Aaravos

Aaravos is a fictional character who serves as the overarching antagonist of the Netflix animated fantasy television series The Dragon Prince. He is introduced as an ancient and mysterious Startouch Elf, an extremely rare race of elves connected to the magical energy of the stars. Trapped within a mysterious prison, Aaravos comes into contact with Lord Viren, and they eventually form a partnership in order to ensure Aaravos' long-awaited release from his undersea prison. He is voiced by Erik Dellums.

Background
Aaravos is one of the first elves to exist in Xadia, making him approximately 5,000 years old when the series begins. He is the only being able to master all six of the Primal Sources of elemental magic, as well as "the seventh source" of dark magic, which he himself bestowed onto humanity as a gift. Ziard, the human who received this gift, would refuse to give up his newfound power before being killed by Sol Regem, Archdragon of the Sun, who would then cause the destruction of the human city of Elarion. Following this, the continent of Xadia was divided in two, with humans banished to the Western half of the continent.

Over seven centuries later, Aaravos conspires against the other elves and the dragons, ultimately causing the deaths of Luna Tenebris, Queen of the Dragons and Archdragon of the Moon, and Aditi, Queen of the Sunfire Elves. After his crimes are exposed by the Orphan Queen, he is imprisoned inside a hidden undersea prison by an alliance of elves and dragons. He is supervised through an enchanted mirror by the King of the Dragons, Avizandum, while the Archdragons of Earth and the Ocean, each hold a clue to the whereabouts and true nature of Aaravos' prison.

Patience
Aaravos recounts the story of how the very first humans had feared that the Stars had forsaken them and that they would pay for their transgressions. Since then the original humans had learned patience and learned how to hold pure fire in their own hands without getting burned. However, humanity was not to discover that patience was never a lesson from the Stars but rather from within their own hearts. Feeling humanity's plight, Aaravos admitted that he would make the Stars pay dearly for their endless arrogance and complete disregard for humanity's mortality.

Ripples
Aaravos explains how one single ripple growing into many could affect certain events in the world with the simple touch of a human hand alone. The short story then reveals how he vows to enact his bitter vengeance on his fellow Startouch elves upon his release by having them fall just as he had.

Book One: Moon (2018)
Aaravos narrates the prologue of the series premiere, explaining how humanity was banished from Xadia by the elves and dragons.

Book Two: Sky (2019)
When Viren finally manages to see into the library-like realm behind the magic mirror, a cloaked Aaravos comes into view. Viren realizes the elf cannot see him, but Aaravos eventually casts a spell allowing him to see Viren as well. Because they cannot hear each other, Aaravos gestures to Viren to gather specific items for a blood ritual of communication and servitude. Before the last step, however, Viren stops and leaves to think, unsure if he can trust such a mysterious being. Meanwhile, Callum learns that the cube his father led him to find originally belonged to Aaravos. After Viren's failed attempt to rally the other kingdoms, he follows through with the elf's instructions. The spell teleports from inside the mirror a small purple caterpillar, which crawls to Viren's ear and allows the two to speak.

After some convincing, Aaravos finally introduces himself. When Viren tries searching for information on Aaravos in the royal library, the words magically disappear from the scrolls and books. Viren demands to know what's going on and why he should trust the mysterious elf; Aaravos replies that he shouldn't at the moment. When Viren admits that the leaders of the other human kingdoms refuse to listen, Aaravos agrees to help him. First, he has Viren chant a dark spell to create ghostly versions of elven assassins to terrorize the other four monarchs into taking a stand against Xadia. When castle guards try to arrest him, Aaravos casts sun spells to help Viren fight them. Upon being surrounded and outnumbered, Aaravos orders Viren to stop and the latter reluctantly obliges. Aaravos promises to stay with Lord Viren to provide further advice and magical knowledge, and the caterpillar crawls into his ear.

Book Three: Sun (2019)
In a dungeon, Aaravos encourages a despairing Viren not to give up. When Viren's children visit him, and Claudia demands to know why he ordered Soren to kill Callum and Ezran, Aaravos warns Viren that an honest answer will cost him her loyalty, thus subtlety manipulating him into deceiving her. With two monarchs dead and a third severely injured, the latter's son, Prince Kasef, works with Viren to wage war on Xadia. Aaravos's caterpillar weaves silk over Viren's right eye, allowing him to see an apparition of Aaravos's true form. That evening, Viren declares to his subjects that they will march on Xadia. On the way to Xadia, Aaravos asks how Viren slayed the Dragon King, and Viren tells the tale, delighting the Startouch elf. Aaravos reveals that Avizandum is the one who trapped him in the magic mirror, though he doesn't know where his prison is because the Dragon King never told him.

As part of the plan to conquer Xadia, Aaravos has Viren enter Lux Aurea, the home of the Sunfire elves. Queen Khessa's attempts to purify Viren of the essence dark magic gives him and Aaravos access to the Sunforge, the very source of all of their solar magic. Aaravos's caterpillar (now considerably larger) bites the Sunfire High Priest, corrupting not only the latter's Sun staff, but the Sunforge as well. Due to the bite, Aaravos is able to possess the body of the High Priest, and sadistically whispers to Queen Khessa the fate of her grandmother, Queen Aditi, before disintegrating her into ash with a mere touch of his finger.

Using the tainted Sunfire Staff, Viren transforms his soldiers into aggressive lava monsters with enhanced strength. As they clash with the elf-human alliance at the base of Storm Spire Mountain, Viren uses the distraction to ascend to the peak, where Aaravos's caterpillar (now the size of a snake) chants a spell to harvest the Dragon Prince's power for Viren. Before the spell can be completed, Rayla tackles Viren and Aaravos over the Spire's edge. Callum rescues her, but Viren falls to his death, Aaravos separating from him mid-descent. Claudia finds and revives Viren with her dark magic, and subsequently reveals Aaravos's caterpillar has entered a cocoon, metamorphosing into something else.

Book Four: Earth (2022)
Aaravos continues to set his release in motion by using resurrected Lord Viren and his dark mage daughter Claudia as his pawns, with his caterpillar familiar, now an elf-like homunculus, guiding them to the clues that will lead to his prison.

After learning of Aaravos's impending return from Ibis, a Sky Mage and her liaison, Queen Zubeia reveals to Callum, Rayla, Ezran and Soren that Aaravos was originally loved and respected by all Xadians until it was discovered by the human known as the Orphan Queen, Ezran's paternal ancestor, that he had orchestrated several major events including the death of Luna Tenebris, the Queen of the Dragons, and Aditi, the Queen of the Sunfire Elves. Working together, four Archdragons, consisting of Avizandum, Zubeia, Rex Igneous and Domina Profundis, worked with the elves and together they outwitted Aaravos, trapping him in a magical prison, which Aaravos is not aware of its location.

After returning to the enchanted mirror, Aaravos makes brief contact with Callum, Ezran, Rayla, and Soren, utilizing dark magic to take control of Callum's body to communicate. He mocks the group, reminding each of their own weaknesses and insecurities, and believes they do not stand a chance against him. He then destroys the mirror, preventing any further direct communication.

Book Five: Ocean (2023)
Aaravos briefly appears in Queen Janai's recurring nightmare, where she sees herself instead of her elder sister Khessa being killed by him, and he informs her of how he had killed her great-grandmother, Queen Aditi, by swallowing her.

Having sensed Claudia's arrival, Aaravos appears to Viren on the final day before his resurrection spell wears off, bringing his consciousness inside Aaravos' prison. He instructs Viren to sacrifice the Being in order to make the resurrection spell permanent, but Lord Viren refuses (having seen through the Startouch elf's manipulations) and accepts his impending death by sunrise.

Characterization and progression
Aaravos is described by the series' creators as a complicated character with a good side and a bad side. He is described as "mysterious and charismatic," as well as "secretive, yet charming." He is also stated by the creators to be manipulative in a "very slow and seductive way", and the fact he is able to manipulate a person as "brilliant" as Viren is a great example of this.

Regarding the character's fascination with humans and the mysterious gifts he shared with them, Ehasz stated that it is partly out of genuine kindness and generosity, and partly out of a desire to be "worshipped" and "revered."

Despite his secretive and manipulative nature, Aaravos has stated that he never tells a lie, which both Ehasz and Richmond have confirmed, stating that he is "manipulative without being deceptive" and "always tells the truth."

Powers and abilities
In the world of The Dragon Prince, only magical creatures can use magic, as they have magical energy within them. All magic originates from one of six Primal Sources: the Moon, the Sun, the Sky, the Earth, the Ocean and the Stars. As a Startouch Elf, Aaravos is naturally connected to the stars, but due to being a "fallen" member of his race, he can only access a fraction of his former power. He has also somehow mastered the other five Primal Sources, and his abilities related to them are seemingly limitless. Because of this, he is referred to as an "Archmage." An example of Aaravos's mastery is that he is able to perform spells without speaking the required incantations.

Aaravos is also a master of Dark magic, a corrupted form of magic that is fueled by the essence of magical creatures. Aaravos can perform a dark magic spell without speaking an incantation, but at least once says the spell he wishes to perform in reverse. He knows a number of spells which Viren, an expert in the practice himself, does not.

Aaravos has a familiar, a purple caterpillar-like creature that is not native to the world of Xadia. It heavily resembles a real-life Dragonhead caterpillar, which is the larval form of the butterfly Polyura athamas. Starting in the second season, Aaravos uses this caterpillar to communicate with Viren by channeling his voice through it. He can also perform spells through the form and channel them through Viren's staff to help him defeat enemies. The caterpillar evolves with the ongoing story; initially the size of a regular caterpillar, it grows to the size of a snake throughout the third season, and enters metamorphosis in the season finale.

Reception
Aaravos's character and Dellum's performance has been generally praised by critics and fans. Particular attention has been given to Aaravos's interactions and relationship with the human dark mage Viren. The Daily Dot's Gavia Baker-Whitelaw called his relationship with Viren "intriguing".

Praise continued into the third season. Hypable praised Aaravos and Viren's relationship and the contrast between the goals and actions of these two characters and those of Callum, Rayla, and Ezran. Nelson also reacted positively to the relationship between the two characters and how Aaravos "preys on Viren's ambition and desperation to fulfill his own mysterious, malevolent goals". Kain also took note of how Aaravos was contributing to Viren's descent into villainy.