Underworld (film series)

Underworld is a series of action horror films created by Len Wiseman, Kevin Grevioux and Danny McBride. The first film, Underworld, was released in 2003. It tells the story of Selene (Kate Beckinsale), a vampire who works as a Death Dealer, killing the lycans who allegedly slaughtered her family. The second film, Underworld: Evolution, was released in 2006. In this film, Selene takes Michael Corvin, a lycan/vampire hybrid, to a vampire safehouse and plans to return to Viktor's estate to awaken another elder Markus, whom they discover is the first Vampire and a powerful enemy. The third film, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, is the prequel to the series, chronicling the origins of the vampire-lycan war (it was released on January 23, 2009). The fourth film, Underworld: Awakening, is the sequel to Underworld: Evolution and was released on January 20, 2012. In this film, humans have discovered the existence of the vampire and lycan clans, and are trying to eradicate both species. A fifth film titled Underworld: Blood Wars was released internationally on November 24, 2016, and in the United States on January 6, 2017.

Despite receiving generally negative reviews from critics, the five films have amassed a strong fan following and have grossed a total of $539 million, against a combined budget of $212 million.

Underworld (2003)
Underworld tells 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 the product of a virus.

It is revealed in the film that Alexander Corvinus is the first of the vampire and lycan lines. He was the only survivor of a plague that wiped out his village. Somehow, his body was able to mutate the virus, mold it to his own benefit. He had three sons, two of whom inherited their father's immortality and were bitten, one by bat Markus, and one by wolf William, creating the vampire and werewolf lines. Corvinus' third son, who did not inherit immortality, also carried the Corvinus Strain as an exact duplicate of the original virus, 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.

Underworld: Evolution (2006)
In Underworld: Evolution, Selene takes Michael to 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, the first and most savage werewolf.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans is a 2009 American film directed by Patrick Tatopoulos. It is the third installment (chronologically the first) in the Underworld series, focusing primarily on the origins of some characters and the events leading to the vampire–lycan war, depicted in the previous films Underworld and Underworld: Evolution.

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 a mutation of the original virus, 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 a revolt after Viktor killed Sonja to prevent the blending of the species. Later on, Kraven would strike an arrangement with Lucian, in which Lucian would fake his death to permit Kraven to advance, with the goal being the death of the vampire elders and the end of the war. However, that fell through due to mistrust and duplicity by both men.

Underworld: Awakening (2012)
A fourth film, entitled Awakening, shot in 3-D, was directed by Måns Mårlind and Björn Stein and released on January 20, 2012. Kate Beckinsale reprises her role as Selene and screenwriter John Hlavin stated prior to the film's release that it will not be like any of the previous films. Production began in March 2011 in Vancouver with Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, and Len Wiseman producing. On April 4, 2011, the title of the film was announced and the following plot synopsis was given:

"Kate Beckinsale, star of the first two films, returns in her lead role as the vampire death dealer Selene, who 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 the ability to see through the child's eyes and uses it to find her daughter several times in the movie.

Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)
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, 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 my involvement in it is... I think it's going be very difficult to do that with these [Divergent] movies, and my other commitments." James is still in the film to fulfill an option agreement. It was announced by Deadline that Tobias Menzies was cast as Marius, a mysterious new Lycan leader who'd more than likely go toe-to-toe with Selene and her vampire clan. In September 2015, Deadline reported that Bradley James was hired as the villain, Clementine Nicholson as Lena, the Nordic Coven's greatest warrior and daughter of Vidar and Lara Pulver as Semira.

The film was released internationally on November 24, 2016, and in the United States on January 6, 2017.

Underworld: Endless War (2011)
Underworld: Endless War is a 2011 animated film, which includes three parts and leading before the events of Underworld: Awakening. The film follows Selene as she hunts down a group of three Lycan brothers in three separate time periods.

Sixth film
In 2017, Wiseman revealed that a sixth film is also in development with Beckinsale reprising her role as Selene. On September 13, 2018, Beckinsale confirmed she will not appear in the sixth film, stating: "I wouldn't return. I've done plenty of those."

Television series
In January 2016, Wiseman announced that an Underworld television series is in development.

Vampires
Their transformation is not nearly as startling as their lycan counterparts. When they transform, 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 a sharp point. Biologically immortal transgenics, the vampires of Underworld display most of the prominent superhuman physical prowess of other vampires 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 the mystical weaknesses of mythological vampires (crosses, holy water, garlic, wooden stakes, unable to cast a reflection in a mirror, etc.); however, they are highly vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation (including sunlight). They can also be killed by a broken neck, blood loss, nightshade poisoning, dismemberment, decapitation, 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 the most powerful of their race, even stronger than Lycans in wolf 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 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 Marcus' 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; the leadership and organization of the Vampire Nation was scattered and divided. Though Vampire Councils still existed to rule the singular Covens, the Vampire Nation as a whole lacked central leadership, a weakness that made them noticeably different from the Lycans who gained a new singular leader each time after the death of their previous leaderships. During the events of Underworld: Blood Wars, Selene's Vampire ally David is revealed to be the secret son of the Elder Amelia and thus her rightful heir as both the leader of the Eastern Coven and as an Elder. At the end of Blood Wars, three new Vampire Elders are chosen: Selene, David and the gifted Nordic Vampire Lena. With the election of three new Vampire Elders, the central leadership of the Vampire Nation was restored after over a decade.

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 a vampire is lethal, but Michael's bloodline allows him to survive and become a hybrid of both species.

Death Dealers are vampires that are specifically trained and tasked to kill Lycans.

Selene
Selene appears in the films Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, Underworld: Awakening, and Underworld: Blood Wars; as well as in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans for a brief cameo. Her lover is Michael Corvin, and together they now 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 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.

Viktor
Viktor was one of the three founding Vampire Elders of the Vampire Nation in the Underworld series. He is portrayed by Bill Nighy. Viktor was a Hungarian general and warlord born sometime in the 4th or early 5th century. As he was nearing the end of his life, Markus Corvinus, the first true Vampire, offered immortality in exchange for Viktor's military expertise and army in fighting against the Werewolves, spawn of Markus' twin brother, William. When Markus turned Viktor, the general became a vampire Elder. The Death Dealers were created from Viktor's army. Viktor is a ruthless vampire Elder with his armies loyal to him, he overthrew the original vampire Markus and set himself up in Vampire myth as the first Vampire. Viktor was the most powerful vampire ever to have lived mostly because his manipulation, experience, and cunning far surpassed 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 had no love for Viktor, and his son David whose mother was 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 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
Sonja is the daughter of the vampire elder Viktor, introduced by flashback, in Underworld played Jázmin Dammak. The character is heavily featured in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, and is played 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 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 the events that unfolded in Underworld: Evolution. Her death started the war between Vampires and Lycans that lasted for centuries afterward.

Markus Corvinus
Markus Corvinus was the first vampire and one of the three founding Vampire Elders of the Vampire Nation in the Underworld series. 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, 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 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 as a Hybrid and goes on a rampage to rescue William and turn him into a Hybrid too. He kills his own father, and apparently his distant relative Michael Corvin, but 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. In Blood Wars, while Selene is wanted for killing the Vampire Elder Viktor, no mention is ever made of her being wanted dead for killing Markus. This suggests that his rogue actions became well-enough known for Selene to be pardoned for his death.

Amelia
Amelia is one of the three founding Vampire Elders of the Vampire Nation in the Underworld series. She appeared briefly in Underworld and 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 and Sveta Driga. Amelia was bitten and turned into a vampire, most-likely by the first vampire, Markus-himself, sometime 1500-years prior to the events of the first Underworld installment, according to the first novelization ("Although nearly fifteen centuries old, the Lady Amelia still had all the youthful beauty and haughty carriage of an international supermodel"), and, 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 was unable to return to human form after his transformation and his bite caused even the dead to turn to werewolves), and to perform the role as a tie-breaker between her fellow Elders, Marcus and Viktor, if there was ever a deadlock in the ruling of the coven; her original background prior to her Vampirism is yet-unrevealed.

In 1202 AD. Amelia had to side with Viktor (who also sought to undermine Markus' authority, something he could not do without her help), supported him in locking-up William within a coffin-like prison, in a remote place where Markus could not find him (which turns Marcus 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 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 1st generation Werewolves alongside one-another, and, at some point, they had entered into a secret, private relationship; 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 can start to show, Amelia announces her intention to visit old friends in the Var Dohr coven in Scandinavia, and appoints Thomas as her sole escort. They both stayed with the Var Dohr coven for the duration of her pregnancy, culminating with the safe delivery of their pureborn 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; but 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 the appearances, Thomas put it out that he'd had a low-born vampiress for a consort, who had just died in childbirth, and Amelia returned to the New World coven with no-one the wiser to the truth; it would seem that Amelia, despite siding with Viktor against Marcus 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 learns that he is Amelia's secret son and thus her heir as the new leader of the Eastern Coven. Using some of Amelia's blood she had left behind in case anything happened to her beforehand, David is able to prove his claim as Amelia's rightful heir. David thus becomes the new leader of the Eastern Coven and one of the three new Vampire Elders alongside Selene and the Nordic vampire Lena.

In the 3rd installment of the Underworld franchise, though Amelia makes no physical appearance in the story, there was an unspoken allusion that Viktor was plotting 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 never alludes to a future when he would be gone, and 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 Marcus' lie about how his death would mean the immediate deaths of all Vampires, and that, as his own flesh and blood (and having been planning-out her whole life for her), Sonja would be a more loyal ally then Amelia, if Amelia should ever side with Marcus against him (as Amelia had with Viktor against Marcus 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 is unknown, but it would give credence to Amelia's later efforts in keeping the existence and birth of her son from Viktor and his followers (and, indeed, the Vampire Nation at large).

In the non-canon novel, Blood Enemy, Amelia, though making no physical appearance in the story, is described has 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 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
Erika is portrayed by Sophia Myles. She is a character in the Underworld film series as well as in the novelization of the 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.

Kraven
Kraven is portrayed by actor Shane Brolly. The name "Kraven" is a derivation of 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: Kraven is a long-time suitor of Selene, a Death Dealer. Kraven fancies himself in a relationship with Selene, even though she spurns him at every turn. Yet, Kraven was so obsessed with Selene that the more she refused him, the more he wanted her. When it becomes evident that Selene has fallen in love with Michael Corvin, Kraven becomes insanely jealous and highly irrational, demanding Michael Corvin's head, and even shoots Michael multiple times with silver nitrate bullets, nearly killing him. However, Selene revived Michael in the nick of time by biting him.

In his quest for power, Kraven had entered into 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. But, 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 beheading him.

Andreas Tanis
Andreas Tanis 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 the things he knew secret until it was of use for 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 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 is later killed by Markus after being drained of blood.

Soren
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 is also referenced in the novelization of the sequel and also appearing in the comic book prequel, 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 even used them on Lucian at Viktor's request prior to Sonja's execution.

In 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 is one of the vampires involved in Viktor's assault on the Lycan base in the first film, and ultimately faces Raze in single combat. Soren initially holds the Lycan off, but after Raze shifts into full Lycan form, he tackles Soren and apparently kills him, since Soren is not seen afterward and Raze is.

David
David is a character from the 2012 movie Underworld: Awakening and Underworld: Blood Wars. He 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 would fight when situations demanded it. Fascinated by Selene's past as a Death Dealer, he brought her back to the vampire coven with her hybrid daughter, Eve, hoping she would teach some of the members so that they could become what she used to be, as there are not any left within the coven. David died after a raid by Lycans led by Quint Lane, but was revived by Selene using her Vampire-Corvinus Strain Hybrid blood, making 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 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 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. 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 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 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 become 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 the Lycans to retreat. Following the battle, David is made one of the new Vampire Elders alongside Selene and Nordic Vampire Lena.

Thomas
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 is a Hybrid. In contrast with his son, Thomas is a coward and ordered the coven to flee rather than fight, leaving David as de facto leader because of his demonstration of courage and intelligence, despite Thomas' status now as a coven Elder. His arrogance made him fail to realize the necessity of Selene's presence or what she has become, until she used her blood to resurrect David after he died from 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 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.

Cassius
Cassius is the leader of the Vampire Council in Underworld: Blood Wars. He holds a grudge against Selene for killing the Vampire Elder Viktor and was responsible for her being hunted for killing Viktor. With the threat of the Lycan leader Marius and his army, Cassius and the Council are petitioned by the Vampire Thomas to offer Selene a pardon in exchange for her help in training their Death Dealer recruits. Due to his hatred and mistrust for Selene, Cassius agrees only reluctantly and places Semira in charge of keeping an eye on Selene. After Selene supposedly kills the recruits and Thomas, Cassius takes it as a sign that he was right and orders Selene's death once more. When Semira attempts to get the Council to take the fight to the Lycans, Cassius refuses, leading Semira to attempt a coup. The coup is foiled by David who arrives with proof that he is the son of the Vampire Elder Amelia, making him the rightful leader of the Eastern Coven, causing Cassius, the Council and the Death Dealers to defer to his authority. Cassius fights in the final battle with Marius' army and at one point engages a transformed Lycan in hand-to-hand combat, killing it. The battle ends when Selene kills Marius and the Lycans retreat. In the aftermath, Cassius presents Selene with a goblet of blood as a sign of conceding power to her and forgiveness for her past transgressions. Cassius is the first to bow to Selene, David and the Nordic Vampire Lena as the three new Vampire Elders. He is portrayed by James Faulkner.

Lena
Lena is a vampire warrior from Nordic Coven. As a daughter of the coven's leader, Vidar, she is depicted as a calm and wise vampire, but 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. Its implied that Selene transforms her into a Hybrid as well as Lena is seen fighting in the sunlight unprotected unlike the other Nordic vampires who wear face shields as well as heavy cloaks. 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
Semira is one of the leaders of the Eastern Coven. She is a fiercely ambitious vampire in Underworld: Blood Wars. She 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 is able to get some of Selene's blood and learns of Selene 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 turn 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 the son of the Vampire Elder Amelia and thus her rightful heir and 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 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.

Lycans
Werewolves in the Underworld films, like their vampire counterparts, are biologically immortal transgenics. Lycans display 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 transform into their werewolf form. They can also be killed or permanently damaged by extreme physical trauma as normal humans are, such as mutilation, 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 transformed and feral, second generation werewolves, the Lycans, and those they convert, can become able to change between their human or werewolf forms at will and retain their personalities while transformed. Their control over their transformation increases overtimes, to the point where they can partially transform 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 become a hybrid of both species.

Lucian
Lucian was the very first of the second-generation Lycans. He was 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 was born the son of a captured female werewolf, who was killed when Lucian was a newborn. He was branded with Viktor's mark signifying that he was put into slavery under one of Viktor's early reigns as a blacksmith. Being born of two werewolves, he was a pure-blood Lycan. Lucian was once a Lycan servant to Viktor's clan. His relationship with Sonja began when they grew up and it was eventually revealed that Sonja was pregnant with his child, making their child a Lycan-Vampire hybrid; but Sonja was 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 become a Hybrid in order to kill Viktor. His plan fails, but he holds Kraven off long enough for Selene to turn Michael Corvin into a Hybrid. Selene also later kills Viktor to fulfill her own revenge against him. Despite his plans to become a hybrid and to kill Viktor himself has failed, his will is seen through regardless with Michael's turning and Viktor's death.

Raze
Razahir "Raze" Khemse is a Lycan who is the right-hand man of the Lycan leader Lucian. He was born in Sudan in East Africa during the 14th century. Raze was the son of a powerful Sultan but his family's lands were taken during a period of wars that spread into Africa. He was 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, launches a suicide attack on Viktor who snaps his neck and stabs him with a sword. He is played by Kevin Grevioux.

Singe
Singe is a scientist employed by Lucian to find 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 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' tomb and awakens him. Unlike the rest of Lucian's clan, he is unable to transform into wolf form but still carries the werewolf traits. He is played by Erwin Leder

William Corvinus
William Corvinus is the first and only Lycan Elder. Portrayed only in his transformed 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 was one of three sons of Helena and Alexander Corvinus, the first immortal. He, along with Markus, inherited the immortality strain in its active form from their father. Markus and William both shared a bond as twins that Alexander never truly saw. William was later bitten by a wolf, thus making him the progenitor of what would become the Lycan species (his twin, Markus, was bitten by a bat). Unlike most later Lycans, his fur was white. William was unable to transform back into human form and had little more than ferocious savagery, nor is he ever shown in human form in any of the films. His lycanthropy virus was much more potent than Markus' vampire virus, even allowing dead victims to transform. William went 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 approached Viktor, a dying warlord, to utilize his military genius and army (who became the Death Dealers) in exchange for immortality. Later, William was 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 turn him into a Hybrid and restore his sanity. 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
Dr. Jacob Lane is a ruthless and amoral lycan, he betrayed 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 human, vampire, and werewolf races. Using the blood of the Hybrid Eve, he enhances his own Lycan form, but not to 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
Quint Lane is the son of Dr. Jacob Lane, who is as corrupt as his father. After the public discovered him as a Lycan, his father helped to fake his death in order to continue his experiments upon him. He becomes a fearsome and powerful Lycan, larger and stronger and has the ability to rapidly heal and 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 is portrayed by Kris Holden-Ried.

Marius
Marius is a lycan leader who rose to power following the destruction of Antigen. 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 captured and murdered Michael Corvin, using vials of Michael's blood to increase his own power and turn himself into a Hybrid. The threat posed by Marius is so great that the vampire Council agrees to pardon Selene if she will train 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 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 the Nordic Coven. Marius battles Selene who learns from his blood memories of Marius murdering Michael. Downing the last of Michael's blood, Marius transforms and battles Selene inside of a cage. Using her newly enhanced speed, Selene is able to get behind Marius before he can react and rip out Marius' spine, killing him. David then cuts off Marius' head and uses it to convince the other Lycans that their leader is dead and get them to retreat. He is portrayed by Tobias Menzies.

Alexander Corvinus
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 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. His body had adapted to the virus, and through some unknown means consequently made him immortal.

Years later, with his wife Helena, he fathered three children, two of whom inherited the immortal strain in its active form: twin brothers Markus and William. Markus was bitten by a bat and became the first vampire. William was bitten by a wolf and became 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 the immortal strain in its inactive form) remained a mortal 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 becoming pregnant by a Lycan, he inadvertently touched off a centuries long war between lycans and vampires. Alexander chose to keep 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 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 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 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 is when Selene brings him up.

Michael Corvin
Michael Corvin (in Hungarian: Corvin Mihály), bitten first by Lucian and later by Selene, became a Lycan/Vampire Hybrid. Being a hybrid, Michael can regenerate new cells and muscle tissues as well as internal organs even when he is dead, as long as his body stays intact. (Michael came back to life 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 Underworld: Awakening, he is labeled "Subject 0". He is portrayed by Scott Speedman and appears in a cameo in Underworld: Blood Wars by Trent Garrett.

Eve
Eve is the 12/14-year-old hybrid daughter of Selene and Michael Corvin, through whom she 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 12/15-year captivity in Antigen; while a watch guard on patrol at the pier that Selene and Michael tried to leave the city in answers that the pier has been closed for at least about 12-years, interviews from the set, and by one of the film's Producers in bonus material on the DVD and BluRay, confirmed that upwards of 15-years had passed from the time that Selene and Michael were captured, to the time that Eve breaks Selene out of cryo-suspension. The scientists in the facility told her that her mother was dead and never heard anything about her father. After her escape, Selene discovers Eve and learns that she 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 the fight herself and kills Doctor Lane. In Underworld: Blood Wars, Selene sends her 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 the Vampire Nation. Eve is portrayed by India Eisley.

Detective Sebastian
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 a vampire coven that ends with her daughter being kidnapped, Selene confronts Detective Sebastian who admits he suspected the Lycans not to be 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 is run by Lycans and Detective Sebastian offers her his help in rescuing her daughter, explaining that his wife had been turned into a vampire 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 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.

Cast
 Key
 * A indicates the actor portrayed the role of a younger version of the character.
 * An indicates a role as an older version of the character.
 * A indicates the actor or actress lent only his or her voice for his or her film character.
 * A indicates a cameo appearance.
 * An indicates an appearance through archival footage.
 * A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.

Development
In September 2003, shortly after 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 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 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 movie 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 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 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, Outlander scribes Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain were brought on board and delivered a draft on November 3, mere days before the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Pre-production began shortly thereafter.

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.

Filming for Underworld: Awakening began in March 2011 at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. Underworld: Awakening is the first movie to be shot using RED EPIC digital cameras in 3D.

In other media and crossovers
There have been various spin-offs and tie-ins in a range of other media. IDW Publishing has published a number of Underworld comics, including an adaptation of the third film Rise of the Lycans written by Kevin Grevioux which was published and released in 2009. In addition to the novelizations of Underworld and Underworld: Evolution, there is an original novel written by Greg Cox, published by Pocket Star Books in 2004, titled Underworld: Blood Enemy.

In September 2003, Sony contracted with Black Widow Games for the production of Underworld: Bloodline (a Half-Life mod). An action video game based on the first film entitled The Eternal War 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.

A cross-over with the film I, Frankenstein or its sequels was planned by Kevin Grevioux, creator of the I, Frankenstein graphic novel. He stated in a pre-release 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 was used.