Viktor (Underworld)

Viktor is one of the fictional Vampire Elders in the 2003 film Underworld mythos, portrayed by Bill Nighy. He also appears in Underworld: Evolution and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

Biography
Viktor was a Hungarian general and warlord with a large army. As he was nearing the end of his life, Marcus Corvinus, the first true Vampire, came with an offer: Immortality in exchange for Viktor's military expertise and army in dealing with the Lycans, spawns of Marcus' twin brother, William. When Marcus converted Viktor, the general became a Vampire Elder. The Death Dealers were created from Viktor's army.

In 1202, Viktor led a campaign against William. He promised Marcus he would not harm William despite the powerful Lycan's uncontrollable nature. In order for him to deal with the problem without breaking his word, Viktor had Amelia deal with William. Amelia captured the Lycan soon after. Viktor then betrayed Marcus with Amelia's support, giving orders to keep William as far away from Marcus as possible. Viktor locked William away in a fortress. However, with the Death Dealers loyal to Viktor, Marcus could do nothing. Viktor kept two halves of the key to William's dungeon; one beneath his flesh, and the other around his daughter Sonja's neck, hiding it right under Marcus's nose.

The relationship between the two Vampire Elders was always strained. Viktor, with Amelia's support, undercut Marcus' power as ruler of the Vampire coven, ensuring Marcus would never have the strength to free his brother. However, Viktor never staged an outright coup against Marcus, as he had been told that should Marcus ever die, all in his bloodline would follow him to the grave - including Viktor. To prevent this from happening, the "Chain" was constructed, a system when only one Elder ruled while the other two slumbered. Viktor even domesticated the Vampires' former enemies, using the Lycans as watchdogs to guard them during the daylight hours. Eventually Viktor was at the centre of sparking a new war with the Lycans.

Viktor's daughter, Sonja, fell in love with a Lycan slave named Lucian and became pregnant. Viktor eventually discovered this, and feared the blending of the species that would result when the child was born. He condemned Sonja, her unborn child, and Lucian to death. Sonja was burnt alive by exposing her to sunlight. However, Lucian used the full moon to transform and escape - but not before taking Sonja's pendant with him. Viktor, determined to keep the location and map of the dungeon a secret from both Marcus and Lucian, slaughtered the family of the man he had commissioned to design it. He spared the man's daughter, Selene, however, as she painfully reminded him of his daughter Sonja. He converted her into a vampire soon afterwards. The war raged, and eventually drew to a close after Lucian was seemingly killed by Kraven. After this, Viktor gathered more power for himself, making himself leader of the Old World Coven, Ordoghaz, and going so far as to alter history. In the revised version of history set out by Viktor, Viktor, not Marcus, was the original Vampire. In time, he exiled the Official Historian Andreas Tanis, who knew that Marcus was the first Vampire.

In the present day, Viktor was hibernating, not to be awakened for another 100 years. However, Selene was determined to awaken Viktor as she believed only he would have the power to deal with the apparent conspiracy between Ordoghaz's regent, Kraven, and Lucian. A furious Viktor confronted his protege, condemning her to be judged. However, Selene escaped, and returned with proof of not only Kraven's treachery, but of Lucian's plan to use the blood of Michael Corvin to create a Hybrid -the ultimate insult to one who feared a union of the species. Viktor promptly launched a full-scale assault on the Lycan lair, breaking the neck of Raze when the transformed Lycan attacked him. He then encountered Selene biting Michael, and threw the dying Lycan through a wall. Unbeknownst to him, Kraven had revealed his duplicity in the death of Selene's family. Viktor furiously protested that he had given her immortality in return, and that he had only been trying to protect the species - only to be confronted by his ultimate fear: Selene's bite had reacted with the Lycan virus and the Corvinus Strain in Michael's body to create a Hybrid. In battle, Michael's power proved formidable, however Viktor's experience proved decisive, and he began to choke Michael to death. A vengeful Selene then sliced Viktor's head in two with one stroke of his own sword. It was thought to be inconceivable that a death dealer with Selene's power could kill a vampire elder so old and powerful as Viktor.

Later, Viktor's body was retrieved by the Cleaners, an organization dedicated to cleaning up after the Vampire-Lycan war led by the original immortal, Alexander Corvinus. Corvinus extracted the half of the key beneath Viktor's flesh - only to later have it snatched by Marcus.