Ernesto De La Cruz

## Personality

At first glance, Ernesto presents himself as a charming, suave, wise, friendly, and sensible individual who encouraged others to follow their dreams no matter what, making him seem like a positive role model to many individuals in the living world. Ernesto saved Miguel when he fell in his pool out of genuine kindness and was genuinely going to give him his blessing and allow him back to the Land of the Living. That is, that was before Miguel discovered his secret, so it is debatable whether that act of decency was sincere or not.

However, it is later revealed that Ernesto was selfish, vain, fame-hungry, and desperate in life to the point of being a rank opportunist. His ambition was so extreme that it drove him to murder his best friend Héctor, who wanted to go home to his family, and subsequently steal his songbook and guitar to achieve fame and glory. He was even arrogant enough to hide this secret in one of his films, which led to his exposure and eventual downfall.

Leaving behind a profound legacy after his death, Ernesto was determined to maintain this and was willing to go to malicious lengths (his murders, even more, darker after he died) to keep his image alive. Even Miguel, a boy who greatly idolized him and was thought to be his blood, was seen as a liability to the extent that he would resort to murdering the child to hide his secret, with no remorse whatsoever for his heinous acts; staring coldly after Miguel when he sent him falling to his death and nonchalantly passing off the grief the action had on the late Rivera family while giving the helpless Héctor, Miguel's true ancestor, a cruel apology.

While Miguel, Héctor, and Imelda had great passions for music and (despite their flaws from them) stronger values in family, Ernesto had none of these qualities; he only used music to gain popularity and willing to kill or use those with whom he had close relationships to get it. As such, he is a dark parallel to Héctor and what Miguel might have become if he had followed Ernesto's path.

When his actions were revealed and his former fans turned on him, Ernesto could only be silently distraught to realize he had lost everything for which he had worked as he was condemned for his vile actions.

Ernesto was also, in contrast to his suave appearance and daring movie roles, a filthy coward. This was shown when Héctor, despite their differing skeletal structures and his declining condition, furiously attacked him after realizing Ernesto's hand in his death and later fleeing confrontation with an angered Rivera family, calling his security guards for these instances instead of defending himself. It should be noted that they outnumber him so it's understandable for him to flee instead of fighting them all at once. However, he still flees after calling his security guards to battle the Rivera family instead of helping his guards battle them, which perfectly shows his cowardice. Also, when Pepita confronts him for the crimes he committed against the family, Ernesto was left pathetically screaming and begging the *alebrije* to release him unharmed.

## Physical Appearance

Skeleton Appearance,Black Hair,Purple-Amber eyes,White suit,Bow in the middle of his chest,brown belt,white hat