his honor or integrity. Likewise, threatening his servant, foster sister, or especially his beloved is a surefire way of getting killed by a very angry prince.
  • Big Damn Heroes
  • Blue Eyes
  • 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":

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!

Arthur: After Sophia left, I wanted to take my mind off things. So, I went for a hunt.
Morgana: And killing things mends a broken heart?
Arthur: No, but it's good fun.

Lady Morgana Pendragon (Katie McGrath)

"What if... magic isn't something you choose? What if it chooses you?"

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 Season 2, Morgana discovers that she is a seer, but fears what Uther may do if he finds out she has magic. She also briefly befriends the sorceress Morgause, unaware that Morgause is her half-sister. However, Morgana's growing resentment towards Uther and his treatment of those who use magic inevitably leads to her Face Heel Turn. When she is used as a catalyst for a spell under Camelot, Merlin is forced to poison her. Morgause rescues Morgana, and it is implied that she can save her life.

In Season 3, Morgana has been recovered and returned to Camelot, but she is firmly set on the Dark Side, pretending to be the "loving ward" while she secretly plots with Morgause for the downfall of Uther and Camelot.

Queen Guinevere [Gwen] Pendragon (Angel Coulby)

Merlin: "You have such a good heart, Gwen. Don't ever lose that."

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. As of the Season 4 finale, she is Queen of Camelot.

Uther Pendragon (Anthony Head)

Uther Pendragon is the ruthless king of Camelot who has outlawed magic within the kingdom. Often his hatred for magic blinds him from his tyrant-like nature, but he nevertheless believes what he is doing for Camelot is right. While Uther does not often show it, he does strongly care about his son Arthur and his ward Morgana, as well as acknowledging loyalty from his subjects e.g. Gaius and Merlin (occasionally).

  • Adults Are Useless
  • Anti-Villain: Type 3 with a bit of Type 1 as well.
  • Badass Normal
  • Badass Longcoat
  • Blood on These Hands: He clearly suffers from a guilty conscious when faced with the apparitions of his deceased wife and the children he drowned.
  • Broken Pedestal: Arthur gradually comes to realize that his father is not the infallible father/king that he initially believed him to be.
  • Create Your Own Villain: Uther certainly played a large part in how Morgana turned out.
  • Despair Event Horizon: When he realizes the depths of his daughter's hatred for him.
  • Disproportionate Retribution
  • Mr. Fanservice
  • Final Speech: He manages 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: Uther was desperate for an heir. His wife couldn't conceive, so he asked Nimueh to help him have a son. She didn't tell him, however, that giving life by magic requires the taking of a life to keep the balance. Arthur was born, but Uther's wife dies.
  • Hey, It's That Guy!: King Giles Pendragon.
  • Heroic BSOD: Is rendered catatonic after Morgana betrays him in the third series finale. One year later, he's still a shell of the man he once was, leaving Arthur ruling the land in his stead.
  • Hypocrite
  • Jerkass
  • Jerkass Has a Point: His extremist stance toward magic would be considerably less understandable if not for the fact that nearly every magic-user in the series who isn't named Merlin turns out to be evil -- and not in the "we're desperate and fighting for our lives" sense, but full-on murderous sadism and smirking villainy.
    • Unfortunate Fridge Logic implies that the crazy villains were the only ones to survive his great purge, thanks to their paranoia and justified fear of the king. The less dangerous magic users wouldn't have expected for a just king to slaughter them all.
    • Or that they were Driven to Villainy.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: On every issue except magic, though there is rather more Jerk than Gold. Notably he is very sympathetic to Merlin's mother when Ealdor is being attacked and expresses a desire to see the Jerkass who's doing it wiped off the face of the earth.
  • Kick the Dog: Just about every episode.
  • Killed Off for Real
  • Knight Templar / Knight Templar Parent
  • Like A Daughter To Me: Morgana. Quite literally.
  • Love Makes You Evil: He hates magic so much, because it caused a death of his beloved wife.
  • 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 pulled a knife on Morgana in 2x07 (in front of Merlin, Arthur, and Uther, no less) that he wasn't going to leave Camelot alive.
  • Parental Substitute: For Morgana. At least, it seems this way until it is revealed that she actually is his illegitimate daughter.
  • Pet the Dog: At the end of Excalibur. It's obvious that Uther loves his children, and speaks of his late wife as "my soul." He's also fond of Gaius, and can be made to see reason on several issues. When Guinevere is found innocent of witchcraft in "Queen of Hearts", he looks a little guilty for what he put her through.
    • 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).
  • Villain Protagonist
  • Villainous BSOD: Suffers a nasty one once Morgana brings to light how much she trully hates him in 3x13
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: He is convinced that magic is evil and threatens Camelot.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Uther gets this A LOT.
    • But only sometimes to his face.

Gaius (Richard Wilson)

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.

Characters Introduced in Season 1

Nimueh (Michelle Ryan)

"I have watched so many people I love die at your hands, Uther Pendragon. Now it is your turn."

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.

Mordred (Asa Butterfield)

"My name is Mordred."

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 Mordred and Morgana will be united in evil.

Lancelot (Santiago Cabrera)

"I would die for you one hundred times over. Live for me, or everything that I am has been for nothing."

A commoner who desires to become a knight of Camelot. He shares a brief romance with Gwen.

The Great Dragon: Kilgharrah (John Hurt)

Characters Introduced in Season 2

Sir Leon (Rupert Young)

A Knight of Camelot seen throughout season 2 and made a semi-regular in season 3.

Morgause (Emilia Fox)

"Arthur Pendragon, a great destiny awaits you. The battle for your soul is about to begin."

A mysterious sorceress who has a connection to Morgana, Morgause desires the doom of Uther and Camelot.

  • Action Girl: So much that she can best Arthur in a duel.
  • The Baroness: The Rosa Klebb type.
  • Big Bad: Season 3, after being built up some during Season 2.
  • Big Sister Instinct / Cool Big Sis: Towards Morgana. Seriously, what sister would 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.
  • Brown Eyes
  • Chainmail Bikini: Averted. She gears up for combat appropriately.
  • Enemy Mine / Fire-Forged Friends: Morgause and Cenred seem to be allies over their mutual hatred for Uther.
  • Evil Sorceress
  • Eyes of Gold: When using magic.
  • Hair of Gold
  • Heterosexual Life Partners: With Morgana.
  • 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...
  • Killed Off for Real: By Morgana in the series 4 premier. It's a Mercy Kill, with Morgause's full consent.
  • Knight Templar Big Sister
  • Lady in Red
  • Long-Lost Relative
  • Ms. Fanservice
  • Only Mostly Dead: Apparently killed in the season 3 finale, but she comes back in season 4. Given her mutated face, it's clear that she and Morgana went to extreme lengths to keep her alive.
  • 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. And help her take over Camelot...
  • The Reveal: She is Morgana's half-sister. Episode 3x05 throws this into doubt. The only way they are truly related is if they share the same mother, or if somehow Uther Pendragon is also her father as well..
    • Not necessarily. It is possible to come up with a logical, if convoluted, timeline that reconciles their relationship and Uther and Morgana's, though it pretty much hinges upon her mother becoming rather... lonely on a somewhat regular basis while her husband is on some sort of epic quest.
      • 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 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.
  • Romantic Two-Girl Friendship: With Morgana.
  • Samus Is a Girl: Her Badass debut.
  • Thanatos Gambit: She ensures that her death furthers Morgana's cause.
  • Unkempt Beauty: When fully armored. Otherwise, she seems to take time to style her hair and also dress very nicely.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist

Igraine (Alice Patten)

Arthur's mother and the late wife of Uther.

Freya (Laura Donnelly)

"You already saved me. You made me feel loved."

Freya is a young Druid woman with a dark secret who Merlin protects from captivity. They develop a strong bond in the process. Freya becomes Merlin's first love.

Characters Introduced in Season 3

Cenred (Tom Ellis)

The ruler of the rivaling kingdom of Cenred (named after himself), Cenred seeks the downfall of Uther and Camelot by becoming an accomplice of Morgause's.

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.

Gwaine (Eoin Macken)

If there's one thing that I learned from my father's life is that titles don't mean anything. It's what's inside that counts.

A man who saves Arthur during a brawl at a town tavern, Gwaine is given hospitality at Camelot until his injuries heal. He resents nobles and is secretly the son of a knight. He helps Merlin in protecting Arthur from danger during the melee. He is a future Knight of the Round Table.

Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun)

Guinevere's estranged brother and only sibling.

Percival (Tom Hopper)

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.

Characters Introduced in Season 4

Agravaine (Nathaniel Parker)

Arthur's uncle on his mother's side, Agravaine has been helping his nephew run the kingdom during Uther's sickness. It soon becomes clear that he's not a man to be trusted.

Aithusa

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 series four finale throw this into some doubt.

Helios (Terence Maynard)

A womanizing warlord that Morgana enlists in her crusade against Camelot and whose army attacks it at the end of series four.

Tristan and Isolde (Ben Daniels and Miranda Raison)

A pair of smugglers (and lovers) who don't think highly of Camelot or its King, but who decide to throw in their lot with Arthur after he and Merlin save Isolde's life.

  1. ↑ In order, they are: Morgana, Sophia, Guinevere, Vivian, Elena, Mithian
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