Immortal (Highlander) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Immortals are a group of fictional characters seen in the movies and series of the Highlander franchise. Since they are immune to disease and stop aging after becoming Immortal, they can live forever and they only die when they are beheaded.

The Immortals were first introduced in Highlander in 1986. They were created by script writer Gregory Widen who, according to Bill Panzer, producer of the Highlander franchise, "was a student at film school, and he wrote this as his writing class project. (...) He was apparently travelling through Scotland on his summer vacation and he was standing in front of a suit of armor, and he wondered, 'What would it be like if that guy was alive today?' And that's where everything fell into place the idea that there are Immortals and they were in conflict with each other, leading secret lives that the rest of us are unaware of."[1]

In the Highlander universe, the origin of the Immortals is unknown. Panzer states, "We don't know where they come from. Maybe they come from the Source."[2] It is not known yet what the Source actually is. An attempt to explain the origin of the Immortals was made in the theatrical version of Highlander II: The Quickening (1991), which revealed that Immortals are aliens from the planet Zeist. Yet this was edited out of the director's cut of the film made in 1995, Highlander II: The Renegade Version, in which the Immortals are from Earth, but from a distant past. Neither of the two versions is mentioned in either later movies or the television series.

In either version of Highlander II, Immortals themselves do not know where they come from or for what purpose they exist. In Highlander, the Immortal mentor Ramrez, when asked by newly Immortal Connor MacLeod about their origins, answers, "Why does the sun come up? Or are the stars just pinholes in the curtain of night? Who knows?" In Highlander: Endgame, protagonist Connor MacLeod says, "We are the seeds of legend, but our true origins are unknown. We simply are." In the television series episode "Mountain Men", protagonist Duncan MacLeod expresses the same ignorance when he tells Caleb Cole, a fellow Immortal, "Whatever gods made you and me... made us different," and his next line, deleted from the episode, has him say, "They're just having a little fun."[3]

Wherever they come from, the Highlander franchise assumes that there have always been Immortals on Earth, well before the beginning of civilization. In Highlander, Ramrez's narrative starts, "From the dawn of time we came; moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives..." and in Highlander: Endgame, Connor's narrative says, "In the days before memory, there were the Immortals. We were with you then, and we are with you now."

The Immortals do not live as a united people on a territory of their own, but are scattered around the world and across history. The only bond between them are oral traditions called the Rules transmitted from teacher to student.[4] The creator of the Rules is unknown. The Rules are never enumerated, like a body of laws, but they are quoted according to the circumstances. They are taught to newborn Immortals by Immortal mentors called First Teachers (see below). The main Rules are:

Creative Consultant David Abramowitz says, "When you do a show like this [Highlander: The Series], what you do is you make up a lot of it as you go along. The fans used to ask, 'Do you know all the rules from the beginning?' and it's just like in life: You don't know any of the rules. You make them up as you go along and you try your best to be consistent and so that no one turns around, and says, 'Wait a minute, you're cheating!' Because that's one thing we didn't want to do. We didn't want to ever cheat."[5]

The Rules dictate that all Immortals are to fight and behead each other until only one of them remains. As Ramrez reminds Connor MacLeod, "If your head comes away from your neck, it's over."[4] This concept of Immortals beheading each other to be the "last man standing" is referred to as "the Game" and is summarized in the signature Highlander motto, "In the End, there can be only one."[4] As a result, Immortals who live long enough develop strong fighting skills, usually transmitted from teacher to student, as Ramrez did with Connor in Highlander.[4] Most Immortals can fight with several kinds of weapons (axe,[6]sickle,[7]machete,[8]mace,[9] etc.), but the most common is the sword. Consequently, Immortals are usually very fond of their weapons, and almost always have them handy. The script of the Highlander: The Series pilot episode "The Gathering" says about Duncan MacLeod: "Seemingly out of nowhere MacLeod lifts a beautiful Samurai sword. We can see that it is as familiar to him as a .38 Police Special would be to a cop."[10] When he gives a similar sword to Immortal Felicia Martins, Duncan tells her, "Take good care of it. Make it a part of you. It may be the only friend you have." She later breaks the sword in a fight with Duncan, showing neglect of the sword and henceforth demonstrating the student-teacher relationship throughout the series.[11]

The Rules also dictate that when one challenges another to combat, the two Immortals are supposed to duel one-on-one. For example, in "The Gathering", Slan Quince challenges Duncan MacLeod then gets challenged by Connor MacLeod at the same time. He protests to them both: "Not two on one!", Connor MacLeod answers, "Thanks, Slan. I know the rules. You and me. Now!"[12] This does not always happen and battles may be unfair, cheating is usually a sign of an evil Immortal. Examples of cheating include the group of Immortals who served under Immortal Jacob Kell in Highlander: Endgame, Slan Quince's modified sword which fires a dagger from its hilt,[12] and Zachary Blaine keeping a gun to slow down his adversaries.[13] If the Rules are interpreted strictly, once two Immortals begin dueling, no outside interference is permitted, even to save a friend or innocent. For example, Duncan warns Richie that if he engages the vengeful Annie Devlin or the relentless Mako in a duel, Duncan will not permit himself to intervene.[14][15] However there is also a way around the one-on-one rule that even good Immortals have been known to invoke. The Quickening that the winning Immortal receives at the end of a fight is extremely draining, and leaves the recipient unable to protect themselves, allowing another Immortal an easy kill. Therefore some Immortals will travel in pairs or groups to discourage challenges, or will attack an opponent in pairs; while one fights, the other will await the outcome to take revenge if necessary.

The Immortals play the Game in accordance with their personalities. Some, like Slan Quince, go head hunting full-time;[16] some others, like Methos, only fight when they are challenged, to defend their head (which seems to be rather common with extremely old Immortals). Immortals are free to play the Game or not and some chose to "retire" for various reasons. Duncan MacLeod temporarily retires in 1872 because he is tired of death after his wife and adopted son are murdered.[12] Some Immortals, like the pacifist Darius and the epicurean John Durgan, even attempt to retire from the game completely.[17][18]Darius, who was a great general in Late Antiquity, retires permanently because he turned his back on war.[17] Some retired Immortals chose to get on with their life without carrying a sword, like Grace Chandel,[8] but they are in particular danger of losing their heads. A safe option for Immortals who wish to retire from the Game is to live on Holy Ground. However, this leaves them vulnerable to the Hunters.

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Immortal (Highlander) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia