Mor'du

“Your friends speaks wisdom. Wisdom or war, child, what is your choice?”

-Mor'du to Rihanna O'Malley

**Mor'du** is the main antagonist of Disney/Pixar's 2012 animated feature film *Brave*, and the titular protagonist of the short *The Legend of Mor'du*. He was an evil demon bear who was once a human prince and King Fergus' arch-enemy. Mor'du is the main antagonist of Fearless.

## Personality

Mor'du had once possessed a close familial bond with his father and three younger brothers. He was confident in his strength but confused this for character, and thus became extremely arrogant: this proved to be a trait that caused him to struggle with his loved ones. He let his pride control his actions and clashed with his family but, he was willing to let hatred and desire get the better off him. His desire for power drove him to go far enough to start a violent war, and then ultimately killed his own brothers in cold blood.

Mor'du's hatred and rage manifested through his actions and carnage, especially when he slaughtered his remaining family. However, after fighting his own men, his violent nature would eventually consume what was left of his humanity and sentience. As a result, Mor'du was left as a vicious, malevolent monster. His uncontrollable violence was so prominent that even a young woman could fall victim to his murderous intentions, and all of Scotland knew and feared him.

### Motives

Mor'du's motives in Fearless are mostly unknown, but it's known that he wants Rihanna's Necklace. C.J. also reveals he has a small army of his own children who are going to help him lead an army of undead monsters, but it is still unclear what his motive and\or plan is.

## Appearances

### *Brave*

Mor'du first appears at the beginning with King Fergus and Queen Elinor celebrating Merida's birthday. When Merida fires an arrow off into the woods and goes to find it, wisps appear and try to lead her with them. From the undergrowth, it is shown that Mor'du is watching her. When Merida finds herself back at the camp, her mother begins taking her away, but Mor'du attacks and Fergus with his household guard rush to defend his wife and child. Though they give the princess and the queen time to escape on horseback, Mor'du shows no fear nor vulnerability to them, even striking the head off a spear when Fergus tries to stab him. As Fergus draws his sword and goads the bear to attack, Mor'du strikes, cutting too black. Later, it is revealed that the sword shattered when Fergus struck the bear and his leg was eaten, giving him a great hatred of the monstrous bear.

When Merida shows her upset at having to marry one of the three lords' sons as her duty to the family, Queen Elinor tells Merida the story of four princes (one of which was Mor'du) who were to have the kingdom split for each, Mor'du plunged the kingdom into chaos by wanting to rule over them and be the best of them, suggesting that he waged war against his brothers. Merida goes to the witch's cottage, and the witch takes Merida's pendant as payment and says that a prince came to her and asked for the strength of ten men. When Merida asks if this changed his fate, the witch confirms it and shows her what he used as payment, a signet ring with two crossed axes.

Later, Merida and her mother (now turned into a bear) follow a trail of wisps to a foggy ruin, bearing the crossed axes of Mor'du's family. Merida explores, falling after walking on an unsteady piece of rubble. Inside, she finds a throne room very similar to her own family's and a shattered stone carving of four brothers, one of the brothers broken from the others. She slowly realizes that the prince who asked for the strength of ten men became Mor'du. Mor'du appears, stalking Merida from the shadows and he charges. Merida fires an arrow straight at his head, but the arrow does no damage whatsoever and doesn't even slow him down. Merida hurriedly tries to crawl up through the ruins and reach her mother's paw, with the gigantic bear trying to devour her. At the last second, she leaps and just manages to grab her mother's paw in time as Mor'du snarls and snaps after her. Merida and her mother run as fast as they can away, running to the great standing stones and bashing into them somewhat hard enough to leave a hairline crack along the tallest menhir in the circle.

Merida realizes she must mend the bond torn by pride (as the witch said), fixing a tapestry her mother had made of Merida and the family, thereby breaking the spell. However, her mother is attacked by King Fergus and chased to the ring of stones. As Merida rushes to save her mother and change her back, Mor'du stands from the shadows, following her. Mor'du then reveals himself and Fergus yells "Kill it!", but the great bear simply swats all opposition aside. When Merida herself becomes endangered by Mor'du as he prepares to eat her, Queen Elinor attacks, using her claws and teeth to defend her daughter, but Mor'du, proving much older and more dangerous, beats her down with his vast strength. Elinor, seeing the menhir they damaged earlier, smashes Mor'du against the menhir and damages it more, but is struck down. As Mor'du stalks towards Merida and her injured mother, the great stone falls on top of him, crushing him to death.

His tormented spirit is finally released, and he nods to Merida for freeing him before he becomes a wisp himself and disappears.

### *The Legend of Mor'du*

In the short film, the origin of Mor'du is explained: Mor'du was once a human prince, the eldest of four brothers, all the sons of a wise king beloved by his people. One dark autumn, the king grew ill. On his death-bed, the king requested the kingdom be divided among his four sons, so together they could be the pillars that would hold it together and maintain peace. Alas, his firstborn son felt that, as the eldest and the technical heir, he alone had the right to rule the whole kingdom and a seed of selfishness grew in him like a poison. To his brothers, he claimed his right to rule and demanded their obedience, shattering the bonds of their brotherhood by breaking the family stone.

Words turned to war. Brother turned against brother in a war fought on four sides that changed the kingdom forever. While the eldest prince commanded a powerful army, the battle remained a bitter stalemate. Starving for victory, the prince cursed his fate and stalked the woods until he came to an ancient circle of stones. The Will-o-the-wisps appeared and led him to a dark loch where, not far from the shore, was the cottage of a witch. He demanded from her a spell that could change his fate. The strength of ten men he desired, and to persuade her he offered his signet ring. The bargain was struck though the Witch could see his wounded soul. She completed the spell in the form of a potion but offered him a choice: To fulfill his dark wish or heal the bonds of the family he had broken.

The prince baited his brothers with a false truce, but when they met in their father's throne room he once again declared himself the sole ruler and demanded their obedience. When his brothers defied him again, he drank the spell, which immediately took effect. It gave him strength tenfold, but, to his surprise, it also transformed him into a great black bear. Only by mending the bonds torn by pride could he break the spell. Instead, he accepted the form of the monster and slew his brothers in cold blood.

He returned to command his army, but they saw only the dreaded beast and so turned against him. He slaughtered a great many while the rest fled the kingdom in terror. With the armies of the brothers fractured, the kingdom fell into darkness and ruin, and the blight of the Great Black, Mor'du, fell across his domain.

## Fanfictions

### Fearless

Mor'du has appeared in Fearless, in the ally way where he begins to attack Rihanna and Carter, but is unexpectedly stopped by C.J.. He also returns and fights Alex and Rihanna.

### What Others Have To Say About Mor'du

“Cult? Get educated Mor’du. It’s not even considered religion. And don’t got around talking about disrespect. If anything, that’s you. Brothers. Dose that ring a bell?”

-Alexandra Hollis on Einherjar and Mor'du's family

## Relationships

### Canon

#### Family

##### Three Younger Brothers

Before the death of his father, Mor'du and his younger brothers had a decent relationship. But when they began arguing over who should take the throne, and the war between them started, eventually resulting in Mor'du killing his siblings.

#### Callista Jones

C.J. and her father get along terribly. C.J.'s stubborness and temper often match her father's, but luckily for her she had better and more realistic intentions of helping her 'friends' save the world from her father, his army and her half-siblings.

It's also known that C.J. originally ran away from her father's barracks, resulting in stopping him in an earlier attempt to cause destruction. This leaves their relationship in pieces, and makes the two brutal enemies.

#### Joanna Harris

Jo and her father don't get along very well, but Jo tries to play meek when he gives her orders, and she remains loyal to him, in the hopes she'll rule alongside him.

### Canon

* Merida
* Queen Elinor
* King Fergus
* Witch (possibly)

### Fanfiction

#### Rihanna O'Malley

When Mor'du tries to take Rihanna out because of her mother's herritage, Rihanna and Mor'du become enemies, and quickly the stakes begin to rise for them both.