148-463: The following list of characters from the Underworld franchise. Their metamorphosis is not nearly as startling as their Lycan counterparts. When they metamorphose, their eyes turn a shade of electric blue or bright gold, while their upper canine teeth lengthen to become pointed fangs. At all times, the upper lateral incisors and upper canine teeth on all vampires are elongated and come to
296-578: A coffin-like prison in a remote place where Markus could not find him (which turns Markus against her too), as William was just too dangerous to be allowed to roam free. The capture of William would not have happened without Amelia's help. Ultimately, Amelia did not keep control during her last reign, spending the majority of her reign amongst the New World Coven, which only allowed Viktor's regent Kraven to conspire with Lucian and Lucian to work deals with Tanis for weapons to kill Vampires. She herself
444-715: A 2009 interview, Underworld co-creator Kevin Grevioux revealed that he had named the Selene character after the Marvel Comics character of the same name . Filming for Underworld: Awakening began in March 2011 at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver , British Columbia . Underworld: Awakening was the first film to be shot using RED EPIC digital cameras in 3D. There have been various spin-offs and tie-ins in
592-597: A Hybrid. The threat posed by Marius is so great that the Vampire Council agrees to pardon Selene if she trains their Death Dealers to fight him, but she is betrayed by Semira and Varga and sent on the run. After being informed of Selene's location by his Vampire lover Alexia, Marius leads an attack on the Nordic Coven, his new Hybrid powers proving superior to Selene's. Marius attempts to get the location of Eve from Selene to use her blood to solidify his power and
740-453: A Lycan-Vampire hybrid; but Sonja is executed, preventing the birth of the child. He starts a war with Viktor as a result and fakes his own death with the help of Kraven, planning to metamorphose into a Hybrid in order to kill Viktor. His plan fails, but he holds Kraven off long enough for Selene to metamorphose Michael Corvin into a Hybrid. Selene also later kills Viktor to fulfill her own revenge against him. Despite his plans to metamorphose into
888-516: A Lycan/Vampire Hybrid. Being a hybrid, Michael can regenerate cells and muscle tissues as well as internal organs even when he is dead, as long as his body stays intact: such as when Markus killed him by impaling him through the chest. Counting the unborn child of Lucian and Sonja, Michael is the second Lycan/Vampire Hybrid. In the beginning Awakening , he was captured along with Selene by the Lycan-run corporation Antigen, being labeled "Subject 0". By
1036-531: A Vampire is lethal, but Michael's bloodline allows him to survive and metamorphose into a hybrid of both species. Death Dealers are Vampires that are specifically trained and tasked to kill Lycans . Selene appears in the films Underworld , Underworld: Evolution , Underworld: Awakening , and Underworld: Blood Wars as the main protagonist; as well as in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans for
1184-473: A brief cameo. Her lover is Michael Corvin , and together they have a daughter, named Eve. Selene is portrayed by Kate Beckinsale , and by Beckinsale's daughter, Lily Mo Sheen, in Underworld: Evolution in flashback scenes as a child. Selene was created by Kevin Grevioux , Len Wiseman , and Danny McBride. According to Kevin Grevioux, Selene is based loosely on the Marvel Comics character of
1332-460: A broken neck, or dismemberment, especially if their head or heart is destroyed or removed. However, while first-generation werewolves sired by William Corvinus are permanently metamorphosed and feral, second-generation werewolves, the Lycans, and those they convert, can become able to metamorphose between their Human or Werewolf forms at will and retain their personalities while metamorphosed. Their control over their metamorphoses increases over time, to
1480-436: A captured female Werewolf, who is killed when Lucian is a newborn. He is branded with Viktor's mark signifying that he is put into slavery under one of Viktor's early reigns as a blacksmith. Being born of two Werewolves, he is a pure-blood Lycan. Lucian is a Lycan servant to Viktor 's clan. His relationship with Sonja begins when they grew up and it is eventually revealed that Sonja is pregnant with his child, making their child
1628-593: A case of explosives on his ship, obliterating it in the harbor, along with killing himself. His blood enhances Selene's powers, making her equal to the Hybrid Markus in strength and giving her an immunity to sunlight, ultimately allowing her to defeat him. She tells Detective Sebastian in Underworld: Awakening about getting her sunlight immunity from Alexander, referring to it as a gift from him. Detective Sebastian displays knowledge of who Alexander
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#17327918529391776-526: A common ancestor, which Michael is a direct descendant of. As an heir to the legendary "Corvinus" bloodline, he carries a unique genetic strain that could allow him to become a vampire-werewolf hybrid , which Singe predicts will lack the weaknesses of both species. An angered Viktor then kills Singe and mobilizes the Death Dealers to raid the Lycan’s lair to kill the remaining Lycans, including Michael. In
1924-507: A complete product than has generally been the case with similarly-themed products." In particular, Aicher praised the rearrangement of David Bowie 's " Bring Me the Disco King " (previously released in its original form on his studio album Reality earlier that month) as the soundtrack's strongest piece. This version of the song, which features Maynard James Keenan (from Tool and A Perfect Circle ) and guitarist John Frusciante (of
2072-400: A confidential settlement. The film's soundtrack was produced by Danny Lohner and distributed via Roadrunner Records . Lohner (born 1970), a bass guitarist, guitarist, and keyboardist who has recorded with Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson , contributed several songs to the soundtrack under the pseudonym Renholdër . Lohner included a song by Skinny Puppy , a Canadian industrial band;
2220-471: A crossover film with the Resident Evil film series had been considered. Underworld: Endless War is a 2011 animated film , which includes three individual short films beginning in 1890 and leading up to the events of Underworld: Awakening . The film follows Selene as she hunts down a group of three lycan brothers in three separate time periods. In October 2014, Wiseman announced plans to expand
2368-660: A draft on November 3, mere days before the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike . Pre-production began shortly thereafter. "It's like putting your wedding dress on, or putting your school uniform on, it's like a time-warp feeling." — Kate Beckinsale , about her return as Selene. The prequel film was shot in Auckland , New Zealand and in Roxboro , North Carolina . There is a brief pickup shot of Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park as well. In
2516-540: A futile defense against a massive Lycan attack before a revived and enhanced Selene arrives with the Nordic Coven to help. David and Semira, who has metamorphosed into a Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid herself by drinking Selene's blood, fight ending with David raising the shutters keeping out the sunlight. David is able to use Semira's distraction over her new sunlight immunity to kill her and after discovering that Selene has killed Marius, cuts off Marius' head and uses it to get
2664-852: A future when he would be gone. Touting the bonds of family and blood being stronger than anything else, as he sought to further increase and reinforce his own power base within the Vampire Nation, and believing Markus's lie about how his death would mean the immediate deaths of all Vampires, and that, as his own flesh and blood (and having planned out her whole life for her), Sonja would be a more loyal ally than Amelia if Amelia should ever side with Markus against him (as Amelia had with Viktor against Markus over William's sentence), Viktor, paranoid and ambitious as ever, likely sought to replace Amelia with his daughter Sonja, only to sentence Sonja to death for her affair and pregnancy with Lucian, abandoning this plan. Whether Amelia ever suspected anything about this
2812-424: A human who gets caught up in the war. The second film, Underworld: Evolution (2006), follows Selene and Michael as they are hunted by their enemies. The third film, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), is the prequel to the series, chronicling the origins of the vampire-lycan war. The fourth film, Underworld: Awakening (2012), is the sequel to Underworld: Evolution . In this film, humans have discovered
2960-575: A hybrid and to kill Viktor himself having failed, his will is seen through regardless with Michael's metamorphosing and Viktor's death. Razahir "Raze" Khemse is a Lycan who is the right-hand man of the Lycan leader Lucian . He is born in Sudan in East Africa during the 14th century. Raze is the son of a powerful Sultan but his family's lands are taken during a period of wars that spread into Africa. He
3108-455: A larger, fearsome, and powerful Lycan, has the ability to rapidly heal, is seemingly immune to silver, and is sometimes called a "Super-Lycan". He is killed by Selene, who stuffs a silver nitrate grenade into an open wound on his abdomen, which quickly heals, preventing him from removing the grenade before it explodes; revealing his so-called "immunity to silver" to be actually only skin-deep, and his vital organs to be very much still vulnerable. He
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#17327918529393256-434: A low-born Vampiress for a consort who had just died during childbirth, and Amelia returned to the New World Coven with no one wiser to the truth. It would seem that Amelia, despite siding with Viktor against Markus over William's sentence, didn't completely trust him, keeping the existence of her son a secret. During the main events of Blood Wars , Selene's ally David learnt that he was Amelia's secret son and thus her heir as
3404-403: A mutation of the original pathogen, permitting him to alternate between human and werewolf form. He was Lucian, dubbed by Viktor as "the first of the lycans". The vampires used the lycans as slaves to be the guardians of their lairs during the daylight hours and labor during the night. However, Viktor's daughter, Sonja, and Lucian fell in love and she became pregnant. Lucian, the lycan leader, led
3552-574: A number of greatly enhanced physical attributes in either form (superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, healing, etc.) although the Werewolf form is physically superior to both their Human form and even to most Vampires. Lycans are highly allergic to silver to the point of it being toxic and lethal to them, and it is even able to keep them weakened and unable to metamorphose into their Werewolf form. They can also be killed or permanently damaged by extreme physical trauma as normal humans are, such as mutilation,
3700-623: A part of the first wave of the Bubonic plague to hit Europe (otherwise known as the " Plague of Justinian "), although the timing for the Justinian Plague is off by a nigh-century (although archaeo-pathological evidence reveals that Bubonic plague had been around as early as the Bronze Age ), and that Bubonic plague is bacterial rather than viral. Years later, with his wife Helena, he fathered three children, two of whom inherited
3848-417: A rampage to rescue William and metamorphose him into a Hybrid too. He kills his own father and apparently his distant relative Michael Corvin, but he is defeated and killed by an enhanced Selene in a final fight when she stabs him through the head with one of his own wing talons and knocks him into spinning helicopter blades, dismembering him. Amelia is one of the three Vampire Elders of the Vampire Nation in
3996-655: A range of other media. IDW Publishing has published a number of Underworld comics, which included adaptations of Underworld , Underworld: Evolution , and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans , and the original Underworld: Red in Tooth and Claw , serving as a prequel to Underworld featuring the character Lucian. It is a 3-part comic book series featuring Kevin Grevioux 's character, Lycan-enforcer, Raze. Darkstorm Comics also published an adaptation of Underworld: Blood Wars . Pocket Star Books published novelizations of Underworld , Underworld: Evolution , and Underworld: Rise of
4144-468: A revolt after Viktor killed Sonja to prevent the blending of the species. Vampire death dealer Selene escapes imprisonment to find herself in a world where humans have discovered the existence of both vampire and lycan clans, and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Selene also learns that she has a hybrid daughter born while she was imprisoned, who has the ability to see through her parents' eyes. The same goes for Selene, who has
4292-632: A safe house. Selene binds Michael, anticipating the Lycans' bite will transform him into a werewolf when the full moon rises. As the two of them bond, she gradually tells him more about her past, revealing that Viktor adopted her and turned her into a vampire after her family's death at the hands of Lycans, leading her to start a vengeful campaign against them, and that Michael's hallucinations are memories that Lucian passed down to him. Selene returns to her coven's mansion. Furious about being woken early, Viktor refuses to believe Selene's warnings about Kraven's treachery and reminds her that his fellow elder Marcus
4440-731: A secret alliance with Lucian in order to overthrow the Elders, helping to set up an ambush for the Lady Amelia. After Lady Amelia's death, and with Lucian and Viktor dead, Kraven goes after a slumbering Markus and tries to murder him in his sleep. However, Markus surprisingly wakes as a Hybrid and massacres Kraven's men. Markus then bites Kraven and obtains his blood memories. Although Markus stops before Kraven dies of blood loss, he turns down Kraven's offer to 'assist' him, seeing Kraven as untrustworthy. Immediately after that, Markus kills Kraven by crushing his head with his wings. Andreas Tanis
4588-537: A secret, private relationship. At some point into their centuries-long love, in the late 20th century, Amelia discovered she had become pregnant, and she and Thomas made plans to keep her pregnancy a secret. Before her pregnancy started to show, Amelia announced her intention to visit old friends in the Var Dohr coven in Scandinavia and appointed Thomas as her sole escort. They both stayed with the Var Dohr coven for
List of Underworld characters - Misplaced Pages Continue
4736-531: A sharp point. Biologically immortal transgenics , the Vampires of Underworld display most of the prominent superhuman physical prowess commonly seen in popular culture, including superhuman strength, reflexes and speed, as well as an inhuman resistance to injury and accelerated healing. These abilities are maintained by feeding on blood, which is a prominent factor in their healing capabilities in addition to being strengthened with age. They do not possess any of
4884-470: A shotgun and two blades, David distracts Jacob Lane long enough for Eve to break free and fight back. As more Lycan guards arrive, David turns his focus to them and single-handedly kills around a dozen Lycans. After the battle, David joins Selene and Eve in searching for Michael Corvin who has escaped. In Underworld: Blood Wars , David attempts to get Selene to return to aid the Vampire Covens against
5032-564: A sixth Underworld film. By July 2021, however, she stated that she was not opposed to reprising the role. A crossover with the film I, Frankenstein (2014) was planned by Kevin Grevioux, co-creator of the Underworld franchise and creator of the I, Frankenstein graphic novel. He stated in an interview that, in an early draft of his screenplay, Beckinsale would have made a post-credit cameo appearance as Selene and that there would have been Underworld easter eggs , but none of this
5180-517: A song by The Dillinger Escape Plan , a US band which performs an aggressive, technical style of hardcore punk called mathcore ; a song by US alternative rock/post-hardcore band Finch entitled "Worms of the Earth"; a song by The Icarus Line , a band known for its abrasive form of rock music; and Lisa Germano , an American singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who specializes in alternative rock and dream pop . Music critic Bill Aicher noted that
5328-504: A stab to the back of his head while he's distracted. Upon arrival at the Nordic Coven, David learns that Thomas once had a relationship with the Vampire Elder Amelia and he is their son as proven by blood memories left behind for him by Amelia. He is portrayed by Charles Dance . Lena is a vampire warrior from the Nordic Coven. As a daughter of the coven's leader, Vidar, she is depicted as a calm and wise Vampiress, but she
5476-418: A vampire coven that ends with her daughter being kidnapped, Selene confronts Detective Sebastian who admits he suspected the Lycans are not extinct. He then shows her reports a friend of his sent him shortly before dying of over 200 suspected Lycans being tested and all coming back negative, leading Detective Sebastian to think someone might be protecting them and letting them rebuild. Selene realizes that Antigen
5624-477: A vampire safe house and plans to return to Viktor's estate to awaken Markus , the last vampire Elder. Before she can return, Markus confronts her, having been awakened by the blood of the lycan scientist, Singe, after he was killed. Markus does not seem keen to help Selene and wishes to steal her memories for information. While on the run from Markus, Selene and Michael discover that Markus is the first vampire and that he plans to free his imprisoned brother, William ,
5772-546: A way to mix the vampire and werewolf bloodlines to create hybrids. He kidnaps members of the human Corvinus bloodline and mixes their blood with both Vampire and Lycan blood to see if they are compatible. He finally finds compatibility in Michael Corvin when Michael is captured and brought to him to be tested. He's killed by Viktor towards the end of Underworld , and his blood seeps into Markus's tomb and awakens him. Singe wasn't shown to metamorph into his werewolf form. He
5920-421: A while. I won't be directing Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ; I'm just going to be producing and writing." When asked if Kate Beckinsale would reprise her role as Selene in the prequel, Wiseman said, "It will be in the time period before, but it will overlap into the creation of her as well. We're in the process of seeing how far we go with that." The following October, actor Michael Sheen , who portrays Lucian in
6068-511: Is a descendant of Alexander Corvinus. In Underworld: Awakening , she tells Selene that her name is Subject 2. She was born without her parents' knowledge during their years of captivity in Antigen. The scientists in the facility told her that her mother was dead and never heard anything about her father. Eve eventually discovered Selene's body and breaks her mother out of cryo-suspension. After her escape, Selene discovers Eve and learns that she
List of Underworld characters - Misplaced Pages Continue
6216-421: Is a Hybrid. In contrast with his son, Thomas is a coward and ordered the coven to flee rather than fight, leaving David as the de facto leader because of his demonstration of courage and intelligence, despite Thomas's status now as a Coven Elder. His arrogance made him fail to realize the necessity of Selene's presence or what she has metamorphosed into until she used her blood to resurrect David after he died from
6364-468: Is a character in the 2006 movie Underworld: Evolution and in the 2009 movie Underworld: Rise of the Lycans . He is portrayed by Steven Mackintosh . Tanis is a Vampire of considerable age (estimated at over 1000 years old at the time of his death), he was at one point the official scribe and Historian of the Old World Coven . An ambitious man, Tanis knew things about other Vampires and kept
6512-552: Is a ruthless and amoral Lycan, and the main antagonist of Underworld: Awakening . He betrays his own pack and reveals the existences of both vampire and lycan races so he can covertly experiment on both in order to create a new and powerful Lycan race by heading the research company Antigen, in hope of domination over the Human, Vampire, and Werewolf races. Using the blood of the Hybrid Eve, he enhances his own Lycan form, but not to
6660-460: Is able to get some of Selene's blood and learns of Selene's and David's ability to walk in sunlight. Semira later sends Alexia to the Nordic Coven, knowing she is really the lover of the new Lycan leader Marius, and kills her upon her return. Using Selene's blood, Semira is able to metamorphose herself into a Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid like Selene and David and attempts to overthrow the Vampire Council. However, David returns and reveals himself to be
6808-483: Is also skilled at sword fighting. In Blood Wars , Semira gets the Vampire Council to grant Selene clemency in exchange for her training their new Death Dealers, but it is in fact a trap so that Semira can get Selene's blood and kill her in revenge for the death of the Vampire Elder Viktor who Semira had once been close to. Selene is rescued by David and Thomas, the latter of whom Semira murders, but Semira
6956-455: Is an action horror film series created by Kevin Grevioux , Len Wiseman , and Danny McBride . It follows characters who are caught up in a war between vampires and werewolves (called "death-dealers" and "lycans", respectively, within the films). Most of the films star Kate Beckinsale as Selene . The first film, Underworld (2003), introduces Selene, an elite vampire-warrior who defies her orders, and Michael Corvin ( Scott Speedman ),
7104-540: Is dead and get them to retreat. He is portrayed by Tobias Menzies . Alexander Corvinus ( Hungarian : Corvin Sándor ) is the first true Immortal in the Underworld movies and is the father of Markus Corvinus and William Corvinus , as well as an ancestor of Michael Corvin , who is a descendant of Corvinus's third and mortal son. He is portrayed by Derek Jacobi . Alexander was a Hungarian warlord who lived in
7252-527: Is forced into slavery and taken to Hungary to be given as payment to Viktor the Vampire Elder. He joins Lucian's civil war and kills Soren during the Vampires' attack on Lucian's base, but after believing Lucian to be dead, he launches a suicide attack on Viktor, who snaps his neck and stabs him with a sword. He is played by Kevin Grevioux . Singe is a scientist Turned and employed by Lucian to find
7400-449: Is going to be a prequel. It will be the origin story and we find out things we didn't know about Lucian; he'll have a much bigger part in it. It will be about the creation [of the races] and what started the war. It will be a period piece. The film will also focus for the first time through the lycans' point of view." The director also shared, "In terms of the writing, a lot of the writing has been done. We've been developing Underworld 3 for
7548-441: Is he ever shown in his human form in any of the films. His Lycanthropy virus is much more potent than Markus's Vampire virus, even allowing dead victims to metamorphose. William goes on to ravage the countryside of Hungary , infecting the populace with his highly infectious Lycanthropy virus. In order to combat the growing Lycan threat, Markus approaches Viktor , a dying warlord, to utilize his military genius and army (who become
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#17327918529397696-405: Is her daughter, realizing that she had been pregnant at the time of her capture, and given birth to Eve all during her unconscious state. Being pursued by both humans and Lycans because of her unique origin, and despite Selene's attempts to shield her from the dangers around them, she is recaptured by Antigen, but is rescued by Selene and Detective Sebastian during an attack on the facility. Eve joins
7844-464: Is horrified to learn that Selene truly does not know where she is. After Selene's apparent suicide, Marius calls off the Lycan attack on the Nordic Coven and sends Alexia to lower the defenses of the Eastern Coven so he can attack. Marius leads a devastating attack on the Eastern Coven and comes close to winning before Selene, her powers enhanced by the Nordic Coven, arrives to help accompanied by
7992-404: Is later killed by Markus after being drained of blood. Soren , having a surprising lack of personal ambition for a Vampire, was Kraven 's janissary , and, being two of a kind, he was the rival/Vampire counterpart of Raze before their deaths. He is played by Scott McElroy. Soren appears predominantly in the first film installment of Underworld , but he is also referenced in the novelization of
8140-481: Is one of the Vampires involved in Viktor's assault on the Lycan base in the first film, and he ultimately faces Raze in single combat. Soren initially holds the Lycan off, but after Raze shapeshifts into full Lycan form, he tackles Soren and apparently kills him, since Soren is not seen afterward and Raze is. David is a character from the 2012 movie Underworld: Awakening and the 2016 movie Underworld: Blood Wars . He
8288-468: Is played by Erwin Leder . William Corvinus is the first and only Lycan Elder. Portrayed only in his metamorphosed state, he is played by Brian Steele , but prior to his being a werewolf , he would have been identical in looks to his twin brother Markus . Born sometime in the 5th century, William is one of three sons of Helena and Alexander Corvinus , the first immortal . He, along with Markus, inherits
8436-499: Is portrayed by Kris Holden-Ried . Marius is a Lycan leader who rose to power following the destruction of Antigen, becoming the main antagonist of Underworld: Blood Wars . Marius, who is described as being unlike any Lycan leader ever before, manages to gather an army of Lycans loyal to him that slaughters several Vampire Covens using superior tactics. Marius also captures and murders Michael Corvin, using vials of Michael's blood to increase his own power and metamorphose himself into
8584-532: Is portrayed by Theo James . He is the son of Thomas, leader of the Western Coven, and Amelia, the Vampire Elder. Although never trained as a Death Dealer and, in contrast with his father, Thomas, David is not a coward and fights when situations demand it. Fascinated by Selene's past as a Death Dealer, he brings her back to the Vampire Coven with her hybrid daughter, Eve, hoping she would teach some of
8732-586: Is referred to by Selene as the strongest of the immortals and the only one capable of killing his sons, indicating he does possess some abilities. At the time of Underworld: Evolution , Alexander was operating under the alias of Lorenz Macaro, and ran his operation from the ship "Sancta Helena". He meets with Selene and Michael, who ask for his help to destroy Markus and William. He reveals that no matter what they have become, he cannot help Selene and Michael against them, for they are his own sons. Alexander has come into possession of Viktor's body (and Viktor's half of
8880-419: Is run by Lycans and Detective Sebastian offers her his help in rescuing her daughter, explaining that his wife had metamorphosed into a vampiress and committed suicide to protect him. During the assault on Antigen, Detective Sebastian mans the security station to guide Selene through the building and races to the parking garage when he realizes Selene will not get there in time to stop Doctor Lane from escaping. In
9028-477: Is tedious and derivative." Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert said, "This is a movie so paltry in its characters and shallow in its story that the war seems to exist primarily to provide graphic visuals" However, some critics were more favorable:
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#17327918529399176-525: Is unknown, but it would give credence to her later efforts to keep the existence and birth of her son from Viktor and his followers (and, indeed, the Vampire Nation at large). In the non-canon novel, Underworld: Blood Enemy , Amelia, though making no physical appearance in the story, is described as having a habit similar to real-life historical Sanguinarian figure, Elizabeth Báthory the "Blood Countess", of often indulging in baths of blood, believing it to enhance her beauty (" The aroma of so much fresh blood
9324-776: Is when Selene brings him up. Without Alexander and his Cleaners to hide the truth of immortals from the world, the result makes the human race aware of the immortals and they launch a war to eradicate both species. Michael Corvin (in Hungarian : Corvin Mihály ) is a Hungarian-American medical student who is a direct descendant of Alexander Corvinus. He is portrayed by Scott Speedman in the first two films and appears in cameo appearances in Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars by Trent Garrett . Bitten first by Lucian and later by Selene, he metamorphosed into
9472-522: Is willing to use violence to protect her coven. She provides Selene with the cocooning process, thus not only reviving her but also boosting her hybrid abilities to new heights. At the end of Blood Wars , Lena becomes one of three new Vampire Elders alongside Selene and David. She is portrayed by Clementine Nicholson. Semira is one of the leaders of the Eastern Coven. She is a fiercely ambitious Vampiress in Underworld: Blood Wars . She
9620-470: The New York Daily News praised it as being "stylish and cruel, and mightily entertaining for certain covens out there". Salon reviewer Andrew O'Hehir gave a mixed review, stating, "by any reasonable standard, this dark vampire epic — all massive overacting, cologne-commercial design and sexy cat suits — sucks," but that "at least it gives a crap", conceding that despite the movie's flaws,
9768-596: The Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California on September 15, 2003, and was released in the United States on September 19, by Sony Pictures Releasing . The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but a smaller number of reviewers praised elements such as the film's Gothic visuals, Kate Beckinsale's performance, and the extensively worked-out vampire–werewolf mythology that serves as
9916-900: The New World Coven (based in the United States , in New York ). But since the assassinations of the Vampire Elder Lady Amelia and the Vampire Council by the Lycans, the Vampire Elder Lord Viktor's death at Selene's hand after learning the truth of her family's deaths at his hands, the final Vampire Elder Lord Markus's destruction of the main branch of the Old World Coven and its seat of power, Ördögház , and then his death at Selene's hand to stop him and his rampaging brother William;
10064-532: The Red Hot Chili Peppers ), was praised by Aicher as "Dark, brooding, sad, and twitchy". The film grossed $ 51,970,690 in the US and $ 95,708,457 worldwide. Underworld has a 31% overall approval rating on film-critics' aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes based on 162 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's consensus reads The site's consensus reads, "Though stylish to look at, Underworld
10212-517: The Underworld series. She appeared briefly in Underworld , appeared in a flashback sequence in Underworld: Evolution , and appears in archive footage and as a painting in Underworld: Blood Wars . She is portrayed by Zita Görög . Amelia was bitten and metamorphosed into a Vampire, most likely by the first Vampire , Markus himself, sometime around 1500 years prior to the events of the first Underworld installment, according to
10360-439: The immortality strain in its active form from their father. Markus and William both share a bond as twins that Alexander never truly sees. William is later bitten by a wolf, thus making him the progenitor of what becomes the Lycan species (his twin, Markus, is bitten by a bat). Unlike most later Lycans, his fur is white . William is unable to metamorphose back into his human form and has little more than ferocious savagery, nor
10508-446: The "soundtrack follow[s] in a similar gothic vein" to the visuals, and stated that it "does an excellent job setting the dark mood" by using "a veritable who's who in the genre", with an "impressive array of metal, hard rock, industrial, and otherwise gothic-themed tracks". Aicher noted that since "a majority of the selections [are] written, produced, or featuring Lohner, the album retains a sense of cohesion throughout, making it much more
10656-569: The Death Dealers) in exchange for immortality. Later, William is successfully captured and contained by the combined forces of Markus, Amelia, and Viktor and used by Viktor to keep Markus in line. After Viktor is killed, Markus releases William, hoping to metamorphose him into a Hybrid and restore his morality. Despite his bestial nature, William is shown to recognize his brother. In the fight that follows, Michael Corvin rips William's head in half with brute strength, killing him. Dr. Jacob Lane
10804-462: The English word " craven ", meaning "coward", a reference to Kraven's spineless nature. Kraven has a vainglorious personality and a highly inflated-but-extremely-fragile narcissistic ego . He is a long-time suitor of Selene , a Death Dealer, and fancies himself in a relationship with her even though she spurns him at every turn. Yet Kraven is so obsessed with Selene that the more she refuses him,
10952-456: The Lycans , and is portrayed by Rhona Mitra . She fell in love with the Lycan slave Lucian despite knowing her father would disapprove. Without Viktor's knowledge or blessing, she eventually married Lucian in secret and became pregnant with his child. For breaking the Covenant, Viktor executed her and her unborn child by exposure to sunlight, and her husband was forced to watch. Viktor viewed
11100-500: The Lycans to retreat. Following the battle, David is made one of the new Vampire Elders alongside Selene and Nordic Vampire Lena. Thomas is one of the surviving Vampire Elders in Underworld: Awakening and the father of David. According to David, his father was once a Vampire who had " defended [his coven] with fire and steel, rather than hollow words ", and that Selene reminds Thomas of the way he once was. He does not trust Selene and openly discriminates against her daughter, Eve, who
11248-412: The Lycans' written by Greg Cox, in addition to an original novel by Cox titled Underworld: Blood Enemy ; written before Evolution , it depicts an alternate origin to the war, based on such details as Sonja's initial portrayal as a blonde in flashbacks. A Half-Life mod titled Underworld: Bloodline was released in 2003. An action game based on the first film titled Underworld: The Eternal War
11396-439: The Lycans' lair after the battle, he admits to murdering Selene's parents and killing his daughter. He also insists that he killed Sonja for the good of his people and reveals she was pregnant with Lucian's child, an abomination in the eyes of the two species. Lastly, he claims that he made Selene immortal because he loved her and proceeds to fight the hybrid Michael. Initially overwhelmed by Michael’s strength, Viktor eventually gets
11544-431: The Nordic Coven that he is the son of the Vampire Elder Amelia and thus her rightful heir. During the Lycan attack on the Nordic Coven, David helps defend it and is devastated by Selene's apparent death. David then returns to the Eastern Coven and interrupts a coup attempt by Semira by presenting himself as the heir of Amelia with some of her blood to prove it. The Death Dealers and Vampire Council side with David and he leads
11692-417: The Nordic Coven. Marius battles Selene who learns from his blood memories of Marius murdering Michael. Downing the last of Michael's blood, Marius metamorphoses and battles Selene inside a cage. Using her newly enhanced speed, Selene is able to get behind Marius before he can react and rip out Marius's spine, killing him. David then cuts off Marius's head and uses it to convince the other Lycans that their leader
11840-521: The Vampire Nation. Eve is portrayed by India Eisley . Portrayed by Michael Ealy , Detective Sebastian is a police detective in Underworld: Awakening who is shown to be sympathetic to immortals. He is first seen investigating a Lycan attack where he convinces his rookie partner to not jump to conclusions. While at the crime scene, he gets a brief glimpse of Selene and grows suspicious of Antigen, especially after he finds proof that they lied about their test subject, Selene, being dead. After an attack on
11988-457: The Vampiric race. This was until the catalyst of Lucian's and Sonja’s star-crossed love, where the Lycans rebelled for their freedom and revenge. Lucian is the very first of the second-generation Lycans. He is the leader of the Lycan horde in the movie Underworld and appears in its prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans . He is portrayed by actor Michael Sheen . Lucian is born the son of
12136-583: The Werewolves, spawn of Markus's twin brother, William . When Markus metamorphoses Viktor, the general becomes a vampire Elder. The Death Dealers are created from Viktor's army. Viktor is a ruthless vampire Elder and, with armies loyal to him, he overthrows the original Vampire Markus and sets himself up in Vampire myth as the first Vampire. Viktor is the most powerful Vampire ever to have lived mostly because his manipulation, experience, and cunning far surpass
12284-439: The ability to see through the child's eyes and uses it to find her daughter. On August 27, 2014, Lakeshore Entertainment announced plans to reboot the franchise. Cory Goodman was hired to write the script for the first film. Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi would be producers. Later it was confirmed not to be a reboot but another entry in the series. The fifth film, originally tentatively titled Underworld: Next Generation ,
12432-458: The child as an abomination and was acting to protect the Vampire line's purity, although Sonja's death haunted him for the rest of his life. His guilt over this led him to spare Selene, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Sonja, from the slaughter of the rest of her family. Sonja wore a pendant, which was given to her by her father. After her death, Lucian took that pendant as a keepsake of his beloved wife. This pendant proved to be vitally important to
12580-433: The complex vampire-werewolf mythology backstory "has been meticulously worked out". Underworld was released on DVD and VHS on January 6, 2004 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment. A sequel, titled Underworld: Evolution , in which Marcus fully awakens, was released January 20, 2006. The prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans , which gives more detail about the creation of the Lycan species and Lucian's hatred,
12728-545: The countryside of Hungary, infecting the populace with his highly infectious Lycanthropy virus. In order to combat the growing Werewolf threat, Markus approached Viktor, a dying warlord, to utilize his military genius and army (who became the Death Dealers) in exchange for immortality. Viktor accepted and became one of the Vampire Elders. After being revived by the blood of the Lycan Singe, Markus awakens and goes on
12876-463: The critical injuries he received from Lycans. In Underworld: Blood Wars , Thomas is approached by Semira to petition the Vampire Council to grant Selene clemency in exchange for her help in training their Death Dealers. Thomas is successful, but Semira later frames Selene for murder and kidnaps her. Thomas helps David rescue Selene and orders his son to take Selene to the Nordic Coven. Thomas then battles both Semira and Varga before Semira kills him with
13024-603: The deaths of Marius and Semira, the Vampires' grudge against Selene for killing Viktor ends, and she goes from pariah to one of the three new Vampire Elders alongside Amelia's son David and the Nordic Vampire Lena. Sonja is the daughter of the Vampire Elder Viktor , introduced by flashback in Underworld and portrayed by Jázmin Dammak . The character is heavily featured in Underworld: Rise of
13172-509: The duration of her pregnancy, culminating with the safe delivery of their pure-born son David . By this point, it would seem, Amelia's prolonged absence from the Vampire Nation at large had aroused at least some suspicion as to why she was absent, and Semira was dispatched to investigate. By this time, however, David having been born and Amelia having recovered from the birth, Thomas and Amelia had left with their son and gone their separate ways. To keep up appearances, Thomas put it out that he'd had
13320-406: The early 5th century. He ascended to power just in time to watch his village ravaged by an unknown plague. Alexander was the only survivor of the plague. In an unusual Immune response , his body was able to adapt the virus, and, likewise be adapted by it, and through some unknown means consequently made him immortal . The plague that wiped-out his home town and mutated with Alexander may have been
13468-573: The end of the film, he seemingly escaped from stasis with his current whereabouts being unknown. However, it is revealed in Blood Wars that Michael was abducted by Marius, who then killed him and stole his blood in order to become stronger. He also plays a role in the third part of the animated shorts in Underworld: Endless War voiced by Mark Oliver. Eve is the hybrid daughter of Selene and Michael Corvin, through whom she
13616-461: The ensuing showdown between vampires and Lycans, Selene breaks into the Lycans' lair to rescue Michael. Kraven and Lucian turn on each other, and the former tells Selene that Viktor was the one who really murdered her family and only spared and mentored her due to being reminded of his daughter. Selene is forced to bite a fatally injured Michael, hoping to make him a vampire-werewolf hybrid, while Kraven shoots Lucian, killing him. When Viktor arrives at
13764-499: The events that occurred in the first and second installments , the Vampire Elder, Lord Viktor, in his bid to rewrite history, turns on Tanis and orders his banishment , citing that Tanis had been recording "malicious lies". The order of banishment was carried out by Selene , who escorted him to an abandoned monastery on Viktor's orders. Over three hundred years later, Selene would learn the truth about Viktor and realize that what Tanis had recorded years earlier was, in fact, true. Tanis
13912-452: The events that unfolded in Underworld: Evolution . Her death started the war between Vampires and Lycans that lasted for centuries afterward. Markus Corvinus is the first Vampire in the Underworld series, and the main antagonist of Underworld: Evolution . He is portrayed by Tony Curran . Markus also appears in the novelization of the sequel. Born sometime in the 5th century; Markus was one of three sons of Helena and Alexander Corvinus,
14060-410: The existence of vampires and lycans, and are trying to eradicate both species. A fifth film, titled Underworld: Blood Wars (2016), focuses on Selene who tries to stop a new war between vampires and lycans. The series received generally negative reviews from critics, but amassed a strong fan following and grossed a total of $ 539 million, against a combined budget of $ 207 million. Underworld tells
14208-407: The fight herself and kills Doctor Lane. In Underworld: Blood Wars , Eve has gone away to prevent any vampires and lycans from getting her blood. As a result, Selene does not know where Eve is. However, she appears in the very last shot of the film, revealing that she has been following her mother; as her mother is now one of the Vampire Nation's new Elders, this makes Eve an heir to her mother and to
14356-406: The fight that follows, Detective Sebastian kills a few Lycans but is unable to harm Lane who is now a Hybrid. He watches as Eve fights and kills Lane and David arrives to dispatch the other Lycans. As the police arrive, Detective Sebastian, who has an injured leg, tells the other three to go and he will misdirect the police to buy them time to get away. Underworld (film series) Underworld
14504-662: The film as an actor. The film was the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by White Wolf, Inc. and Nancy A. Collins , claiming the setting was too similar to the Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse games, both set in the World of Darkness setting, and to the Sonja Blue vampire novels. White Wolf filed 17 counts of copyright infringement, and claimed over 80 points of unique similarity between White Wolf's gaming systems and
14652-474: The film series into a franchise with the possibility of spin-offs in addition to a television series. In January 2016, the filmmaker confirmed that he is still developing the series though there is no timetable for when it will debut. He stated that the series will explore characters that tie into the film series. The series officially entered development in September 2017. Wiseman was announced to return to
14800-582: The film series, expressed interest in being part of the prequel. The Hollywood Reporter announced that the film would be written by Danny McBride and mark the directorial début of Patrick Tatopoulos , who designed the creature effects for all three Underworld films. Len Wiseman would produce, and contribute to the writing of this film, but would not direct, nor would Kate Beckinsale reprise her lead role of Selene nor would Scott Speedman reprise his role of Michael. In late September 2007, scribes Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain were brought on board and delivered
14948-433: The film to fulfill an option agreement. In August 2015, it was reported by Deadline Hollywood that Tobias Menzies was cast in the film. In September 2015, Deadline reported that Bradley James , Clementine Nicholson, and Lara Pulver were also cast. The film was released internationally on November 24, 2016, and in the United States on January 6, 2017. In September 2018, Beckinsale cast doubt on appearing in
15096-399: The film's backstory . A surprise hit , the film grossed over $ 95 million worldwide against a production budget of $ 22 million and originated a franchise . The film was followed by Underworld: Evolution in 2006. For generations, vampires and Lycans , an ancient species of werewolf , have secretly waged war. The vampires gain the upper hand when Lycan leader Lucian seemingly dies at
15244-464: The film. These included some general plot points like vampires having superhuman speed or being able to disappear, and more specific similarities like a vampire/werewolf hybrid being referred to as an “Abomination”. White Wolf, Inc. also said the script was very similar to a story entitled The Love of Monsters (1994), which they published, written by Nancy A. Collins. In September 2003, a judge granted White Wolf an expedited hearing. The lawsuit ended in
15392-417: The first and most savage werewolf. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans focuses primarily on the origins of some characters and the events leading to the vampire–lycan war, depicted in the previous films. As shown in the film, the original werewolves were uncontrollable beasts, unable to retake human form once bitten. However, there was a single werewolf who gave birth to a human-looking child. This child carried
15540-416: The first immortal. Markus was also the twin brother of William Corvinus, and they each inherited the immortality strain in its active form from their father. Together, Markus and William both shared a bond as twins that Alexander never truly saw. Markus was later bitten by a bat, thus making him the progenitor of what would become the Vampire species. His twin, William, was bitten by a wolf and went on to ravage
15688-400: The first novelization (" Although nearly fifteen centuries old, the Lady Amelia still had all the youthful beauty and haughty carriage of an international supermodel "). As such, Amelia was the youngest of all three Elders as well as the only female. She was elevated to the rank of an Elder, both in order to help control the chaos created by Markus's brother William (the first werewolf; William
15836-464: The franchise as executive producer . The filmmaker stated that the series will be a "pretty big departure from the films", specifying that the tone and character of the show will be different. The series will be a joint-venture production between Sony Pictures Television , Screen Gems , Sketch Films, Lakeshore Entertainment , and 20th Century Television . Wiseman indicated the project was still in development in 2023. In September 2003, shortly after
15984-464: The hands of vampire Kraven , who becomes the second-in-command to the vampires' leading elders. Selene , a member of an elite group of vampire assassins known as "Death Dealers" , continues to pursue the extermination of the Lycans despite other vampires no longer perceiving them as a threat. After a clash with the Lycans, Selene discovers that they are after Michael Corvin, a seemingly ordinary medical student. Disregarding Kraven’s insistence to ignore
16132-407: The immortal strain in its active form: twin brothers Markus and William. Markus was bitten by a bat and metamorphosed into the first vampire . William was bitten by a rabid wolf and metamorphosed into the first werewolf . William became a savage beast that was unable to ever assume human form again, something Alexander attributed to his uncontrollable rage. Only Alexander's third son (who inherited
16280-425: The immortal strain in its inactive form) remained a human. Markus and his vampire army (led by Viktor ) captured his brother William and locked him in a secret prison for over 800 years, the location of which was kept from Markus. When Viktor ordered his vampire daughter executed for having been impregnated by a Lycan, he inadvertently touched off a centuries-long war between lycans and vampires. Alexander chose to keep
16428-410: The leadership and organization of the Vampire Nation was scattered and divided. The leadership and organization of the Vampire Nation is once again restored following the ascension of Selene, David, and Lena as the new Vampire Elders. In the post-production of the film, the pallor of the Vampires was achieved via D.I. As explained by Selene in the first Underworld film, a bite from both a Lycan and
16576-437: The main protagonist. Viktor is a Vampire Elder, and the main antagonist in Underworld and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans . He is portrayed by Bill Nighy . Viktor is a Hungarian general and warlord born sometime in the 4th or early 5th century. As he is nearing the end of his life, Markus Corvinus , the first true Vampire , offers immortality in exchange for Viktor's military expertise and army in fighting against
16724-445: The members so that they could become what she used to be, as there are not any left within the coven. David dies after a raid by Lycans led by Quint Lane, but he is revived by Selene using her Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid blood, metamorphosing him into a Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid too. During the final assault on Antigen, David, now with similar abilities to Selene, including sunlight immunity, arrives to help unexpectedly. Armed with
16872-421: The more he wants her. When it becomes evident that Selene has fallen in love with Michael Corvin , Kraven becomes insanely jealous and highly irrational , demanding Michael's head, and even shooting Michael multiple times with silver nitrate bullets, nearly killing him. However, Selene revives Michael in the nick of time by biting him, thus turning him into a Hybrid. In his quest for power, Kraven enters into
17020-583: The most powerful of their race, even stronger than Lycans in Werewolf form. In the novelizations, the Vampire population as a whole is referred to as the "Vampire Nation", consisting of covens ; traditionally, before the events of Evolution , the two main covens were the Old World Coven (based in Hungary , in the environs of Budapest , with branch covens all-over the Euro-Asian continent ), and
17168-444: The mystical weaknesses of mythological Vampires (crosses, holy water, garlic, stakes, etc.); however, they are highly vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. They can also die from a broken neck, blood loss , nightshade poisoning, dismemberment, mutilation, and other extreme physical trauma, especially if their head or heart is destroyed or removed. The oldest Vampires, the Elders, are, by consequence of their great ages, therefore
17316-477: The new Lycan leader, Marius. His resurrection has become something of a legend amongst the Vampires as he is the first Vampire to have ever been brought back from the dead. His fighting skills also have been honed and he is now a capable combatant. After Semira betrays them, David and his father rescued Selene, but Thomas is killed after telling David to take Selene to the Nordic Coven. David is able to use his sunlight immunity to escape Semira's clutches and learns from
17464-449: The new leader of the Eastern Coven. Using some of Amelia's blood she had left behind in case anything happened to her, David was able to prove his claim as Amelia's rightful heir. In the third instalment of the Underworld franchise, there was an unspoken allusion that Viktor was plotting to get rid of her and replace her with his daughter Sonja: Viktor kept saying " When you are an Elder" to Sonja rather than If , but he never alluded to
17612-592: The non-canon novel, Underworld: Blood Enemy , Soren lost his position in Viktor's good graces after he left Viktor's daughter Sonja, whom he was charged to protect, alone during an ambush by mortals who were hateful of Vampires. He also remained ignorant of the fact that Sonja was in love with the Lycan Lucian until he was informed by a Lycan woman who had been obsessed with Lucian and resented him falling for Sonja. Soren informed Viktor, who then executed his daughter. Viktor blamed Soren for not protecting her. Soren
17760-461: The novelization of the first film. She is a Vampire seductress, a social-climbing courtier in Viktor 's mansion, obsessed with rising through the ranks of the vampire aristocracy . She is a high-ranking maid who most recently began seeking the attentions of Kraven , as well as having a one-sided rivalry with Selene. Kraven is portrayed by actor Shane Brolly . The name "Kraven" is a derivation of
17908-412: The original concept for the film and wrote the original screenplay, which was inspired by Romeo and Juliet alongside his college studies, which based vampirism and lycanthropy on a viral mutagen rather than mythology. McBride and Wiseman soon stepped in to work on the script, which they soon set out to make a trilogy of films. Each received credit for their work on the film, and Grevioux also appeared in
18056-543: The other Elders'. He is killed by Selene, who cuts his head in half with his own sword. In Blood Wars , Selene is hunted by the Vampires for killing Viktor. Selene's only two allies are Thomas, who has no love for Viktor, and his son David, whose mother is secretly Viktor's fellow Elder Amelia. Due to the threat of the new Lycan leader Marius, the Vampire Council agrees to pardon Selene for Viktor's death if she will train their new Death Dealers, but Semira, an old favorite of Viktor, frames Selene for murder to get revenge. Following
18204-496: The other, William, by a wolf, resulting in the vampire and werewolf lines. Corvinus's unnamed third son, who did not inherit immortality, also carried the Corvinus Strain as an exact duplicate of the original pathogen, hidden away in his genetic code and passed along to his human descendants through the centuries. This, according to Singe , is the key to creating a hybrid. In Underworld: Evolution , Selene takes Michael to
18352-421: The point where they can partially metamorphose to physically enhance themselves further, while age also gives them a limited tolerance to silver. As explained by Selene in the first Underworld film, though, a bite from both a Lycan and a Vampire is lethal, but Michael's heritage allows him to survive and metamorphose into a hybrid of both species. Originally, Lycans were seen as a lesser race and were enslaved by
18500-499: The prison key that holds William Corvinus). Alexander is visited by Markus, who impales him with his wing talon, takes Viktor's half of the key and leaves him for dead. As Alexander lays dying, he calls Selene to him to drink some of his pure immortal blood. The blood, he tells her, will make her "the future" and is her only hope of being strong enough to destroy the Corvinus brothers. After Selene and Michael leave, Alexander detonates
18648-452: The product of a mutation of the Plague . It is revealed in the film that Alexander Corvinus is the first of the vampire and lycan lines. He was the only survivor of the plague that wiped out his village. Somehow, his body was able to mutate the pathogen , mold it to his own benefit. He had three sons, two of whom inherited their father's immortality and were bitten, one, Markus, by a bat, and
18796-424: The release of Underworld , production companies Screen Gems and Lakeshore planned to release a prequel as the third film following Underworld ' s sequel, Underworld: Evolution . Kate Beckinsale, who portrayed Selene in Underworld , expressed interest in reprising her role for the sequel and the prequel. In December 2005, Underworld: Evolution director Len Wiseman explained that the Underworld franchise
18944-408: The same degree as his son Quint. During Selene's attack on Antigen, he battles Detective Sebastian and Eve and is killed when Eve rips out his throat. He is portrayed by Stephen Rea . Quint Lane is the son of Dr. Jacob Lane, who is as corrupt as his father. After the public discovers him as a Lycan, his father helps to fake his death in order to continue his experiments on him. He metamorphoses into
19092-406: The same name . After the events of Evolution , Selene is no longer merely a Vampire but a Vampire/Corvinus-Strain Hybrid, now more powerful and also immune to UV radiation. At the end of Underworld: Blood Wars , Selene is not only accepted once again by the Vampire Covens but also named a new Vampire Elder alongside David and Lena. In the non-canon novel, Underworld: Blood Enemy , Selene is also
19240-463: The secret history of vampires and lycans (an abbreviated form of lycanthrope , which means werewolf). The main plot revolves around Selene (Beckinsale), a vampire Death Dealer hunting Lycans. She finds herself attracted to a human, Michael Corvin (Speedman), who is being targeted by the Lycans. After Michael is bitten by a Lycan, Selene must decide whether to do her duty and kill him or go against her clan and save him. Underworld premiered at
19388-605: The sequel and appears in the comic book prequel as well. Not much is revealed about Soren's past; rumors surrounding him say that he is almost as old as Viktor himself (and was probably bitten by the Vampire Elder). Soren was originally Viktor's bodyguard, a position he may have held since before either were Vampires. Later, he served as the head torturer in Viktor's employ. He proved to be very skilled in taming Lycan slaves with silver-edged whips, and he even used them on Lucian at Viktor's request prior to Sonja's execution. In
19536-407: The situation, Selene privately investigates Michael. The pair is pursued by a group of Lycans led by Lucian, who manages to bite Michael during their escape. Since Kraven was the only witness to Lucian's supposed death, Selene begins to suspect that he lied about the death and may be working with the Lycans. Selene prematurely awakens Viktor , a hibernating elder vampire and leaves to hide Michael in
19684-486: The son of the Vampire Elder Amelia and thus her rightful heir and the true leader of the Eastern Coven. At this revelation, Semira's own Death Dealers turn on her, including her lover Varga, and she is arrested. Semira manages to escape when the Lycans attack the Coven and battles David, being an even match for him with her new powers and proficient fighting skills. Finally, David opens the shutters to Semira's office and lets in
19832-514: The story of Selene ( Kate Beckinsale ) a Death Dealer bent on destroying the lycans who allegedly killed her family. She discovers that the lycans are pursuing a human, Michael Corvin, for experimentation; Selene captures Michael herself to find out what the lycans are up to. Along the way, Selene not only discovers a mutinous plot to destroy the vampire Elders, but also a shocking revelation about her father figure Elder, Viktor . The vampires and lycans are not supernatural creatures, but rather
19980-437: The sunlight, causing Semira to get distracted by enjoying her new sunlight immunity as David intended. With Semira distracted, David stabs her through the back of the head and out of her mouth with a sword, killing her in the same manner she murdered his father, Thomas. She is portrayed by Lara Pulver . Werewolves in the Underworld films, like their Vampire counterparts, are biologically immortal transgenics . Lycans display
20128-518: The things he knew secret until it was of use to him. Coveting a rise in status to a member of the Vampire Council , Tanis enters into a covert alliance with Sonja and Lucian, aiding them in exchange for his silence and Sonja's seat on the council; his part in Sonja's and Lucian's plan remained a secret after Sonja's execution and later after Lucian's faked death. However, over 300 years prior to
20276-423: The upper hand and attempts to strangle him. Selene rouses from her disorientation and kills Viktor by beheading him with his sword. Now enemies of both vampires and Lycans, Selene and Michael flee the Lycans' lair together. Back at the vampires' mansion, Marcus, now the sole surviving vampire elder, awakens after Singe's blood seeps into his sarcophagus. In 2000, Danny McBride met Len Wiseman through Nick Reed, who
20424-401: The war contained from ever spilling into the mortal realm. He hired humans to clean up after the battles and to help conceal their existence from the normal human population. Alexander states in Underworld: Evolution that he believes he and his sons were oddities of nature, and that the world is not theirs to conquer but belongs to the humans. Despite not displaying any powers of his own, he
20572-517: Was in production with Kate Beckinsale reprising her role as Selene and Anna Foerster set to direct the fifth film in Prague in October. Theo James was set to reprise his role as David from the fourth film as the new lead, but said that "[his] involvement in it is... I think it's going to be very difficult to do that with these Divergent movies, and my other commitments." James however remained in
20720-404: Was intoxicating. Sonja tried to imagine what it would be like to bathe in such a tub; her skin tingled beneath her gown. It was said that Amelia herself sometimes indulged in such luxurious ablutions in order to enhance her beauty ", Blood Enemy novelization, chapter 8). Erika is portrayed by Sophia Myles . She is a character in the first two films of the Underworld film series as well as in
20868-555: Was killed and "bled dry" by Lycans led by Raze during an attack on her train. In Blood Wars , Amelia was illustrated as having been something of a ' coven-builder ', founding or else supporting the founding of a number of covens. It is also later revealed that Amelia and a high-ranking Vampire Thomas (later the leader of the Western Coven following the events of the Purge) had fallen in love, having fought first-generation Werewolves alongside one another, and, at some point, had entered into
21016-432: Was once in love with Viktor's daughter Sonja . After he discovered their forbidden affair, Viktor murdered her. Lucian claims that Lycans were once slaves of vampires, and the war began when they rose up against them and fought for their freedom. At the vampires' mansion, a captive Singe reveals that Selene was being honest about Kraven's betrayal, and he reveals why the Lycans want Michael: vampires and Lycans actually have
21164-423: Was originally conceived as a trilogy. Wiseman said, "We sort of mapped out an entire history and story... a massive collection of ideas and stories that we're putting out at certain times." Wiseman anticipated creating a third installment for the franchise based on the audiences' reception of Underworld: Evolution , which would be released the following month. In a June 2006 interview, Wiseman said, "The third film
21312-715: Was scheduled for release on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles in 2004, but it only saw release for the PlayStation 2 in Europe, and was cancelled in all other regions. Underworld (2003 film) Underworld is a 2003 action horror film directed by Len Wiseman in his feature film directorial debut , from a screenplay by Danny McBride , based on a story by Kevin Grevioux , Wiseman, and McBride. The film stars Kate Beckinsale , Scott Speedman , Michael Sheen , Shane Brolly , and Bill Nighy . The plot centers on
21460-400: Was supposed to be awakened before him. Meanwhile, en route to the mansion to awaken Marcus, vampire elder Amelia , the coven's current ruler, is ambushed and killed by Lycans, who have tracked her with Kraven's assistance. Selene escapes the mansion and abducts the Lycan scientist Singe , while the Lycans capture Michael. While held captive in the Lycans' lair, Michael soon learns that Lucian
21608-452: Was the agent for both of them with intent for them to work together on a script the former wrote. While the plans for that film fizzled out, they did set out a plan to work together. Kevin Grevioux had graduated from Howard University with a degree in microbiology, but he developed a desire to study film in cinematography and screenwriting. He dropped out of graduate studies and moved to Los Angeles , where he became an actor. He came up with
21756-523: Was unable to return to human form after his metamorphosis and his bite caused even the dead to metamorphose into werewolves) and to perform the role as a tie-breaker between her fellow Elders Markus and Viktor if there was ever a deadlock in the ruling of the coven. Her original background prior to her Vampirism is as yet unrevealed. In 1202 AD. Amelia had to side with Viktor (who also sought to undermine Markus's authority, something he could not do without her help), supported him in locking up William within
21904-592: Was used. In October 2016, Kate Beckinsale stated that a crossover film between Underworld and the Blade franchise , featuring Wesley Snipes reprising his role as Blade , had been in development and discussed with Marvel Comics the previous year, but was declined after Marvel Studios regained the film rights to the character and planned to introduce him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe . In October 2016, producer David Kern revealed that
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