David Xanatos
Encyclopedia
David Xanatos is one of the primary characters of the animated series Gargoyles
. In the series, he is the founder, owner and CEO of Xanatos Enterprises and a member of the Illuminati
(He ranks at 36, which is the lowest of the society). Xanatos was voiced by (and his design inspired by) Star Trek: The Next Generation
' s Jonathan Frakes
.
One of the primary antagonist
s in the series, Xanatos' behavior is often ruthless and amoral
, although his personality is slightly softened later in the series by his affection for his wife Fox and their son Alex. His plans are often intricate and Machiavellian. However, he is notably not vindictive as he sees revenge
as foolish and even tends to try to see the positive side of his defeats. In fact, his plans often work out beneficially to him in one way or another, despite the frequent intervention of Goliath
, Xanatos' arch-rival, and his clan of Gargoyles
. He is obsessed with obtaining immortality
for himself and his family. His loyal right-hand man is Owen Burnett, a stoic man with extraordinary hidden talents Xanatos gained through equally remarkable circumstances.
Xanatos is a formidable fighter in his own right. In addition to advanced karate
and judo
skills, he also has a specialized red armored suit modeled on his Steel Clan that he wears frequently. He also has a highly advanced AI
and cyborg
clone modeled after himself, designed to do his bidding; it impersonates and represents him whenever he needs it to. This robot became the leader of the criminal group The Pack
under the name of Coyote and there was a time where he actually used it to try to capture the actual Coyote spirit.
. Young Xanatos received an anonymous letter which contained a set of valuable 10th century coins. He sold the coins for $20,000 and invested the money in a series of successful ventures, the first steps toward building his corporation. Xanatos's holdings include Xanatos Enterprises, the genetics
company Gen-U-Tech, the Scarab Corporation robotics firm, and the television franchise Pack Media Studios. Despite his father's belief that Xanatos did not deserve the gift that had launched his career, Xanatos continued to claim that he would one day prove himself a self-made man.
During this time, Xanatos took on Owen Burnett, a former employee of business rival Halcyon Renard, as his assistant. Eventually, Burnett revealed that he was actually Puck
, a Child of Oberon
, and offered Xanatos a tempting choice: a single wish (which could grant the immortality he sought) or a lifetime of service as the mortal Owen Burnett. Against Puck's expectations, Xanatos, confident that he could achieve immortality through other methods, chose Owen's service, and the decision deeply impressed Puck to keep his end of the bargain.
Xanatos learned of Castle Wyvern from Demona
, the only gargoyle from the Wyvern Clan who had neither been destroyed nor put into stone sleep. He purchased the ruins, transported them to Manhattan, and had the structure rebuilt atop his New York skyscraper, the Eyrie Building. With the castle "above the clouds," Xanatos successfully released the Manhattan Clan
from their frozen sleep.
Xanatos initially posed as the Gargoyles' friend, convincing them to "acquire" technology from his rival Cyberbiotics for him and ultimately attempting to destroy the gargoyles once their replacements, the Steel Clan, came online. The Steel Clan was defeated, however, and Xanatos was convicted for receiving stolen property ("Awakening, Part V"). Xanatos continued to plot against the Gargoyles from prison, testing them and attempting to remove them from the castle. Upon his release, he became one of their greatest enemies, engaging in a particularly fierce rivalry with their leader, Goliath
.
Xanatos also committed himself to getting his own clan of gargoyles that would be loyal and obedient to him. To that end, he tried several attempts throughout the series to do that such as resurrecting Goliath's brother Coldstone and some of the other dead gargoyles from the Wyvern Clan; genetically creating his own clan of mutant gargoyles, one of whom was Elisa Maza
's brother, Derek; creating a clone of Goliath, and perfecting the Steel Clan. When these attempts failed, he changed focus to continuing his quest for immortality but by using sorcery
, magic, and even involving himself with children of Oberon
, the King of the mystical island Avalon, instead.
Xanatos would meet an equal in Fox and marry her. It was on this occasion that, by inviting Goliath to the wedding and luring him into seeking reconciliation with Demona, Xanatos was able to reconstruct the Phoenix Gate. The wedding party was brought back in time to the 10th century, where Xanatos arranged for the ancient coins to be delivered to himself a thousand years in the future, via Illuminati, as well as a message to himself describing what to do with them. In this way, Xanatos fulfilled his own history through a predestination paradox
, at the same time proving himself to his father as a "self-made man" ("Vows").
When Demona finally betrayed Xanatos to advance her own goals of destroying the human race, he was forced to call a truce with Goliath to stop her. Goliath was later instrumental in saving Xanatos's newborn son Alexander, at which time Xanatos pledged to pay the debt back to him ("The Gathering, Part II"). He soon created new robotic bodies for Coldstone's other personalities, which he named Coldfire and Coldsteel. Since these gargoyles were also created by magic, though, it was impossible for mind transfer to occur. While he and Fox were out to dinner, Puck and Alexander performed the transfer for him. When the existence of the gargoyles was revealed to the public, Xanatos ultimately called an end to the feud and restores the gargoyles to their ancestral home in the castle ("Hunter's Moon, Part III").
In general, Xanatos has an odd way of dealing with those he "loves". One example can be found in Thailog, Goliath's clone that he had Sevarius create. While the clone was being grown he had a program playing giving him information about the world and his beliefs. He seemed to have a paternal feeling towards Thailog as, when the gargoyle was kidnapped during his stone slumber, he would not let Owen fire on the kidnappers out of fear of hurting Thailog, and handed over $20,000,000 for his safe return without a second thought. He even showed pride in Thailog's manipulative abilities and genius when he found out the clone had engineered the entire plot to abscond with the money, referring to him as "a chip off the ole block". He even expressed to Thailog that if he wanted the money he would have given it to him if he would have asked for it. However his paternalism seems thin as, when he thinks Thailog died during battle with Goliath, he states that he knew the whole time that a copy (Thailog) couldn't match the original (Goliath), which infuriates Goliath as Xanatos was able to dehumanize a living being to such terms. Though arguably lacking romance, Xanatos asks Fox to marry him on the basis that "it makes sense" because they are genetically compatible, share the same interests, think the same way, enjoy the finer things in life, and "love each other" as much as two people such as themselves can. Fox accepts, yet Xanatos's feelings for Fox are largely debatable.
Though he does love Fox, he is shown using her to get what he wants as well. In the Halloween episode, Xanatos gives Fox the Eye of Odin as an engagement gift. The necklace holds unfathomable power that Fox cannot control. It turns her into a large red-haired beast, looking like a 'fox' or large wild dog. Though Xanatos suspects it has an effect on her, he does not fully understand, until he witnesses Fox transform in front of him. Terrified by what he has set into motion, he asks Goliath and Elisa for assistance, though they are initially reluctant. Goliath seems especially perturbed at how he has treated Fox and seemingly disregarded her life.
As Fox continues to go on rampages in search for food, Xanatos, Goliath, and Elisa scour the city for her. Eventually, they chase her to a rooftop and Goliath is able to free Fox from the Eye of Odin after electrocuting her with a neon sign. While preparing to leave and while holding Fox in his arms, Xanatos regretfully informs Goliath that now he knows his only weakness. Goliath turns to him, slightly disgusted and remarks, "Only you would regard love as a weakness." These words leave Xanatos speechless.
In the episodes of the Gathering, Xanatos seems instinctively protective of both Fox and Alexander, seemingly having come to terms with the idea of love not being a weakness.
. From there he meets another Illuminati member, Quincy Hemings (Chief Stewart at the White House who ranks 2 in The Illuminati). He hands Xanatos a mission from The Illuminati.
The mission is for him to obtain The Stone Of Destiny
which is being sent back to Scotland. To ensure success, he recruits Coldsteel and activates Coyote 5.0. He sends some Steel and Iron Clan robots to assist them.
comic book series continuation
that while he isn't 100% trustworthy, they trust him not to smash them during the day. Also, Xanatos must deal with pressure from The Illuminati in terms of turning the clan over to them.
Gargoyles (TV series)
Gargoyles is an American animated series created by Greg Weisman. It was produced by Greg Weisman and Frank Paur and aired from October 24, 1994 to February 15, 1997. Gargoyles is known for its dark tone, complex story arcs and melodrama...
. In the series, he is the founder, owner and CEO of Xanatos Enterprises and a member of the Illuminati
Illuminati
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically the name refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on May 1, 1776...
(He ranks at 36, which is the lowest of the society). Xanatos was voiced by (and his design inspired by) Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
Jonathan Frakes
Jonathan Scott Frakes is an American actor, author and director best known for his role as Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise, as well as for his tenure as host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction ....
.
One of the primary antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
s in the series, Xanatos' behavior is often ruthless and amoral
Amorality
Amorality is an absence of, indifference towards, or disregard for moral beliefs. Any entity that is not sentient may be considered amoral. In addition, it can be argued that sentient but non-human creatures, like dogs, have no concept of morality and are therefore amoral...
, although his personality is slightly softened later in the series by his affection for his wife Fox and their son Alex. His plans are often intricate and Machiavellian. However, he is notably not vindictive as he sees revenge
Revenge
Revenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
as foolish and even tends to try to see the positive side of his defeats. In fact, his plans often work out beneficially to him in one way or another, despite the frequent intervention of Goliath
Goliath (Gargoyles)
Goliath is a fictional character, and lead protagonist, in the animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Keith David.-Overview:The Gargoyles concept began as a comedy series in the style of The Gummi Bears, although set in the modern day...
, Xanatos' arch-rival, and his clan of Gargoyles
Manhattan Clan
The Manhattan Clan are the fictional protagonists of the animated Disney series Gargoyles. They are six gargoyles , the last survivors of a Scottish Gargoyle clan who are frozen in stone in the year 994 AD only to be reawakened in 1994 in Manhattan...
. He is obsessed with obtaining immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
for himself and his family. His loyal right-hand man is Owen Burnett, a stoic man with extraordinary hidden talents Xanatos gained through equally remarkable circumstances.
Xanatos is a formidable fighter in his own right. In addition to advanced karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
and judo
Judo
is a modern martial art and combat sport created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Its most prominent feature is its competitive element, where the object is to either throw or takedown one's opponent to the ground, immobilize or otherwise subdue one's opponent with a grappling maneuver, or force an...
skills, he also has a specialized red armored suit modeled on his Steel Clan that he wears frequently. He also has a highly advanced AI
Ai
AI, A.I., Ai, or ai may refer to:- Computers :* Artificial intelligence, a branch of computer science* Ad impression, in online advertising* .ai, the ISO Internet 2-letter country code for Anguilla...
and cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
clone modeled after himself, designed to do his bidding; it impersonates and represents him whenever he needs it to. This robot became the leader of the criminal group The Pack
Pack (Gargoyles)
In the Disney animated television series Gargoyles, the Pack are a group of mercenaries who frequently clash with the Manhattan Clan.-History:...
under the name of Coyote and there was a time where he actually used it to try to capture the actual Coyote spirit.
Biography
David Xanatos started life as the son of Petros Xanatos, a fisherman from Bar Harbor, MaineBar Harbor, Maine
Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population is 5,235. Bar Harbor is a famous summer colony in the Down East region of Maine. It is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory and Mount Desert Island...
. Young Xanatos received an anonymous letter which contained a set of valuable 10th century coins. He sold the coins for $20,000 and invested the money in a series of successful ventures, the first steps toward building his corporation. Xanatos's holdings include Xanatos Enterprises, the genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
company Gen-U-Tech, the Scarab Corporation robotics firm, and the television franchise Pack Media Studios. Despite his father's belief that Xanatos did not deserve the gift that had launched his career, Xanatos continued to claim that he would one day prove himself a self-made man.
During this time, Xanatos took on Owen Burnett, a former employee of business rival Halcyon Renard, as his assistant. Eventually, Burnett revealed that he was actually Puck
Puck (mythology)
In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. Puck is also a generalised personification of land spirits. In more recent times, the figure of Robin Goodfellow is identified as a puck.-Etymology:...
, a Child of Oberon
Oberon's children
In the fictional universe of the animated series Gargoyles, the name Oberon's children is given to the so-called Third Race of beings .-Overview:...
, and offered Xanatos a tempting choice: a single wish (which could grant the immortality he sought) or a lifetime of service as the mortal Owen Burnett. Against Puck's expectations, Xanatos, confident that he could achieve immortality through other methods, chose Owen's service, and the decision deeply impressed Puck to keep his end of the bargain.
Xanatos learned of Castle Wyvern from Demona
Demona
Demona is a fictional character in the animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Marina Sirtis. One of the primary antagonists in the series, Demona was once Goliath's lover and part of their castle's Wyvern Clan of gargoyles...
, the only gargoyle from the Wyvern Clan who had neither been destroyed nor put into stone sleep. He purchased the ruins, transported them to Manhattan, and had the structure rebuilt atop his New York skyscraper, the Eyrie Building. With the castle "above the clouds," Xanatos successfully released the Manhattan Clan
Manhattan Clan
The Manhattan Clan are the fictional protagonists of the animated Disney series Gargoyles. They are six gargoyles , the last survivors of a Scottish Gargoyle clan who are frozen in stone in the year 994 AD only to be reawakened in 1994 in Manhattan...
from their frozen sleep.
Xanatos initially posed as the Gargoyles' friend, convincing them to "acquire" technology from his rival Cyberbiotics for him and ultimately attempting to destroy the gargoyles once their replacements, the Steel Clan, came online. The Steel Clan was defeated, however, and Xanatos was convicted for receiving stolen property ("Awakening, Part V"). Xanatos continued to plot against the Gargoyles from prison, testing them and attempting to remove them from the castle. Upon his release, he became one of their greatest enemies, engaging in a particularly fierce rivalry with their leader, Goliath
Goliath (Gargoyles)
Goliath is a fictional character, and lead protagonist, in the animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Keith David.-Overview:The Gargoyles concept began as a comedy series in the style of The Gummi Bears, although set in the modern day...
.
Xanatos also committed himself to getting his own clan of gargoyles that would be loyal and obedient to him. To that end, he tried several attempts throughout the series to do that such as resurrecting Goliath's brother Coldstone and some of the other dead gargoyles from the Wyvern Clan; genetically creating his own clan of mutant gargoyles, one of whom was Elisa Maza
Elisa Maza
Elisa Maza is a fictional character from the Disney animated television series Gargoyles, voiced by Salli Richardson. She is the main human character of the series, the steadfast ally of the Manhattan Clan of gargoyles...
's brother, Derek; creating a clone of Goliath, and perfecting the Steel Clan. When these attempts failed, he changed focus to continuing his quest for immortality but by using sorcery
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, magic, and even involving himself with children of Oberon
Oberon's children
In the fictional universe of the animated series Gargoyles, the name Oberon's children is given to the so-called Third Race of beings .-Overview:...
, the King of the mystical island Avalon, instead.
Xanatos would meet an equal in Fox and marry her. It was on this occasion that, by inviting Goliath to the wedding and luring him into seeking reconciliation with Demona, Xanatos was able to reconstruct the Phoenix Gate. The wedding party was brought back in time to the 10th century, where Xanatos arranged for the ancient coins to be delivered to himself a thousand years in the future, via Illuminati, as well as a message to himself describing what to do with them. In this way, Xanatos fulfilled his own history through a predestination paradox
Predestination paradox
A predestination paradox is a paradox of time travel that is often used as a convention in science fiction. It exists when a time traveller is caught in a loop of events that "predestines" or "predates" them to travel back in time...
, at the same time proving himself to his father as a "self-made man" ("Vows").
When Demona finally betrayed Xanatos to advance her own goals of destroying the human race, he was forced to call a truce with Goliath to stop her. Goliath was later instrumental in saving Xanatos's newborn son Alexander, at which time Xanatos pledged to pay the debt back to him ("The Gathering, Part II"). He soon created new robotic bodies for Coldstone's other personalities, which he named Coldfire and Coldsteel. Since these gargoyles were also created by magic, though, it was impossible for mind transfer to occur. While he and Fox were out to dinner, Puck and Alexander performed the transfer for him. When the existence of the gargoyles was revealed to the public, Xanatos ultimately called an end to the feud and restores the gargoyles to their ancestral home in the castle ("Hunter's Moon, Part III").
Relationships
Though at first Xanatos seems to have an on and off partnership with Demona when neither magic nor technology seem to be enough to accomplish what they plan to do, neither Xanatos nor Demona seem to truly trust one another. This proves to be a fatal flaw on their part that tends to doom plans to failure.In general, Xanatos has an odd way of dealing with those he "loves". One example can be found in Thailog, Goliath's clone that he had Sevarius create. While the clone was being grown he had a program playing giving him information about the world and his beliefs. He seemed to have a paternal feeling towards Thailog as, when the gargoyle was kidnapped during his stone slumber, he would not let Owen fire on the kidnappers out of fear of hurting Thailog, and handed over $20,000,000 for his safe return without a second thought. He even showed pride in Thailog's manipulative abilities and genius when he found out the clone had engineered the entire plot to abscond with the money, referring to him as "a chip off the ole block". He even expressed to Thailog that if he wanted the money he would have given it to him if he would have asked for it. However his paternalism seems thin as, when he thinks Thailog died during battle with Goliath, he states that he knew the whole time that a copy (Thailog) couldn't match the original (Goliath), which infuriates Goliath as Xanatos was able to dehumanize a living being to such terms. Though arguably lacking romance, Xanatos asks Fox to marry him on the basis that "it makes sense" because they are genetically compatible, share the same interests, think the same way, enjoy the finer things in life, and "love each other" as much as two people such as themselves can. Fox accepts, yet Xanatos's feelings for Fox are largely debatable.
Though he does love Fox, he is shown using her to get what he wants as well. In the Halloween episode, Xanatos gives Fox the Eye of Odin as an engagement gift. The necklace holds unfathomable power that Fox cannot control. It turns her into a large red-haired beast, looking like a 'fox' or large wild dog. Though Xanatos suspects it has an effect on her, he does not fully understand, until he witnesses Fox transform in front of him. Terrified by what he has set into motion, he asks Goliath and Elisa for assistance, though they are initially reluctant. Goliath seems especially perturbed at how he has treated Fox and seemingly disregarded her life.
As Fox continues to go on rampages in search for food, Xanatos, Goliath, and Elisa scour the city for her. Eventually, they chase her to a rooftop and Goliath is able to free Fox from the Eye of Odin after electrocuting her with a neon sign. While preparing to leave and while holding Fox in his arms, Xanatos regretfully informs Goliath that now he knows his only weakness. Goliath turns to him, slightly disgusted and remarks, "Only you would regard love as a weakness." These words leave Xanatos speechless.
In the episodes of the Gathering, Xanatos seems instinctively protective of both Fox and Alexander, seemingly having come to terms with the idea of love not being a weakness.
SLG Comic
Soon after, Owen received a call from Mr. Duval from The Illuminati for Xanatos. Xanatos refused as he spent some time with his son that night. On Halloween Night, he's later visited by Martin Hacker (who ranks 32 in The Illuminati) who gives him an invitation to the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. From there he meets another Illuminati member, Quincy Hemings (Chief Stewart at the White House who ranks 2 in The Illuminati). He hands Xanatos a mission from The Illuminati.
The mission is for him to obtain The Stone Of Destiny
Stone of Scone
The Stone of Scone , also known as the Stone of Destiny and often referred to in England as The Coronation Stone, is an oblong block of red sandstone, used for centuries in the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland and later the monarchs of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom...
which is being sent back to Scotland. To ensure success, he recruits Coldsteel and activates Coyote 5.0. He sends some Steel and Iron Clan robots to assist them.
The Goliath Chronicles
Xanatos was portrayed as a benefactor to the Gargoyles. Greg Weisman has stated that while the feud with the clan ended, he still seeks to achieve his own goals (as according to Greg will be demonstrated in #4 or 5 of the comic). This is acknowledged by Brooklyn and Goliath in #1 of the Slave Labor GraphicsSlave Labor Graphics
Slave Labor Graphics is an independent American comic book publisher, well-known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics.-Company history:...
comic book series continuation
Gargoyles (SLG comic)
Gargoyles is a comic book produced by Slave Labor Graphics and Creature Comics. It was written by series creator Greg Weisman starting in 2006, and continued the storyline of the animated television series Gargoyles from the first two seasons, supplanting the ABC Network third season, The Goliath...
that while he isn't 100% trustworthy, they trust him not to smash them during the day. Also, Xanatos must deal with pressure from The Illuminati in terms of turning the clan over to them.
External links
- David Xanatos at Grimorum, the Gargoyles Wiki