Hector (animated series)

is a major character in the Castlevania animated series, serving as one of Dracula's two human generals in his army (the other being Isaac). He is a Forgemaster who uses a hammer to bring humans and animals back from the dead and to call demons from Hell into corpses; the resulting creations become newly living monsters which can be enlisted in Dracula's army, loyal to Hector's intent.
He was voiced by Theo James in the English version of the show.Theo James is the Devil Forgemaster Hector at Adi Shankar's Bootleg Universe (Instagram).
==History==
===Background===
Hector hates humans because of his hard childhood. As a child, he discovered an ability to reanimate dead animals, which he tried to keep as pets. For this, he was despised by his mother, who wished he'd never been born, and his father, a selfish alchemist. Eventually, Hector burned his house to the ground with his parents inside of it. After shunning human contact or they rejecting him, Hector eventually moved to live a solitary life in Rhodes, Greece, and was later found by Dracula while he was traveling who heard about him from local scholars. Hector eventually became a Forgemaster under Dracula's orders. After Lisa's death, Dracula asked for his abilities to build an army of creatures of the night.
===General in Dracula's army and alliance with Carmilla===
During the events of Dracula's war against humans, Carmilla gained Hector's trust and convinced him to join her coup against Dracula, pointing out that not only Dracula turned insane, but he also misled Hector about his original intentions, while really planning to destroy all humanity. Hector eventually joined Carmilla and was instrumental in the defeat of Dracula's vampire army.
===Imprisonment in Styria===
However, after Dracula himself was killed, Carmilla took Hector captive once the sun went down and said he would make her an army like Dracula. While first disobeying, Carmilla merely laughed and slapped him. She then told the Forgemaster the hard truth that he was now her pet. Hector was then subjugated to Carmilla's sinister humor as the vampire brutally beat him into submission. Only after twenty savage punches to his face could a badly battered Hector meekly raise his hands to plead for mercy, to which Carmilla finally stopped. His face was bleeding and swollen as he had to follow her to Styria against his will, since she planned to use him for rebuilding her military power. On that march Hector suffered a lot of hardships, to the point of Carmilla even taking away his boots for herself, making Hector walk barefoot through the snow.
When they arrived to Styria, Hector was thrown in a cell, was fed spoiled food and wasn't even given any clothing. However, Carmilla's sisters from the ruling Council were critical of her treatment of Hector, pointing out that it wasn't helping his cooperation in building their army for her plans of conquest.
===Alliance with Lenore===
Lenore, their diplomat, took on herself the responsibility of making Hector cooperate with the Council. By showing him kinder treatment and social interaction, she was able to gain his trust. Although Hector would first try to grab her and use the vampire diplomat as leverage to free himself. He knew that he probably could not kill her, and this was harshly demonstrated as Lenore warped behind him and beat him though not to the extent of Carmilla. He fell to the ground, and Lenore kicked him across the cell. She said he should not confuse her kinder nature for weakness and not try such a futile attempt again. As Lenore probed Hector what his supposed reward was for serving Dracula, Hector admitted that he assumed that he'd live out the rest of his life outside whatever enclosures were placed for the caged humans. It's there that Hector finally realized that Dracula never honored his idea from the start and, like Carmilla, misled him.
During their conversations, Lenore praised Hector for being stoic and never giving up on himself despite his hardships. She took him on a walk at night, showing Hector the panoramic view from the castle balcony, and Hector, while first questioning whether she misses the daylight, admitted that the night view of the mountains under the stars is fantastic.
Eventually, Lenore managed to seduce him, practically making Hector fall in love with her while promising to run away with him. Hector proclaimed his loyalty to Lenore, which allowed her during intercourse with Hector to use a special magic bond through the rings created by the Blacksmith Magician that ensured that Hector and his night creatures had to remain loyal to Lenore and to the rest of the Council through the proxy of other rings that she gave to her sisters.
Hector was heartbroken as a result, not expecting such kind of betrayal from Lenore. On the other hand, Lenore showed some ambiguity toward their situation, hinting that she likely could also care about Hector more than just about her job assignment.
At Carmilla's castle, Hector is no longer contained in a cage. He has free roam of his designated area and clothes more suited to his liking. He also places strange devices inside cracks of the castle when no one is looking. Hector was able to bribe a transmission mirror from a vampire within the castle. He uses it to contact Varney and reveals there is another transmission mirror in possession of the court in Targoviste. Hector blackmails a different vampire to obtain a map of Hell and continues lacing the cracks of the building with mysterious devices.
Lenore visits him while he is making a new hammer at his workshop. She admits that she is wary about Carmilla's plans and her role in all of it. Lenore also points out how she was standing between Hector and Carmilla's impatience about his progress for weeks, and somewhat surprised Hector thanks her for it. During their conversation, Lenore and Hector banter and flirt with each other as a genuinely close couple.
Sometime later, while working on forging a new creature for the army, Lenore admits that Carmilla's schemes have gone far beyond her expectations. Their last conversation resulted in Carmilla ultimately admitting that she intends to take over the entire world. Hector shows sympathy for Lenore's problems and points out that all this bothers her because Carmilla lied to her in the same way Dracula lied to him.
After some more time, one night Isaac's night creatures invade the castle and engage its vampire guards. Carmilla's own night creature forces attempt to fight back, but the Forgemaster ultimately makes his way inside the castle with the help of his powerful familiars. As war rages throughout the castle, Lenore rushes to find Hector to take him to safety, but he refuses and instead traps her inside a magic cage to prevent her from interfering (and also to protect her from danger). She doesn't understand what's happening and Hector relays a message to Saint Germain using his transmission mirror, further confusing her. Lenore asks what Hector is up to and he admits he's been conspiring with others to revive Dracula.
===Reconciliation with Isaac===
Isaac arrives shortly after, and Hector demands he leave her out of their personal conflict. He reveals the plot to revive Dracula and says he's done everything to atone for his betrayal. Ready for Isaac to take his revenge, Hector offers his life to him without a fight asking in exchange to spare Lenore. However, Isaac reveals he's not here to take revenge.
Isaac asks Hector to stop his night creatures, but he's unable to do so. Instead, Hector gives him a rune that will give him access to an escape channel created when Hector places those mysterious devices in the cracks of the castle. This channel will take Isaac to the top of the castle, and Lenore stays safe with Hector in return. Even with the channel, it will take time to fight Hector's night creatures. To deal with this, Hector severs his ring finger, and Isaac cauterizes the wound for him.
No longer under the ring's spell, Hector cuts off all control over his night creatures by Carmilla and unleashes them on her remaining forces. Isaac thanks his former fellow and leaves after. Distraught, Lenore comments that Isaac will murder Carmilla, and Hector confirms it but comments that Isaac won't harm Lenore herself and expresses his surprise that Isaac decided to spare him too.
===Final outcome and Lenore's fate===
Following Isaac's victory over Carmilla, he meets with Hector to talk about Dracula's resurrection. Hector wants penance, but Isaac believes Dracula has earned his rest. Isaac doesn't blame Hector for what happened after taking so much time to think. He admits to having talked to people, and Hector points out how much he's changed. Isaac believes Hector has changed as well and implores him to allow Dracula to sleep forever. Isaac asks what Hector wants now, and the latter decides he simply wants to be left alone with Lenore.
As dawn approaches in the newly conquered Styrian castle, Lenore feels that everything is over and pointless. Hector believes things just changed, but apparently, vampires aren't big on change. Lenore doesn't think Hector understood Carmilla at all. She believes that at the core of all, Carmilla's chaotic plans was the "vampire's virtue". Vampires desire for everything to remain the same and be stable, but Hector argues that Carmilla wanted the power to rule the world.
Frustrated, Lenore shatters her wine glass and confesses that she's been living a lie now, being kept as a dangerous animal under King Isaac. Lenore refuses to exist this way, even if it is with Hector. Hector attempts to stop her, but Lenore wishes to see what's so special about the sun, effectively announcing her intention to take her own life. He accepts that she needs to be free and tells her he's going to write a book. Hector has found the value and the beauty of things that exist longer than himself and plans to record their mistakes, so no one in the future repeats them.
Lenore walks outside as the sun rises and looks out into the mountainous valley. As the sunlight gleams from between the mountains, Lenore notices Hector behind her and asks if that's all there is to the sun. Unimpressed, Lenore laughs and tells Hector he's a silly man before turning to ash from the sun before his eyes while smiling at him. Hector watches with grief, unable to smile back right away, but then walks to the spot where Lenore died and returns his smile while facing the sun.
==Appearance and personality==
Hector's physical appearance is similar to that in Curse of Darkness, as he is wearing his Forgemaster outfit. He has pale silver-gray hair cut into a bob, pale blue-green eyes and light bronze skin. After being imprisoned by Carmilla, Hector was stripped naked until presented a new, albeit ragged, set of clothes, such as a shirt, trousers, and boots.
Though pleasant and reasonable, Hector ran afoul with the humans in his life because his gifts as a forge master are inherently repulsive. He is cold with those he does not trust, having resentment toward humans due to his childhood. His mother despised him for his gifts, and his father sought to use them cruelly for personal gain. Hector escaped their abuse by killing them. Since then, he has either been pushed away from or avoided interaction with humans. However, he does not wish for them all to be exterminated, hoping Dracula to have plans to cull them and keep a controlled, caged population. Ideally, humans would be treated mercifully in their caged conditions.
Despite his resentment for humanity, Hector is a gentle soul and is an honorable man who despises malice and values friendship. He started using his natural gift at forgemastery because he was sad that animals had died. Hector loves the dead animals that he has revived using his abilities, even giving them names, and his inner warmth is often shown through the way he cares for them. Even though he has no connection or love for humans, he dislikes seeing them suffer. Hector keeps many undead pets but treats them, of all creatures, with empathy. He fails to realize how abusive most vampires are with their "pets".
It's worth noting that because of his many years living on the island of Rhodes in isolation from humans with only forged night creatures as the only company he keeps, Hector was left guileless of the world around him. As a result, he never mentally grew as a functioning adult without anyone to morally guide him or find another form of life.
All Hector wants is to freely engage in his cherished work of intellectual pursuits (e.g., studying and practicing magic, as well as more general ones such as creating, reading, thinking, learning, etc.), have fun with his pets, and be respected and loved. Unlike humans, vampires see value in Hector's knowledge and forgemastery. Indeed, while human society is anti-intellectual at the time, vampire civilization appeals to Hector for its intellectualist and knowledge-centric orientation. Thus, for Hector, vampires are his natural social group. Unfortunately for Hector, most vampires disdain humans, are cruel, and see him only for his use. Worse still, vampires are physically superior, with ages of experience in manipulation. If pushed, Hector will fight back but lacks the strength to overcome vampires. Hector is naive and easy prey for them.
Hector is intelligent, educated and gifted, although he's also very naive. He's often described as a child in a man's body, and he is called a "puppy" by Carmilla. Hector takes people at face value. He's especially vulnerable to feigned respect and empathy. Because he is unsuspected, Hector can be swayed by those who point out how he's already being deceived. By not understanding the social factors around him, Hector lacks a strong center. Because of his child-like naivety, Hector is easily manipulated by the likes of Carmilla and Lenore, realizing all too late that their plans involve abusing him.
While being naive, Hector is stoic in the face of hardships that befall him. Lenore found it nice that even "beaten down a dozen different ways," Hector doesn't give up on himself.
After he was tricked by Lenore into servitude, he started developing a less gullible and more devious side, which was noticed by Carmilla despite Lenore's trust. At this point, he was not above blackmailing and bribing others to achieve his goals while keeping a facade of sheepish obeisance. His efforts to prepare an eventual escape from Styria along with Isaac would be what led Carmilla to her eventual demise.
Despite that, Hector was shown as capable of forgiveness and understanding, as he grew to genuinely care for Lenore after coming to know her better and forgave her for taking away his freedom, the same as Lenore grew to care for Hector herself. During Isaac's attack on Styria, Hector saved Lenore by stopping her with a magic trap from interfering with his attempt to help Isaac. Hector was willing to give up his life to Isaac without a fight in exchange for sparing Lenore's life, showing that she was dear to him.
==Powers and abilities==
===Powers===
*Magic: Hector has an extensive knowledge of magic, the full extent of which is left unrevealed, having called himself a "wizard" at least once. By using a talisman he focuses his will on, and by laying down enchanted pebbles (fenced posts) along a way leading to a intended destination , he or other magicians can erect force fields along the way of the fenced posts. While having the talisman, said force fields can spring forth from in either direction. He can create an energy cage-like structure to trap other creatures by joining both hands and chanting the phrase "Dantalion Presidio", such as when he contained Lenore in such a barrier to keep her from interfering with his plans and to protect her from the fighting. Dantalion is one of the 72 demons listed in Ars Goetia and "Dantalion Presidio" can be translated as "Dantalion - protect" or "protection of Dantalion". He also masterminded the complex necromantic resurrection of Dracula, albeit with the assistance and resources of the loyalists and the extra-dimensional expert Saint Germain.
**Enchantment: Hector, as a Forgemaster, possesses the knowledge, skill, and ability to create and construct magical (enchanted) weapons, items, and arsenals.
**Necromancy: Hector can bring creatures back to life from the dead. He considers these resurrected beings to be fully alive. As Hector explains to Godbrand, his revived dog Cezar is "not dead" because Forgemasters "make life from death" rather than merely raising the dead. Nevertheless, Hector is able to bring the Bishop back to partial life as a zombie. Hector also is able to revive deceased animals, which seem to revive complete with original memories and personality. This animal reanimation technique seems to be an intuitive aptitude, as Hector was able to do it instinctively as a child.
**Spiritual metaphysics: As befitting a magician, necromancer, and Forgemaster, Hector has extensive knowledge of the nature of souls and their manipulation and utilization through magic.
**Devil forging: Hector has the power to create new creatures of the night from corpses. The eyes of his creations glow blue, as opposed to Isaac's red.
===Abilities===
*Genius-level Intellect: It is implied, and later shown, that Hector, while lacking in wisdom and life experience, is a highly intelligent and well learned person, in particular, a genius-level prodigy in magic and other academic fields, given his mention by scholars to Dracula and his natural talent for devil forge-mastery from a young age, despite Isaac saying it is a skill that takes years of study to master. His plotting against the Council of Sisters is further proof of his exceptional mind, as he was able to simultaneously mastermind the resurrection of Dracula, stall the Council's plans for weeks, lay traps and escape routes through magic throughout the castle, and set up a meticulous scheme to topple Styria under the Council's very noses. Hector also has an extensive knowledge of a wide variety of academic disciplines, the full extent of which is left unrevealed and is only hinted at.
**Alchemy: In part due to his upbringing by his father, Hector is knowledgeable and skilled in art and science of alchemy.
**Craftsmanship: In addition to his application of crafting to magic, Hector is knowledgeable and skilled in the more mundane versions and applications of craftsmanship, such as metal-smithing.
*Indomitable will: As previously stated, Hector, although he is naive, is stoic in the face of hardships that befall him. Lenore found it nice that even though he was "beaten down a dozen different ways," Hector doesn't give up on himself.
==Appearances==
		
==Quotes==
*"There is more wanton bloodshed than I would like. I don't love the rest of humanity. I don't wanna share a world with them, but... the suffering..." ("War Council")
*"You do not question my loyalty. All I'm saying is that our goal can be met without gleefully paddling in the blood of children." ("Old Homes")
:- Hector: And which am I? Child or animal?
:- Carmilla: Puppy. Somewhere between the two.
:- Hector: I thought you wanted me to believe you respected me.
:- Carmilla: I did. Now you're implicated, so I don't need to. You're hip-deep in this now, puppy, and the only way out is forward.
:— ("Last Spell")
:- Hector: I know I can't kill you, but you call the guard and tell him to unlock this *** door or I will rip your *** throat out and break your *** neck, and we'll just see how *** well you live.
:- Lenore: (beat him into a pulp and hiss) My *** throat?
:— ("Investigators")
:- Lenore: (about Carmilla) And if she'd meant to torture you, you would have arrived here carrying your guts in both hands with a spike up your ***.
:- Hector: I suppose that's true. I mean, I can see her doing it. In nightmares and such.
:- Lenore: She does have a temper, but she's logical. She never lets it run away with her to the point of, oh, I don't know, condemning the entire human race to death? Just a recent example of what being genuinely insane with murderous rage looks like.
:— ("The Good Dream")
:- Lenore: I have all the power, and you're a pretty man in a box.
:- Hector: I'm- I'm pretty?.
:— ("What the Night Brings")
*"I am a forgemaster. I didn't invent the name, alright? That's just what they call us. And the magic has to be focused through an instrument, like breath being pushed through a flute." ("Having the World")
:– Hector: Could you seriously not have considered taking the arrow out of his brain?
:– Lenore: Just pull the thing out.
:– Hector: You can't just pull the arrows out. The barbs on the back of the arrowhead tear the flesh open if you yank the thing free.''
:– Lenore: You do know he's already dead?
:– Hector: Would you want to wake up with an arrowhead filling your eye socket?
:— ("Back in the World")
*"I'm a wizard, remember? Not to be trusted. ("You Don't Deserve My Blood")
:– Hector: I've been conferring with fellow scholars on a way to bring Dracula back. It seemed only fair, since I got him killed in the first place. And I laid a few traps in here during the month, because, well, you never know when you're going to need a good cage, do you?
:– Lenore: You've gone mad.
:– Hector: I've been mad. This doesn't feel like that. Maybe I've gone sane.
*I think I'm going to write a book. The future should know the mistakes we made. And recently, I've been caused to know the value... and the beauty... of things that live longer than I do. (Hector's last line in "It's Been a Strange Ride")
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
*Hector and Isaac initially weren't shown to be rivals in the animated series. In fact, Isaac mentioned that he had respect for him. However, as the story progressed and Hector joined Carmilla betraying Dracula, Isaac started plotting revenge against Hector. Despite this, by the end of the series the two would forgive each other and make peace.
*Despite their origins in Castlevania: Curse of Darkness, in which they excelled in the art of summoning Innocent Devils, the main occupation of both Forgemasters in the animated series is to perform rituals similar to necromancy to either bring people and animals back from the dead (probably victims of previous raids) or transmogrify their corpses into creatures of the night in order to enlist them in Dracula's army. Like in the games, all forged beings are loyal to the Forgemaster's intent.
*Hector's pet puppy, Cezar, is an homage to Sam Deats's late dog "Bunny", who passed away shortly before Season 2's production started.@SamuelDeats at X (October 26, 2018).
*Hector's hammer resembles the Warhammer from Curse of Darkness, although smaller.Main article: Castlevania (animated series) Easter eggs: Hector's Warhammer
*The wind rose shaped symbol that Hector bears on the has a passing resemblance to the from the original timeline.
**Miranda, another Forgemaster, also bears a similar symbol on her neck.
*His Japanese voice actor, Takahiro Sakurai, also voiced Jonathan Morris in the Japanese version of Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin.
*His voice actor, Theo James, played the vampire David in the Underworld films. Bill Nighy, who played Saint Germain, also appears in Underworld as the vampire elder Viktor. Curiously, both Hector and Saint Germain made their first appearances in Curse of Darkness.
==See also==
*Devil Forgemaster (animated series)
*Hector
*Isaac (animated series)
*Night Creatures
==References==
==External links==
*Hector (Netflix's Castlevania) at the Base Breaking Character Wiki
*Hector (Netflix's Castlevania) at the Villainous Benchmark Wiki
*Hector (Netflix's Castlevania) at the Villains Wiki
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Category:Devil Forgemasters (animated series)
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Category:Male Characters
Category:Castlevania (Animated Series) Season 2 Characters
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Category:Castlevania (Animated Series) Season 4 Characters
Category:Castlevania (Animated Series) Characters