Character page for the Highlander film series.
For the TV series, see here.
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Highlander
Connor MacLeod
Connor MacLeod / Russell Nash
Played by: Christopher Lambert
"Hey, it's a kind of magic."
A man born in the Scottish Highlands who becomes ageless after his first death in 1536. He later learns he is one of several immortals born with an energy called the Quickening, unable to die unless beheaded.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears one to conceal his sword.
- Been There, Shaped History: Connor has played pivotal roles in the Revolutionary War, the Napeolonic War, and World War II.
- Brave Scot: As the titular Highlander. Eager to go into battle with his Clan in the first flashback, and not shying away from duels with other Immortals after being trained by Ramirez.
- Deadpan Snarker: Connor has one hell of a dry wit. When accused of being “a faggot” by a rude cop, he quickly shoots back and asks if the guy is interested in him. In the Director's Cut, when a Nazi says Connor will have to shoot him? "Whatever you say, Jack. You're the master race!"
- Death by Adaptation: In Highlander: The Animated Series the Big Bad Lord Kortan kills him about 700 years before the show takes place.
- Death Glare: He's got an impressive one when he's pissed.
- Defrosting Ice King: Connor is bitter at the start of the film. He's cold, isolated and has seen so many people die that he refuses to form attachments. He rarely smiles or even emotes much. As the film goes on, he develops a new attachment to humanity, falls in love with Brenda and takes his stand against The Kurgan to save the world itself."Love is for poets."
- Determinator: He's one of the last four immortals at the start of the film, having a four hundred and fifty year winning streak.
- Mr. Fanservice: Dresses pretty sharply as an antiques dealer.
- Happily Married: To Heather, who stayed with him until her death of old age.
- Heartbroken Badass: Connor's experienced considerable loss over the centuries which has made him bitter as a result. Still doesn't stop him from kicking immortal ass.
- The Hero: Connor is the hero of the story, and a truly noble man whose ultimate goal is to stop The Kurgan from winning the Prize.
- I Am X, Son of Y: "I am Connor MacLeod of the clan MacLeod."
- Inconspicuous Immortal: By the start of the film, Connor is enjoying a sedate lifestyle as an antiques dealer, having apparently given up on an active military career after World War II. In sharp contrast to the more flamboyant immortals like Ramirez and the Kurgan, he prefers to stay out of the spotlight unless he has no other choice; of course, he can't avoid the Gathering or the battle for the Prize, but Connor still prefers to let the fight come to him rather than actively seeking out violence. The exception to this rule is when the Kurgan kidnaps Brenda, prompting Connor to go on the offensive for once.
- It's Personal: Oh god, is it ever with The Kurgan. The two have been arch-enemies for centuries, The Kurgan is responsible for his first death, killing his mentor Ramirez... and then The Kurgan lets slip that he raped Connor's wife (thinking she was Ramirez's girlfriend) and it gets even more personal than ever.
- Katanas Are Just Better: His primary weapon in modern day is Ramirez's nifty katana.
- Master Swordsman: Connor is one of the last final immortals left in the entire world when the Gathering starts and defeats Iman Fasil in the film's opening. Ultimately, his skill proves even too much for the The Kurgan himself, showing Connor has surpassed all others.
- The Mourning After: Heather died of old age many years after their marriage. Connor treasures her memory, loves her and honors his vow to light a candle on her birthday every single year for centuries.
- Parental Substitute: He adopted Rachel, a war orphan, after World War II and loves her dearly.
- Perma-Stubble: In the modern day, he consistently has a three day growth.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: A career at this tragically cut short by The Kurgan killing him (and almost killing him), causing him to be exiled from his Clan. Still, he carries the attitude when a fight is upon him.
- Real Men Love Jesus: Astoundingly still a devout Catholic in spite of the xenophobia of his Catholic brethren causing him to be exiled.
- Tranquil Fury: Connor's reaction to finding out a terrible secret kept from him for over four centuries is nothing short of epic. He barely speaks above a whisper, but looks like he could rip the Kurgan's head off with his bare hands if not for the Truce Zone rule.
- Trophy Room: Connor has one in his apartment. Given his nature, no surprise it's also a Wall of Weapons.
- Warrior Poet: He does not waste his immortality, but rather enrichens his soul by becoming a patron of fine arts, poetry and music.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: Christopher Lambert went to a lot of trouble to develop a mixed non-specific accent appropriate for an immortal who'd lived everywhere over the course of his centuries-long life. Many people just assumed he was trying to do a specific accent and failing badly, even though the intention is underlined by an early dialogue exchange between MacLeod (operating under the alias Russell Nash) and a suspicious New York cop:Garfield: "You talk funny, Nash. Where you from?"MacLeod: "Lots of different places."
- Younger Than They Look: Connor is only 18 when he becomes immortal. To say he doesn't look it is an understatement. (Lambert was 31 at the time of filming).
Juan Ramirez
Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez
Played by: Sean Connery
"We must fight until only one remains. You are safe only on Holy Ground. None of us will violate that law. It's tradition."
An immortal Egyptian swordsman who becomes the mentor and friend of Connor MacLeod.
- All There in the Manual: The novelization reveals his original name in Ancient Egypt was Tak Ne.
- Back from the Dead: Is brought back to life via... rather uncertain means in Highlander 2.
- Badass Teacher: He's the mentor of the hero, and one of the most powerful and skilled immortals in history. He gives The Kurgan a fiercer fight than anyone else save for Connor in their final battle.
- Big Brother Mentor: He becomes like Connor's big brother in the time they train together.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Ramirez is one hell of a ladies man; he tells Heather a story about how he made an elaborate plan to sneak in through the window to meet a woman he says he was very much in love with, and when he found that she had since moved to another room, he simply introduced himself to the woman who was in the room now and apparently had a very pleasant time. Nevertheless, he's honorable, charming and does all he can to protect Heather from The Kurgan, even at point of death. He's also clearly revolted when The Kurgan makes his rapist intentions toward Heather clear.
- Cool Old Guy: Certainly quite the ladies man.
- Dashing Hispanic: "I'm not Spanish, I'm Egyptian!"
- Defiant to the End: He gives The Kurgan no fear whatsoever when he knows he's about to die, spitting in the evil bastard's face when The Kurgan makes his intentions clear towards poor Heather.
- Dirty Old Man: Downplayed, but Ramirez is a bit of a dashing ladies man with an eye for female company and attention.
- Expansion Pack Past: In the novels and comics, it's revealed that he was a member of the Spartan warrior class.
- Face Death with Dignity: How does he meet his end when The Kurgan forces him to the knees and prepares the deathblow? He closes his eyes and calmly prays, knowing he has prepared Connor to face The Kurgan himself one day.
- Hero of Another Story: Ramirez has a legacy of great stories and heroism behind him, but his role in this one is to mentor Connor.
- Katanas Are Just Better: His is a genuine Masamune piece, custom made by the master himself after he married the smith's daughter. Its superior quality is handwaved away by stating that his genius allowed him to conceive of forging techniques centuries ahead of his time.Ramirez: It is the only one of its kind, like his daughter.
- Manly Facial Hair: He's a dashing, noble, badass warrior with a handsome little mustache.
- The Mentor: Wise old mentor who trains The Hero in the use of his powers.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Ramirez is found by The Kurgan when Connor is away. Rather than betray his student, he chooses to face The Kurgan himself, knowing he's at a disadvantage. Like so many mentors, it's obvious how this ends.
- The Mourning After: Ramirez went through this after losing his third wifenote He encourages Connor to avoid romantic attachments in the first place, hoping to spare him this pain.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: To be entirely fair to him, he'd lived for donkey's years. In-universe, he'd probably just lost it.
- Old Master: Clearly became an immortal when he was quite old, moreso than Connor or The Kurgan at least.
- Overly Long Name: Juan Sánchez Villa-Lobos Ramírez
- Pimped-Out Cape: It even has peacock feathers. Observing this, MacLeod calls him "You Spanish Peacock".
- Sacrificial Lion: Ramirez is an incredible swordsman and his end serves to establish The Kurgan's reputation as The Dreaded is not mere hype. Though Ramirez comes closest to besting The Kurgan than anyone before or until Connor himself, The Kurgan's overwhelming power proves too much for him.
- Sink or Swim Mentor: Possibly one of the most literal examples:Ramirez: You have no knowledge whatsover of your true potential. Now Get Out!!(Ramirez pushes Connor off their boat, then starts to casually row away)Connor: Help me, I'm drowning!Ramirez: You can't drown, you fool, you're immortal!
- Spared by the Adaptation: Is a major character in The Animated Series.
- Time Abyss: Ramirez was born in Ancient Egypt and was nearly two and a half thousand years old at the time of his death in 1542.
The Kurgan
The Kurgan / Victor Kruger
Played by: Clancy Brown
"I have something to say: it's better to burn out than to fade away!"
An immortal from a Highlands tribe that were enemies to Connor MacLeod's clan, he is the main antagonist to Connor in the first film and his ultimate opponent in the Gathering (in that film, at least).
- All There in the Manual: The Kurgan's background is fleshed out in the novelization, including the fact that his first death occurred when his drunken father crushed his skull with a log.
- Arch-Enemy: To MacLeod, of course.
- Ax-Crazy: The Kurgan loves to inflict violence on a whim, and does so with gleeful abandon.
- Badass Boast: He's very sure of himself, and with good reason."Tonight you sleep in hell.""You cannot win, Ramirez! I am the strongest!"
- Bald of Evil: While he's, "in disguissssssse".
- Barbarian Longhair: Was an actual barbarian when he first grew it out. In The '80s it's enabled him to pass as a Metalhead. It's not until he needs to alter his appearance that he shaves it off.
- Big Bad: Of the original Highlander.
- Black Knight: When he first appears, he's dressed clad in dark, bone-like armour. His appearance from then on echoes this original impression.
- Blasphemous Boast: In church when he wonders if God truly cares about 'pathetic mortals,' the priest tells him that Jesus died for their sins. The Kurgan's response? Chuckle wickedly and add "that shall be his undoing."
- Blood Knight: The Kurgan relishes combat and is usually wearing a massive grin when slaughtering people.
- Character Catchphrase: He has three."Another time, MacLeod!"
- The Corrupter: An accidental version! As the TV series eventually revealed, James Horton was once the Watcher assigned to the Kurgan, and being forced to observe the Kurgan carve a swathe of atrocities over the course of decades with gleeful sadism drove Horton to near-madness, convincing him that Immortals were fundamentally evil and letting any of them claim The Prize would be a disaster for the rest of humanity, leading to Horton forming The Hunters in an attempt at destroying them.
- The Dreaded: Was one of the most feared Immortals by far, a reputation that lasts long after Connor kills him. The Watchers were terrified of the thought that he might be the one to claim The Prize.
- Drives Like Crazy: When he kidnaps Brenda, he drives across New York with all the skill and restraint of an ape on heroin. Of course, he can't exactly die without the head coming off, so he's unconcerned with the path of carnage he leaves behind.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: His second adoptive mother and an Italian prostitute, at least according to the comic book miniseries Highlander Origins: The Kurgan. After his cruel second adoptive father tried to murder him, the Kurgan killed him, but afterward decided to spend the next few years continuing to live with the man's put upon wife because the "poor woman" was "all alone and had never really been unkind to me." Centuries later, the Kurgan took to shacking up with a prostitute who he had become fond of, seeing her as something of a kindred spirit who he only ended up leaving due to his worsening prophetic visions of Connor.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Despite his vicious and mocking nature, Kurgan does believe in honoring the Holy Ground tradition. He doesn't even bring in his sword to intimidate Connor, nor lay his hands upon him after Connor almost breaks the tradition himself. Considering he's among the most evil of all the Immortals, it must truly mean something to him. The comic book Highlander Origins: The Kurgan emphasis this; after the Four Horsemen are shown ganging up on him instead of abiding by the one on one rule—which, unlike the Holy Ground rule, is not supernaturally enforced—in a flashback, the Kurgan's spirit notes that he never broke the rules of The Game, out of a combination of a personal code of honor and the belief that he was "powerful enough to win without stooping to the level of these cowards."
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When he learns that Heather was Connor's wife rather than Ramirez's, he suggests that Heather never told Connor the truth because the Kurgan gave her something Connor couldn't, incapable of realising that Heather kept that secret to stop Connor going after the Kurgan with the goal of protecting him from going after an enemy he couldn't defeat.
- Evil Is Hammy: A huge ham. He's an entire suckling pig. The Kurgan shouts every other word, laughs and yells during combat and basically makes a massive show of himself at every opportunity.
- Evil Laugh: The undisputed master of this trope.
- Evil Sounds Deep: It was pretty deep to begin with, but after Ramirez wounds his throat it goes to Tom Waits levels of roughness.Ramirez: "My cut has improved your voice!"
- Fair-Play Villain: Unlike later villainous Immortals who freely violate the rules of the Game, like Mook Chivalry, not introducing projectile weapons, avoiding neck armor, or (in one case) the sanctity of holy ground, the Kurgan sticks to them pretty closely. While he demands fights from his enemies whenever they run into each other and certainly isn't above truly horrible psychological warfare, he doesn't really go for sneak attacks and mostly just overpowers them in honest, one-on-one fights. The Kurgan is a chemical spill of everything else that was wrong about the past, but, as his comic origin story says, he's not a coward who needs to cheat to win.
- Foil: To MacLeod. While MacLeod is capable of love, friendship, and honor, The Kurgan is incapable of any of those things. MacLeod has loved ones and friends such as Heather, Brenda, Ramirez, and Sunda Kastagir, but The Kurgan has only victims. MacLeod uses his many years of immortality to learn about the world and grow as a person, but The Kurgan remains unchanged over the centuries. Conversely, while MacLeod is depressed and tortured by his immortal existence, the Kurgan is a gleeful hedonist who relishes every second of his life, perhaps because, unlike his rival, he doesn't empathize with mortal people.
- For the Evulz: And the Prize, but The Kurgan doesn't seem to be in much of a rush. He's having way too much fun carving a bloody trail through history. As shown by his death, he doesn't even care if he loses so long as he gets the fight of his life in the process.
- Go Out with a Smile: He gets a big deranged smile as Connor takes the lead in their duel, and when Connor finally beheads him he has a huge smile on his face.
- Graceful Loser: Surprisingly, he has nothing but a giant grin on his face when he ends up losing The Prize to Connor. Based on his own stated philosophy its likely he appreciated the fact that he went out fighting rather than resting on his laurels.
- Hate Sink: He's a rapist, murderer, and all-around sadistic psychopath. He's obviously really likeable.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: In the flashbacks he wears leather armor. In the modern era he looks like he just stepped out of a Judas Priest video.
- Hero Killer: Killed both Ramirez and Kastagir, and god knows how many other heroic Immortals over the centuries.
- Husky Russkie: Well sort of, as he's a huge guy whose tribe existed in what would come to be known as Russia, but wasn't Russia yet.
- Bilingual Bonus: His moniker, The Kurgan, means "burial mound" in Russian. Doubles as a Meaningful Name.
- IKEA Weaponry: The sword used by The Kurgan in modern times can be disassembled into smaller components for easy storage and travel.
- Immortal Immaturity: In the present, The Kurgan is little more than a wild hooligan despite being the oldest of all the remaining immortals.
- Jerkass: Even beyond the violent sadism, The Kurgan is an asshole to his core. He's loud, crude, and frequently acts in ways to rile up other people.
- Large Ham: Clancy Browns steals every scene he's in.
- Laughably Evil: The Kurgan is extremely entertaining, having lots of fun (especially when committing evil acts).
- Leitmotif: Queen's "Gimme The Prize". "I am the one, the only one/I am the god of kingdom come/gimme the Prize!" The version of the song on A Kind of Magic even samples of his lines in the movie.
- Meaningful Name: His alias "Victor" hints at his drive to kill off all other Immortals and win the Prize.
- Never Given a Name: The Kurgan has no name, and after slaughtering the rest of The Kurgan tribe (of which he was a member), he became simply The Kurgan. He uses the alias of 'Victor Kruger' in a seedy 1985 motel.
- Patricide: According to the novelization, he murdered his abusive father by shoving a red hot stone down the man's throat.
- Pelts of the Barbarian: When we first see him he's wearing an outfit of black animal furs and animal skulls.
- Post-Rape Taunt: Centuries after he rapes her, he taunts MacLeod about raping what he thought was Ramirez's woman, then after noticing how it disturbs Connor, realizes the truth and suggests his wife never told him about it because she enjoyed it.
- Pragmatic Villainy:
- By his appearance, it would be easy to dismiss The Kurgan as a mindless brute who kills indiscriminately, but this is not the case. He kills other immortals as soon as possible to claim the prize, but mortal humans are never really targets for execution by him. The prostitute Candy goes away saying he was merely "kinky", and The Kurgan may have raped Heather but that had more to do with cementing his domination over Ramirez. He doesn't even care to finish off the crazy survivalist who shoots him. It's likely that mortal humans mean so little to him that killing them is functionally no different from letting them live out their lives and die of old age (and avoiding having to deal with mortal authorities is an incentive as well).
- Then there's his belief in the importance of Holy Ground. He freely disrespects the church he visits, causes a commotion, and mocks the clergy for their faith all the while indulging in the protection that the church gives him. He understands that the same protection extends to other Immortals and does not attempt to kill Connor when he sees him.
- Psychopathic Manchild: For an experienced immortal, The Kurgan always acts like a silly teenager, even if he's in the middle of a battle.
- Put the "Laughter" in "Slaughter": As he tears people apart, The Kurgan cannot stop grinning and laughing like it's the funniest thing in the world.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: His general modus operandi.
- Scary Impractical Armor: During the bad ol' days of 1536. Although it's not like he needs practical armour, seeing as he can shrug off any non-decapitating blows.
- Super-Strength: The Kurgan's a big guy and has the strength to match. He smashes his way through a barred solid oak door (the medieval sort designed to hold off soldiers) in just a couple of seconds. He doesn't even chop through it with his sword, but just plows right through it Kool-Aid Man style.
- The Unfettered: The Kurgan cares about one thing only: claiming the prize. He attacks any immortal anytime, and very nearly anywhere. The law of not fighting on holy ground is the only one he respects.
- Unskilled, but Strong: At least compared to Ramirez. Ramirez gets the better of him several times in their duel with superior technique, but the Kurgan just powers through everything that gets thrown at him, eventually winning by grabbing Ramirez's sword blade with his off hand and chopping him until he's incapacitated while he's immobilized trying to pull it free.
- Villain Song: While he doesn't sing it, the film uses the Queen song "Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme)" to represent him. Despite being pretty badass, the band themselves didn't like it.
- Waxing Lyrical: He quotes Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) verbatim when leaving the church, highlighting the face that beyond the Immortals' war he has no plans, no aspirations and no future goals. All he wants is to either triumph and do whatever the hell he wants, or die in glorious combat.
- Kurgan: I have something to say! It's better to burn out, than to fade away! (Leaves the church with an Evil Laugh)
Brenda Wyatt
Brenda Wyatt
Played By: Roxanne Hart
- Action Survivor: Not a hugely skilled combatant, but when her life's on the line she tries her best. When The Kurgan comes for her she goes for a gun and when he's beating on Connor, she takes a swing at him with a lead pipe.
- Second Love: For Connor, eventually.
Heather MacLeod
Heather MacLeod
Played By: Beatie Edney
- Distracted from Death: Zigzagged. While Heather actually asks Connor to leave before she breathes her last breath, he politely refuses, opting instead to tell her a comforting story to keep her happy. She dies before he can finish.
- Due to the Dead: Connor honours his promise to light a candle on her birthday every year after her death.
For 395 years. - Fond Memories That Could Have Been: Though the two spend a blissful life together, Heather's one regret is that she and Connor never had children.
- The Lost Lenore: To Connor, for 450 years. After Connor finally dies, Duncan buries him next to to Heather.
- Mayfly–December Romance: She was the Mayfly. As she and Connor were married for 53 years (1537-1590), she lived about twice as long as the time period's average life expectancynote , but this is still only a small fraction of Connor's lifetime.
- Secret-Keeper: Makes no mention to Connor about The Kurgan raping her, as she just saw the latter kill Ramirez, and did not want Connor going after him and suffering the same fate.
- Targeted to Hurt the Hero: Zigzagged. The Kurgan, believing that Heather is with Ramirez, rapes her after he kills Ramirez, because he could. It is centuries later, with her long dead of old age and having never spoken of it to her husband, as he reveals this to Connor MacLeod, that it actually hurts her real lover.
- We Are as Mayflies: Knows full well that Connor will outlive her, but the two remain together until she dies of old age. Connor never really moves on from her.
Rachel Ellenstein
Rachel Ellenstein
Played By: Sheila Gish
- Ambiguously Jewish: Downplayed, but has a relatively common Jewish surname, and Connor rescued her from the Nazis.
- Girl Friday: Helps Connor maintain his Russell Nash identity. May have helped him create it.
- Happily Adopted: Connor is her father for all intents and purposes, having adopted her in World War II. She is incredibly happy with him as her family.
- Parental Substitute: Connor adopted her as a child after her biological parents were killed by the Nazis in World War II. Though by 1985, they look more like mother and son.
- Secret-Keeper: Was there for at least one of Connor's identity changes.
- A Wizard Did It: When she asks how Connor can still be alive after being shot point blank with an MP-40, Connor tells her "It's a kind of magic."
Sunda Kastagir
Sunda Kastagir
Played By: Hugh Quarshie
"Boom boom."
- Cool Sword: A Manchu broadsword.
- Nice Guy: Drinking and reminiscing with MacLeod, he seems like a pretty cool dude.
- Quick Nip: Shares one with Connor. This seems to be a thing they do from time to time.
- Sacrificial Lamb: While obviously overmatched, he goes down swinging. His death means that Connor MacLeod and The Kurgan are the only two Immortals that remain.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: He has two brief scenes.
Iman Fasil
Iman Fasil
Played By: Peter Diamond
"MacLeod."
- Badass Longcoat: He conceals his sword in what looks to be an overcoat. We never see him wear it; he throws it at MacLeod as a distraction at the beginning of their duel. Proves to be so skilled he forces Connor to be o the defensive several instances and even manages to DISARM the Scotsman! Conor only finally wins whe he does a surprise attack from behind.
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Cast the Expert: Played by the film's stunt coordinator. - Cool Sword: A Toledo Salamanca broadsword, worth about a million bucks.
- Face Death with Dignity: He very obviously doesn't want to, but once MacLeod disarms him, he doesn't beg or try to run.
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: He wears a pair of mirrored sunglasses for most of the fight.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Particularly compared to the scruffy Connor; Fasil appears wearing a three piece suit, tie, and gloves.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He's only onscreen for a few minutes, but his death cuts the number of Immortals from four to three and brings Connor to the attention of the police, which leads to him and Brenda meeting.
- Sword Sparks: Via the parked cars and MacLeod's katana.
- Unnecessary Combat Roll: At one point during the duel he backflips his way across the full length of the parking garage, for no clear reason.
- The Voiceless: Says one word his entire time on screen.
Yung Dol Kim
Yung Dol Kim
- Death Seeker: Throws down his swords mid-battle and demands to be killed, much to the Kurgan's surprise.
- Deleted Scene: Unlike Vasilek, Kim's final battle was filmed, but eventually deleted, and only exists in the form of still shots now.
- Dual Wield: Uses two short swords in battle.
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: After 400 years of life, Kim has grown weary and stops defending himself halfway through his last battle. Notably, he'd be the first Immortal shown to genuinely be suicidal in the franchise.
Osta Vasilek
Osta Vasilek
- Husky Russkie: Well, Polish technically, but like The Kurgan, he predated the nation itself.
- Killed Offscreen: Was killed by The Kurgan in New Jersey two days before Connor's fight with Fasil.
- Red Shirt: An even bigger example than Yung Dol Kim, to the point that the only appearance he has is as a file photo of The Kurgan's previous victims.
Highlander II: The Quickening
General Katana
General Katana
Played by: Michael Ironside (1991)
- Badass Longcoat: Wears a black trenchcoat throughout the film.
- Big Bad: Of The Quickening, where he attacks Earth/the present day to kill Connor for winning the prize, assisting the greedy CEO oppressing Earth and causing all sorts of trouble.
- Chaotic Stupid: For no reason, the first thing that Katana does when he gets to Earth is to enter a New York subway train to go over 400 mph which ends with him plowing the train through a wall onto the street. It serves purely as a homage to The Kurgan's Drives Like Crazy scenes in the original film.
- Chewing the Scenery: Michael Ironside deserves an Oscar for making Highlander II enjoyable by devouring the whole thing and going back for seconds.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: TSC's Corrupt Corporate Executive treats him like hired muscle, even though he's an intergalactic tyrant and a violent psychopath. Sure enough, Katana crushes his testicles and tosses him out a window as soon as Katana gets bored of humoring him.
- Faux Affably Evil: Amusing, funny, and still completely rotten to the core.
- General Ripper: Katana is a ruthless oppressor and head of the military for planet Zeist or the past (depending on the version). He puts down any attempts at rebellion against his tyranny and even 500 years after their battle, hunts for Connor MacLeod out of an obsession to refuse to let his enemy die in peace.
- Greater-Scope Villain: In the original film, he's the reason why Immortals exist (they were a group of Zeist citizens who were exiled to Earth after failing to overthrow him). This was significantly retconned later on when Zeist was changed to the distant past rather than an alien planet.
- It Amused Me: Why he crashed a train full of people on his first scene on Earth? Because.
- Large Ham: The most enjoyable thing about Highlander II is the obvious, unmitigated glee Michael Ironside takes in his role.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name combines both K and weapon name.
- Nonindicative Name: At no point does he use a Katana.
- Stupid Evil: He had absolutely no reason to go to Earth or send his goons there to kill MacLeod, who, in turn, had seemingly no intentions of returning to Zeist (and even if he did, Katana had already beaten him there once with ease).
Highlander III: The Sorcerer
Kane
Kane
Played by: Mario Van Peebles
- Big Bad: Of The Sorcerer.
- Cool Shades: The round specs he steals from a street hustler.
- Drives Like Crazy: One-ups The Kurgan in this department with Connor's adopted son as a captive passenger, thanks to his illusion powers.
- Expy: Of The Kurgan, as he shares many elements with him (being a former warlord, killing the hero's mentor, terrorizing the hero's loved one in a wild car ride, etc.).
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: He takes a liking to cigars.
- In the Hood: When walking the streets of New York.
- Late to the Party: He was buried under a mountain during the events of the first Highlander movie, and thus wasn't counted for purposes of The Game (which is why Conner and the Kurgan were considered the last two Immortals by The Game). At least, that's the explanation given in the movie itself; the TV series would later retcon The Game to explain how there could still be dozens of Immortals running around.
- Master of Illusion: Using illusions, he can shapeshift into different characters, and even pretend to have been cut in half.
- Name of Cain: His name is Kane.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: In reverse order in the film: burns a village, pillages Nakano's illusion powers, and rapes a prostitute. Though it's implied he's been doing these, in any order he damn well pleases, for all his life.
Highlander: Endgame
Jacob Kell
Jacob Kell
Played by: Bruce Payne
- Big Bad: Of Endgame.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Uses a retractable dagger in his sleeve to block an "unbeatable" move Connor showed to Duncan.
- Combat Pragmatist: He's managed to become one of the most powerful Immortals ever by fighting dirty; by assembling a team of loyal followers to help him gang up on other Immortals and behead them, absorbing their quickening for himself. By the time of Endgame he apparently has the highest Immortal kill count on record.
- Iconic Item: Kell is always shown wearing a type of footwear with crucifixes on them (sandals in the 16th century, black shoes in the present).
- It's All About Me: "What you need to understand is that I don't care about the game. I don't care about the rules."
- Kick the Dog: Murders Rachel in his first scene, purely to hurt Connor. It is strongly implied he has been doing similar stuff throughout Connor's life for the same reason.
- Politically Incorrect Villain:A woman is a temple built on a sewer.
- Remember the New Guy?: Introduced in this film as Connor's childhood friend who later betrayed him, despite having never been seen or mentioned in previous installments.
- You Killed My Father: His main motivation for going after Connor.
Kate/Faith
Kate/Faith
Played by: Lisa Barbuscia
- The Dragon: To Kell in Highlander: Endgame.
- Remember the New Guy?: Introduced in the film as Duncan's Psycho Ex who now works with Kell, despite the fact that she'd never been seen or mentioned in the series proper. Particularly egregious given that the series itself had previously established in no uncertain terms that Duncan was never married and never would marry.
- Villain Has a Point: Kate/Faith has every right to be mad at Duncan for activating her immortality against her wishes.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Duncan discovers that she's a latent immortal, he activates Kate's immortality. She's understandably pissed and chews Duncan out over it. And yet somehow, they reconcile in the extended edition.
Highlander: The Source
The Guardian
The Guardian
Played by: Christian Solimeno
"There can only be ME!"
- Amazing Technicolor Population: Has chalk white skin and no hair.
- Armor of Invincibility: In his first appearance he wears a massive metal gorget (that makes him look like an inverted Pyramid Head) that handily protects his neck from sword strikes (being seemingly the only Immortal in the series to have realized how helpful this would be). However, it vanishes when he's absorbing the quickening from his first defeated opponent and is never seen again.
- Big Bad: Of Highlander: The Source.
- Hell-Bent for Leather: He wears a black leather medieval/bondage outfit that makes him look like he'd fit in quite nicely with the Cenobites.
- Incoming Ham: "THIS IS THE END OF TIIIIIIIIIIIIIME!!!"
- Odd Name Out: Currently the only live-action film Big Bad who doesn't have a name starting with K. Some foreign translations give his name before becoming the Guardian as Kron.
- The Older Immortal: Having been born over 13,000 years ago, he and his former companion the Elder are the oldest Immortals ever seen in the series, predating even Methos.
- Super-Speed: His closeness to the Source has given him an ability to move super fast, making other immortals unable to keep up (until Duncan manages to develop similar skills for the climax).
- You Kill It, You Bought It: 13,000 years ago he killed the previous Guardian, which caused him to fail the Source's test of worthiness and thus be forced to become the new Guardian.
