"This is all part of our lovely little plan, you see. Everything we've done, it's all about revenge. And when it comes to revenge, timing is everything."
— Dreylan Scarab
In a World of Snark filled to the brim with back-talking assassins, charismatic supernatural entities, and certain hilariously egotistical skeleton detectives, these characters stand out for their extra degree of competence.
All spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned!
Series-wide
- Skulduggery Pleasant himself is the infamous Skeleton Detective, a centuries-old sorcerer notorious for both his endless charm and his service as a war hero with the Dead Men. Rising from the grave after Nefarian Serpine killed him and his family, Skulduggery became consumed with hatred and took on the identity of Lord Vile, slaughtering thousands before having an epiphany and sealing away the Vile persona. Rejoining his friends and tirelessly working to atone for his actions, Skulduggery reclaims his job as a detective before finally getting the chance to kill Serpine and avenge his family after taking on Valkyrie Cain as his partner. Over the next few years he and Cain save the world on an almost daily occurrence, stopping everything from assassins to eldritch gods to would-be rulers of the human race. Neither horrifying revelations nor agonizing torture from dark gods can dissuade Skulduggery from doing his job, as he even manages to gain a degree of control over Vile in order to defeat world-ending threats. Completely deserving of his over-the-top ego and breaking whatever rules he deems necessary to save the day, Skulduggery's ruthless nature is reined in only by his partner's positive influence, and he will wreak utter horror on anyone who stands in his way.
- China Sorrows is a collector of magical artifacts, and is so beautiful that anyone who lays eyes on her instantly falls in love. Formerly a worshipper of the Faceless Ones and founder of the Diablerie, China eventually defected to save her ward Cassion, using her intellect to become an information-broker and amass a hoard of valuable artifacts. Becoming an untrustworthy yet genuine friend to Skulduggery and Valkyrie, the detective and China secretly continue their pragmatic acquaintanceship even after her involvement in the murders of Skulduggery's family is revealed by Eliza Scorn. Targeted for assassination by the Supreme Council through Vincent Foe, the now resourceless China leads him on a wild chase to Scorn's church, leaving it in flames while she seeks refuge with the masterminds behind the war in Roarhaven. China assists Skulduggery in infiltrating the town and overthrowing Ravel, taking over the leaderless Supreme Council and gleefully abusing her power as "Supreme Mage" to install her own stooges and depose Scorn. An unapologetic and selfish individual who always bounces back from her losses, China is nonetheless willing to risk her own life to save the detective she loves.
- Dusk is a vampire infamous for holding grudges. Joining Billy-Ray Sanguine's Revengers' Club for the opportunity to get back at both Valkyrie Cain for scarring him and teammate Spring-Heeled Jack for assisting in his previous defeat, Dusk convinces Sanguine to drop the vendetta against Cain when he tastes the blood of the Faceless Ones in her. After helping Sanguine and Tanith Low in exchange for the identity of the vampire who sired him, Moloch, Dusk waits for him to leave his lair and kills him before he can bring reinforcements to the Irish Sanctuary in their war against the Supreme Council. In an unprecedented deal, Dusk gathers other vampires who have been exiled for killing their own kind, offering their services to Grand Mage China Sorrows in exchange for housing, rights, and serum to prevent them from changing into monsters by night. Later making amends with Valkyrie, Dusk reluctantly tells her the truth of her ancestry, giving her his condolences for the horrifying revelation.
- Lord Vile was the mantle taken up by Skulduggery Pleasant upon becoming consumed with rage after the death of his family. Quickly making a name for himself as one of the most powerful Necromancers in history, Vile made contact with the Viddu De and promised to kill all life in exchange for the ability to see all possible futures. Now knowing what path to follow in order to create a future where he is victorious, Vile became one of Mevolent's Co-Dragons and butchered hundreds on the battlefield, even betraying his lover Abyssinia when she tried to overthrow Mevolent and prematurely end the war. Eventually deciding to give back control to the Skulduggery persona, Vile wiped the deal with the Viddu De and his omniscience from his own memory so that the next few centuries could play out exactly as he'd seen. Vile later returns for revenge on the Necromancers when they replace him as the Death Bringer, effortlessly sabotaging his successor's power and assisting in fighting other world-ending threats such as Darquesse. With his future self, Cadaver Cain, carrying out the rest of his plan and coming within seconds of victory, Vile made his mark as a relentless killing machine in his quest to achieve what he saw as peace, cementing his place as one of the most badass and terrifying beings in the series.
Phase 1
- Solomon Wreath is the Necromancer ambassador and a devout believer in the Passage, where one Necromancer shall become powerful enough to simultaneously kill three billion people and dam the stream of life. While holding a mutual animosity with Skulduggery Pleasant for saving the life of the detective's Arch-Enemy, Nefarian Serpine, Wreath strikes a friendship with and begins mentoring his partner Valkyrie Cain in the belief that she may be the prophesied Death Bringer. After Cleric Craven presents Melancholia St. Clair as a better candidate, Wreath realizes she may not be powerful enough to complete the Passage, which would result in the banning of Necromancy and the unnecessary deaths of millions of innocents, and betrays Melancholia to the Sanctuary on the condition that the dark truth of the Passage is blamed on Craven twisting its true meaning. Ensuring his freedom and the continuation of Necromancy outside of Ireland, Wreath decides to Walk the Earth, still remaining an ardent supporter and ally toward his favorite student.
- Dark Days: Dreylan Scarab was Mevolent's top assassin and the father of Billy-Ray Sanguine, framed for the murder of famed peace advocate Esryn Vanguard by Sanctuary operative Thurid Guild. Released from prison years later, Scarab meets up with Sanguine and is offered leadership of the Revengers' Club in order to help him in his aspirations for retribution. Having them steal a Remnant and a Desolation Engine, Scarab infects Professor Kenspeckle Grouse with the Remnant in order to repair the Engine and blackmails now Grand Mage Guild into attempting to set it off on live television, desiring for the Irish Sanctuary to be blamed for killing thousands and exposing magic to the world as the perfect revenge for his imprisonment.
- Mortal Coil: Tesseract is an infamous Russian assassin hired to kill Davina Marr by the Roarhaven mages. A Consummate Professional who meticulously studies his opponents, spends hours carefully disabling any defenses or traps that may be in his way, and avoids killing those he hasn't yet been paid to assassinate, Tesseract tracks down Marr and nearly kills her before she's just barely saved by Skulduggery. Discovering the location of Skulduggery's home while Marr is being held there, Tesseract fends off the the inhabitants with only a few difficulties and completes his contract. Although he's betrayed by the Children of the Spider, Tesseract survives being paralyzed and buried alive, hunting down his former employers to get revenge. Later managing to kill the Torment after once again trouncing Skulduggery, Tesseract is fatally wounded by Lord Vile and spends his last moments having a friendly conversation with the detective.
- The Maleficent Seven:
- Quoleen is a master assassin with the Knives in the Darkness, responsible for training future generations of hidden blades to deal out lethal justice throughout the world. Taking in a young Tanith Low, Quoleen would teach her to become a master in combat and instruct her on the importance of humility in remaining unnoticed by others, bringing in other experts to provide her with a well-rounded variety of skills. Quoleen tests the loyalty of his students by forcing them to kill strangers lest he turn his blade on them instead, only revealing to Tanith afterwards that their victims were murderers. Letting his students forge their own futures in the hope that the truly exceptional ones will choose the correct path, Quoleen sees Tanith off with the reassurance that she is free to do whatever she wishes with her life.
- Moribund, a sorcerer who became a sadistic sociopath after bonding to a Remnant, successfully repaired his conscience after years of imprisonment in the Irish Sanctuary. Tricking other prisoners into performing a spell to command Tanith to release him, Moribund sets out to build a quiet life for himself and make up for all the evil he committed in the past, but upon learning of Tanith's own possession by a Remnant he decides to repay his debt to her by methodically murdering the various assassins and Sanctuary agents sent to impede her hunt for the God-Killers. Finally reintroducing himself to Tanith by freeing her from the British Sanctuary's dungeon, Moribund sets the stage for her eventual Heel–Face Turn, reminding her that she's still the same person she used to be underneath the Remnant's evil.
Phase 2
- Cadaver Cain is a future version of Skulduggery Pleasant from a timeline where Damocles Creed succeeded in taking over the world. Taking up a new name in honor of Valkyrie and falling back into the darkness he held as Lord Vile, Cadaver unlocks the omniscience and memories from his deal as Vile to kill all life on behalf of the Viddu De and waits for Valkyrie to travel to the future so he can possess her and return to the present. Cadaver arranges for Creed to be assassinated and resurrected by his follower Uriah Serrate, pretending to assist in the investigation into the Church of the Faceless while he uses his subtle influence over Creed to hijack his plan and create a universe-wide death field. Although defeated with his connection to the Viddu De severed, Cadaver allies with Crepuscular Vies in his plan to unleash the Hosts' Doomsday Protocol after aiding in the fight against the Faceless Ones and the Shalgoth, upstaging Creed as Supreme Mage in the process. As witty as his present incarnation, whether fighting to give everyone what he believes to be peace or as an agent of chaos, Cadaver serves as a grim reminder of the darkness Skulduggery always holds in his heart.
- Apocalypse Kings: The unnamed Deathless is the leader of the Apocalypse Kings, three gods who want revenge on the Faceless Ones for the destruction of their own races. Released from their prison by Adedayo, the Kings feed off of the souls of people at his school in order to regain their power, with the Deathless stopping the Cythraul from outright devouring them. Intending to kill themselves in order to destroy the world and deny the Faceless Ones their holy "Darklands", the Deathless debates with Adedayo about their plan, acknowledging their hypocrisy and trying to reassure him with the knowledge of the beautiful afterlife that awaits him. Instead convinced to be better than the Faceless Ones, the Deathless persuades the other Apocalypse Kings to abandon their plan and return to their prison until they decide what to do with themselves.
