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Characters / Conan The Barbarian Film Series
aka: Conan The Barbarian 1982

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Characters appearing in Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Conan the Destroyer (1984).

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Conan and his allies

    In General 
  • Fighter, Mage, Thief: Conan's three companions in the first film fit this dynamic.
    • Valeria is the fighter as she has the most straightforward attacking style and has no trouble killing multiple enemies at once with her sword. She also becomes a Valkyrie-esque spirit after she dies.
    • Akiro the Wizard is the only one in the party to have actual magical abilities such as healing people from near death and some basic telekinesis.
    • Subotai introduces himself as a thief in his first scene. He is also an archer and generally exploits his range advantage against his opponents. In the Battle of the Mounds, he takes up a spear in contrast to Conan who switches to a battle-axe instead.

    Conan 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conan1982.jpg
"Crom!"
Click to see him in Conan the Destroyer
Click to see him as King

Played by: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jorge Sanz (as a child)

Dubbed by: Richard Darbois (European French)

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian | Conan the Destroyer

A Cimmerian who was enslaved when he was a child, witnessing the massacre of his family and people by a mysterious snake-worshipping cult. He grew up pushing a giant millstone wheel, developing a tremendous strength in the process, then became an unbeatable gladiator and eventually a matchless swordsman. Once he was freed, he became an outlaw and set out to accomplish his sworn vengeance against Thulsa Doom, the leader of said cult and the man responsible for the massacre of his people.

Some years later, Queen Taramis hires Conan to lead a quest to find a powerful artifact to awaken a god, promising him to resurrect his beloved Valeria.

  • Adaptational Angst Upgrade: He has a significantly more traumatic backstory than the literary Conan, and as a result, he's understandably a good deal less cheerful.
  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Schwarzenegger has dark brown hair instead of the plain black that the original Conan had.
  • Adaptation Personality Change: Due to the major changes to his backstory, Conan is mostly The Stoic nursing a grudge instead of a free-wheeling Emotional Bruiser.
  • Amazon Chaser: Valeria's boldness and combat capability certainly were as attractive to Conan as her beauty.
  • Awesome, but Impractical: Whirling his sword looks awesome, but offers no real advantage in a fight. Could be seen as a form of Bring It, and as a way of keeping his wrists flexible, or possibly just trying to back everyone else away from the twirling hunk of steel.
  • Back from the Dead: Close enough. He's very weakened from his ordeal on the Tree of Woe when Subotai and Valeria bring him to the Wizard. Spirits come to seek his soul that night, and Valeria prevents them from doing so. Earlier she said she was ready to pay the price. It's implied this is why she doesn't come back alive from the raid on Thulsa Doom's mountain to kidnap the princess back.
  • Badass in Distress: Thulsa Doom has him crucified on the Tree of Woe and it seems like he's gonna die. Then Subotai comes to rescue him.
  • Barbarian Hero: His literary counterpart is the Trope Codifier. Similarly, the movie version is a muscular, long-haired man who enjoys fighting and worships a war god named Crom. That said, the movie version of Conan is also educated in philosphy and poetry, making him a Genius Bruiser.
  • Barbarian Longhair: He never cuts his hair short.
  • Blasphemous Boast: Any deities better listen to him if he prays, because if they don't... then to hell with them! Downplayed, though, because this is actually a more or less correct way to pray to his personal deity. Crom flatly refuses to aid those who will not help themselves and has little use for reverence; he instead respects strength and those that fight for themselves, the former Conan has in abundance, and the latter he proves against Doom's men, possibly leading to Crom rewarding him with some Divine Intervention by sending a Valkyrie Valeria to aid him in a moment of need.
  • The Big Guy:
    • Out of the trio with Subotai and Valeria, he is the strongest.
    • He's easily the strongest member of the party in The Destroyer, only towered by Bombaata.
  • Brutish Character, Brutish Weapon: He uses a battle-axe as his alternate weapon during the Battle of the Mounds.
  • Catchphrase: He invokes the name of the War God of his people, "Crom", whenever he's surprised.
  • Character Title: Conan the Barbarian.
  • Charles Atlas Superpower:
    • He developed a prodigious strength just by pushing a millstone for years.
    • In The Destroyer, he's strong enough to lift a stone door no one would even budge.
  • Composite Character: Having been a slave and gladiator, Conan is closer to Kull than he is his literary counterpart. Him fighting Thulsa Doom and a serpent cult are likewise more associated with Kull than Conan.
  • Cool Crown: The crown of Aquilonia, which he wears when he is sitting on a throne before the end credits.
  • Cool Helmet: Wears one during the Battle of the Mounds.
  • Cool Sword: When trying to escape a pack of wolves after he's been freed from his chains, he stumbles into an ancient tomb. In the hand of what appears to be an ancient king, he finds an exceptionally well-crafted sword, the Atlantean Sword. It then becomes his favored weapon and shows up again in the sequel.
  • Crucified Hero Shot: Actually crucified, on the Tree of Woe.
  • Cultured Badass: "Language and writing were made available to him; the poetry of Khitai, the philosophy of Sung..."
  • Dissonant Laughter: As he's about to die crucified on the Tree of Woe, he starts laughing as soon as he sees Subotai coming to his rescue.
  • Doomed Hometown: His people and family were massacred by Thulsa Doom's army, and his village was burned to the ground.
  • Dressing as the Enemy: Knocks out and steals a member of Doom's Cult robes and impersonates him so he could sneak in.
  • Gladiator Games: Becomes a successful gladiator once he is bought by "Red Hair".
  • Heartbroken Badass: Following Valeria's death. At the start of The Detroyer, he is seen praying for her.
  • Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Mostly averted during the Battle of the Mounds, except towards the very end, when he uses it to lure Thorgrim into a trap.
  • Heroes Prefer Swords: He is the main protagonist, and wields his Atlantean sword most of the time.
  • Heroic Build:
    • Schwarzenegger had actually lost muscle mass since the end of his bodybuilding career, believe it or not. Everyone felt his 240lbs Mr. Universe physique would be too muscular and bulky to play the athletic and leaner Conan. Arnold stopped dieting and concentrated more on cardio work and dropped down to 210lbs.
    • For The Destroyer, the producers asked Arnie if he could get even more muscular than he was in the first movie. Never one to turn down a challenge, Arnie happily accepted.
  • Horny Vikings: The Cimmerians are presented as warriors searching for Valhalla as heard in this exchange with Subotai:
    Crom is strong! When I die, I must go before him and he will ask me: what is the riddle of steel? If I cannot answer he cast me out of Valhalla and laugh at me! That is Crom! He who is strong in the mountains!
  • Katanas Are Just Better: Played with. Yamakazi Kiyoshi, the sword-master for Conan The Barbarian, explicitly trained the cast in kenjutsu with katanas; and in fact Conan does practice with a shirazaya (wooden handled) katana early in the film. However, due to the bulk of Schwarzenegger's arm muscles, he was unable to perform the more elegant moves that Gerry Lopez (Subotai) and Sandahl Bergman (Valeria) were able to use throughout the movie, making him look Unskilled, but Strong at the best in comparison in spite of Conan supposedly being the best swordsman of the trio.
  • The Leader:
    • Not so clearly in the first film as his party in it (Subotai, Valeria and the Wizard) is more of a Band of Brothers.
    • He leads the party Queen Taramis sends to retrieve the Horn of Dagoth in the second film.
  • Lonely at the Top: Destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a 'troubled brow', as stated and shown in the opening and closing narrations, the epilogue displaying a grim looking Conan sitting on the throne as King.
  • Loveable Rogue:
    • After meeting Subotai, he becomes an outlaw, causes trouble to Thulsa Doom's snake cult and thus gains the sympathy of King Osric.
    • As of The Destroyer, he is implied to have stolen many things with Malak before Taramis came to them. And while he is acclaimed by the population of Shadizar, a rich man hides his jewels out of sight.
  • Made a Slave: He was enslaved as a child by Thulsa Doom, but managed to survive and gain a heck of a muscle mass.
  • Master Swordsman: At some point in his career, he is brought to such a master in the East, and becomes one through his teachings.
  • Men Don't Cry:
    • As summed up here:
      Subotai: He is Conan, Cimmerian. He Will Not Cry, so I Cry for Him.
    • He doesn't cry at all when praying for Valeria at the start of the second film (although some time having passed probably helps).
  • Misery Builds Character: The movie even opens with the Nietzsche quote "That which does not kill us only makes us stronger."
  • Mr. Fanservice: He has a lot of shirtless scenes for a reason (moreso in The Destroyer).
  • Multi-Melee Master: His experiences as a gladiator have made him this, especially once he goes to train with the weapon masters in the East. Some of the weapons he fights with early on are fairly rare and exotic.
  • Nemean Skinning: When Conan finally finds the Atlantean sword inside the tomb, the wolves that had been hounding him wake up, waiting for him. Cut to Conan wearing their skins.
  • Proud Warrior Race Guy: He regularly invokes the god of war of his people, Crom, and seeks to prove himself worthy of entering Valhalla.
  • The Stoic: At Valeria's funeral pyre, Subotai poignantly pointed out: "He is Conan, Cimmerian. He will not cry, so I cry for him."
  • Time-Passage Beard: He sports one as shown in the epilogue, when he becomes the King of Aquilonia.
  • Took a Level in Badass: While he was always a strong man, training under masters at arms gave him some much-needed finesse to go with his force.
  • Unexplained Accent: As per usual for a Schwarzenegger character, Conan speaks with a thick Austrian accent despite nobody else, not even within his tribe, having one.
  • Unskilled, but Strong: When he's first thrust in a fighting pit as a gladiator, he doesn't quite know what to do and his adversary initially seems to overpower him, but then he uses his considerable strength to turn the tables. It then applies less and less as he becomes a killing machine and then no more once he's trained by masters at arms.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: He is seen shirtless for a large chunk of the second film.
  • Warrior Poet: The Wizard notes that Conan was not only educated in combat but also in philosophy and poetry. And there are these pieces of dialogue from the director's cut:
    Conan: I remember days like this when my father took me to the forest and we ate wild blueberries. More than 20 years ago. I was just a boy of four or five. The leaves were so dark and green then. The grass smelled sweet with the spring wind. Almost 20 years of pitiless cumber! No rest, no sleep like other men. And yet the spring wind blows, Subotai. Have you ever felt such a wind?
    Subotai: They blow where I live too. In the north of every man's heart.
    Conan: It's never too late, Subotai.
    Subotai: No. It would only lead me back here another day. In even worse company.
    Conan: For us, there is no spring. Just the wind that smells fresh before the storm.
  • You Killed My Father: And his mother, and his people. Not to mention taking his father's sword. And you better believe Conan will make you pay for it, Thulsa Doom.

Conan's Allies who first appeared in Conan the Barbarian

    Subotai 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/subotai.jpg
"My god is stronger. He is the everlasting sky! Your god lives underneath him."

Played by: Gerry Lopez

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

An Hyrkanian outlaw Conan freed from his chains and befriended.

  • Ambiguously Brown: Subotai is a Tuvan (Turkic) name, but Gerry Lopez isn't of Northern Asian descent, although he is of Hawaiian-Mexican one instead and does look racially ambiguous.
  • Barbarian Hero: Hyrkanian (Hunnish / Mongol of sorts).
  • Big Damn Heroes: He shows up to save Conan from the Tree of Woe and manages to save Osric's daughter from Thulsa Doom's snake-arrow at the end of the Battle of the Mounds.
  • Bow and Sword in Accord: He's proficient with both his bow and his saber.
  • Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: Subotai is neither seen nor even mentioned in Conan the Destroyer. In The Horn of Azoth, a comic book based on a draft script of Destroyer, he appears (renamed) and is hanged for theft. This pisses Conan off.
  • Do Not Go Gentle: When Conan first meets him, he's been captured by the witch and chained up to be eaten by wolves. He asks for food—not because he's starving but so he'll have strength to fight when the wolves come. This apparently gains Conan's respect as he sets Subotai free.
  • Famous-Named Foreigner: He shares a name with Genghis Khan's top general.
  • He Will Not Cry, so I Cry for Him: The Trope Namer. He tells this to Akiro when Valeria's body is burned on a pyre.
  • Loveable Rogue: Like Conan, he commits a robbery against the Big Bad's cult, which earns him the sympathy of King Osric.
  • Manly Facial Hair: He knows how to kick ass just fine, and sports a thin and long moustache extending right down to his chin on both sides of his face in typical Mongol warrior fashion.
  • Sequel Nonentity: Nowhere to be seen in Conan the Destroyer.
  • True Companions: Befriends Conan, travels with him, teaches him how to be a thief, saves him from the Tree of Woe, and stands by him during the Battle of the Mounds.
  • Weapon-Based Characterization: During the Battle of the Mounds, he efficiently mows down multiple enemies with his spear and his archery, establishing his reliance on accuracy over brute strength.

    Valeria 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/valeria.jpg
"Do you want to live forever?"

Played by: Sandahl Bergman

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian | Conan the Destroyer (dead, in a vision)

A thief Conan and Subotai met as they were about to raid a tower belonging to Thulsa Doom's cult. She became Conan's lover.

    The Wizard / Akiro 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/12503077_gal_1717.jpg
"Once great men lived here... giants... gods... once, but long ago. It is here that I met my master. It was no accident, nor it is mere chance that I am the teller of his tale."

Played by: Mako

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian | Conan the Destroyer

An old sorcerer and hermit living on an ancient battlefield among warriors' remains and standing stones.

  • Actually Pretty Funny: When Conan laughs at his mystic threats, the Wizard himself starts laughing.
  • Bald Mystic: He has no hair on his head, knows a lot about magic, spirits and gods, and has a part in the Battle of the Mounds despite having no martial training. Even more so in the sequel, as he openly uses his powers this time.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Gets his heroic moment when he saves Subotai's ass in the battle. He uses a spear to kill one of Thulsa Doom's men to save Subotai during the battle.
  • Cassandra Truth: Warns Conan about the prophecy and Virgin Sacrifice in The Destroyer. Conan doesn't really care until Bombaata betrays them and brings Jehnna back to Taramis.
  • Cool Old Guy:
    • His apocalyptic threats to Conan the very first time they meet don't last very long before he reveals himself as a fun old dude to share a campfire with, as well as a wise and trustworthy ally for Conan.
    • In The Destroyer, he's so grateful to Conan for saving his life that he joins Jehnna's quest, assists Conan's team throughout the film, and grows alarmed when he learns what the cult of Dagoth plans to do with Jehnna.
  • Court Mage: Seems to have been given such a job by Jehnna at the end of The Destroyer.
  • Distressed Dude: When Conan shows up to take him along for the quest in The Destroyer, he's in the process of being prepared for dinner by a Cannibal Tribe and has to be freed first.
  • First-Person Peripheral Narrator: He narrates Conan's story and has a role in it as well.
  • Hand Seals:
    • Uses one in the first film, with his hands clasped and his indexes and pinkies touching tips, when trying to protect himself from the spirits.
    • He uses a lot of hand signs for his spells in the sequels, often the pictured one with his hands clasped and his indexes straight, which he also used in the previous film.
  • The Hermit: He lives alone in a hut, preferring the company of the dead over that of the living.
  • Hospitality for Heroes: He welcomes Conan the first time they meet and provides him goods and a dromedary.
  • I Owe You My Life: Conan saves him from a Cannibal Tribe in the second film. He joins the team immediately when Conan asks.
  • Ignored Expert: He's ignored by Conan when he explains the Horn of Dagoth is hidden for a reason in the second film; Conan figured it was worth the gamble.
  • Large Ham:
    • Mako certainly had a ball playing him, and his epic narration certainly displays it.
    • He provides some epic theatrical narration once again in the second film, but only in the opening this time around. The fight against the leader of the Guardians of the Horn of Dagoth counts too, with his funny face and noises.
  • Magical Barefooter: Subverted in The Destroyer. He is found barefoot, but unlike Zula, he gets sandals shortly after. Still, barring Zula, this makes him the most lightly shod party member.
  • Named by the Adaptation: The first film doesn't really provide us with his name, unless you keep an eye for the end titles. He is named "Akiro" in the sequel.
  • Narrator: All of the narration parts of both films are done by him. He describes himself as Conan's "chronicler" in the Opening Narration.
  • Non-Action Guy: Defied. He's not strong enough to wear an armor (frequently losing his balance because of it) or even fight, but still takes part in the battle.
  • Playing with Fire: Summons fire on a torch in The Destroyer.
  • Seers: In The Destroyer, he can see what happened in a given place just by concentrating himself a few seconds and joining his fingers.
  • The Smart Guy: He's knowledgeable about magic and literate in the language of the ancient Dagoth worshipers.
  • Squishy Wizard: He's not much of a physical combatant, being old and small, but his magical abilities are top notch (particularly in The Destroyer).
  • Took a Level in Badass: Didn't show his magical powers in the first film, and displays them in the second.

Conan's Allies who first appeared in Conan the Destroyer

    Malak 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Conan-the-Destroyer_Malak_6507.jpg

Played by: Tracey Walter

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

A thief who became Conan's companion at one point.

  • Amazon Chaser: In one scene, Malak attempts to seduce Zula and backs off when she threatens to split his head open.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: Malak might be a shrimp and a coward, but don't turn your back on him. Opponents on the receiving end of his knives learned this the hard way.
  • Bumbling Sidekick: A pretty goofy and cowardly sidekick, to say the least.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: While his role as comic relief tends to undercut his abilities, there are hints that he's fairly competent at his job as a thief, and resourceful in a fight. Not only does he seem to know exactly where to backstab someone to cause a lot of damage, he also demonstrates a great degree of accuracy with thrown daggers. There's also the fact that Conan isn't known to suffer fools, so if he was Conan's traveling companion, he probably has skills that make him valuable.
  • Devious Daggers: Malak is Conan's thief sidekick and lancer is skilled with knives, able to both throw them accurately and cleanly slit a man's throat from behind. However this is not due to a treacherous nature, but Combat Pragmatism as he lacks Conan's strength, skill and courage.
  • In the Back: His favourite tactic when it comes to a fight.
  • Knows a Guy Who Knows a Guy: His "brother's sister's cousin" told him about a cave behind the waterfalls of Shadizar with a Secret Underground Passage leading directly to the palace. And it proves to be true (exactly why his "brother's sister" wasn't also his sister is something he doesn't explain).
  • The Load: He's mostly an useless goofball, except when he remembers that his "brother's sister's cousin" told him there's a secret passage to enter the palace, which proves to be true.
  • Lovable Coward: He cowers under a stone altar in the opening fight and tends to avoid fighting whenever he can, but he's pretty friendly.
  • Loveable Rogue: He's an outlaw, but nothing makes him really hateful.
  • Plucky Comic Relief: So much so that, at the end of the film, Jehnna makes him her court jester.
  • The Talk: Fails to give this to Jehnna after she asks him what she should do with Conan.
  • Victory Pose On Person: After Conan kills the Dagoth, Malak gives Dagoth's corpse a meaningless stab and poses with one foot on it, pretending that he gave the killing blow.

    Zula 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zula_3331.jpg

Played by: Grace Jones

Dubbed by: Maïk Darah (European French)

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

A fierce warrior whose pillaging raid party has been wiped entirely. She joins Conan's party after Conan saves her life.

  • Action Girl: Zula is a fierce and very skilled warrior who's introduced as she holds off a half dozen men at least when chained to a stake, as punishment for having raided the village she's in. Zula is quite adept with a staff or spear, as shown here and throughout the rest of the film.
  • Adaptation Name Change: The Horn of Azoth graphic novel renames her Shumballa.
  • All Amazons Want Hercules: Zula is a tough warrior woman who has eyes for Conan, who's a very muscular and a powerful swordsman.
  • Amazonian Beauty: She's a lean, muscular warrior woman from a warrior tribe. Malak and Conan both find her quite attractive.
  • Animal Motif: Her warrior outfit is made to resemble a horse.
  • Anti-Hero: She once led a party of raiders who Rape, Pillage, and Burn. Accompanying Conan's party and protecting Jehnna gives her an opportunity to redeem her previous life.
  • Big Damn Heroes: She hurls her staff into the Grand Vizier's chest before he can sacrifice Jehnna. Not only does this save Jehnna's life, but it results in Dagoth materializing in a weak form, rather than a world-destroying form.
  • Boyish Short Hair: Zula has a very short haircut, while being a tough, formidable warrior woman.
  • Cadre of Foreign Bodyguards: She's not from Shadizar, and she becomes the chief of Jehnna's royal guard at the end of the film, with a really exotic outfit.
  • Funny Bruce Lee Noises: She lets out all sorts of noises akin to Bruce Lee fighting screams when fighting.
  • Gender Flip: The film turned Zula, a male warrior/wizard from the Marvel Comics line, into a Zulu Amazon of sorts.
  • I Owe You My Life: Conan saves her from a mob of angry villagers on Jehnna's order. She wants to join the team afterwards.
  • The Lad-ette: Zula is a lean, muscular warrior woman who acts even fiercer than the male warriors, and her advice on how to get a man seems outright parodic of the uber-masculine stereotype, while she's a Screaming Warrior too and bares her teeth when she fights.
    Jehnna: How do you attract a man? What I mean is, suppose you set your heart on somebody. What would you do to get him?
    Zula: Grab him! And take him!
  • Odd Friendship: With Jehnna. She admits to Jehnna that she feels welcome in Conan's group, agrees to teach Jehnna how to use a staff in combat, and gives Jehnna romantic advice (consisting of "grab him, and take him!"). In the climactic scene of the film, Zula saves Jehnna's life by killing the Grand Vizier.
  • Praetorian Guard: Jehnna appoints her chief of her personal guard at the end.
  • Proud Warrior Race Girl: Zula is a fierce fighter who obviously loves battle and says her entire tribe are warriors after Girly Girl princess Jehnna comments on her being the first warrior woman she's ever met.
  • Rape, Pillage, and Burn: She was the leader of a pillagers raid before the villagers captured her.
  • Scary Black Man: A Gender-Inverted Trope, as Zula's a fierce black warrior woman who is introduced fending off several men at once and is a skilled Screaming Warrior. She's tall for a woman, and bares her teeth too when fighting. Zula's on the good side, however previously she'd been part of a raiding band.
  • Screaming Warrior: She's quite vocal during combat.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: She's afraid of mice. In one scene, Conan's team is navigating the cave to find the Horn of Dagoth, when Zula suddenly starts shrieking and jabbing her spear at something off-screen. When they see that's she's overreacting over a rodent, she looks sheepish.

Thulsa Doom's cult

    Thulsa Doom 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Thulsa-Doom_8051.jpg
"Infidel defilers. They shall all drown in lakes of blood. Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they will learn why they fear the night."

Played by: James Earl Jones

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

The mysterious and heartless leader/spiritual guide of the Children of Doom, an apocalyptic cult that uses snakes as symbols. He is said to be several hundred years old.

  • Adaptational Attractiveness: James Earl Jones is not exactly Brad Pitt but Doom had a Skull for a Head in the original Kull stories.
  • Adaptation Species Change: From an undead sorcerer to a snake sorcerer.
  • Ambiguously Brown: Invoked; his dark skin, straight hair and blue eyes are meant to portray him as a race that no longer exists in the context of our world.
  • Ambiguously Human: He's said to be hundreds of years old and he definitely has supernatural powers, although it's possible that he exaggerates how old and powerful he truly is and that he's just a regular human who knows some magic.
  • Animal Motifs: Snakes everywhere. He even transforms into one, and might be one.
  • Animorphism: He can turn himself into a snake.
  • Bad Boss: To make a point about Might Makes Right, he hypnotizes one of his own followers into jumping off a cliff.
  • Big Bad: His slaughter of Conan's village (including personally decapitating Conan's mom with Conan's father's sword) is why Conan wants him dead.
  • Blasphemous Boast: His speech to Conan and belief about how flesh is stronger than steel is one big affront to Crom and his Riddle of Steel, who Doom clearly became disillusioned with over the years. In the end he receives a Death by Irony and Karmic Death when his flesh doesn't prove stronger than Conan's steel that he scorned.
  • But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Does not remember specifically plundering Conan's village and selling him and the other children into slavery.
    Conan: You killed my mother... you killed my father! You killed my people! You took my father's sword!
    Doom: Ah! It must have been when I was younger.
  • Chewing the Scenery: His Rousing Speech to his cult just before Conan kills him.
  • Cold Sniper: With a bow and arrow. He uses a snake as the arrow.
  • Compelling Voice: His monotone yet authoritative voice can hypnotize as surely as his stare does.
  • Cool Helmet: In keeping with his snakes-themed cult, his helmet's two "horns" are snakes and the nasal protection looks like a snakes' tail. See here◊.
  • Creepy Monotone: He constantly speaks on the same soft tone, and it sounds creepy.
  • Dark Is Evil: He wears black clothes most of the time, and he's the most evil being in the film.
  • Dark Messiah: Styles himself a prophet that will "cleanse" the world.
  • Death by Irony: In the end Doom is decapitated by Conan's steel Ancestral Weapon, after he had previously mocked steel, Crom and the Riddle Of Steel with a Blasphemous Boast by claiming flesh was stronger.
  • Dirty Coward: There are four occasions where it's implied that despite his magic powers, numerous followers and intimidating aura, he's a coward at heart. First he hypnotizes Conan's mother when she is prepared to fight him with a sword, then decapitates her when she lowers her sword and guard instead of fighting her fairly. Second he turns into a giant snake and flees the orgy chamber before the battle, with the novelization explaining he knew the chamber was about to be attacked by Conan and the others. Third he returns only after they are escaping with the Princess to shoot Valeria In the Back with a snake arrow as they are leaving, killing her. And lastly he later attacks Conan, Subotai and the Wizard with overwhelming odds in his favor to kidnap the Princess again, and when the tide of battle surprisingly turns against them, instead of joining the battle and fighting Conan, he tries to kill the Princess and flees again back to his lair when he fails to accomplish even this.
  • Doomy Dooms of Doom: Thulsa Doom, leader of the cult of the Children of Doom, who await the day of doom when they'll rain doom upon their enemies while chanting "dooooom".
  • Evil Is Petty: He has an entire village put to the sword and its children enslaved just so he could have a good steel sword.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: It's James Earl Jones, so it's a given.
  • Faux Affably Evil: Doom almost seems guilt-ridden when he notes that all Conan has done with the passion his people's massacre has devoted him is to plot revenge and then get caught... and then orders him crucified within the same breath.
  • Hypnotic Eyes: Apparently, he can bend someone to his will by simply looking him in the eyes. It works on Conan's mother... but less so on Conan himself at the end.
  • Karmic Death: In the end, he perishes by decapitation at Conan's hands from the very thing he searched in the first place when he devastated Conan's village, the thing he treated with disdain afterwards: the steel, Conan's father's sword that he used to decapitate Conan's mother.
  • Meaningful Name: Doom is at the center of his preaches.
  • Might Makes Right: His philosophy of "Strong Flesh, Weak Steel" (which the trope doesn't actually describe) is essentially this — what use are weapons against the (physical or mystical) strength of the individual if it's sufficiently powerful to make the world conform to it?
    'Doom: (after sending a follower falling to her death) That is strength, boy! That is power! The strength and power of flesh! What is steel, compared to the hand that wields it?
  • Names to Run Away from Really Fast: What with "Doom" in his name.
  • No Historical Figures Were Harmed:
    • Some critics have found him somewhat reminiscent of infamous cult leader Jim Jones.
    • His cult also bears a lot of similarities with the Order of Assassins. Religious fanatics who willingly commit murder and suicide for their master, assassinating authority figures that don't submit to them, using drugs and sex to control followers... his fortress is even in a mountain, much like the Order's citadel of Alamut.
  • Off with His Head!: His fate. Very karmic, since he killed Conan's mother the same way and with the same sword, which belonged to Conan's father, who also got killed during the raid on Conan's home village.
  • Psychic Powers: He's got Hypnotic Eyes and his power on weak minds is akin to More than Mind Control.
  • Really 700 Years Old: He is said to be a thousand years old.
  • Religion of Evil: His cult, the Children of Doom.
  • Reptiles Are Abhorrent: His cult's symbol is a double-headed snake, worships an actual giant snake, and Doom himself can turn into a snake.
  • Rogues' Gallery Transplant: Never fought Conan in the original stories, making his debut in the Kull cycle.
  • Scaled Up: During the orgy scene, Thulsa Doom transforms into a giant snake and exits through a hole in the wall. In the film it's unclear why he did this, but in the novelization it explains that Doom could sense the presence of Conan and his allies, and realizing the danger he was in he transformed into a snake as a way of making a quick exit.
  • Scary Black Man: Somewhat of an aversion. Thulsa Doom has black skin, but he also has blue eyes and straight hair. According to the director's commentary they wanted Thulsa Doom to look like he was a member of a race that has since vanished from the Earth.
  • Snake People: There are some implications he might be some form of this. He doesn't look like a snake on the outside, but he can turn himself into one, can command snakes (as demonstrated when he turns one into an arrow) and has Hypnotic Eyes.
  • Sorcerous Overlord: He has magical powers, and might just be the head of a cult, but said cult spreads in several cities and he's in position to actually threaten local kings.
  • Soft-Spoken Sadist: He raises his voice only twice: during his monologue after capturing Conan (once when recounting Conan's sins of killing Doom's pet snake and again in emphasis of the power of simple flesh (see "Might Makes Right, above.)) The rest of the time, he keeps cool, calm, and poised, much like the snakes that surround him.
  • Tranquil Fury: Even when really pissed off, he still remains a Soft-Spoken Sadist who speaks with a Creepy Monotone.
    Doom: Infidel defilers. They shall all drown in lakes of blood. Now they will know why they are afraid of the dark. Now they learn why they fear the night.
  • Trick Arrow: Fires snake-arrows — arrows that are originally snakes, are pulled out and magically made into arrows, then fired, then they turn back into snakes. This is too awesome and scary to be laughed at — it ends up doing in Valeria.
  • Wizards Live Longer: He's a Sorcerous Overlord who claims to be a thousand years old.
  • Would Hit a Girl: In his case, decapitate the girl (Conan's mother), mind control the girl into jumping off a cliff (a follower), or shoot the girl with snake–arrows (Valeria).

    Rexor 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_kt505lsfUn1qzhiqw_6581.png
"YOU?!"

Played by: Ben Davidson

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

Thulsa Doom's second-in-command and the high priest of his cult.

  • Butt-Monkey: Gets the more humiliating misfortunes; the snake head column winds up landing on his head during the orgy fight, knocking him out, and his horse face-plants during the Battle of the Mounds.
  • Cool Helmet: With two peaks.
  • Co-Dragons: With Thorgrim.
  • Cool Sword: He wields Conan's father's sword when Conan meets him again years after the sacking of the Cimmerian village. Thulsa Doom had no interest in steel anymore at some point, and gave the sword to Rexor, most likely.
  • The Dragon: According to Valeria, he's Thulsa Doom's second-in-command.
  • Evil Counterpart: One could say he is one of these to Conan as an intelligent, fearless barbarian warrior who just happens to serve a corrupt regime.
  • Genius Bruiser: Rexor is both a powerful fighter and in charge of administrations, such as the temple with the giant snake.
  • High Priest: He is in charge of the Virgin Sacrifices to Thulsa Doom's giant snake.
  • It's Personal with the Dragon: Downplayed; while Conan surely wants Rexor dead (Rexor led the raid on Conan's village, ordered the death of Conan's father and uses the stolen sword of Conan's father), it's really Thulsa Doom he's after.
  • Large and in Charge: The tallest of Thulsa Doom's lieutenants and also the second in command.
  • Manly Facial Hair: Sports a long mustache and is one of Thulsa Doom's most skilled commanders.
  • Master Swordsman: He matches Conan with swords for some time, before his...
  • Rasputinian Death: Conan gloriously offs him with several sword blows.
  • Red and Black and Evil All Over: His outfit at the beginning of the film features a cape of black fur and has a large red X on the torso.
  • Worthy Opponent: Seems to regard Conan's mother as such. They salute and looked like they were about to duel before Thulsa Doom arrived.
  • Wrecked Weapon: Rexor wields Conan's father's sword against Conan himself, who breaks it with the Atlantean sword. Rexor still goes on for a second with his broken weapon, until Conan finishes him off.
  • "You!" Exclamation: When facing Conan again during the orgy fight.

    Thorgrim 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_kt50dexCkh1qzhiqw_9375.png

Played by: Sven-Ole Thorsen

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

Thulsa Doom's third-in-command, and the tamer of Doom's cult's giant snake.

Kingdom of Shadizar

    Queen Taramis 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_mhkv1xtwWp1r4bcn2o1_1280_9715.jpg

Played by: Sarah Douglas

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

The ruler of the kingdom of Shadizar, who has sinister motivations.

  • Adaptational Villainy: Her book counterpart was far more sympathetic.
  • Affably Evil: Despite being an evil cultist who would sacrifice her own niece to an evil god, she's kind to Jehnna and pleasant with Conan.
  • Big Bad: She is the film's main antagonist, planning to unleash an ancient monster.
  • Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At first, she appears to be a reasonable ruler and supportive aunt. In reality, she's a scheming cultists who hopes to resurrect an eldritch abomination.
  • Blatant Lies: Her promise to Conan.
  • Composite Character: The Horn Of Azoth merges her and The Leader into Karanthes.
  • Cool Crown: At the end.
  • Cool Helmet: In the opening.
  • Evil Aunt: Is planning to sacrifice her niece.
  • Evil Matriarch: She treats her niece Jehnna very well, but it's only in the hope of sacrificing her to Dagoth.
  • Evil Overlord: Ruler of Shadizar.
  • Forced Sleep: Uses magic to put Jehnna back to sleep after she wakes from a nightmare.
  • Gender Flip: The graphic novel turns her into the sorcerer Karanthes.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: She is killed by the evil god she vowed to unleash.
  • Manipulative Bastard: She recruits Conan to protect Jehnna during her quest, but she fails to tell him that she'll sacrifice Jehnna to Dagoth.
  • Offing the Offspring: The The Horn Of Azoth graphic novel replaces her with Jehnna's father who's trying to sacrifice her.
  • Psychic Powers: Uses them to manipulate Conan to follow her at the beginning. She doesn't seem to have any power besides that for the rest of the movie.
  • Stripperiffic: Some of her outfits◊ which were not included in the movie.

    Jehnna 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jehnna_9700.png

Played by: Olivia d'Abo

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

The princess of the kingdom of Shadizar and niece of Queen Taramis.

  • Adaptation Name Change: Called Natari in The Horn Of Azoth.
  • Bodyguard Crush: Has one on Conan.
  • The Chosen One: Indicated by a Birthmark of Destiny, only she can touch the Heart of Ahriman and not be obliterated.
  • Coming of Age Story: At the beginning of the film, Jehnna is spoiled, naive, and immature. By the end of the film, she's the dignified ruler of her late aunt's kingdom.
  • Damsel in Distress: She has to be rescued twice in the film.
  • Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Although she can definitely behave like an annoying brat, Jehnna does have a compassionate side; as seen when she convinces Conan to save Zula from the villagers who are tormenting her.
  • Hands-On Approach: A drunk Conan sees Zula giving Jehnna fighting lessons with a staff, and interrupts so that he can teach her to use a "real" weapon. Since Jehnna can't even lift his sword on her own, he stands behind her and helps her. It's clear that she was immensely turned on by this, but Conan didn't notice or care.
  • Hopeless Suitor: She becomes irreversibly smitten with Conan, but after learning that he loves another woman who is into action, she tries (and fails) to toughen up to gain his interest.
  • The Ingenue: She's innocent and doesn't know much about life beyond the palace she lived in, although she still has Royal Brat tendencies.
  • Innocently Insensitive: When asking Bombaata about Conan, Jehnna mentions that Bombaata is the only man she's ever known and she's never known a "real man." If you've only seen the movie you may be wondering what Jehnna meant by this remark, but the novelization mentions that Bombaata is a eunuch, making Jehnna's comment a lot more understandable - and mean.
  • Love at First Sight: It's more like a schoolgirl crush, but she wanted Conan the moment she saw him. After being repeatedly saved by him, though, she flat out asks him to rule beside her.
  • Odd Friendship: With Zula. She asks Zula for advice on how to woo a man, and isn't sure how to react when Zula encourages her to "grab him!". She later seems pleased that Zula feels welcome in the group and asks Zula to teach her how to wield a staff in combat.
  • Only the Chosen May Wield: She's the only one who can touch the Heart of Ahriman.
  • Princesses Rule: Becomes the ruler of Shadizar at the end.
  • Royal Brat: Jehnna starts out as having a haughty and bossy attitude, believing that everybody should obey her because she's the princess. Although by the end of the film she does become more humble and fair in her treatment of others.
  • Save the Princess: What Conan, Malak, Akiro and Zula do in the climax, as she's about to be sacrificed to awaken Dagoth.
  • Screaming Woman: She screams quite a lot, and it doesn't help at all.
  • Sheltered Aristocrat: Prior to the events of the film, she has never been outside of the royal palace. Her sheltered upbringing manifests itself in the fact that she's very naive about many things.
  • Stripperiffic: Many of Jehnna's outfits are quite revealing, especially considering that she's only in her early-to-mid teens.
  • Targeted Human Sacrifice: Dagoth's summoning ritual requires Jehnna to be sacrificed. Whether the virgin Jehnna herself must be sacrificed, or whether any virgin would do, is unclear.
  • Unexpected Successor: Jehnna was supposed to die as a human sacrifice to Dagoth. Instead, she assumes the throne after Queen Tamaris dies by Dagoth's hand (or rather, horn).
  • Virgin Sacrifice: Taramis' plan depends on the fact that Jehnna is still a virgin. She actually tasks Bombaata with making sure that the princess retain her virginity.
  • Women Prefer Strong Men: She has a crush on Conan, who's basically the strongest man around.

     Bombaata 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Bombaata_2986.png

Played by: Wilt Chamberlain

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

The most trusted soldier of Queen Taramis' retinue, basically her main henchman/bodyguard. She orders him to bodyguard Jehnna to make sure no one strips her from her virginity so she can be sacrificed to Dagoth once she returns with the horn.

  • Adaptation Name Change: Called Strabo in The Horn of Azoth.
  • Beard of Evil: He's a bearded man whose loyalty to the cult of Dagoth shows him to be evil.
  • The Big Guy: He and Conan are the two physically largest members of the cast.
  • Blatant Lies: Once Conan has disposed of Togra, Bombaata (while he's still in the team) briefly attacks him, under the false pretense that he though Conan was going to harm Jehnna.
  • The Brute: At the end, he stands between the sacrifice room and Conan's party, and demonstrates much brutality in trying to kill Conan.
  • Cool Helmet: Wears a Statue of Liberty-like spiked helmet for the first quarter of the movie.
  • Dark Is Evil: He's always dressed in black, and sure enough, he's a traitorous team member whose loyalty only goes to Taramis.
  • Defiant to the End: Even after being fatally stabbed, he tries to strangle Conan with the last of his strength.
  • The Dragon: Queen Taramis' trusted henchman.
  • Eunuchs Are Evil: Want to know why Bombaata was the only man trusted around Jehnna? The novelization of the film mentions that he is a eunuch, so he is incapable of taking her virginity (going by his beard and deep voice, though, he presumably lost his 'nads after puberty). In the film, his eunuch status (which thus makes sense) is implied when Jehnna teases him about not being a "real man".
  • Evil Counterpart: He's taller than Conan and nearly as well built, he serves an evil queen, and the two have a duel to the death in the climax.
  • Savage Spiked Weapons: He wields a spiky morgenstern-like mace with a beak. He also carries a battleaxe in the climax, but prefers to ditch it and rely on his mace to battle Conan.
  • Scary Black Man: In the climax especially, where he demonstrates his rage and brutality to its fullest against Conan.
  • Sixth Ranger Traitor: Joins Conan's party to protect Jehnna and betrays the party once the Horn of Dagoth is found.
  • Undying Loyalty: He's deeply loyal to Queen Taramis.

    Dagoth 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/statueaa2_8892.png

Played by: André the Giant

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

Also known as "the Dreaming God", Dagoth is a deity worshipped by the people of Shadizar, particularly Queen Taramis. He participated in a large battle with other gods, during which his source of power, a jeweled horn, was broken off. Dagoth fell to Earth in a weakened state and his body turned into stone. Putting the horn back on his forehead would revive him.

  • Adaptation Name Change: The Horn of Azoth changed Dagoth to "Azoth".
  • Artifact of Doom: His horn, which must be placed in a statute of Dagoth to resurrect him.
  • Attack Its Weak Point: Dagoth is vulnerable if his horn is forcibly removed.
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: The climax has Conan besting him in combat.
  • Eldritch Abomination: The botched sacrificial ceremony unleashes him into this form.
  • Final Boss: The last threat that Conan faces in the film.
  • God of Evil: His resurrection will cause an Apocalypse How. It's unclear, but it ranges from Planetary to Universal, and is hinted at a Metaphysical Annihilation. However, the prophecy is so vague some assume that Dagoth will reward those who align with it.
  • Horned Humanoid: With the horn equipped, his statue depicts him as a horned man. In his physical form, he's a horned, vaguely human-shaped monster.
  • Mythology Gag / Homage: Dagoth sounds very similar to Dagon, a well-known deity featured in both Caananite mythology, and H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos as the god of the Deep Ones. Robert E. Howard was a correspondent of HP Lovecraft. Dagoth's monster form looks rather similar to a deformed Deep One or even Cthulhu himself. He even has the title of "The Dreaming God."
  • One-Winged Angel: Just look at the image above and compare it with the one below.
  • Sealed Evil in a Can: He resides in a statue depicting him as a handsome young man.
  • Worf Had the Flu: The sacrifice was botched, making it far easier to deal with.

    The Grand Vizier 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conan_le_destructeur_conan_the_destroyer_1983_portrait_w858_4739.jpg

Played by: Jeff Corey

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

The vizier of Queen Taramis and the high priest of the cult of Dagoth.

    Togra 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Togra_7645.jpg

Played by: Sven-Ole Thorsen

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

The leader of Queen Taramis' praetorian guard.

Miscellaneous villains

    The Witch 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conanwitch.jpg
"Do you not wish to warm yourself by my fire?"

Played by: Cassandra Gava

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

A witch Conan meets while wandering after finding his Atlantean sword.

  • Ambiguous Situation: It's implied she was actually an evil spirit in a false body or some kind of shapeshifter, given that she explodes when thrown to the fire and becomes a ball of light, but the movie doesn't explain it.
  • Creepy Monotone: She speaks the same monotone way throughout her scenes with Conan.
  • Honey Trap: She invites Conan in her hut to warm by her fire, offers him food and drinks, predicts his future and has sex with him. Then she turns into a succubus of sorts.
  • Hot Witch: She's a witch, and quite a sexpot.
  • Kill It with Fire: Averted; Conan throws her into her fireplace when she turns into a demon. She does not die but instead transforms into a fireball and shoots off into the woods with an Evil Laugh.
  • The Immodest Orgasm: Has one while having sex with Conan, just before turning into a succubus.
  • Magical Barefooter: She's barefoot, in line with her wild witch outlook but in spite of the supposedly cold climate. She later takes off everything anyway.
  • Our Vampires Are Different: She grows vampire-like teeth while having sex with Conan.
  • Schmuck Bait: A beautiful woman living alone in the woods invites a sword-bearing barbarian into her nice warm hut. Conan is rightfully wary, but nearly falls victim to her anyway. Conan then finds Subotai chained up behind her hut as wolf food, having apparently been captured by her earlier.
  • Seers: She was able to predict Conan's arrival, and she can predict his future. Not so much the end result of their tryst, though.
    Witch: They said you would come, from the North. A man of great strength. A conqueror. A man who would someday be king by his own hand. One that would crush the snakes of the Earth.
  • Sex for Services: Asks for a 'price' from the well-muscled barbarian in exchange for information. However it's just a means of getting her victim close, or maybe summoning her demon powers. Fortunately she moans out the information he wants just before her transformation.
  • Succubi and Incubi: She turns into a succubus right after her orgasm, growing vampire-like teeth and nails◊.

    Toth-Amon 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/14726-3763_7382.jpg

Played by: Pat Roach

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

A powerful sorcerer who lives in a crystal castle in the middle of a lake. He possesses the Heart of Ahriman, which is the key to get the Horn of Dagoth.

  • Achilles' Heel: The key to defeat the Man Ape? Smashing the mirrors around him.
  • Adaptation Name Change: Called Ramming in The Horn of Azoth.
  • Adaptational Wimp: He is clearly a nod to the character Thoth-Amon from classic Conan literature. However, while the original Thoth-Amon was a genuine threat so great that Conan was terrified despite having an army at his back, the movie's version is a standard (albeit powerful by the movie series' standards) wizard and illusionist that Conan almost defeats by accident.
  • Ambiguously Evil: He sure appears evil, but in the light of later story reveals and sparseness of his own exposition, it's hard to say how evil his agenda exactly was.
  • Ancient Keeper: Of the Heart of Ahriman.
  • Animorphism: Turns himself into a giant ethereal bird to kidnap Jehnna.
  • Antagonist Abilities: He himself is a Master of Illusion and Summon Magic, which means he doesn't even need to fight you directly. His beast minion has a number of "unfair" abilities as well, such as Intangibility, which makes swords and melee attacks worthless.
  • Better to Die than Be Killed: See entry under Death Seeker.
  • The Brute: His illusion nicknamed "Man Ape". It takes the form of a seemingly invincible and wrestling humanoid beast.
  • Death Seeker: Possibly. It seems like he always wanted to know why Jehnna was the only one allowed to touch the Heart of Ahriman. As Conan impaled him, he had nothing to lose and finally touched it, then vanished.
  • Mage Tower: His castle.
  • No Body Left Behind: The Man Ape's body turns into mirror shards, and Toth Amon himself vanishes upon touching the Heart of Ahriman.
  • Red Right Hand: Toth Amon is one-eyed.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: His Man Ape form can be defeated simply by smashing the mirrors of the room in which said form has been summoned.
  • Wrestler in All of Us: Cast the Expert.

    Leader of the Guardians of the Horn of Dagoth 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Ferdy_Mayne_Conan_5655.png

Played by: Ferdy Mayne

Appears in: Conan the Destroyer

The leader of an ancient order of soldiers guarding the place where the Horn of Dagoth is kept.

  • Ancient Keeper: He's been guarding the Horn for quite a while, and his order predates him.
  • Arc Villain: The villain of the Horn of Dagoth part of Conan's quest.
  • Character Tics: Instead of giving orders, he audibly clashes his metal bracers together.
  • Psychic Powers: He can telekinetically open doors, at the very least.
  • Religion of Evil: Worships Dagoth, apparently.

Other characters

    Nial 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conanfather.jpg
"For no one, no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts. THIS you can trust [shows the sword]."

Played by: William Smith

Dubbed by: Pierre Hatet (European French)

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

Conan's father.

  • Back Stab: One of Thulsa Doom's riders plants an axe in his back.
  • Barbarian Tribe: Subverted. Conan's tribe is portrayed as peaceful pelts-wearing villagers living in the woods, in contrast with the raid of armored pillagers led by Thulsa Doom, who are from "civilized" cities and come to Rape, Pillage, and Burn.
  • Beard of Barbarism: He is a Cimmerian, and he's bearded.
  • The Blacksmith: He knows the "Enigma of Steel" and puts it in practice to forge himself a Cool Sword.
  • Cool Sword: He forges himself a sword◊, which is quite a beautiful piece of work considering the otherwise simple/crude-looking barbarian civilization he is part of.
  • Doomed Hometown: He is Conan's father and dies watching his village burn.
  • Fed to the Beasts: He is killed by Thulsa Doom's war hounds.
  • Forging Scene: The movie's opening shows him forging his sword.
  • Good Parents: He clearly adores his son while giving him words of wisdom, which makes his death all the more heart-rending.
  • Named by the Adaptation: According to the novelization, his name is Nial.
  • We Hardly Knew Ye: He dies as part of the Doomed Hometown at the beginning of the film.

    Maeve 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/conanmother.jpg

Played by: Nadiuska

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

Conan's mother.

    Red Hair 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/redhair.jpg

Played by: Luis Barboo

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

A slave master who buys Conan and has him trained to use him as a gladiator.

  • Beard of Barbarism: He doesn't seem to belong to a barbarian horde, but has Conan brought before Khan-like chiefs, seemingly sharing their very barbarian point of view. And he's bearded.
  • Gladiator Games: Buys Conan, forces him into gladiator pit fights and bets on him.
  • Like a Son to Me: It's implied he comes to identify more with Conan than his own sons, and this is why he frees his most valuable gladiator.
  • No Name Given: The character's name is never mentioned in the film, he's simply credited as "Red Hair".
  • Pet the Dog: He abruptly decides that Conan has been a slave for long enough and sets him free. Though he's drunk at the time, so he probably regretted it in the morning.
  • Professional Gambler: He bets on Conan during gladiator pit fights. He must have made quite a fortune since Conan never lost a single fight.
  • Slave Liberation: One night, for some reason, he had enough with Conan and broke his Slave Collar, freeing him.
  • Sympathetic Slave Owner: For a given value of "sympathetic". At least he's never seen mistreating Conan (needing him in top shape and one piece anytime there's a pit fight must help) and lets him go after a while.

    King Osric 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/osric.jpg
"You alone have stood up to their god, and what are you? THIEVES!"

Played by: Max von Sydow

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

The ruler of the kingdom of Zamora.

  • Cool Crown: He wears a headdress that is more akin to a helmet, with red silk, fur and metal parts circling it.
  • Despair Speech: He laments to Conan, Subotai and Valeria about the abduction and brainwashing of his daughter by Thulsa Doom.
    Osric: There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a father's love for his child.
  • The Good King: Though he is called "Osric the Usurper", he wants nothing more than to save his daughter and fight the cult that is corrupting his kingdom. Indeed, if the stories of Conan and Kull are any indication, the usurper may in fact be a liberator.
  • Hero of Another Story: From the narration we learn that King Osric is a northern barbarian who became a king by his own hand. This foreshadows Conan's own later rise to power as king of Aquilonia.
  • Hero with Bad Publicity: If his nickname "The Usurper" is any indication.
  • How the Mighty Have Fallen: The Narrator says that Osric was "once a powerful Northman like my lord, but now old and sotted."
  • The Kindnapper: He has Conan, Valeria and Subotai captured by his soldiers and brought to him. Instead of punishing them for breaking into Thulsa Doom's Serpent Cult's tower and landing him in hot water with the cult, he salutes and thanks them for causing so much trouble to his foes, and then hires them to get his daughter back.
  • The Usurper: Stole the former ruler of Zamora's rightful throne, if his nickname is any indication, although he seems to be a good king otherwise.
  • Large Ham: Max von Sydow simply let himself go in his only scene.
    Osric: Rexor himself has come before me. Threaten me, a king?! What DARING! What OUTRAGEOUSNESS! What INSOLENCE! What ARROGANCE!
    [Rises from his throne]
    Osric: I salute you!
  • Minor Major Character: He's the king of Zamora, and only shows up in one scene.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure: At the very least he wants to rid his kingdom of Thulsa Doom's evil cult.

    Princess Yasimina 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princessconan.jpg

Played by: Valérie Quennessen

Appears in: Conan the Barbarian

The daughter of King Osric. She fell under the influence of Thulsa Doom and became one of his closest followers, much to her father's despair.

  • Brainwashed and Crazy: Is so in thrall to Thulsa Doom that she tries to resist Valeria during her rescue.
  • Be Careful What You Wish For: After Thulsa Doom's defeat at the Battle of the Mounds, she cries out after him, begging him not to leave her behind. He complies. Fortunately, Subotai saves her in the nick of time.
  • Feather Boa Constrictor: Uses living snakes as body ornaments.
  • Heel–Face Turn: At first she is completely devoted to Thulsa Doom. But after Thulsa Doom attempts to kill her with a snake arrow she becomes loyal to Conan.
  • Living MacGuffin: Her only purpose is to get Conan to confront Thulsa Doom.
  • Mind Control: Her mind is clearly under Thulsa Doom's influence.
  • Named by the Adaptation: The Princess' name is never said in the movie, but according to the script and novelization her name is "Yasimina".
  • Save the Princess: King Osric gives a mission to Conan, Subotai and Valeria that is getting his daughter out of Thulsa Doom's clutches.
  • Sex Slave: It is not sure whether Thulsa Doom himself or one of his male followers used her as a sex slave, but she's surely surrounded by a lot of them in a room that is devoted to orgies. King Osric also says bitterly "She is to be his!" implying that as a princess she's being reserved to be wed by Thulsa himself, who has nefarious designs for her and her power.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After losing his entire force at the battle of the Mounds, Thulsa Doom temporarily halts his retreat to try bumping her off with another snake arrow, having no further use for her or perhaps just to spite the heroes.

Alternative Title(s): Conan The Barbarian 1982, Conan The Destroyer

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