To the main character index
Major & Recurring Villains
open/close all folders
Xavier St. Cloud
When you eat, eat well. When you love, make it last a long time. When you kill, kill for pleasure.
Played By: Roland Gift
A sociopathic thief and murderer with a taste for expensive clothes and food, Xavier is a dangerously ruthless Immortal. When he surfaced in Paris, Duncan recognized his MO for using lethal gas in his robberies and set out to stop him. When the two fought Duncan cut off one of his arms, but Xavier was able to escape. He would return later, having allied with James Horton to eliminate Immortals and using mercenaries to wound his foes until they were helpless and easy prey for him to finish.
- Badass Decay: [In-Universe] In the past, Xavier was a highly feared Immortal who played the game seriously, seeking out and challenging other Immortals with a reputation as skilled fighters to kill them and take their powers. At this time, a fight against him was considered more or less a death sentence. At some point over the centuries as the Game showed no signs of coming to an end he became disillusioned with it and instead turned his focus to stealing in order to support a lavish and hedonistic lifestyle while focusing on dirty tricks as opposed to fair fights. As a result either his sword skills suffered or it gave old opponents like MacLeod a chance to surpass him.
- Big Bad Duumvirate: With Horton for two episodes.
- Combat Pragmatist: One of the biggest in the series. Perfectly happy to use poison gas or mortal gunmen to incapacitate other Immortals.
- The Dreaded: When he challenges Hamza el Kahir. It's made plain that Hamza knows exactly who St. Cloud is, and views accepting his challenge to be the same as committing suicide.
- Faux Affably Evil: Extremely polite and rarely raises his voice. He's also a nasty piece of work, and is seen using chemical weapons to commit robberies.
- Gentleman Thief: Played with. Sure, he's classy, suave, and has great taste, but his M.O. tends to involve murdering everyone in the store he's robbing.
- Handicapped Badass: Losing a hand doesn't make him any less dangerous. He's still a skillful fighter and we see him use his prosthetic as an additional weapon in at least one fight.
- Kick the Dog: Going to confessional to force Darius to hear all the evil Xavier has done, knowing Darius is bound not to reveal his guilt to the police, all so he can torment the kindhearted priest who knows damn well how not sorry Xavier is? Dick move.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: When MacLeod is trying to trace Xavier, his description is basically "elegantly-dressed black man with one hand", because, regardless of the country or time period, the man is dressed to the nines every time we see him. His love of a particular (and particularly expensive) type of caviar is what enables Duncan to finally locate him, whereupon we find that he's living in a huge villa.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Has been both the cause and recipient of this. Murders one of MacLeod's mentors, and when Mac returns the favor years later, one of Xavier's own students vows revenge.
- Not Worth Killing: He regards Duncan as this when they first meet and Xavier challenges Duncan's then-teacher. When Duncan attempts to answer the challenge in his teacher's stead, Xavier is shown to be completely willing to kill him, and is only stopped from doing so when his original target reappears.
- Poison Is Evil: He frequently uses poison, in either liquid or gas form, to kill those he robs.
- Retcon: In his first appearance, he was just a thief and the only backstory or past association with MacLeod was when Duncan was a random victim of Xavier's gas during a WWI theft. Further backstory and his past was added when he appeared in additional episodes.
- Villain Forgot to Level Grind: In past centuries he was considered one of the most dangerous Immortals in the world, but he's not on that level anymore.
- Villainous Breakdown: In his final fight with Duncan, Duncan takes the lead and begins toying with Xavier, who devolves into pure fury, making him careless and giving Duncan an opening to behead him.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: In his appearance he convinces a mortal helper that the gas is merely knockout gas and that the man can safely take off his gas mask. When the man does, Xavier laughs and essentially says that now he won't need to split the proceeds of the robbery.
James Horton
Your kind are a shadow on the face of the earth. A loathsome abomination! How dare you place yourselves above us?
Played By: Peter Hudson
A Watcher gone rogue, Horton has become convinced that most Immortals are evil and even those that aren't are too dangerous to the future of humanity to be allowed to live. He has secretly converted a fairly large portion of the organization to his view, and has turned their considerable knowledge and resources to hunting down and eliminating all Immortals.
- Arc Villain: He and his followers serve as such in the second season.
- The Chessmaster: Horton is very, very good at plotting things ahead.
- Complexity Addiction: At one point involves a convicted murderer named Lisa in his plot to kill Duncan by giving her plastic surgery to look just like Tessa and having her Honey Trap the poor guy. What he ends up using her for—drawing Duncan out into an area where Horton can more easily attack him—could have been accomplished any number of ways without the complicated and costly measures he took preparing her. And yes, this does bite him in the ass. Possibly justified, as he appears to be suffering from a rationality deficit and clearly enjoys twisting the knife.
- Crazy-Prepared: During his second encounter with MacLeod we see he has an escape boat prepared and wears a bulletproof vest.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Horton truly loves his family, especially his daughter. He has a deep fondness for his dear brother-in-law Joseph Dawson as well.
- Evil Former Friend: To Joe.
- Fantastic Racism: Above and beyond his fears about the Game, Horton expresses a visceral hatred of Immortals, calling them an abomination against nature.
- Final Solution: Thinks that he needs to kill all Immortals in order to prevent them from ruling or killing mortals.
- He Who Fights Monsters: According to the Watcher Chronicles CD, Horton's hatred of Immortals arises from having served as Watcher for a succession of morally bankrupt Immortals including the Kurgan and pre-Heel–Face Turn Kage. His indiscriminate persecution of even the most innocuous Immortals and his sadistic behavior when he corners them make him a monster in his own right.
- Hunter of Monsters: Although his definition of "monsters" is a bit skewed.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Horton has something vaguely resembling a legitimate concern about what the Prize could mean for the world's future, but his own cruelty and fanaticism undermine any credibility he might have possessed.
- Knight Templar: Wants to save humanity by eliminating all Immortals.
- Manipulative Bastard: The whole time he was hunting immortals, he and his men lead double lives as part of the Watchers and used the Watchers' resources to assist in their mission. Apparently, no one suspected that he was up to anything until Duncan brought the situation to Joe's attention.
- Moral Myopia: When he and his Watchers kill people for absolutely no good reason, it's okay, but when Immortals do it...
- Multilayer Façade: In his first couple of appearances, he's a renegade Watcher pretending (to Joe and the Watcher leadership) that he's a loyal Watcher pretending (to his daughter and the general public) that he's just a guy who runs a bookstore.
- Not Quite Dead: Several times.
- Offscreen Villainy: He and his men killed an unknown number of Immortals prior to taking on MacLeod.
- Outside-Context Problem: Serves as this for the Galatis and Hugh Fitzcairn, among others. Presumably none of them ever dreamed there was a paramilitary organization collecting information about them and observing their every move, with the sole goal of exterminating all Immortals.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He retreats the moment he learns that MacLeod has tracked Xavier and himself to the stables.
- The Watcher: The renegade one.
- Villain Has a Point: If "the Prize" really does grant the last Immortal standing enough power to rule the world, then Horton's fear of eternal tyranny is not unfounded.
- Villain of Another Story: Jacob and Irena Galati's, for a start.
Antonius Kalas
There are greater gifts than Immortality. MacLeod destroyed my gift. So now I'll destroy everything he cares for. Everything he loves.
Played By: David Robb
One of MacLeod's deadliest Immortal enemies. Duncan first encountered Kalas in 1658, when he was a monk at a monastery which doubled as a sanctuary for Immortals who wished to have a temporary respite from The Game. In addition to being one of the monastery's founders, Kalas was a scribe, making exact copies of The Bible, and a great choir singer. He was also preying on Immortals who sought asylum there, ambushing them and taking their heads as they left. When Duncan caught Kalas at this and exposed him, he was expelled. Kalas, feeling that the monastery was where his talents were most appreciated, developed a lifelong hatred of MacLeod.
- Ax-Crazy: Kalas is viciously homicidal, killing MacLeod's friends, other Immortals, Watchers, and even his own henchmen whenever it suits him.
- Badass Longcoat: Is usually seen wearing a long, black trenchcoat, inside of which he hides his sword.
- Bad Boss: Has a penchant for breaking his henchmen's necks if they displease him.
- Beard of Evil: Kalas is about as nasty as Immortals get, and he always has some form of facial hair. He loses the beard in the S3 finale, wearing only a moustache.
- Been There, Shaped History: Implied in the '20s when he mentions that fellow opera star Enrico Caruso is dying in New York. "People say he was poisoned."
- Best Served Cold: He waits centuries to gain his revenge, planning all the while.
- Big Bad: Of the third season. He spends all of Season 3 hunting down Duncan and Duncan's friends, attempting to ruin their lives or kill them (succeeding in a few cases), and it's not until the season's final episode that he and Duncan settle things.
- Card-Carrying Villain: After escaping prison, Kalas carjacks a businessman:Businessman: You're insane.Kalas: Possibly.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: When Kalas notices his Watcher following him, he abducts the man, straps him to a chair, and electrocutes him until he reveals the existence of the Watchers. Intrigued, Kalas presses the man for information on Methos before eventually killing him.
- Deceptive Disciple: To Brother Paul, the immortal who helped Kalas found the monastery. Paul loved Kalas like a son, never suspecting that Kalas was ambushing other immortals once they had left Holy Ground.
- Devil in Plain Sight: Duncan was the only one to suspect Kalas' true nature during his stay at the monastery.
- Disproportionate Retribution: MacLeod got him kicked out of a monastery by exposing Kalas' heinous deeds. As a result Kalas vowed revenge on Duncan and anyone MacLeod is close to. (Duncan accidentally ruining Kalas' singing voice by slashing his throat during a past fight didn't mitigate Kalas' desire for revenge either, but Kalas has nobody but his own vengeance-crazed self to blame for that one.)
- Engineered Public Confession: When Duncan confronts him at the monastery Kalas says no one will believe Duncan, since Duncan is just a visitor passing through and Kalas is a founder of the monastery. However, Duncan had the forethought to have the other cofounder standing right behind a nearby column when Kalas said that.
- Evil All Along: Was using the safety of holy ground to get desperate immortals to drop their guards so he could kill them more easily when they left the refuge.
- Evil Brit: Played with. Kalas speaks with an English accent, even though—according to the DVD special features—he was originally Roman.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: MacLeod cut his throat with a piece of glass during a past duel, ruining his beautiful tenor voice.
- Evil Wears Black: In the modern era, Kalas is always dressed in a black suit and longcoat.
- False Friend: Kalas treated many Immortals in the monastery as his friends, only to take their heads when they departed, relying on that friendship to make them lower their guards.
- Faux Affably Evil: When Duncan first has Kalas expelled from the monastery, Kalas threatens him, stating "You. . . do not know what you have done. But you will." When they cross paths again in the '20s, Duncan is braced for Kalas to take his revenge, but Kalas assures Duncan that he's gotten over it. As he says to Duncan's female mortal companion, "I used to lead a rather cloistered life, but he advised me otherwise." Not long after, Kalas attempts to strangle Duncan's friend in revenge.
- Hero Killer: He takes Hugh Fitzcairn's head, and was originally intended by the writers to have killed Methos as well.
- Ignore the Fanservice: Whatever time period he's in, Kalas is generally depicted as celibate and uninterested in romance.
- During a flashback in the episode "Methos", Kalas makes an attempt to seduce a young woman MacLeod is chaperoning. However, this is actually a cruel ploy so that he can murder her to hurt MacLeod.
- In the Season 3 finale, Kalas holds the beautiful Amanda hostage. She attempts to seduce him and makes sure to show some skin. Kalas casually informs her that he had spend most of his life in a monastery, with the implication that he has been trained to resist temptation. This stops her efforts.
- Implacable Man: He is absolutely relentless in his vengeance against Duncan. He kills Fitzcairn, Paul, and dozens of others just to hurt Duncan or further his evil schemes, and eventually threatens to reveal the Immortals' existence to the world if Duncan doesn't let Kalas kill him.
- It's All About Me: Seems to value his singing voice much more highly than the lives of other people. He considers exposing the Immortals' existence to the world, and thus condemning every Immortal alive, to be a small price to pay to claim Duncan's head.
- Lack of Empathy: Kalas' empathy for others is pretty much non-existent. In the 1600s, he callously manipulated his friend and mentor, Brother Paul, in order to use their monastery as a deathtrap for other Immortals. While he claims he'd never harm Paul, he eventually betrays this promise by beheading Paul in the present day. During his vendetta against MacLeod, Kalas doesn't even pretend to care who he has to kill or torture in order to claim Duncan's head.
- Manipulative Bastard: Kalas is very shrewd and calculating, and quite capable of exploiting weaknesses in others:
- He kept the head of the monastery, Paul, in the dark about his nature for hundreds of years, all the while murdering the Immortals that left their 'refuge'.
- He near-successfully framed both Joe and Anne in order to get back at Duncan and keep him off-balance.
- Manipulates Hugh Fitzcairn's romantic rival Patrick into exposing Fitz as having fraudulent credentials as a chef, and then murders Patrick to frame Fitz for the deed. When Fitz is forced to flee from the police, Kalas ambushes and beheads him.
- Keeping tabs on Duncan, Kalas becomes aware of a secret disc containing the Watchers' files on a number of different Immortals. He steals the disc and threatens to use it to expose the Immortals' secret to the world unless Duncan allows Kalas to kill him.
- Master Forger: In addition to being a deadly swordsman and talented singer, Kalas is also a skilled forger, having worked for centuries to be able make exact copies of the Bible. In the present day, he puts this to murderous use by forging Dr. Anne Lindsay's signature on medical documents and prescribing incorrect medicines to her patients, resulting in the patients dying and Anne being held responsible.
- Master Swordsman: Kalas actually beats MacLeod in their first few scuffles, and later goes on to outfight Fitzcairn, Methos, and Amanda. At one point, Joe even tells Duncan that Kalas is as good as he is, maybe better.
- Narcissist: He wants to destroy Duncan for getting him kicked out of the monastery where he felt his vocal talents were most appreciated and destroying his world-class singing voice. He doesn't seem to care that MacLeod only did these things because he was either killing people or trying to kill him at the time. He is also implied to have poisoned Caruso, presumably out of jealous spite.
- No Love for the Wicked: He feigns a romantic interest in Duncan's female companion in the 20s, but that's just so he can get her alone and try to strangle her for revenge against Duncan. Later, he captures Amanda, and basically tells her she's wasting her time using her "not inconsiderable talents" on him. Kalas did spend most of his long life in a monestary, so at the very least, he's accustomed to going without.
- Revenge by Proxy: He would kill or frame anyone who is somehow related to MacLeod, and he does kill several Immortals who are friendly with MacLeod, including Hugh Fitzcairn.
- Sadistic Choice: Tells MacLeod during the last episode of season three that if he doesn't put down his sword and let Kalas kill him, the Watcher database would be emailed to newspapers around the world, possibly destroying the lives of Immortals and Watchers alike.
- Sinister Monk: He lived in a monastery where Immortals took refuge when weary of the game, and killed out of practice Immortals as they left holy ground. The head priest banished him when Duncan caught him in the act.
- The Sociopath: Kalas is cruel, vindictive, manipulative, and utterly lacking in empathy. He kills two or three people per episode whenever he shows up, and at one point happily admits to MacLeod that he has no real scruples.MacLeod: In the Game, out of the Game, human, Immortal; they're all the same to you, aren't they? You have no code, no rules.Kalas: There are no rules.
- The Stoic: Kalas is very cold and aloof, rarely displaying emotions other than anger and sadism.
- The Unfettered: Nothing will stop Kalas from coming after MacLeod. He breaks out of prison, massacres several Watchers, takes a shot at Methos' head, and even threatens to reveal the Immortals' existence to the world, all just to get Duncan's head.
- Villainous Valor: As detailed in Master Swordsman above, Kalas is one of Duncan's deadliest enemies, and he shows no fear whenever Duncan manages to gain the upper hand over him.
- Kalas: (mocking) You find me at a disadvantage, MacLeod!
- Who Wants to Live Forever?: Implied after Duncan cut his throat and destroyed his singing voice. Having several times stated that he viewed his singing voice as a gift even greater than his immortality, Kalas more or less lost any interest in winning The Game and devoted his life to making Duncan pay. All his later evil schemes, including his murder of Fitzcairn and his attempt to expose the Immortals' secret to the world, are just meant to hurt or kill MacLeod.
- Wicked Cultured: Even after his singing career is brought to an end, he still listens to opera and is briefly seen operating a jazz club in Paris.
Kenny
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
Played By: Myles Ferguson
An Immortal whose Immortality was triggered when he was still a child, forever trapping him in the body of an 11 year old. He was discovered as a youngster by Amanda, who looked after him and trained him to help her in her operations as a thief, but the two were separated when Amanda was caught and hung for thievery. Afterward, he developed a specialty of pretending to having just become Immortal, letting Immortals take him in, learning from them, and then taking their head when the chance first appeared. Doing this has let him survive centuries, despite his lack of combat ability and being helpless in the event of a straight up fight with another Immortal.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Played with. Duncan points out that while some of his methods are horrible, Kenny has as much right to fight and survive as any other Immortal, in any way that he can. When he learns that Kenny murdered Dallman Ross' wife after she stopped him from killing Ross, Duncan states that "male, female, it makes no difference." Then he's corrected that Ross' wife wasn't Immortal, Duncan quickly decides that Kenny is just another evil Immortal. The fact that Kenny also tried to kill Anne Lindsay, Duncan's lover, just cements his decision.
- Combat Pragmatist: Out of necessity. His targets are unsuspecting, and he attacks from behind.
- Creepy Child: He looks even younger than 11, but he's really closer to 800. As a result he has some completely unchildlike motivation hiding below the surface.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: He seems to believe any Immortal willing to take him in will eventually betray and kill him, so he preempts the supposed betrayal with his own.
- Karma Houdini: He has exploited and murdered numerous mortals and Immortals over the years and puts MacLeod in serious danger. His only punishment is having Amanda sever their relationship.
- Not Growing Up Sucks: Kenny expresses resentment that he'll always be small and vulnerable and that experiences like driving a car or having romantic and sexual relationships are unavailable to him.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: It's his specialty. He pretends to be a new Immortal, gets another Immortal to take him in and shelter the helpless child, then kills them when he has a chance.
Kronos
The weapons of today are different, but it all comes down to the same thing. There are the conquerors, and there are the conquered.
Played by: Valentine Pelka
The leader of the Four Horsemen (Pestilence), a band of Immortals that ravaged the world in the Bronze Age. Cruel, remorseless, and obsessed with holding power over the world, he has continued to ride with outlaws and brigands through the ages, but thinks of it all as a pale imitation of his days as a Horseman. Duncan briefly encountered him in the Wild West as the leader of one such band, and in the present he's eager to reunite the Horsemen and use a deadly biological weapon to bring about a new age of chaos that they can control.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's the leader of the Four Horsemen, and has the fighting skills to back it up. He brings Duncan to his absolute limit during their final duel, and Methos thinks it would be suicide for him to try fighting Kronos directly.
- Bash Brothers: Used to be this thousands of years ago with his fellow Horsemen, and briefly was again in the modern day.
- Beard of Evil: Back in The Wild West.
- Been There, Shaped History: The Horsemen's exploits influenced The Bible. He also mentions being in England when the Bubonic Plague hit, with the possibility that he may have played a part in that.
- Blood Knight: Seems to have an excessive love for combat, death and destruction, fittingly for someone who's the historical basis for one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
- Combat Pragmatist: The pommel and handguard of his sword are decorated with short spikes for additional damage during close combat.
- Dragon-in-Chief: Despite being the technical leader of the Horsemen, that role is normally attributed to Death AKA Methos.
- The Dreaded: To Methos, who doesn't even try to face Kronos on his own.
- Methos: I've seen what happens to people who go up against him. If we want to survive, we will keep him happy.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has an impressive one on the right side of his face.
- Hellbent For Leather: Favors a leather jacket in the modern day. The production crew gifted it to actor Valentine Pelka after shooting.
- Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Was the leader of the group that inspired the Horsemen of the Bible.
- Immune to Mind Control: When he encounters Cassandra in the present, she attempts to use her Compelling Voice power on him during their fight. Kronos essentially laughs it off and says it won't work on him.
- Manipulative Bastard: Skillfully manipulates Methos of all people, at least for a while, though reminding Methos how much he sometimes still missed being Death didn't work the way he wanted it to.
- Plague Master: While not overt, he is the Horseman Pestilence, and while his means have been limited during the glory days of the Horsemen, it's implied he's spread plague whenever possible. In modern day, he gathers the Horsemen to release a man-made virus that would decimate the human population.
- Putting the Band Back Together: In horrifying fashion. He spent centuries riding with other bands of raiders, but none of quite matched up to the Horsemen. In the modern day, he tracks down Methos, and together they find Silas and Caspian, the other two Horsemen, alive and well.
- Sadly Mythtaken: Despite his claims that the Horsemen were the basis of the Biblical Horsemen Of the Apocalypse, there was no Pestilence in the original version of Revelations, that was the Horseman Conquest, Pestilence being added centuries later.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: In a deleted scene, he's shown to have been poisoned and left in a dry well with a locked grate over the mouth. It's at least several hundred years, and possibly upwards of a thousand, before he escapes.
- The Older Immortal: Was making trouble during the Bronze Age in Mesopotamia, so at least over three thousand years old, and possibly a fair bit older than that.
- The Sociopath: Lacks empathy, cruelly manipulates even someone he calls a brother, and definitely has the grandiose sense of self-worth necessary for the trope.Kronos (as he's losing a battle to Macleod): "I am the end of time!"
- Tom the Dark Lord: Known back in the Wild West days as Melvin Koren. His Watcher file shows that his known aliases over the years include Eugene Korinski and Dexter Korvin, with speculation that Kronos deliberately chooses nerdy-sounding names to increase the possibility of a bar fight.
Caspian
You're gonna taste good.
Played by: Marcus Testory
A member of the Four Horsemen (Famine), and a deranged psychopath who admired Kronos but didn't get along very well with the other members.
- Bash Brothers: Downplayed, as he seems to be the troublemaker of the Horsemen, but he's still this with the group.
- Beard of Evil: If you had any doubt that Caspian is unhinged and evil, just look at his facial hair.
- Combat Pragmatist: Happily uses multiple weapons. His sword has been heavily customized to feature a harpoon-like barb on the blade and a sharpened hand guard. He'd have no problem killing MacLeod while he was recovering from a Quickening.
- Dual Wielding: Gleefully attacks MacLeod with a sword and knife.
- I'm a Humanitarian: "They found parts in his basement, in his garden, in his freezer." It's indicated in a deleted scene that he believes consuming the brains of others will make him smarter. Fits his status as Famine.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: He's imprisoned in a Romanian asylum for an indeterminate amount of time before being broken out by the other three Horsemen.
- Serial Killer: "Nobody knows how many people he killed."
- Tattooed Crook: Tattooed asylum inmate, rather.
- Wild Hair: How he seems to prefer keeping his hair, as he declines to cut it even after being let out of the asylum.
Silas
I don't like this killing from a distance. I like to feel my axe in my hands. Look into my enemies' eyes before I strike.
Played by: Richard Ridings
A member of the Four Horsemen (War), he's a ruthless warrior in combat but almost childlike outside of it.
- Bash Brothers: With the other Horsemen, particularly Methos.
- Blood Knight: More than any of the Horsemen, he relished combat and disapproves of Kronos' methods of using biological warfare. Fitting, as he's the Horseman Of War.I don't like this killing from a distance. I like to feel my axe in my hands. Look into my enemy's eyes before I strike.
- Combat Pragmatist: As he says to Duncan when both Silas and Caspian confront Duncan: "You kill one of us, the other takes your head while you're down."
- Dumb Is Good: Well, he's both the dumbest and least evil of the Horsemen. Although that's Damning With Faint Praise.
- Dumb Muscle: It's likely that he is somewhat mentally challenged, but he makes up for it with his strength and battlefield skills.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Silas loves his brothers. Kronos and Methos anyways, being especially close to the latter.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He dislikes Caspian quite a bit and considers him a lesser warrior as when comparing kills, Silas rumbles that "women and children don't count!" He also refuses to get involved when Caspian and Duncan engage in a duel, either out of personal dislike to his companion or because he refuses to sully a one on one duel.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Was one of the Four Horseman and has quite the deep, booming voice.
- Perma-Stubble: Always sloppy and unshaven.
- Psychopathic Manchild: A bloodthirsty warrior who relishes killing in combat and has been longing to ride with the Horsemen again for thousands of years, he also deeply disappointed when he learns he won't be able to keep one of Kronos' test monkeys as a pet.
- Redemption Rejection: Methos starts a conversation with Silas that seems to be building up to trying to convince him to leave the Horsemen's ways behind, but Silas makes it clear that he's not interested.Methos: Silas, for two thousand years, we have lived without this. We have lived without the blood, the fear, the power.Silas: And for two thousand years, I've dreamed of the day when we would ride again!
- Retired Monster: He seems to have given up marauding by present day, but jumps at the chance once Kronos starts getting the band back together.
- Stout Strength: He's a hefty guy who is no bodybuilder, but he swings around that huge axe of his quite easily.
Ahriman
Played By: Peter Hudson
A demon (literally) who appears on Earth every few thousand year, he manipulates normal people and Immortals alike through the use of mind games and illusions, seeking to break them or have them commit atrocities while under his influence. He mainly appears in the form of Duncan's old foe James Horton.
- Expy: His statue shares many similarities to that of Pazuzu of The Exorcist films, another famous demon. Their mannerisms and methods are quite different however.
- Hero Killer: By proxy. He used illusions that seemed real to cause MacLeod to accidentally kill Richie.
- Master of Illusion: And he manipulates illusion to defeat and torment his targets. Or get them to kill their friends.
- Outside-Context Problem: Even the most vile and depraved Immortals are still human beings. Who was prepared for an intangible, shape shifting demon?
-
Prop Recycling: Ahriman takes the form of villains Kronos and James Horton, old foes of Duncan. Kronos is even dressed in his Bronze-age warrior costume, an outfit that Duncan never saw him in. - The Power of Hate: Ahriman feeds off the anger of his victims and gets weaker the more calm and serene his opponent gets.
Single episode villains
Slan Quince
Played By: Richard Moll
The first Immortal villain of the series, Slan Quince is a sadistic headhunter who wears a metal mask and wields a custom sword. Seeking Duncan's head, he is unaware that Connor MacLeod is hot on his trail.
- Badass Longcoat: The first of many.
- BFS: Not to anime proportions, but still one of the biggest seen in the series. Word of God is that he designed and forged it himself.
- Beard of Evil: Has a slick grey beard.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Takes pride in his reputation for sadism.
- Combat Pragmatist: When it appears that Connor is outmatching him in their duel, Slan proceeds to unleash a sneak attack by firing a dagger from the hilt of his sword into Connor's heart.
- Cool Car: It's only seen briefly, but Slan seemingly shares Duncan's affection for older cars.
- Evil Sounds Deep: A violent psycho with a deep voice.
- Large Ham: His actor was definitely having fun being a sneering villain.
- Mighty Glacier: Duncan mocks his speed, but he hits like a freight train every time he does connect. He knocks Duncan across the room a few times during their second duel, and blocking his strikes throws Connor from side to side.
- Rage Helm: Wears a nasty-looking mask during duels.
- Super Window Jump: The first villain of the series enters through a skylight.
- Unknown Rival: Slan is one to Duncan and has one himself in Connor.
- Villains Want Mercy: A variation in which the desired 'mercy' takes a form other than the sparing of the villain's life. After spending the episode deliberately delaying a fight in order to psychologically torment Duncan and bragging about having done the same to other enemies, his reaction to being disarmed is to ask that Duncan finish him off quickly. Duncan obliges.
Kiem Sun
Played By: Soon-Tek Oh
One of Duncan's old friends, Kiem Sun is a Chinese Immortal who brews a potion to win the Game.
- Combat Pragmatist: If you can have a small army of mortal warriors who are immune to pain and will obey your every command, why risk yourself?
- Determinator: Spent three centuries in a temple refining his drug.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: He and MacLeod do this back-to-back, with Kiem Sun revealing that he's nowhere near as rusty or out of shape as would be expected after hundreds of years out of the Game.
- Karma Houdini: Duncan punishes him by pouring out the remainder of the potion that Kiem Sun had spent so long perfecting, before telling him that it will be a duel to the death if they ever meet again. Kiem Sun is never seen again after this, but given how his residence is on holy ground, it's hard to say whether or not he would be able to receive proper comeuppance.
- Knight Templar: Claims that his original goal for the potion was to help mankind. Eventually, though, it proceeded to the point that he wanted to use the potion to brainwash people into helping him fight other immortals.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Invoked, somewhat. After Duncan defeats Chu Lin and expresses a desire to send him to prison, Kiem Sun charges in and strikes Chu Lin down.Kiem Sun: Forgive the intrusion, but he was mine!
- So Proud of You: Kiem Sun appears to have this look when he is allowed to observe Duncan and Chu Lin dueling, but the revelation of his betrayal a few moments later implies that it was (at least partly) an act on his part. Regardless, he does compliment MacLeod for his skill during their subsequent duel.
- Villainous Breakdown: After Duncan beats him physically and verbally, he slowly folds up, looking genuinely frightened and uncertain.
- Warrior Monk: He's a Buddhist monk in present day.
Howard Crowley
Played By: John Novak
An Immortal Sheriff who beheads Duncan's Immortal friend Lucas Desiree. To cover his tracks, he frames an innocent man for the deed.
- BFS: His sword of choice is a claymore.
- Sinister Shades: Crowley gets a lot of mileage out of his aviators.
- Small-Town Tyrant: He's the local sheriff and has zero qualms about framing an innocent man for a murder he committed.
- Smug Snake: Arrogant and obnoxious, taunting MacLeod that Lucas died begging for mercy. (From what we see of Lucas, that's unlikely.) While he's a talented fighter, he's much younger and less skilled than Macleod.
- Villains Want Mercy: When Duncan has him down, he tries to indirectly beg for his life, telling Duncan that in the future, "I'll be sure to leave your friends in peace." Duncan replies with "What future?" before going slicey dicey.
Felicia Martins/Felice Martin
Played By: Joan Jett
A mysterious Immortal woman who comes to MacLeod for protection from another Immortal.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: A villain played by Joan Jett, so it's a given.
- Femme Fatale: Plays off of Richie to the point of fully seducing him. She ends up using him to draw Duncan out to their confrontation at the end of the episode.
- Karma Houdini: Duncan bests her in combat, but chooses not to kill her, instead warning Felicia not to approach his friends again. This is the last we see of her.
- Master Forger: She's extremely good at it, too. A map of London that she created two hundred years ago fools Duncan perfectly. The expert he takes it to for authentication notes that it may not be an original Corinelli, but given its age and obvious quality, "it's as damn near as makes no difference."
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Is introduced as an apparent latent immortal who discovers her power after making a suicide attempt. However, it turns out that she's actually been engaging in the game for at least 200 years (while pulling off a successful run of selling forgeries to boot).
- Rape as Backstory: Her Watcher Chronicle states she became Immortal after being raped and murdered by a Highwayman in 1714.
- Sex Slave: Was used as one by her original mentor Pierre Bedard until he got bored with Felicia and tried to kill her. She ended up taking him out instead.
- The Svengali: Her mentor is stated as having been one.
- Woman Scorned: Did not take Claude Devereux leaving her to start a family with a mortal lover well. (According to her Watcher Chronicle, Devereux was the first man she'd fully trusted, let alone loved, in her entire life. Then he dumped her because she wasn't rich enough or virginal enough to be worthy of marriage.) She eventually tracked down his home and killed his lover and adopted daughter while he was out of the country. Even though he spends the next century tracking her down for revenge, she ends up besting him when they finally meet again.
- Would Hurt a Child: Felicia has no compunction murdering the children of her targets, drowning Devereux's adopted infant daughter.
Caleb Cole
Played By: Marc Singer
An Immortal mountain man who kidnaps Tessa, intending to make her his bride.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Genuinely cares for his adopted son Joshua.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: Probably has the raspiest voice in the show with the possible exception of Kalas, and he is a bad, bad man.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Considers Tessa as 'his' and brags to Duncan "I'll take your Quickening, and then I'll take your woman!"
- Mountain Man: Has spent centuries living in the mountains and the wild.
- Perma-Stubble: Looking like you haven't shaved for a few weeks is part of the whole Mountain Man thing.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Once he knows there's another Immortal around, he gives the order to get off the mountain as quickly as possible, with no more stops.
Alexei Voshin
Played By: Stephen Macht
A Russian Immortal and ship's captain, Alexei Voshin dueled Duncan MacLeod in the 1930's and lost. MacLeod gave Voshin a chance to live if he would allow Soviet refugees to escape Stalin's regime on his ship. Voshin agreed, but betrayed MacLeod and the refugees to the KGB, resulting in a brutal massacre. In the present day, Voshin is a drug smuggler, and when a young woman named Nikki Simmons steals some of his money and cocaine, he will stop at nothing to track her down.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: Voshin meets a deservedly nasty end when he gets sucked into the propeller of his ship, beheading and presumably shredding him.
- Disproportionate Retribution: He betrays Duncan and a boatload of fleeing refugees to the Soviet authorities just to get back at Duncan for nearly beheading him.
- I Shall Taunt You: Niva, a young Russian refugee, is killed as a result of Voshin's betrayal. Voshin later holds Niva's dress up in front of MacLeod, taunting him about how she "Died in [his] arms." Needless to say, Duncan comes at him with a vengeance for that one.
- It's Personal: It's very personal with Duncan. Voshin is responsible for the deaths of countless people under his protection.
- The Mafiya: A Russian drug dealer.
- Smug Snake: A very cruel and sadistic one.
- The Social Darwinist: Regards mortals as worthless sheep to be slaughtered, to the point that he has no compunction about getting dozens of them killed just for a chance at Duncan's head.
Walter Reinhardt
Played By: Christopher M. Ohrt
An Austrian Immortal who made his living as a highway robber in the 18th Century, Walter Reinhardt eventually became a longtime rival of Duncan MacLeod. During the 1980's, Reinhardt embezzled heavily from his company, and then faked his death during a fight with MacLeod. In the present day, his mortal lover Rebecca Lord seeks revenge against Duncan, truly believing him to have killed Reinhardt.
- Badass Longcoat: A very nice one at that.
- Beard of Evil: Has the stereotypical 80s corporate executive beard.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: During the 80s. Apparently part of the reason he faked his death was to become a Karma Houdini with money that he stole from the company.
- Face Death with Dignity: When he meets Duncan for the first time in the 18th Century and is defeated, he calmly tells Duncan to, "Finish the game." Duncan spares him because there were witnesses.
- The Highwayman: Back in the 18th Century, he would rob travelers.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Openly admits to regarding women as disposable pleasures.Walter Reinhardt: Women are interchangeable. I told you that a century ago.
- The Sociopath: Perfectly willing to intentionally use a devoted lover as a pawn with the intention of using her death to help him.
Marcus Korolus
Played By: JG Hertzler
An Immortal actor, Marcus Korolus was betrayed in the 1620s by his lover Lenora, who exposed his Immortality to the world and had him burned as a witch. Driven mad by her betrayal, Korolus murdered Lenora and took her scalp, and began to murder other blonde women in the same fashion, believing that they were Lenora as well. Korolus' killing spree came to an end in the 1920s, when his old friend Duncan MacLeod tracked him down and took his head. In the present day, a deranged serial killer known as "The Scalper" seems to be copycatting Marcus' old crimes.
- Beard of Evil: A goatee.
- Burn the Witch!: Was the victim of this in the past after revealing his Immortality.
- Freudian Excuse: Three hundred years ago, Korolus revealed his immortality to his lover, Lenora, who had him burned at the stake. Her betrayal, coupled with the pain of being burned alive, caused a break with reality. He's since become a serial killer, fixating on slender blonde women, who he believes to be the long-dead Lenora.
- Master Actor: We never see him perform, but seems to have this reputation In-Universe.
- Psycho Knife Nut: Part of his MO as a serial killer. He's introduced threatening a woman with an extremely large knife, which he then uses to stab Duncan.
- Serial Killer: Kills multiple women who remind him of the lover who betrayed him.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Dressed in tails, vest, and spats.
- Tragic Villain: It's hard not to feel for Korolus, given his sad past and mental instability. Duncan even tries several times to reason with his old friend, only beheading him when it's clear that Marcus is too far gone to be rehabilitated.
Andrew Ballin
Played By: Tom Butler
An Immortal serving as Seacouver's Chief of Police, Andrew Ballin had once been married to artist Anne Wheeler, but eventually ended the relationship. When Anne threatened to reveal Ballin's Immortality to the world unless he came back to her, he murdered her to keep his secret. Unfortunately for Ballin, Tessa Noel witnessed the murder, and so he decided to murder her as well, putting him on a collision course with Duncan MacLeod.
- Badass Longcoat: A dark grey one.
- Dirty Cop: He murders an ex-lover, and is implied to have done this on other occasions in the past. He tries several times to kill Tessa and is apparently willing to murder other cops in the process. He's also able to use his position in law enforcement to "discover" the bodies of Immortals that he kills and divert attention from himself.
- Murder Is the Best Solution: Ballin seems to believe that killing anyone who becomes a hindrance is the best solution to things.
- Unknown Rival: When Duncan discovers Ballin in his home, he has no idea who he is, and before their final duel, Ballin states that he hadn't intended to come for Duncan "yet".
Grayson
Played By: James Horan
A former pupil of Darius' from the days when Darius was a fearsome warlord, he's a dangerous and feared Immortal who has remained fascinated with warfare since he was young. He remains an arms dealer in the current day, utterly rejecting Darius' message of peace and eventually trying to kill his old mentor.
- Affably Evil: Quite civil for a ruthless, warmongering lunatic. He even respects Duncan to a degree.
- All There in the Manual: Expanded material reveals his original name was Claudianus.
- Arms Dealer: His main occupation in the show's present.
- Been There, Shaped History: Some fans take Grayson's speech about gunpowder ("It took someone with vision") to mean that he invented the stuff, or at least realized/began working on the military applications of it, but it's never stated either way.
- Blood Knight: Even in the modern day, Grayson still believes in the glory of war. During the climactic fight with Duncan, Grayson is smiling the whole time.
- Blunt "Yes":Darius: Would it please you that much to destroy me?Grayson: "Immensely."
- Brief Accent Imitation: Momentarily affects a broad Scots accent while talking to Mac.
- Broken Pedestal: Darius turning away from warfare broke the pedestal for Grayson. Over fourteen hundred years later, he's still not over it.
- Coat Cape: He wears his overcoat this way while visiting the antique shop to intimidate Tessa.
- Cool Sword: A Kris broadsword.
- The Dreaded: The first Immortal that actually frightens Duncan. Several seasons later, we find that the Watchers regard MacLeod's victory as a huge (albeit pleasant) surprise.
- Evil Mentor: To Milos Vladic.
- Face Death with Dignity: When he realizes he's about to die, he gives Duncan an approving grin and shows no fear whatsoever.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: "I know. These things will kill me."
- Man of Wealth and Taste: Grayson is elegant, refined and appreciates the finest things in life even as he profits off war and death.
- Master Swordsman: Grayson is easily the deadliest Immortal villain in Season One, coming perilously close to beheading Duncan.
- Near-Villain Victory: Grayson disarms Duncan, and proclaims "there can be only one", which, prior to this point in the series, had only been spoken by Duncan before a decapitation. Dawson later reveals that this was the point at which he stopped watching, assuming that the duel was finished.
- The Older Immortal: When speaking to Richie, Duncan explicitly refers to him as "one of the few ancient immortals left". Canonically, he's a little shy of two thousand.
- Revenge by Proxy: Strikes at Darius by killing his students and disciples.
- Revision: the tie-in novel Shadow of Obsession, spends a good half of the pages filling in his backstory with Darius. Among other things, Grayson had an equally Immortal sister-disciple (the novel's antagonist, Callestina), who was a pagan and Darius' lover, who later became Grayson's own, and carries on his work.
- Slasher Smile: When Grayson goes all out, he grins savagely and viciously in the thick of combat.
- Villain Respect: To both Duncan and Tess.
- War for Fun and Profit: Part and parcel of being an arms dealer.
- We Can Rule Together: Tells Duncan they should work together. "Oh, not long, only a century or so. We could do so much."
- Worthy Opponent: "Worthy" may be an overstatement, but he does hold Duncan in a certain regard and seems to respect his fighting abilities.
- Years Too Early: Claims that Duncan needs another century or so of practice and taking heads to have a chance to beat him. While he comes close to defeating Duncan, he turns out to be wrong about that.
Christoph Kuyler
Played By: Peter Howitt
An Immortal assassin who managed to successfully kill a French noble Duncan was guarding in the late 18th century, he continues to ply his trade in modern day France with a whole group of mortal assistants.
- Affably Evil: He's quite pleasant... even up until he kills you.
- Badass Boast: "I don't want you to think I'm bragging, but I'm the greatest assassin in all of history. Of course, there have been men responsible for more deaths, but, ah, none of them killed so many, so close."
- Camp: He's an evil, murderous mime. Camp comes with the territory.
- Combat Pragmatist: Kuyler tries to gain an advantage on Duncan by luring Duncan to a hideout with a mannequin for each victim of his assassinations. He dresses and wears makeup so he will blend right in with those mannequins, and then turns the encounter with Duncan into a cat and mouse game.
- Enemy Mime: Throughout history he has had a preference for performing as an entertainer, and using that as a way to get close to his targets. In 90s Paris, he and his mortal henchmen tend to dress and act as mimes.
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: Kuyler's hideout has a large room filled with mannequins, and he blends into them very well when wearing his makeup. We first see him use this camouflage to scare one of his informants. "I'm sorry, I think it's very funny."
- Hellbent For Leather: A studded overcoat that he usually pairs with a white scarf.
- Master of None: Claims to be this with regards to everything aside from killing. He claims to have some small skill and natural talents in a variety of fields, (acrobatics, singing, etc.) but the only thing he was truly good at was being an assassin.
- Professional Killer: Has spent centuries as a highly effective assassin, and has personally killed 2,760 people.
- Small Role, Big Impact: A flashback reveals that it was his surprise attack on MacLeod that led to Duncan and Tessa meeting.
- This Is Gonna Suck: When Duncan disarms him and gives him a playful little shrug, Kuyler has just enough time to wince as he sees the decapitating blow coming.
- Trademark Favorite Food: The man loves his absinthe.
- Would Hurt a Child: To keep MacLeod in line, he threatens to have one of his men unload an automatic into into a nearby crowd, half of whom are kids.
Carlo Sendaro
Played By: George Corraface
A wealthy Portuguese explorer and Immortal, Carlo Sendaro first encounters MacLeod in the 18th Century, as Duncan bids Sendaro's Immortal wife Grace Chandel farewell before the two set off to explore the Amazon. During their trip, Sendaro began to terrorize and subjugate the natives, horrifying Grace into ending the relationship. In the present day, Sendaro cannot conceive that Grace no longer loves him, and will kill to get her back.
- A God Am I: During his "exploration" of the Amazon, he apparently tried to get the natives to worship him as a God.
- Badass Longcoat: Like most Immortals.
- Cool Sword: Averted, surprisingly. Sendaro prefers a machete.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Can't stand the thought of Grace being with another man.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: He gets painfully electrocuted by touching a subway's third rail, after which he falls onto the tracks and is beheaded by a passing train.
- It's All About Me: A complete narcissist.
- Latin Lover: He'd like to think so, but he's actually a deranged stalker.
- Machete Mayhem: His weapon of choice is a machete.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: Rich, sophisticated, and well-educated.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: He murders Paul, Grace's current husband, and then frames Grace for the deed in order to drive her into his clutches.
- Narcissist: Sendaro is extremely entitled and possessive, caring nothing for the wishes of others. He also developed something of a God complex during his exploitation of the Amazon.
- Stalker with a Crush: Utterly obsessed with Grace.
Zachary Blaine
Played By: Jason Isaacs
An Immortal and Amanda's partner-in-crime, Zachary Blaine was eventually double-crossed by Amanda and framed for murder. In the present day, he has escaped to seek revenge.
- Escape Artist: He kills a guard, slips out of his straitjacket, and escapes from a moving police van, all in about sixty seconds. He later acknowledges the necessity of getting outside of the walls first, since escaping from a maximum security prison was beyond even his abilities.
- Improvised Weapon: Uses a trashcan lid as a shield during his fight with MacLeod.
- Shield Bash: He also smacks Duncan pretty soundly with it.
- Insanity Defense: Claims to have used a version of this to get himself outside of the prison where he was being held, making an escape much easier.
- Revenge: As soon as he's free, he goes right for Amanda.
Alfred Cahill
Played By: Martin Kemp
An unstable British Army veteran, Alfred Cahill attacked a prostitute and was stabbed to death by her in self-defense. Awaking to find that he was Immortal, Cahill became convinced that he was an Avenging Angel, sent by God to violently punish the sinners of the world.
- Abusive Parents: His twisted mental state is a result of years of abuse from his father.
- Ax-Crazy: He's a violent madman with a God Complex who goes about murdering those he deems as sinners.
- Curbstomp Battle: To his credit, Cahill does considerably better than far older immortals like Johnny Kelly or Lucas Kagan, but he's still just one newly immortal psycho against a veteran, four hundred year old warrior. Duncan makes rather short work on him.
- He-Man Woman Hater: Cahill is savagely misogynist.
- Knight Templar: he believes he's doing God's work and Duncan is the archangel Gabriel. Unfortunately, his 'work' is serial killing.
- Mission from God: Believes he's doing God's work by killing prostitutes and other unsavory characters.
- Serial Killer: Cahill begins murdering prostitutes and other 'sinners' for his divine mission.
- Sociopathic Soldier: Psychopath. He's an ex-SAS commando who's been in the Falklands and Iraq.
- Would Hit a Girl: Smacks a prostitute around and she stabs him to death in return, triggering his Immortality.
Gabriel Piton
Played By: Nigel Terry
A French Immortal and one of Duncan's old friends, Gabriel Piton had once been a Gentleman Thief, but in the present day is a skilled fashion designer. But when Parisian model Cynthia Hampton discovers his collection of stolen treasures, Piton kills her to protect his secret. When Cynthia's friend Maya begins to investigate, both Richie and Duncan come to realize that Piton intends to kill her as well.
- The Casanova: He has three prolific centuries of experience with the ladies.
- Gentleman Thief: He seeks out jewelry and art associated with the most beautiful women of history.
- It's All About Me:I, too, have principles. And the first among them is that I never give up that which I have acquired.
- Karmic Thief: When Duncan catches him stealing a necklace he'd promised not to, Piton counters that the dutchess in question is incredibly rich and will never miss it.
- Katanas Are Just Better: One of the few immortals to wield a katana in battle.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Always well dressed, even before he dove into fashion design.
Col. Everett Bellian
Played By: Peter Guinness
An English Immortal who served as a British Army colonel, Everett Bellian swore to love and protect his stepdaughter Lori as though she were his very own. When he discovers that Lori has been raped by Mark Rothwood, a diplomat's spoiled son, Col. Bellian becomes obsessed with taking bloody revenge.
- Determinator: Put any obstacle in his path that you want to keep him from his goals. See if it does any good.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He loved Lori's mother deeply and cares very much for his stepdaughter.
- Evil Virtues: For a given value of evil. Honor. He gets the drop on Duncan in the fog, and comments that he could easily shoot him and take his head. Duncan simply replies that he won't, and Bellian immediately puts the gun down and draws his sword for a fair fight.
- Nothing Personal: He's got nothing against MacLeod and doesn't have any interest in fighting him or taking his head. When they finally draw down on each other, it's clear that Bellian regards their duel as merely a means to an end.
- Revenge Before Reason: Bellian is furious about the rape of his stepdaughter, and has no patience with a legal process that he's convinced will allow the rich and well-connected attacker to get off easily.
- Papa Wolf: He will stop at nothing to avenge his stepdaughter's rape.
- The Unfettered: Outright besieges a diplomatic consulate in order to get to Mark.
- Villain Has a Point: Bellian's methods are terrible, but his concern that Mark would use his father's money and diplomatic immunity to escape punishment is actually reasonable, particularly since it's implied throughout the episode that Mark has done so before, albeit for less serious offenses.
- Worthy Opponent: He considers Duncan to be one.
Gregor/Greg Powers
Played By: Joel Wyner
One of MacLeod's Immortal students, Gregor was once an idealistic doctor who devoted his life to helping others. But as the years went by, he saw much suffering and death, which began to sour his disposition considerably. In the present day, he's become a hardened cynic, seeing all life as miserable and pointless. When Gregor begins to lash out at innocent people in his despair, Duncan realizes that he has to stop his old friend before anyone gets hurt.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: From MacLeod's perspective.
- Anti-Villain: Gregor isn't evil, but his utter despair causes him to risk the lives of other people in an attempt to stir some emotion within himself.
- Cool Shades: To go with his leather jacket.
- Despair Event Horizon: Passed this long ago, and has become completely numb to life in general.
- Heel–Face Turn: Thankfully, Gregor agrees to seek help, and Duncan doesn't have to kill his old friend.
- Hellbent For Leather: Dresses like a cross between a biker and a Goth kid.
- Straw Nihilist: To the point that he can barely feel any emotion any longer.
Quentin Barnes/Michael Moore
Played By: Geraint Wyn Davies
An Immortal serial killer who murdered Jeanette Moore, the wife of Duncan's Immortal friend Michael Moore. When Barnes resurfaces in the present day, Moore enlists MacLeod to help hunt down his old foe.
- All There in the Manual: The Watchers' Profile on the DVD reveals that Michael was severely abused as a child, and was passed around through various orphanages and foster parents. As a result, his first death was actually a suicide. The trauma from all this is what led to his murderous split personality.
- Ax-Crazy: A vicious, woman-hating serial killer with a split personality.
- Buried Alive: Barnes was executed in the electric chair and buried. It was thirty-three years before he got free.
- Dying as Yourself: Subverted. Moore does his best, and takes control long enough to urge Duncan to do what's necessary, but the Barnes personality is clearly on display when Mac takes his swing.
- Evil Is Hammy: Oh, boy, does Quentin Barnes just go wild with how evil he is.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Barnes is a killer who has a voice that is very deep.
- Evil Sounds Raspy: In addition to being deep, it sounds like it's being dragged over a stone floor.
- Freudian Excuse: See All There in the Manual.
- He-Man Woman Hater: Barnes despises women to frightening degrees. When Michael Moore is rejected by a woman he likes, the violently misogynistic Barnes personality takes over and murders her. When Michael's wife Jeanette wanted a separation, Barnes murdered her as well.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: When he's unearthed after having been executed and Buried Alive, Barnes immediately begins murdering those responsible for his execution, such as the judge.
- Serial Killer: Murdered Jeanette Moore and several other women.
- Split Personality: Moore has developed one, and acts as both himself (kind, thoughtful man), and Quentin Barnes (sadistic, unhinged killer), the man Moore believes killed his wife.
Annie Devlin
Played By: Sheena Easton
An Immortal and acquaintance of Duncan's who became a fanatical member of a pro-Irish Independence movement after her mortal husband was killed by the English. She continues to fight for the cause into the show's present, when her group planned to assassinate a British ambassador on vacation in America. The newly Immortal Richie intervened to protect the man, and the attempt failed and caused the death of Devlin's current mortal husband. She comes after Richie for revenge, and thanks to Duncan's training he gets the best of her but is unable to kill her. MacLeod chastises her afterward for her overdeveloped sense of vengeance and convinces her to return to Ireland rather than continue the grudge.
- Avenging the Villain: Her mortal husband died when Richie interfered with their attack, and now she wants revenge.
- Back for the Dead: Her reappearance in the novel Scotland the Brave ends with her head lost.
- Fiery Redhead: She has a temper and "an overdeveloped sense of vengeance", and has the flaming red hair to go with it.
- Revision: Got her own flashback sequence, as well as a returning, contemporary storyline, during the tie-in novel Scotland the Brave.
- Starter Villain: The first Immortal Richie faces in combat.
- Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: An IRA member that Duncan has worked with and been friendly with in the past.
- Unwitting Pawn: In the novel Scotland The Brave, Annie is seamlessly manipulated by the villain Jamie Douglas to challenge Macleod with unfortunately fatal consequences, all so Douglas will be able to ambush a Quickening-weakened Macleod.
Anthony Gallen
Played by: Roddy Piper
An evil Immortal hitman who attacks Duncan at random during the latter's morning jog. During their duel, Gallen abruptly disengages and drives off, running down an innocent bystander named Tommy Bannon in the process. Feeling responsible for Bannon's death, MacLeod decides to investigate why he was there and what his connection to Gallen was.
- Assassins Are Always Betrayed: Suzanne Honniger tries to betray him, presumably to tie up a loose end. It doesn't work, to say the least.
- Combat Pragmatist: He's introduced attacking MacLeod from behind. Later, he maneuvers the fight into a carnival funhouse for cover, and again strikes from behind.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Suzanne Honniger tries to betray him, so he murders her. Since she hired him to kill her father, nobody's going to shed any tears.
- Outside-Context Villain: One of the only evil immortals Duncan has no history with whatsoever. He suddenly shows up one day and attacks Duncan while he's out jogging.
- Professional Killer: He's hired by Suzanne Honniger to murder her father.
- The Sociopath: Thinks nothing of murdering people for money.
Tommy Sullivan
Played By: Bruce Weitz
A scrappy Irish boxer and one of MacLeod's Immortal friends. When men who've slighted Sullivan start turning up dead, MacLeod's opinion of him is changed forever.
- Blunt "Yes": When Duncan confronts him about the deaths of Coleman and his bodyguard, Sully doesn't even try to lie.Duncan: You killed them?Sullivan: And I'd do it again.
- Cannot Talk to Women: Not all women, but by his own account, Sullivan has a much easier time relating to men. We see him get flustered when he's surprised by one of Mac's flings in 1891 and be utterly tounge-tied in the presence of a waitress that he has a crush on.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The main reason Duncan opposes him. Tommy will kill anyone who crosses him, whether it's a promoter who won't pay him or a boxer who wants a new manager.
- Expy: Basically an evil, murderous version of Mick from the Rocky movies.
- In-Universe Nickname: Sully.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Sullivan's a compact guy, but he's got decades of boxing experience under his belt and is no slouch with a sword.
- Romantic Wingman: He attempts to recruit Duncan as one of these to help get Iris' attention. Duncan passes him off to Charlie, who spends hours trying to work through Sully's nerves.
- Worthy Opponent: Sees Duncan as this.Sullivan: I always wondered who was better.
Mako
Played By: Jonathan Banks
An Immortal bounty hunter who regards the law as paramount, and will relentlessly pursue his prey no matter how small or justified their transgressions were. In the present day, he is hot on the trail of Laura Daniels, a young fugitive under the protection of Richie Ryan.
- Beard of Evil: Closely cropped and graying, regardless of the era.
- Bounty Hunter: Operated as a sheriff in the past, today he's a legal bounty hunter.
- Cool Car: Averted, unlike Duncan, his truck seems to be mostly utilitarian.
- Combat Pragmatist: He leads Richie through a building undergoing renovations and once they're inside he uses tactics like throwing debris at Richie, striking from hiding, and in general tries to make use of the terrain. It ultimately winds up backfiring on him; he climbs up on top of a table or workbench trying to exploit having the high ground, but when he has to hop over a slash from Richie it promptly gives way beneath him and leaves Mako trapped and immobilized, giving Richie a much needed advantage.
- Defiant to the End: He's pretty well screwed once he falls through the tabletop, but he keeps swinging 'till the very end.
- Determinator: He will never stop hunting a target until they are caught or killed.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: A dandy one along the right side of his face.
- I Am the Noun: "I am the law."
- Knight Templar: Mako's only dedication is to the letter of the law. He feels no remorse for anything he does in the course of upholding the law or pursuing fugitives, and little if any sympathy or empathy for people.
- Principles Zealot: He has a very Hobbesian view of the world, and thus sees people as little more than animals who need laws to be kept in line. As a result he takes the law and any violations of it incredibly seriously, and with little to no room for mercy.
- Quick Draw: Mako's shown to be fast with a gun in 1882. He and Duncan have a brief, Western-style stand-off in the dojo, and he loses handily.
Nicholas Ward
Played by: Jeremy Brudenell
An English Immortal who likes to make money by marrying a wealthy heiress, murdering her, and disguising it as the work of a Serial Killer by murdering others in the same fashion. In 1840, Duncan discovered that he was trying to mask his crimes as the work of a Vampire, and challenged him. Ward escaped, and in the present day has set his sights on Helene Piper, one of Duncan's friends.
- Affably Evil: Nick is oddly very, very pleasant.
- The Bluebeard: His particular pattern of villainy is to woo mortal women, marry them, and then kill them.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He acts like a silly dandy and Upper-Class Twit at times, but he can throw down with the best of them. He's one of the few immortals to nearly kill Duncan and would have if not for his own arrogance.
- Evil Brit: With a noticeable accent that hasn't diminished over the years.
- "Facing the Bullets" One-Liner: "Everyone's a Critic..." Really, he takes his impending decapitation better than most, all things considered.
- Gold Digger: According to Duncan, "Nicholas makes his money the old-fashioned way: he marries it." He's committed murder in order to marry an heiress at least twice (see Serial Killer, below). However, it's implied that once he marries an heiress, he's very, very, good at running her business successfully.
- Hellbent For Leather: In present day.
- Light Is Not Good: Platinum blonde hair and always dresses in white, but he's a ruthless serial killer.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Tries to give one to Duncan near the end of the fight when it looks like he's got Duncan down and out. Unfortunately for him, Duncan wasn't as down as he thought.Nicholas: When I'm good, I'm really good. But when I'm bad...I'm GREAT!
Duncan: *deflects Ward's blow, and mortally wounds him* Not great enough. - Serial Killer: Played with. In both 1840 and 1993 he killed several men who were partners in a business, so that the entire business would be inherited by a daughter of one of the partners, who Ward would then marry. Both times he misled the police by disguising his murder for profit as the work of a serial killer.
- Serial Killings, Specific Target: Likes to make money by marrying a wealthy heiress, murdering her, and disguising it as the work of a Serial Killer by murdering others in the same fashion
- Sword Cane: In 1840. By 1993 he has switched to a small broadsword.
- The Older Immortal: "How many years have you been doing this?" "For longer than you've been alive."
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Nick? Maybe give a lengthy quip about your victory after you've decapitated your enemy instead of before? No? Okay then.
Drakov/Arthur Drake
Played by: Peter Firth
An evil Immortal who worked as an officer of the Soviet Union. In 1918, he spared the life of Countess Abramov and her family at Duncan MacLeod's behest, in exchange for a promise that Duncan would never fight Drakov unless they were the last two left. In the present day, he has reinvented himself as Arthur Drake, and is the security advisor and puppetmaster to the president of a small Baltic country, who he murders to sabotage a peace treaty. When a mortal named Eli Jarmel attempts to assassinate Drake to avenge his murdered family, Duncan is forced to question his vow not to get involved.
- Ax-Crazy: Uses his position to create war and chaos for absolutely no reason beyond enjoyement, and takes pleasure in personally murdering people.
- Bald of Evil: Well, Balding Of Evil. He's got a bald pate.
- Cool Sword: A Kris broadsword, not unlike Grayson's.
- Faux Affably Evil: Always polite and cheerful, but he's far too sinister and bloodthirsty for it to be genuine.
- Hate Sink: Drake is obviously meant to be despised by the audience, to show the consequences of MacLeod's vow not to get involved. He's a vicious, smug sociopath who thinks nothing of mass-murder and warmongering so long as it keeps him in power.
- I Am the Noun: "I am history."
- It's All About Me: Drake is utterly selfish and convinced of his superiority, only serving the Soviet Union so that he could worm his way into a position of power. He openly admits as much to Duncan when the latter comes to bargain for the lives of the Abramov family.
- The Man Behind the Man: His preferred method of operation. Being Immortal precludes him from being a public figure, so he settles for running things behind the scenes.
- Smug Snake: Gleefully rubs MacLeod's promise in his face.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: Does not like to raise his voice.
- Super Supremacist: He thinks Immortals are just plain better than mortals, which is why he deserves to run the world.
- Wicked Cultured: In the present, he and MacLeod meet by chance at a ballet performance.
- Would Hit a Girl: He is willing to kill whole families if it suits his purposes. He tries to have the Abramovs executed during the Russian revolution, and later murdered Eli Jarmel's wife and child to punish him for resisting Soviet rule in Romania.
- Would Hurt a Child: Murdered Eli Jarmel's child.
Nefertiri
Played by: Nia Peeples
An Immortal Egyptian woman and handmaiden to Queen Cleopatra VII, Nefertiri fell in love with the Immortal Roman General Marcus Constantine. But when Rome and Egypt went to war in 30 BCE, Nefertiri felt betrayed by Marcus and tried to kill him, but was defeated and chose to be buried with her Queen. In the present day, her sarcophagus is unearthed and opened by Duncan MacLeod, who hopes to teach Nefertiri the ways of the modern world. But Marcus Constantine has also resurfaced, and Nefertiri finds that she is unable to let go of her anger toward her ex-lover.
- Buried Alive: For almost two thousand years. Fortunately, she seems to have been unconscious for it.
- Et Tu, Brute?: She has this reaction when Duncan sides with Marcus against her. Then she tries to kill him.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: An ancient Egyptian in 1990s Paris. Played for comedy in the first half of the episode as Duncan introduces her to modern technology and takes her clothes shopping, then played for tragedy as she proves unable to move on from the conflicts of her past.
- Moral Myopia: She hates Marcus for putting his loyalty to his country ahead of their romance, even though she did the same for her own country.
- Revenge Before Reason: She can't let go of her grudge against Marcus to save her life. While Marcus wasn't exactly a nice person in the past admittedly, she can't accept his Heel–Face Turn in the present is genuine and murders his wife for revenge, and she would have tried for him too if Duncan hadn't stopped her.
- Revenge by Proxy: Kills Marcus' wife to break his heart the same way Cleopatra's death broke hers.
- Translation Convention: As she's been unconscious in a sealed stone box for thousands of years, there's no way she could possibly know English. Fan theory holds that she, Duncan, and Constantine are speaking either Latin or Hellenic Greek between themselves.
- Wakeup Makeup: Wakes up after thousands of years in a sarcophagus... and of course, looks stunning. And speaks English (See Translation Convention above).
- Woman Scorned: She and Marcus Constantine were lovers, and she refuses to see he's changed from two thousand years ago.
Luther
Played by: Emile Abossolo-M'Bo
A former pupil of Rebecca Horne, Amanda's first teacher. He's become obsessed with the legend of The Methuselah Stone, which is said to magnify the power of any Immortal who possesses it, among other things. Believing it to be the key to winning the Game, he has hunted down all of Rebecca's students who were given a piece of it, except for Amanda herself, in his quest to collect all the pieces.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: One of Rebecca Horne's many students, and the only one who went bad.
- Bald of Evil: Has a shaved head and is completely ruthless.
- Beard of Evil: As a natural compliment to his toughness and shaved head.
- Combat Pragmatist: His first scene involves him blackmailing his teacher into trading her life for her husband's. He tries this on MacLeod later by threatening to behead Amanda, and it doesn't go nearly as well.
- Defiant to the End: He uses his last words to tell Duncan he'll never find the Methuselah's Stone. Duncan of course never wanted it.
- Determinator: Luther wants the Methuselah Stone fragments, and nothing short of death will stop him.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Luther is completely consumed by his quest for the Methuselah Stone. His last words, "you'll never find the crystals", are directed to MacLeod, the only Immortal present who doesn't believe in their properties and who wouldn't use them even if he did.
- Foe Romance Subtext: Originally planned that he and Amanda were former lovers, but this was excised from the final copy. Nonetheless, there's still a bit of charge between the two.
- I Gave My Word: He agrees to let Rebecca's mortal husband live if she lays down her sword, claiming that he always keeps a promise. It's revealed in a later scene that he actually does spare him.
- Offstage Villainy: He kills several of Rebecca's other students before murdering her and challenging Amanda.
- The Unfettered: Has no problem with killing off his former mentor and all her other students if it means he will be invincible.
- Villainous Legacy: He gathers all but one piece of the Methuselah Stone before his death, which does not go unnoticed by Amanda's Watcher . . .
Martin Hyde
Played by: Michael Sibery
An English Immortal headhunter committed to winning The Game, his specialty is terrifying new Immortals and hounding them until they flee to their teachers for help and refuge, only for Hyde to promptly challenge those teachers and take their head. He disdains taking the head of anyone who isn't already a powerful and capable fighter.
- Ax-Crazy: Hyde takes great pleasure in killing, whether as part of The Game or just for pleasure, and is deeply unhinged.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears a long, black trenchcoat to conceal his sword.
- The Berserker: Hyde's fighting style is all out offense, overwhelming foes with a high volume of blows. All the while Hyde throws himself forward without fear, clearly relishing every moment. Duncan exploits this to beat Hyde; he continually gives ground, encouraging Hyde to become more reckless and aggressive, until Hyde overextends himself and Duncan successfully counterattacks. Hyde gets impaled so deeply on Duncan's sword that he can't recover or defend himself, and then Duncan finishes him.
- Blood Knight: Hyde loves to fight and kill, and he loves nothing so much as dueling a 'seasoned' Immortal.
- The Dreaded: Is a feared headhunter, and one of the more terrifying Immortals encountered.
- Egomaniac Hunter: He frequently talks about the pleasure of a good hunt, and makes it clear that winning the Game is secondary to the pleasure of a challenging kill.
- It's Personal: Hyde managed to terrorize Duncan to try to get to Connor, killed Duncan's mentor Pierre Segour and targets Richie to get to Duncan. Duncan rarely displays a level of sheer hatred for an opponent as he does Hyde.
- Master Swordsman: Hyde is good. His fight is one of the most difficult for Duncan and you can clearly see the Highlander on the ropes multiple times.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Hyde IS the hazard; frightening younger Immortals into leading him to their teachers and then killing the teacher has been his method for centuries. The first time he meets Duncan, it's his (unsuccessful) attempt at tracking down Connor MacLeod. During their second meeting, he kills Pierre Segour, Duncan's then-mentor.
- Not Worth Killing: "You're not worth the time . . . I've hunted and killed worse than you for exercise." He's more than capable of killing both Duncan and Ritchie during their initial meetings, but Hyde's after bigger game. He literally has his sword to MacLeod's throat at one point and lets him go.
- Paranoia Fuel: He invokes this, as his specialty is murdering everyone around young Immortals while remaining unseen.
- Perma-Stubble: No matter what era he's in, he sports some thick stubble.
- Slasher Smile: Permanently sports one of these.
- Unknown Rival: He and Duncan first meet while Hyde is hunting Connor, and the elder MacLeod is almost certainly unaware that he's being pursued. Hyde is unable to locate him and eventually abandons the search; Duncan never says whether he subsequently mentioned the encounter to Connor or not.
Michael Kent
Played by: Stephen McHattie
A rich Immortal industrialist, Michael Kent owned a penthouse in Japan, where he met and married Midori Koto. Their marriage began to fail however, and Kent eventually discovered that Midori was having an affair. Enraged, he murdered her lover, causing Midori to flee to America to seek the aid of Duncan MacLeod, who was a friend of her ancestor Hideo Koto.
- Affably Evil: For such a ruthless killer and emotionally abusive husband, Kent is incredibly polite.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Regards Midori as his property.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: His "solution" to his wife's infidelity.
- Katanas Are Just Better:
Specifically, a sixteenth-century Muramasa katana. - The Stoic: A half-smile during his first meeting with Duncan aside, his voice and expressions stay rock steady.
- Tranquil Fury: Murders his wife's lover and pursues her from Japan to American with barely a raised eyebrow.
- Villain Has a Point: Kent is an evil murderer, but he has a right to be upset that his wife is cheating on him.
Kern
Played by: Randall “Tex” Cobb
A savage, animalistic Immortal and one of Duncan MacLeod's most hated enemies. In 1870, Kern worked as a mercenary scout for the U.S. Army, and led an attack on a Sioux village, killing Duncan's then-wife Little Deer and her son Kahani. In the present day, Kern is a violent biker who rides into Seacouver and stumbles across MacLeod once more.
- All Bikers are Hells Angels: A particularly vile example, committing countless murders over the centuries.
- The Brute: Kern is a hulking, violent beast who gets by on brute strength.
- Dual Wielding: Saber and Bowie knife.
- It's Personal: Killed a mortal lover of Duncan's, along with her entire Sioux tribe, so for Duncan it's very personal with Kern.
- Jerkass: It's not enough he's a violent, wild animal of a man. Kern is just an asshole to everyone he meets, even when he's on holy ground.
- Motorcycle Jousting: He rides down on MacLeod, who is on foot, and takes a swing at him in passing. Duncan blocks the attack, and Kern dismounts to continue the fight.
- Perma-Stubble: In keeping with Kern as an uncivilized, animalistic villain.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Openly mocks the Native Americans he slaughters and Duncan for having lived with them and taken on their ways.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: His M.O., especially towards Native Americans in the American West.
- Sarcastic Confession: He gives a very sarcastic confession of his sins to a priest to mock the man.
- Underestimating Badassery: Kern doesn't get how talented Duncan really is, dismissing him because of Duncan's affection for and affiliation with the Sioux.
Paul Karros
Played by: Miguel Fernandez
An Immortal who fought alongside MacLeod in the Mexican Revolution in 1867, Karros styles himself a champion of the oppressed, having fought in several revolutions over the years. In the present day, Karros seeks to liberate a tiny Balkan nation, but when negotiations between the two sides are repeatedly sabotaged by an assassin, MacLeod gets involved. To his horror, MacLeod discovers that Karros is responsible, and that he'd rather see the war continue than make peace.
- Affably Evil: Despite his crimes and ruthlessness, Karros maintains a pleasant veneer, even managing politeness during a death duel with Duncan. His only remark when Duncan slashes his arm? "Not bad for a pacifist, old friend."
- Badass in a Nice Suit: He's an incredibly skilled warrior and tends to dress in sharp suits.
- Bad Boss: When his assassin is discovered, Karros murders the man to ensure he won't talk.
- Evil Former Friend: As with many evil Immortals, MacLeod once trusted and fought alongside Karros.
- False Flag Operation: Karros is happy to assassinate his allies under the guise of the enemy to keep a fight going.
- General Ripper: Karros will pour men into a meat grinder to destroy his enemies, even when it's no longer necessary. He'll also sabotage peace talks between the two sides, just to keep the war on.
- Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Once a freedom fighter, Karros has become obsessed with revolution and conflict for its own sake.
- Knight Templar: Karros is hell bent on revolution and liberation, but he has long stepped into an 'ends justify the means' mindset, even murdering his own friends as well as his enemies.
- Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Repeatedly claims to be leading his people to freedom through harsh yet necessary means, but it's clear he cares more about the battle than victory.
- Oh, Crap!: He thinks Duncan won't be able to behead him. When Duncan responds "There can be only one," Karros's expression drives in how he realizes exactly what's about to happen.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Not with Karros around, it won't.
- Slave to PR: He publicly claims that if the dictator, Bourchek, wants peace in their country, let him come to the States to negotiate. Privately, he tells Duncan that he will never negotiate with such a man. However, when Bourchek turns out to be willing to rise to Karros' challenge, Paul is forced to embrace the man in front of the press.
- Unreliable Expositor: He claims that the government's tank battalion attacked his side, when Mara says that it was the other way around.
John Durgan/Armand Thorne
Played by: Brion James
In 1817, the Immortal John Durgan was an illiterate mountain man, living in the wilds of Montana and selling furs to make his living. He eventually came across Duncan MacLeod at Fort Wolfe, as well as the traveling priest Father Peter, who carried the beautiful golden Cross of St. Antoine. Overcome with greed, Durgan murdered Father Peter and stole the cross, vanishing into the wilderness. In the present day, he has reinvented himself as Armand Thorne, a wealthy, educated art collector. But his murderous greed has not abated, and he is brought again into conflict with MacLeod.
- Beard of Evil: A goatee.
- Berserk Button: Thorne/Durgan tends to flip out if you touch anything in his collection.
- Cultured Badass: Played with. Thorne/Durgan is unquestionably a skilled swordsman and talented warrior, but while he has cultivated an intelligent, educated persona, he's an animal underneath it. In his final duel with MacLeod, his elegant facade begins slipping, revealing the violence and savagery beneath.
- Greed: One of the driving forces in Thorne's life, almost to the point of Blue-and-Orange Morality. He loves learning, with a particular interest in languages and art, but his real passion is acquiring and possessing things. He values his art collection above human lives, and has a brief Freak Out when Joe threatens to knock a few items off a table. Thorne has done his best to remove himself from The Game, and tells MacLeod that the only time he'll pay it any mind is if he's one of the last two remaining.
- Kick the Dog: Durgan throttles a kind schoolteacher to death when she accepted his bait of teaching him to read, and later murdered a goodhearted priest just to steal the Cross of St. Antoine.
- Lack of Empathy: Completely indifferent to the lives of others.
- Omniglot: Claims to speak nine languages, including Latin and Greek.
- Rags to Riches/Self-Made Man: An extremely evil version involving murder and theft, but he transformed himself from the illiterate trapper John Durgan into the wealthy, articulate, and powerful Armand Thorne.
- That Man Is Dead: As far as he's concerned, John Durgan hasn't existed for years.
- The Scrooge: "I sell nothing, and nothing is ever taken from me."
- Smug Snake: Durgan is quite arrogant, callously flaunting his murders and his lack of adherence to the Game.
- Villainous Breakdown: He turns into a ravening, snarling beast when he faces Duncan, all of his refinement falling away to reveal his true nature.
- Would Hit a Girl: In 1817, he strangled a kindly schoolteacher to steal her money. In the present day he murders Lauren Gale, an art historian and Joe Dawson's girlfriend, to prevent her from revealing that several of the pieces in his collection were stolen.
Axel Whittaker
Played By: Rob Stewart
"You know what they say about love and war."
An evil Immortal headhunter, Axel Whittaker's M.O. is to take inexperienced female Immortals under his wing, force them to seduce male Immortals, and then take the male's head once his guard is down. He attempted to take MacLeod's head this way in 1896, but failed. In the modern era, Whittaker sets his sights on Michelle Webster, a young female Immortal who just happens to be in Duncan's care.
- Bad Boss: He kills his female "students" as soon as he no longer has a use for them.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Axel uses female immortals to lure the men into traps so he can cheat in the Game. When his schemes fail, Duncan calls him out for it and Axel ends up woefully overestimating his actual sword skills against the veteran Duncan.
- Combat Pragmatist: Has inexperienced female Immortals seduce his targets, then takes their heads while they're distracted.
- Cool Boat: He owns one, in contrast to Duncan.
- Domestic Abuse: Women who trust him get abused physically and psychologically, eventually leading to murder.
- If I Can't Have You…: Duncan promises to rescue one of his 'proteges'; Axel kills her moments before their scheduled rendezvous.
- Evil Mentor: Recruits young female Immortals to use them for his own pleasure and to distract his foes, with no care about whether it gets them killed. When he's tired of them, off go their heads.
- Faux Affably Evil: Poses as a Sexy Mentor to disguise the fact that he's a ruthless predator.
- Honey Trap: Axel's MO during the game. He takes inexperienced, female immortals and has them seduce targets so he can take their heads when they're helpless.
- Manipulative Bastard/Opportunistic Bastard: Axel's ready for a fight, but he changes tactics immediately upon realizing that Michelle is truly new to The Game.
- Offscreen Villainy: We see Axel ruthlessly using and killing one young Immortal, and attempting to recruit another. The Watcher Chronicles show that this is the fourth time he's done this.
- Sexy Mentor: Pretends to be one, and is a quite handsome and debonair man. But in truth, he's an unrepentant user and abuser.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: How he views his proteges if he can't make use of them anymore.
Brian Cullen
Played by: John Pyper-Ferguson
A Scottish Immortal friend of MacLeod's, Brian Cullen was once renowned as the best swordsman in Europe, but came to dread always being challenged by swordsmen—mortal and Immortal—who wanted to take his title. Leaving Europe to live in America didn't really change things, and eventually his only refuge was a hardcore opium addiction. In the present day, he is a hopeless drug addict, and causes a bus crash while driving under the influence of cocaine.
- Addled Addict: Has sunken deep in addiction and it has done terrible things to his mind and life.
- Cool Car: Much like Duncan, he favors a classic muscle car.
- Duel to the Death: Not just immortals; mortal swordsmen seeking to make a name for themselves would challenge him to these. They didn't walk away from that.
- Evil Counterpart: With his classic convertible, long hair, and formidable swordsmanship, he comes across as a paranoid, self-destructive version of MacLeod.
- Fallen Hero: Was once a friend of Duncan's and an admirable man. Now he's a paranoid addict with no concern for others.
- Master Swordsman: The best in Europe during the early 1800s. In the present day, his skills have suffered due to his addiction.
- The Perils of Being the Best: In one of the classic versions of this trope, he was continually challenged throughout multiple lifetimes by people looking to take his title as the greatest swordsman, until it sent him into addiction, paranoia, and destroyed him.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When challenged by Zoltan Lazlow in America, Brian's reaction was to hightail it out of there, sick of constantly needing to defend his title.
- Tragic Villain: Brian was a good man and loyal friend until drug addiction and paranoia took their toll.
David Keogh
Played by: Cameron Bancroft
One of Duncan's old Immortal friends. In 1825, David Keogh worked as a carpenter in Philadelphia, and fell in love with Julia Renquist, a wealthy businessman's daughter. Julia did not return his affections, and her father refused to allow them to marry, leaving Keogh devastated. In the present day, Keogh is stalking his ex-girlfriend Jill Pelentay, unable to accept that their relationship is over.
- Never My Fault: When Jill falls to her death due to David's actions, he is unable to accept responsibility and blames MacLeod, claiming that "everything was fine until [MacLeod] interfered."
- Stalker with a Crush: Toward Jill Pelentay. When Keogh falls for a woman, he tends to stalk them and never leave them be.
John Garrick
Played by: Garson Sanford
An Immortal gifted with psychic powers, John Garrick has been a longtime friend of MacLeod's ever since Duncan saved him from being burned at the stake in the 17th Century. In the modern era, he works as a psychiatrist, and attempts to help Duncan when he begins to suffer a mental breakdown.
- Burn the Witch!: In the 17th Century, his Psychic Powers were discovered after he foresaw his family's deaths in a house fire. As a result, he is burned at the stake. Duncan's failure to save him is the main reason for his grudge.
- Evil Former Friend: He is the one behind Duncan's hallucinations, using his Psychic Powers to make Duncan see and hear things.
- Interesting Situation Duel: Garrick attacks Duncan after the latter has taken several sleeping pills.
- In the Hood: Shows up at the end wearing a hooded robe.
- Mad Artist: A talented sculptor, and mad as a hatter.
- Manipulative Bastard: Garrick preys on his old friendship with Duncan, convincing him the dark shadow of his dreams isn't real and Duncan can simply submit to it without fear, all so Garrick can claim his head.
- Psychic Powers: Capable of foretelling the future and projecting visions to other people.
- Revenge: Duncan failed to save Garrick, having no idea Garrick was recaptured and burnt at the stake, so Garrick blames him and wants him dead over it.
- Spot the Thread: Duncan realizes the shadow is Garrick when he sees Garrick's ring as the shadow moves to decapitate him.
Lyman Kurlow
Played by: Antony DeLongis
An Immortal thief from Ireland, Kurlow was lifelong friends with Peter Matlin, another immortal and his partner in crime. The two spent the centuries robbing and murdering, eventually framing a friend of MacLeod's for one of their crimes. Duncan freed the man, and sought revenge against Kurlow, but he and Matlin escaped. In the present day, MacLeod takes Matlin's head, leading Kurlow to seek revenge.
- Affably Evil: Kurlow is a murderer, a thief and an all around bastard, but he's pleasant, as jovial as Matlin and is usually seen with a cheery grin.
- Avenging the Villain: First thing he says to Duncan when they meet in modern day? "Peter Matlin was my friend."
- Bring It: He gives a little gesture of "come on" as he and Duncan resume their fight by the pool.
- Clothing Combat: Uses his cloak as a distraction in his first fight with Duncan and strangles a man with his scarf in present day.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Perhaps a side effect of being played by real-life Master Swordsman Anthony De Longis, but while he acts like a silly dandy, Kurlow is an incredibly skilled fighter and gives Duncan one hell of a fight.
- Deadpan Snarker: When Waverly pulls a gun on him, Kurlow chuckles it's the first time he's ever seen a lawyer need a gun to rob someone.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Murders Robert Waverly, a lawyer who foolishly attacks him. Given that Waverly is an obnoxious asshole who's trying to blackmail Duncan into killing his wife, it's hard not to root for Kurlow during that scene.
- Not Worth Killing: His first duel with Duncan has shades of this. Kurlow, who is clearly unconcerned throughout the fight, leads Duncan into a hedge maze and simply walks away while a lost Duncan tries to navigate the maze and find Kurlow again.
- Those Two Guys: With Matlin. The two were longtime friends and criminal partners.
- Villainous Friendship: Was genuinely close to Peter Matlin.
Peter Matlin
Played by: Bill Croft
An English Immortal thief and Lyman Kurlow's partner in crime. MacLeod beheads him, but unscrupulous lawyer Robert Waverly manages to get the event on film, and uses it to blackmail Duncan into killing his wife for him.
- Affably Evil: He's a thieving murderer, but he's so jovial about it!
- Bald of Evil: Very bald, very bad.
- Evil Brit: Of the Lower-Class Lout sort.
- Posthumous Character: We only see him from behind for a few seconds in present day before Duncan kills him.
- Those Two Guys: With Kurlow, his mentor. The two were longtime friends and partners in crime.
- Villainous Friendship: He and Kurlow were genuinely close and valued each other.
Michael Christian
Played By: Barry Pepper
A young Immortal headhunter who is secretly in a relationship with Rita Luce, his Watcher. Rita provides him with information on when other Immortals are unarmed, and Christian ambushes them and takes their heads.
- Combat Pragmatist: Pragmatic in that he tends to attack other Immortals when they're unarmed. The Watchers all agree that he wouldn't have lasted a minute against someone like May-Ling Shen if the encounter had been remotely fair.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Christian is a callous, cheating headhunter, but when Rita suggests he behead Trent, an Immortal librarian, he seems rather put off. Although he may just see it as a waste of time, rather than being morally opposed, since he does go and kill the defenseless Trent with seemingly no issues of conscience.Michael Christian: Chopping the head off a librarian? What's the point?
- Pretty Boy: He is a handsome young man with long blonde hair.
- Smug Snake: Taunts May-Ling before taking her head, and does the same to Duncan before their battle.
- Underestimating Badassery: He thinks he has Duncan down and at his mercy on the basis of catching him without his sword. Duncan proceeds to disarm him, reach Christian's sword and behead him even before Richie shows up with Duncan's katana.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Rita criticizes him on the basis that he tends to get sloppy and gloat too much over his victories when he has an enemy at sword point.
Kage/John Kirin
Played by: Richard Lynch
Kage was once an evil Immortal who sought only profit, working as a Fascist spy during the Spanish Civil War and a heroin smuggler in Cambodia during Vietnam. But when he appears in the modern day, he has reinvented himself as John Kirin, a traveling preacher and humanitarian who works to help the poor.
- Actual Pacifist: By his own account, he doesn't fight any more, and stopped carrying a sword altogether sometime between 1975 and 1995.
- The Atoner: Looking to make up for his past and all the destruction he caused, he takes the name "John Kirin" and becomes a kindhearted humanitarian.
- Despair Event Horizon: When he sees what the Khmer Rouge did to the children he had abandoned to their fate, you see him break then and there.In my life I've seen much horror. Much destruction. With every war it grew harder and harder to see. But with this one, this time . . .
- Even Evil Has Standards: An interesting case. Kage has no problem threatening the lives of children or putting them in harm's way, as he does in Cambodia. Yet when he returns to the area to challenge Duncan, he sees the graves of the children he left to die and drops to his knees in tears.
- Face Death with Dignity: He understands Duncan's judgement of him, and doesn't resist or try to run when it appears that Duncan will kill him.
- Heel–Face Turn: Kage was an evil man, but even he recoiled at the actions of the Khmer Rouge.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Kage was a rapist, a murderer and a villain for a long time, but when he abandoned the children in Cambodia to the Khmer Rouge just to save his heroin, seeing what was done to them gets through to him and he breaks down sobbing.
- Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You: Although he makes it clear that he'd prefer to live, he ultimately decides that Duncan, who witnessed several of his crimes over the decades, has the right to kill him if he sees fit.
- That Man Is Dead: He truly considers himself 'John Kirin' and sees the evil Kage as gone.
- Wandering the Earth: After repenting for his crimes, he went on a spiritual pilgrimage which inspired him to reject his identity as "Kage" and become the kindly John Kirin.
- War for Fun and Profit: Prior to becoming The Atoner. Flashbacks show him in Spain during the '30s and Cambodia in the '70s.
Ivan Kristov
Played by: Alexis Daniels
A Russian Immortal, Kristov was a Cossack in the 1750s, offering Duncan MacLeod a chance to ride alongside him. But when Kristov massacred innocent farmers, MacLeod turned his back on the Cossacks. In the present day, Kristov is a heroin smuggler and member of the Russian Mafia. When one of his drug mules is nearly killed after a balloon full of heroin bursts inside her, Anne tries to convince the young woman to go to the police, leading Kristov to make several attempts on her life.
- Bald of Evil: His head is always clean-shaven, and he is very, very evil.
- The Mafiya: He's connected to Russian and Eastern European crime syndicates.
Ernst Daimler
Played by: Andrew Woodall
An Immortal SS Major who worked to crush the French Resistance during WWII. He was killed by Bernard Sidos, a young French boy, and his body was unceremoniously dumped in the Seine. He has reappeared in the modern day to take revenge on Bernard, who is now a Roman Catholic Priest.
- And I Must Scream: Spent several decades at the bottom of the Seine.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears a black leather trenchcoat during his time in the SS, as well as his final duel with MacLeod.
- Batman Gambit: He relies on being so terrifying he tricks Father Bernard into fleeing Holy Ground. Unfortunately, it works well.
- Chain Pain: His body was wrapped in chains before being dumped into the Seine. He later encounters one of the men responsible for that, and beats him to death with the same chains.
- Faux Affably Evil: He's very calm and polite during most of his interactions with MacLeod, and claims that he has no interest in attacking Father Bernard. It's all an act.
- Hate Sink: Daimler is clearly written to be as repulsive and despicable as possible. Unlike most Immortals, he was a mass-murdering Nazi, is wholly unrepentant about it, and tries to kill a kindly old priest and pregnant woman with a sadistic relish. Duncan rarely demonstrates the level of hate to anyone as he does Daimler.
- Hellbent For Leather: He wears a long leather coat in present day.
- Not So Stoic: Daimler is very relaxed and calm usually, even detailing his atrocities to Father Bernard while never changing expression. When Bernard is off holy ground, Daimler reveals the animalistic sadist he truly is underneath.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He was a Nazi during World War 2, and in modern day is a Neo-Nazi, running a white supremacist organization.
- Those Wacky Nazis: Daimler was a major in the SS, and is running a neo-Nazi organization in the mid-90s.
Lucas Kagan
Played by: Paudge Behan
An Immortal thief encountered by MacLeod in the 1930s. Duncan killed his murderous mentor Tarsis, but spared Kagan, who hadn't yet killed anyone. In the present day, he is still a thief, and has recruited Maurice's niece Simone into a life of crime.
- Combat Pragmatist: Like Tarsis before him, he tries to pull a stiletto on Duncan during their duel. However, Duncan took Kagan's stiletto from his coat pocket, having remembered the same move from Tarsis.
- Consummate Liar: So adept at lying that he can temporarily fool MacLeod.
- Curbstomp Battle: Kagan is cornered by Duncan and the fight is perhaps the most one-sided in all Highlander history. Kagan even likens it to more an execution than a duel, claiming he had no chance.
- Freudian Excuse: He was a poor young boy taken in by Richard Tarsis, an Immortal thief and murderer. He blames Tarsis for making him what he is.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: His justification is flat out torn down by Duncan, and it's made clear Kagan is a ruthless scumbag more from a desire to be than anything else.
- Hellbent For Leather: Wears a black leather jacket in the present day.
- Kick the Dog: One of his nastiest little touches is torturing Maurice by slowly impaling his hand with a stiletto.
- Never My Fault: Always finds a way to blame his actions on others, whether there's any real justification for it or not.
- Pretty Boy: Has long hair and a boyish face.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Constantly whines and blames others for his actions, and acts like a wild young hooligan even though he's nearly one-hundred years old.
- Villainous Breakdown: His composure begins shattering when he realizes he cannot talk his way out of Duncan's justice and that he's going to die.
- Villains Want Mercy: He all but begs for his life at the end, and bemoans how unfair it is he "Never had a chance." Duncan's response is a furious "You had more of a chance than Simone did."
- Wrong Genre Savvy: He doesn't quite get the type of show he's in, believing he can talk his way out of Duncan's anger by claiming he has an alibi. Duncan's rebuttal? "This isn't a court of law."
Richard Tarsis
Played by: Richard Lintern
An English Immortal thief who recruited Lucas Kagan as his partner in crime during the early 1900s. In the 1930s, he murdered a bystander during a bank robbery, and thus ran afoul of Duncan MacLeod, who subsequently tracked down and beheaded Tarsis.
- Blasphemous Boast: At one point, a young Kagan asks "Who died and made you God?" Tarsis responds: "A lot of people."
- Combat Pragmatist: In his final duel, he pulls a stiletto in an attempt to stab Duncan when his guard is down.
- Curbstomp Battle: It becomes incredibly obvious that Tarsis—who's chosen to waste immortality as a bank robber and thug—is nowhere near Duncan's level, and the Highlander makes very quick work of him.
- Evil Mentor: Found a young Lucas Kagan and raised him to be the perfect partner in crime, eventually shooting him to trigger his immortality.
- Gentleman Thief: Averted. He looks the part, but he's a murderous thug at heart. At one point, an old woman he's robbing has trouble getting her wedding ring off, so Tarsis threatens to slice off her finger to get it.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Was a mentor to a young Kagan. Duncan killed Tarsis but gave Kagan a chance at life, sparing him because of Kagan's youth and the bad example set by Tarsis.
- Posthumous Character: He was beheaded by MacLeod in the 1930s, and thus only appears in flashbacks.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Never not wearing a vest, and almost always with a suit and tie.
Kanwulf
Played By: Carsten Noorgard
A Viking who kept raiding Scotland long after the end of the Viking Age, he mortally wounded Duncan's adoptive father Ian MacLeod in an attack on MacLeod lands shortly after Duncan was exiled following his first death. Duncan vowed to avenge his father and sought out Kanwulf's band, and somehow succeeded in running Kanwulf through. Duncan had not yet had any teachers and knew nothing of Immortals, so he didn't know to finish Kanwulf off by beheading him. Believing that he had successfully avenged Ian, he took Kanwulf's battle axe and buried it beside Ian.
The axe was Kanwulf's most prized possession, and even in the show's present he still wanted it back, and to find it he murdered a priest being sent to the ancestral lands of Clan MacLeod, assumed the man's identity, and began trying to dig up graves from the right era. Eventually, because he sold relics that were dug up and Duncan recognized one at an auction, Duncan came back to Scotland, and after returning the axe, the two engaged in a final duel.
- Barbarian Longhair: It's shoulder length when he and Duncan first meet. He wears it shorter and slicked back today.
- Dead Person Impersonation: In the present he pretends to be a priest that he killed.
- Determinator: He's been searching for the axe that MacLeod took from him for three hundred years.
- The Dreaded: The locals from MacLeod lands still fear him and his "ghost" that seems to be at work.
- Dual Wielding: Sword and axe, very briefly.
- Exact Words: In his disguise as Father Laird, he likes to use these to hide his intentions. He also has a fondness for wordplay in general, such as telling a grave robber that he hired that betraying him "would be a grave mistake".
- Face Death with Dignity: Attempted to do this when Duncan first defeated him. Realizing he was mortally wounded and helpless to stop Duncan from taking his head, he simply attempted to hold onto his axe and told Duncan to strike and send him to Valhalla.
- Historical In-Joke: Both the name of his ax and his mentor (which are only mentioned in bonus materials) seem to be references to Ragnar Lodbrok and His Sons.
- Horny Vikings: He was originally a Viking.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: He points out that, whether MacLeod believes in the magic Kanwulf used or not, Kanwulf performed the ritual sacrifices and the one man who could get Kanwulf what he wanted showed up at his doorstep.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Kanwulf the Destroyer.
- Near-Villain Victory: In his first bout with Duncan, Kanwulf dominates Duncan and easily pushes the younger Immortal around, and is only defeated when Duncan just barely dodges a killing blow and manages to stab the overextended Kanwulf.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Once the axe is returned, Kanwulf seems perfectly willing to let MacLeod walk away without any revenge for having taken it in the first place and sending him on a three hundred year treasure hunt.
- Religious Bruiser: He stands firm in his belief system, sacrificing to Odin and Loki centuries after most of their worshipers died out.
- Ring of Fire: Duncan sets one before their final fight.
- Starter Villain: He was the first Immortal that Duncan faced, and while a capable enough fighter, nonetheless Duncan managed to inflict a mortal wound on him. Unfortunately Duncan had not yet been taught about immortality, so Kanwulf would get a chance at a rematch centuries later. While he was a difficult challenge for a young Duncan, in the show's present Duncan is more than a match for him and dominates the fight with Kanwulf much as Kanwulf had dominated the fight with Duncan centuries earlier.
- Villain Respect: When Duncan comes to avenge Ian, Kanwulf recognizes the sword Duncan is carrying and says that Ian fought well when the two met in battle.
Andrew Cord
Played by: Wolfgang Bodison
An Immortal African-American born in the 19th century, Cord fought in the American Civil War hoping to bring freedom and equality to his people, but was appalled by the result. Over the years he became more and more jaded and sure that the only place he could truly call home was the battlefield, and so served in many major wars, where his experiences only furthered his cynicism. He was a squadmate of a young Joe Dawson in Vietnam, and saved Dawson's life. In the present he's a black market arms dealer, and became a bitter enemy of Charlie DeSalvo when Cord intentionally sold the revolutionary group led by Charlie's lover Mara defective weapons, which got them slaughtered. To add onto things, when Mara confronted him he killed her, leading to a deadly grudge between Charlie and Cord. When Cord mortally wounded Charlie in a knife fight, Duncan challenged him for revenge afterwards.
- A Father to His Men: Serving under Cord, at least in the past, made you his man. This is taken to dark extremes when he executes an innocent woman a soldier raped in Vietnam rather than let him face punishment from her testimony.
- Arms Dealer: And in some cases, he will intentionally sell defective weapons to people.
- Combat Pragmatist: Lures enemies into a base with tons of booby traps and other surprises. This also makes up for the fact that he's a soldier from the era where guns are the weapons rather than swords.
- Evil Counterpart: To Duncan's friend Carl Robinson, (who is also a black man that was nearly as embittered as Cord by the racism of America, but was eventually able to let that go without Jumping Off the Slippery Slope or crossing the Moral Event Horizon) and to Charlie DeSalvo. (Both minorities in America who pursued a life in the military and proved to be unable to leave combat behind them.)
- Evil Former Friend: To Joe Dawson. He saved Joe's life in Vietnam, but has since turned to acting selfishly and amorally.
- Fallen Hero: Cord served with distinction in numerous wars, and saved Joe's life in Vietnam, but he became jaded, bitter, and nihilistic over the years. Now all he cares about is money and himself.
- Historical In-Joke: Supplemental materials claim his first Immortal teacher was Robert Gould Shaw, the Colonel in charge of 54th Massachusetts Regiment
, a regiment made of black men fighting for the north in the American Civil War. - I Lied: Promises not to kill Charlie for the sake of Joe... and then kills Charlie in a knife fight anyway.
- It's All About Me: Cord's idealism and kindness from the past are gone. All that remains is a selfish, immoral killer who cares for nothing but number one.
- The Nicknamer: Joe is "boy scout".
- I Owe You My Life: Dawson feels this way toward Cord, as Cord went to extraordinary lengths to save Joe in Vietnam.
- Semper Fi: He's served in several different military branches, including the Marines in Vietnam.
- Slasher Smile: Cord loves wearing a vicious grin at almost all times in the present.
- Then Let Me Be Evil: Cord's experiences with racism and persecution crushed the idealism and optimism he had when he was young, and led to him adopting a selfish, nihilistic philosophy of valuing only money and getting ahead.
- Would Hit a Girl: Besides murdering Mara, Cord shoots a woman his soldier raped in Vietnam when she won't allow him to pay her off.
Tyler King
Played By: Callum Keith Rennie
A wandering Immortal headhunter who is pursuing Mikey after killing his mentor.
- Affably Evil: Sure he's hunting down a mentally handicapped man to take his head and killing any immortals who try to stop him, but he happily offers to get lunch with Duncan should he give Mikey up and speaks to Duncan in an apparently sincere and cheery manner during their two meetings.
- Badass Longcoat: Wears a dark blue trenchcoat.
- BFS: He favors a very large two handed sword.
- Determinator: To a truly bizarre degree. King is so determined to kill Mikey that he follows him from Greenville to Seacouver, and is willing to go through Duncan and Richie to get him. Since Mikey has probably not taken any heads, his Quickening wouldn't be very powerful, making this a pretty obvious example of King going to absurd lengths to finish what he starts.
- The Drifter: King is a wandering headhunter.
- Perma-Stubble: King has a permanent a five o'clock shadow.
- Smug Snake: Always cocky and arrogant, overestimating his abilities enormously against Duncan, who defeats him without much fuss.
- Too Dumb to Live: In their first encounter, Duncan manages to defeat King and floor him in short order, despite being distracted by a panicking Mikey. Having apparently not learned his lesson, King then proceeds to challenge Duncan again, even though he was utterly outmatched before. Needless to say, this winds up costing King his head.
- Villain Has a Point: King is a bastard, but he's not wrong when he says that Mikey stands no chance in The Game, and Mikey's mental handicaps will mean that he would need to be watched over and protected from himself for eternity if Duncan and Richie attempted to take him in. Duncan and Richie privately come to the same conclusion, especially when they learn about Mikey's Accidental Murder.
Peter Kanis
Played by: Louis Ferreira
A deranged Immortal headhunter who values his attack dogs more highly than the lives of other people. In 1785, Kanis had sicced his dogs on a young boy who had thrown rocks at them, and MacLeod was forced to kill one of the dogs to save the child's life. In the modern era, Kanis seeks revenge on MacLeod, intending to use his dogs to wear Duncan down before beheading him.
- Canine Companion: Three Rottweilers.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Kanis uses his dogs to cheat in the Game. This ends up screwing him over when Duncan distracts his dogs with a female dog in heat to get them out of the way before finishing Kanis, who is far less capable in a straight duel.
- Combat Pragmatist: Uses his dogs to attack other Immortals, wearing them down for an easy kill.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Kanis is a thoroughly nasty guy, but he genuinely loves his dogs. (Well, the males, at least. As the breeder points out, life isn't very great for his female dogs, who are simply used repeatedly as brood mothers.)
- Evil Sounds Raspy: Ranks with Kalas and Caleb Cole as one of the raspiest villains in the series.
- Flunky Boss: Attacks other Immortals while his dogs are distracting them.
- Hellbent For Leather: One of the biggest examples in the series, prancing around in a leather trenchcoat and dog collar.
- Meaningful Name: Kanis/canine.
- Would Hurt a Child: Tries to sic his dogs on an innocent child during a flashback.
Terence Kincaid
Played by: Mike Preston
An Immortal who has worked mostly a sailor and merchant on the seas. He and MacLeod were once on friendly terms and sailed together, but that relationship soured when Duncan saw that Kincaid had little regard for the lives of the sailors who served under him, valuing profit far more. He eventually pushed his sailors too far, and when he refused to return to port for food to feed his undersupplied crew, they mutinied. To keep the secret of Kincaid's immortality, Duncan convinced the crew to maroon him on a deserted island with little food or drinkable water, where Kincaid did not have a pleasant time of it, to put things mildly. In the present he was attempting to get an easy Quickening by killing Kenny when MacLeod stepped in to protected the childlike Immortal, but Kenny then schemed with him to attempt to take down MacLeod.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Duncan argues hard to get the other sailors to maroon Kincaid instead of beheading him, thus sparing his life. Kincaid, who spends the next hundred years repeatedly dying of starvation, does not particularly appreciate the mercy.
- A Fate Worse Than Death: When his sailors mutinied, Duncan saved his life by getting them to maroon Kincaid on a deserted island without food or water. Kincaid was trapped on that island, dying constantly of starvation and thirst until another ship passed by and picked him up... nearly 100 years later.
- Greed: In his own words, "I will not lose 100,000 pounds for the sake of a few lives".
- I Lied: In the past he reassured both MacLeod and a sailor criticizing him that there would be no violence... then shot the sailor as soon as MacLeod stepped away.
- Moral Myopia: Duncan marooning him on an island where he suffered horribly from hunger and starvation is an unforgivable affront to him. Meanwhile he had shrugged off the potential deaths by starvation of his entire crew, saying it was a small price to pay for a profit of 100,000 pounds and to keep to his reputation for timely shipping.
- The Neidermeyer: Was the captain of a merchant ship during the Sailing Age, but only cared about profits and keeping to schedule, which eventually drove his under supplied and starving crew to the brink of mutiny. Kincaid pushed them past the breaking point by shooting the most vocal of his critics, resulting in the entire crew rallying against him.
- Pet the Dog:
- While he was careless with the lives of his mortal sailors and apparently regarded the lives or deaths as inconsequential, he was seemingly on genuinely friendly terms with MacLeod when Duncan served under him.
- A scene of him and his modern day sailors shows him interacting with employees in a casually friendly manner, and seemingly moving to help one man who is lifting heavy boxes.
- Reduced to Ratburgers: At first he fed himself on the few things living on the island, like toads and snakes, but eventually was catching flies as his sole form of sustenance.
- Sympathy for the Devil: When Duncan learns of how Kincaid suffered after he was marooned, he can't help but pity the man. He gives Kincaid several chances to walk away throughout the episode due to sympathy and pity.Duncan: Don't start this, Kincaid!
Duncan: Stay away, Kincaid. You'll stay alive.
Duncan: If this is what you want, let's get it over with. - Tragic Villain: Kincaid was a murderous bastard, but nobody deserves the hell he went through while marooned. Even MacLeod, who usually has very little sympathy for evil Immortals, pities Kincaid.
- Villain Has a Point: He opines that MacLeod really should have killed him on that island. Given that he spent the next hundred years in horrific misery, it's hard to argue with him, or say that he's wrong to seek revenge. Even Duncan is visibly taken aback when he learns how long Kincaid was marooned on the island before another ship stopped there and found him.
Col. Simon Killian
Played by: Sean Allan
An English Immortal who served as an Army Colonel during WWI, Simon Killian launched an attack on the German lines moments after it was announced that the war was over, causing the unnecessary deaths of more than 300 British and German troops. MacLeod, an army medic at the time, testified against Killian during his court martial, and as a result the deranged colonel was sentenced to life in a mental institution. In the present day, Killian resurfaces to seek revenge against MacLeod.
- Colonel Kilgore: He ordered an attack to go forward after being informed of the WWI Armistice because he didn't believe that anything but a military victory could bring peace.
- A Fate Worse Than Death: Spent seventy years in a mental asylum thanks to Duncan.
- Geo Effects: He manages to get above MacLeod and jumps between concrete beams, stabbing down at him. One counterattack throws his balance off just enough that he falls forward, which quickly leads to being disarmed and decapitated.
- Moral Myopia: Believes he is completely right to have attacked the Germans, and thus considers Duncan's efforts to have him locked away to completely unjustified. The hundreds of men that died as a result of Killian's actions never cross his mind.
- Revenge Before Reason: Instead of just killing Duncan, he plans to keep Duncan locked in a cell for the next seventy years, and then let him out at the end of it. Unless someone takes his head, in which case, Duncan will be there forever. He even gave Duncan fifty years worth of food and water, and a light bulb on an extended life so he can anticipate going insane in the dark...
- Sanity Slippage: He's more than a little... off... when he finally gets out of the asylum. And he wasn't wrapped particularly tightly to begin with.
- Spiders Are Scary: Killian keeps a lot of pet spiders, and attempts at least one murder with them.
- Villain Has a Point: During his court martial rant, the obviously unstable Killian correctly predicts that unless Germany suffers a crushing military defeat, another war between the Allies and Germany will be inevitable.
Paul Kinman
Played by: Peter Outerbridge
An English Immortal and assassin, Paul Kinman killed a friend of Duncan MacLeod's in 1712. MacLeod was eager to seek revenge, but was ordered not to by Queen Anne, who did not want to divide her court with a public duel between a Protestant Englishman and a Catholic Scotsman. In the present day, Kinman is still working as an assassin, and again crosses paths with MacLeod when the Highlander witnesses another of Kinman's murders.
- Agent Peacock: Kinman is very much this in the 1700s. Snobby, effete and loudly dressed, he's still a deadly swordsman. His clothes and manner are much more reserved in the 90s, but some of his more flamboyant hand gestures still pop up here and there.
- Camp Straight: He's loud, flamboyant and effete, but his one known lover is a woman.
- Combat Pragmatist: Tries to shoot Duncan several times before he ever draws his sword.
- Due to the Dead: Oh, so averted. He comments his friend the Duke thinks Duncan's friend Dennis Keating 'died like a man,' but then adds that he believes Dennis 'died like a stuck pig' with a repellant grin.
- Evil Brit: An upper-class English gentleman who thinks nothing of murder for profit.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Duncan manages to defeat him with the same move he used to kill Dennis Keating.
- Kick The Son Of A Bitch: Murders his lover and mole in the FBI. Given she was helping a brutal killer escape prison and murdered her own partner, not many tears are shed on this one. He also kills his employer, a cruel mob boss who had it coming.
- Professional Killer: We see him working as one in 1712 and the present.
- Smug Snake: An arrogant, obnoxious snob. You wonder how he gets through the day without getting punched.
- Troll: He goads Keating into a duel by calling his integrity into question. Once the duel is concluded, a further barrage of insults pushes Keating to attack again, and Kinman kills him. He later goes back to the tavern where Duncan is staying to rub his nose in the loss, and brings it up again almost three hundred years later.
- White Anglo-Saxon Protestant: One of the reasons the Queen forbids Duncan from avenging Keating's death; her court is already fractious, and a public duel between a Catholic Scotsman and a Protestant Englishman will only divide it further.
- Your Mom: The insult that finally provokes Dennis Keating into attacking him again.
Kamir
Played by: Kabir Bedi
An Indian Immortal and one of MacLeod's old friends. Unknown to Duncan, he was a member of the Thuggee Cult in the 1760's, and has resurfaced in the present day to murder museum employees to avenge the looting of Indian artifacts during the era of British Colonialist rule.
- A God Am I: "I am India. I am Kali."
- Affably Evil: Despite worshiping the goddess of destruction in a murderous cult, Kamir's friendliness is entirely genuine. He's very kind to Richie and earnestly likes both him and MacLeod.
- Choke Holds: Strangles his targets with a silk cord.
- Combat by Champion: How Kamir views his duel with Duncan, saying they will allow their swords to decide who is correct.
- Knight Templar: Kamir isn't evil per se, but he follows his religion with a dark fanaticism completely incompatible with modern society and believes his will is best for India.
- Last of His Kind: Last of the old style thuggees.
- Martial Arts Staff: His weapon of choice. He easily bests Duncan in a sparring session, and Duncan's expression just before the sparring began indicates that Duncan expected exactly that outcome.
- Religious Bruiser: A fervent worshiper of the goddess Kali.
- Villain Has a Point:
- He's a murderous fanatic, but he certainly has a right to be angry about the effects of British Colonialism on India.
- The issue of museums displaying artifacts and treasures that were stolen during eras of colonialism and refusing to return them to their countries of origin has only become a more controversial issue in the decades since the show aired and is widely seen as being a legitimate complaint.
- Worthy Opponent: Kamir truly respects Duncan and gives him a courteous bow before their duel, which Duncan returns.
Kristin Gilles
Played by: Ann Turkel
A former lover of Duncan's from when he was a young Immortal, she is forever obsessed with her beauty and fears any loss of it... and hates anyone she thinks might be more beautiful than her or stealing the attention of men she has her eye on. When she shows up in the present she's the head of an international modeling agency, and begins working her charms on Richie before Duncan can warn him about her.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Kristin was the pupil of the saintly Grace Chandel, but unfortunately twisted Grace's lessons on cleverness into "seduce other men and take their heads when they're distracted/try to leave her." Needless to say, Grace is horrified at the monster Kristin became.
- Bad Boss/I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure: When Duncan began falling for the artist she hired to do a portrait of him, she murdered said artist and proclaimed it an accident. She tries to do something very similar to Maria, a model of hers that Richie asks her to release from Maria's contract due to her certainty that Maria must be a rival for Richie's affections. In both case it's about hurting the person who "betrayed" her by hurting people close to them.
- Curbstomp Battle: Kristin's skills do not lie with swordplay. When she faces Duncan, he easily bests her. And then Methos delivers an even more brutal one, as unlike Duncan, he has no intention of letting her walk away with her head on.
- Domestic Abuse: Kristin was beaten to death by her husband for failing to give him an heir, which caused her to awaken as an Immortal.
- Evil Only Has to Win Once: Methos tries to get Duncan to kill her by saying that yes, she's obviously no match for him in a fight, but if he keeps letting her walk away and have another chance, someday some freak occurrence will happen and she'll take his head. (Not to mention how many people she might hurt in the meantime, a point Methos neglects to mention.)Methos: Do you know how many Immortals she's killed? Do you want a list?
Duncan: Okay, you've made your point.
Methos: Have I? One day, she's going to kill you.
Duncan: She's tried already.
Methos: You're better with a blade than her, yes. You're stronger than her, yes. But if you keep letting her walk away, one day she will get lucky and take your head, yes. - Fairest of Them All: She was considered one of the most beautiful women in Europe during her youth, and is obsessed with holding onto her looks.
- If I Can't Have You…: Has a tendency to kill either men who reject her, their lovers, or both. This also puts her firmly under tropes such as Yandere, Clingy Jealous Girl, and Psycho Ex-Girlfriend for Duncan.
- It's All About Me: One of her main characteristics. She can want other people for her own ends, and can be nice and even generous to them in order to achieve those ends, but she isn't actually truly capable of caring about anyone other than herself.
- Mrs. Robinson: She looks and acts the part, as she was nearly 50 when she first became Immortal, and has a history of pursuing very new Immortals, as Duncan was at the time and Richie is when she's encountered again.
- Narcissist: Kristin's world revolves around Kristin.
- The Vamp: Kristin uses her sexuality to her advantage and to take heads when people try to leave her.
- You Monster!: When she asks Duncan how he can "think [her] such a monster," Duncan recognizes this is a rehearsed speech, word for word, and calmly states: "Because you are."
Horvan/Harry Kant
Played by: Darcy Laurie
A sociopathic Immortal criminal, Horvan Kant was beheaded by Jim Coltec while robbing a store. The resulting Dark Quickening sent Coltec on a brutal rampage.
- Hellbent For Leather: Kant wears a leather jacket, which Coltec removes after beheading him.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Mocks the Asian man he's robbing, and refers to Coltec as "Tonto" when he intervenes.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His chance encounter with Jim Coltec leads to a Dark Quickening, which leads to Coltec's death at MacLeod's hands. While under the influence of the Dark Quickening, Duncan murders Sean Burns and comes close to doing the same to Richie. Burns' death will lead to Stephen Keane renewing his promise of revenge against Duncan. Richie's fear and disillusionment will lead to him going head hunting, which itself will either directly cause or lead to the deaths of Alec Hill, Gerard Kragen, Carter Wellan and Haresh Clay.
Bryce Korland
Played by: Ben Immanuel
A psychopathic Immortal arsonist and murderer. In 1958, Korland had become a beat poet, reliving his crimes through his readings. Duncan MacLeod challenged Korland, but was beaten to the punch by Jim Coltec, who beheaded the deranged Immortal.
- Beatnik: He's seen doing a poetry reading in front of some beatniks when Duncan goes to confront him.
- Cool Shades: A natural part of his attire among beatniks, considering the crowd he was hanging out with.
- Curbstomp Battle: His fight with Coltec is over before Duncan can walk outside.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Puffs on a cigarette throughout his performance.
- Hidden Depths: He's a pretty decent saxophone player.
- It's Personal: Duncan states his grudge against Korland was personal, strongly implying someone he cared about died at Korland's hands.
- Offstage Villainy: MacLeod has unstated personal reasons for wanting Korland dead, and Coltec refers to him as a monster. We find out later that his pattern was murder followed by arson, but we never actually see Korland in action, save for brief glimpses in flashback.
- Oh, Crap!: He begins freaking out when he sees Duncan is there for him.
- Perma-Stubble: Shaving was not high on his list of priorities.
- Posthumous Character: He was beheaded by Coltec in 1958, and thus only appears in flashbacks.
- Pyromaniac: Arson was an obsession of his, according to what we find out about him.
- Serial Killer: Confirmed as an arsonist/murderer who slaughtered multiple people.
- Talkative Loon: As seen by his performance in front of beat poets.
- Villains Out Shopping/Kingpin in His Gym: Korland isn't doing anything outwardly villainous when he Mac challenges him, and seems to have been giving such performances for some time. That said, he's clearly reliving his murders onstage, with the implication that all of his poetry is inspired by the crimes he commits.
- Villain with Good Publicity: He's obviously been performing for a while, and has some very loyal fans (his own Watcher seemingly among them).
- Warrior Poet: Well, he tries to be one, performing Beatnik poetry, and he's an immortal swordfighter. He's more a depraved murderer than anything though, and his poetry's also kinda bad.
Kassim
Played by: Ricco Ross
A North African Immortal who has loyally served the House of Al Deneb over the centuries, Kassim once spared an young boy from execution at MacLeod's behest, in exchange for a promise from Duncan that he would do Kassim a favor one day. In the present day, Kassim turns up and demands that MacLeod assassinate President Hamad, a Middle Eastern dictator and the last obstacle to Nasir Al Deneb's ascension to the throne.
- Determinator: If he sets himself to a goal, nothing is going to get in his way of achieving it.
- Evil Virtues: Kassim is Determined, Dilligent, Patient, Selfless, and above all, Loyal.
- I Gave My Word: In 1480, he swears to ensure that the Al Deneb family will return to power if it takes a thousand years, and he's in no way joking. He holds others to the same standard, calling in a favor from almost two hundred and fifty years past and expecting Duncan to make good on it.
- I Have Your Wife: Kidnaps Rachel MacLeod to goad Duncan into a duel.
- Legacy of Service: Kassim has served the same family, usually from behind the scenes, for over five hundred years.
- Villain Has a Point: Kassim has his own reasons for staging the assassination, but we see that President Hamad is willing to commit murder to maintain his power and, according to Kassim, he's imprisoned and executed five thousand of his own people in the last four years. Wanting to overthrow Hamad in favor of someone less monstrous isn't exactly unreasonable.
Damon Case
Played by: Simon Kunz
A devoutly religious Immortal who came to believe that the God-given purpose of Immortals was to battle each other until the Game ended. He killed a student of Duncan's in 1795, and in the present day he sets his sights on Danny Cimoli, another of Duncan's students.
- Antagonist in Mourning: Sincerely prays for the souls of those he kills.
- Anti-Villain: Even MacLeod states that Case isn't an evil man, he's merely playing The Game as he understands it, no more and no less than that. There's no sadism in his actions, and he genuinely doesn't enjoy killing.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Regarding the Game. He considers the challenges a Godly purpose, regardless of who was being fought, whether they were a good or bad person, etc. In the past he defeated a young pupil of Duncan's who had repeatedly challenged him. At first Duncan was furious, as Case was already an old Immortal while the pupil was brand new to The Game and argued that Case should have refused the challenge and spared the young man. Duncan came to realize that Case wasn't evil, or a bully picking on an Immortal who couldn't fight back effectively, he simply had a very different way of approaching The Game and life itself.
- Bullying a Dragon: Oh, dear. Jean-Philippe teases and provokes him, not realizing how truly dangerous Case really is. It costs poor Jean-Philippe his head.
- Death Glare: One of the few times Case breaks his deadpan is when Jean-Philippe suggests he enjoy himself with one of the women in the tavern.
- Face Death with Dignity: When offered the choice between death and compromising his beliefs, he doesn't even hesitate. He has never yielded from a fight, even if it meant his end.Case: "Not in ten centuries!"
- It's What I Do: Word of God is he was written to be the embodiment of the phrase. Case plays The Game and nothing else.
- Knight Templar: He was literally a Knight Templar at one point, having fought in the Crusades.
- In the modern day, he's a more figurative one, as fanatically devoted to playing the Game as he was to the Crusades. Case will challenge any Immortal he comes across, regardless of how skilled they are or whether they're a good person or not.
- Lawful Stupid: Is utterly devoted to the Game, regardless of all other considerations. This ultimately brings him into conflict with Duncan, which costs him his life.
- Mission from God: Case believes that all Immortals are on such a mission: they are meant to fight until only one of them is left.
- Nothing Personal: It really, really isn't.
- Pet the Dog: When Duncan asks if Case massacred civilians during the Crusades, he denies it. As ruthless a headhunter as Case was, he was above killing innocent people for no reason.MacLeod: "You fought in the Crusades. Did you kill every life you came across? Slaughter every defenseless innocent?"
Case: [quietly] Some did, but not me. God counsels mercy. - Principles Zealot: Everything he does revolves around his perception of his "god given" mission. And nothing can sway him from it or convince him to do anything counter to it.
- Real Men Love Jesus: Case is a devout Christian, fully devoted to God and Christianity, ever since he was a mortal.
- The Older Immortal: Around a thousand years old.
- The Stoic: Very, very rarely will he break his deadpan expression or raise his voice.
- Straight Edge Evil: Doesn't curse, doesn't drink, doesn't womanize.
- Warrior Monk: Fought in the Crusades.
Danny Cimoli
Played by: Crispin Bonham-Carter
An amateur magician and complete newcomer to being Immortal, Danny has made Immortality part of his stage act, by being shot on stage and then reviving in front of the crowd. Shortly thereafter, he encounters MacLeod, who explains The Game to him, and Damon Case, who seeks his head.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: One thing that never changes with Danny, no matter the depths his cowardice makes him sink to? He loves his mom.
- Face Death with Dignity: In a deleted scene, he gamely parries a few attacks before deliberately dropping his guard and saying that he's accomplished everything he wanted. In the episode itself, the last thing we see him do is tell his mother that he loves her before turning to face the other Immortal.
- Naïve Newcomer: To The Game.
- Ungrateful Bastard: He interpreted Duncan's reluctance to fight Case (who was after Danny) as a sign that MacLeod wouldn't stop Case from taking Danny's head, so Danny planned to betray Duncan and take Duncan's head to give himself a chance against Immortals who would challenge him.
Morgan D'Estaing
Played by: Marc Warren
A French Immortal and student of Xavier St. Cloud's, he becomes a robber and poisoner much like his mentor. In the present day, he seeks to avenge Xavier by killing MacLeod.
- Avenging the Villain: His chief goal is to avenge the death of Xavier St. Cloud at Duncan's hands.
- Bastard Understudy: Morgan is Xavier's student and learned everything about being a nightmare from him.
- Combat Pragmatist: Poisons MacLeod with curare during their duel.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Genuinely admired Xavier.
- Gentleman Thief: Like Xavier before him, he cultivates the image of this, but in practice, he's more a thuggish murderer.
- Interesting Situation Duel: Duncan must deal with both him and the effects of his poison.
- Legacy Character: A student of Xavier St. Cloud, Duncan's old enemy.
- Master Poisoner: He learned it from the best.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: Again, learned from Xavier.
- Smug Snake: A slimy, arrogant little snot.
Jacob Galati
Played by: Steven Tremblay
An Immortal Roma who was friends with Duncan in the 1840s. After his wife Irena is killed by James Horton, Jacob embarks on a quest for revenge.
- Crusading Widower: Becomes one to avenge Irena's death.
- Deadpan Snarker: Spends his last words wryly making a bad quip about how Duncan badly miscalculated his trust of the Watchers.
- Face Death with Dignity: He handles his impending decapitation well, all things considered.
- Happily Married: With Irena, for about a century and a half.
- Misplaced Retribution: After witnessing Irena's death, Jacob mistakenly believes that all Watchers are killers like Horton. Even when Duncan explains that this isn't true, Jacob is skeptical and continues to hunt them.
- Revenge Before Reason: Duncan accuses him of this in the 1847 flashbacks when he kills a man who assaulted Irena despite Irena's own protests and the risk of provoking the bigoted townspeople to retaliate against the Roma.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Jacob hunts down and kills numerous Watchers.
- Villain Has a Point: While most of the Watchers Jacob killed had not personally done anything to deserve it, it's natural enough for an Immortal to take serious issue with the Watchers. Horton's actions may not have been supported by the organization as a whole, but he was a Watcher who got away with using the organization's resources and information to accomplish his goals. Many other Watchers, even the otherwise principled and upright Joe Dawson, have also been known to break the group's non-interference policy and use their knowledge to influence the outcome of Immortal conflicts for their own ends.
Roland Kantos
Played by Gerard Plunkett
One of Cassandra's Immortal students, Roland Kantos turned on his mentor and tried to kill her after she taught him to use the hypnotic Voice, with which he could compel others to obey his commands. In the present day, Kantos seeks MacLeod's head, hoping to avert a prophecy that stated he would be killed by Duncan.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Was a pupil of Cassandra, who he used to learn her Compelling Voice skill. Afterwards he betrayed her and tried to kill her.
- Compelling Voice: Like his former mentor Cassandra, he's a master of this particular talent.
- Evil Sorcerer: Surprisingly for Highlander, Kantos is a wicked, magic-using immortal who suffered his first death for practicing sorcery long ago.
- This Cannot Be!: He's shocked his magic powers don't work on Duncan, not realizing Duncan plugged wax in his ears before the fight.
- Would Hurt a Child: Duncan being prophesized to one day destroy him results in Kantos hunting him down when Duncan's only a kid.
Carter Wellan
Played by Chris William Martin
An English Immortal, Carter Wellan has served as Haresh Clay's friend and squire for nine hundred years. In the present day, he is attacked and beheaded by Richie Ryan, leading Clay to swear revenge.
- Hellbent For Leather: In present day. Richie mockingly calls him Leather Boy.
- The Older Immortal: Over nine hundred at the time of his death.
- Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: While Carter has plenty of attitude himself, he tries to prevent a fight between himself and Richie, repeatedly questions the need for violence, and Richie's insistence on fighting for no reason clearly disturbs him.
- Punch-Clock Villain: The most villainous things Wellan does are standing by and supporting Haresh Clay when Clay's taking a head. He's a pretty nice guy apart from that.
- Pretty Boy: His pretty boy looks and long hair makes him stand out and is easily recognizable.
- Villainous Friendship: He spent nearly a millennium as a friend to the head hunter Haresh Clay. Clay was distraught when he learned of Wellan's death.
- Villains Out Shopping: On his way to meet Haresh Clay, he stops in a dive bar and orders a drink. It gets him killed when Richie Ryan shows up in a head-hunting mood.
Haresh Clay
Played by Réal Andrews
A Moorish Immortal who played the Game by purposefully seeking out other powerful fighters and taking their heads in a bid to become the strongest around. He was accompanied by his friend and squire, Carter Wellan. In 1657, he made an enemy of Duncan MacLeod when he beheaded Graham Ashe, who was Duncan's teacher at the time. In the present day, Wellan is beheaded by Richie Ryan, leading Clay to seek revenge. Duncan, knowing Richie would be no match for Clay, first tries to talk Clay out of revenge and then faces him in Richie's place.
- Affably Evil: Clay will behead a man begging for his life, but he's friendly, relaxed, and honorable in most circumstances outside of combat.
- Badass in a Nice Suit: Clay likes to dress in fashionable suits in the modern day.
- Bald of Evil: Probably more like "Bald of Moral Ambiguity" but Clay is a relentless headhunter and sports a shaved head.
- Beard of Evil: And a thick beard on top of the shaved head.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Like Damon Case, Clay is not malicious or cruel, but is a ruthless, unrelenting headhunter who sees the Game as his purpose in life. Also like Case, Clay stays true to his beliefs to the end, refusing Duncan's offer of mercy.
- Due to the Dead: Not only does he attempt to avenge Carter, he also makes sure he gets a burial and a headstone.
- It's Personal: Clay is ruthless, but ultimately he has nothing personal against most of his victims. This changes when his beloved friend Carter is killed by Richie Ryan, and Clay relentlessly hunts down the young immortal.
- Let the Bully Win: He once gave this advice to Carter. Apparently when playing darts with a duke, even if the duke in question is half blind, you should throw the game.
- Master Swordsman: Handily outfights Graham Ashe, who was himself a very skilled swordsman. In the present day, he's more or less an even match with Duncan and his Quickening is so powerful as to blot out the sun.
- Moral Myopia: Clay will hunt down and kill Immortals for their heads, even if they beg for his life, but he is enraged by his best friend Carter's death.
- Noble Demon: While Clay is a ruthless head hunter, he shows respect to those he considers a Worthy Opponent, has polite mannerisms, and remembers and honors the men he's defeated. He also allows a few policemen to take Richie away rather than attempting to kill them all to get to Richie, which he probably could have done.
- Nothing Personal:
- Clay hates Richie for killing Carter but he doesn't particularly dislike MacLeod, and only agrees to fight him after the latter forces the issue. For Duncan's part, it's very personal, as Clay killed his mentor Graham Ashe years before and mocked the young and inexperienced Duncan for remaining on holy ground (as Ashe had requested) instead of going into a Hopeless Boss Fight against Clay in order to avenge Ashe.
- This is his approach to The Game in general. He's not hunting and killing Immortals out of malice, (although he can be a jerk about it, as when he taunted a younger Duncan after killing Ashe) he's just out to win and live. This is put aside in Richie's case though, because Richie went far out of his way to provoke Wellan.
- Not Worth Killing: This was his opinion of a young Duncan, when Duncan was too scared to face him after Clay defeated Graham Ashe.
- The Older Immortal: Over a thousand at the time of his death.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: He tends to speak in a low voice, usually barely above a whisper, often making somewhat wry or philosophical points as he does. He's a man with a long and bloody history.
- Villain Has a Point: While Clay be a bit of a hypocrite, he's absolutely right about something: Richie had no conflict with Carter, and used Carter's bad joke as an excuse to escalate their encounter to a duel despite Carter trying multiple times to defuse the situation and prevent a fight. Clay has every right to be furious that his friend was killed for such a petty reason.
- Villainous Friendship: He spent nearly a millennium being friends with Carter Wellan, and was distraught at Wellan's death.
- Villains Want Mercy: Utterly averted. When defeated, Duncan offers Clay a chance to walk away, but Clay refuses to escape the standards he put on others, calmly stating "It's what we do," before offering his neck for the fatal blow.
- Wicked Cultured: Clay is an elegant, well-spoken, educated man who appreciates the finest things in life.
- Worthy Opponent: He truly respects Duncan by the end and offers him a mutual salute and bow before their duel.
Myron Corman
Played by Aaron Pearl
A wandering Immortal headhunter, Myron Corman challenges Carl Robinson to a duel in a public area and is beheaded.
- The Drifter: A wandering headhunter.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Myron's got maybe ten lines, and is onscreen for less than a minute. His death kicks off the plot of the episode and completely upends Carl's life.
- Southpaw Advantage: He believes in it, noting that Carl has a problem hitting against lefthanded pitchers.
- Villain of Another Story: He comes after Carl specifically; there's no indication that he and Duncan have ever met.
Johnny Kelly
Played by Ian Tracey
A wannabe gangster, Johnny Kelly was shot by a bootlegger in the late 1920's, thus triggering his Immortality. He now works as an assassin, and has killed nearly 250 people.
- Combat Pragmatist: Prefers to snipe his targets then take their heads while they're dead or weakened. He also tries to pull a taser and a knife during his duel with MacLeod, for all the good it does him.
- Curbstomp Battle: Johnny gets, by far, one of the single most brutal takedowns in the series. Duncan flat out toys with him, and Johnny is absolutely no match for him whatsoever in a fight.
- Dual Wielding: Sword and knife, in a last-ditch attempt to even the odds. Duncan takes it from him almost immediately.
- In-Series Nickname: Johnny K.
- Professional Killer: A merc/assassin.
- Smug Snake: Johnny is infuriatingly arrogant without any justification whatsoever. He's one of the least skilled immortals in the series along with Kagan.
Terence Coventry
Played by Alastair Duncan
An English Immortal who once dueled MacLeod in 1786, Terence Coventry resurfaces in the present day with a vendetta against Carolyn Marsh, a novelist who has written a book in which MacLeod is the hero and Coventry is the villain.
- Anti-Villain: Coventry isn't really evil, but his ex-wife Carolyn is smearing him in a novel, and he's out for revenge. The whole thing is Played for Laughs.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: One thing that sets him off is the possibility of Duncan having an affair with his wife.
- Happily Married: After they work things out, he and Carolyn are back to a happy couple once again.
- Harmless Villain: Coventry could never really hurt Carolyn. He's about the most cuddly, sympathetic, villainy-free bad guy in the entire show.
- Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: He's ostensibly out for revenge against Carolyn, but with everything Played for Laughs, he keeps getting humiliated at every turn.
- Interesting Situation Duel: When he and Duncan duel, Coventry wields a wooden spoon while Duncan is armed with a turkey leg. Not exactly the most ferocious battle in the series.
Cory Raines
Played by Nicholas Lea
An English Immortal and one of Amanda's old partners-in-crime. He resurfaces in the present day, pursued by a Russian mobster he once robbed.
- Just Like Robin Hood: Like Amanda, he is an incurable thief. Unlike Amanda, he gives the money away to poor people.
- Lovable Rogue: He's a thief, but is far from evil.
- Older Than They Look: He is boyishly handsome and youthful. He was also born in 1256, according to his Watcher's Profile on the DVD Special Features.
Gerard Kragen
Played by John Novak
An evil Immortal and Alec Hill's hated enemy. In the late 19th Century, Kragen made pornographic paintings of his lover Genevieve when she was only fourteen years old. Eventually, Genevieve escaped Kragen and married the Immortal Alec Hill, an old friend of Duncan MacLeod. In a rage, Kragen tracked her down and murdered her, driving Alec into a deep despair. In the present day, Kragen works as a pornographer, and is the prime suspect in Alec Hill's beheading.
- Asshole Victim: He's not guilty of the specific murder that sends Duncan after him, but the world is still a better place without Gerard Kragen.
- Dirty Old Man: A sleazy, unpleasant pornographer and pedophile.
- Hate Sink: A nasty, murderous misogynist who once made pornography of Genevieve Hill when she was fourteen years old. No wonder Duncan doesn't angst too much after beheading him for the wrong reasons.
- He-Man Woman Hater: Is cruel and possessive toward women, killing Alec Hill's wife Genevieve when she leaves him. MacLeod calls him on this just before their duel.MacLeod: Still shoving women around?
- If I Can't Have You…: Once it becomes clear that escaping with Genevieve is no longer an option, Kragen doesn't hesitate to use an escape plan that he knows she won't survive.
- Not Me This Time: Kragen is a murderer, abuses women and caused Alec Hill no end of grief, but he didn't take Alec's head. Played with in that Duncan never explains why he's challenging Kragen, and Kragen seems to take as a given that their duel is revenge for his murder of Hill's wife in 1886.
- Unhand Them, Villain!: A variation. Though Duncan does indeed tell Kragen to "let her go" several times, he doesn't go over the cliff until Alec speaks up.Alec: There's nowhere to go.
Kragen: (glances down into the ravine) Oh yes there is. - Unknown Rival: It seems to take Kragen a minute to remember MacLeod at first; they met only once, over a hundred years prior, at a moment when Gerard was focused on Alec Hill and his wife. He's also completely unaware that Alec had located him several months prior, and was minutes away from challenging him before running into Richie.
- Wicked Cultured: Kragen considers himself a fine painter, and has pieces in multiple galleries.
Gavriel Larca
Played by Andrew Divoff
A Portuguese Immortal, Gavriel Larca came to Peru as a conquistador, and by 1830 had established himself as a God among the Moche people. When Duncan MacLeod and his guide Paco stumbled upon the Moche, Larca captured them both, sacrificing Paco and planning to behead MacLeod. However, Paco carried a fatal disease which began to kill scores of the Moche, who turned on Larca and attacked him, allowing MacLeod to escape. In the present day Larca has resurfaced, and is conning religious young Immortals into believing that he is the Christian God by killing them, and then using their Immortality as evidence that he has resurrected them. Larca's hatred of MacLeod has not abated however, and he soon directs his disciples to attack his old foe.
- A God Am I: It may have started out as a scam, but Larca seems to have actually come to think of himself as a god. His last words are "I am God."
- And I Must Scream: After the Moche turned on him, Larca was sealed in a tomb for a century and a half.
- Bad Boss: The young Immortals that Larca cons into following him do not have a good time of it, to say the least. He plans to sacrifice Derek, his newest disciple, in order to kill MacLeod. He later beheads Luke, another disciple, for refusing to kill a priest.
- Bald of Evil: In 1830. In the modern era, he has long brown hair, which makes him seem almost Christlike. Naturally, this fits in with his God Guise.
- God Guise: It's his thing. When he and Duncan meet in 1830, he's well established as the god of the Moche people (Word of God is that he'd been there for three centuries). He tries a similar scam in the 1990s, pretending to be the Christian God.
- Never My Fault: Larca blames MacLeod for the plague that destroyed the Moche people, despite the fact that he was the one who ordered Paco, the disease-carrier, sacrificed amidst a crowd of the Moche.
- Scam Religion: The Moche's religion was already in place, due to exposure to another Immortal over a thousand years prior. Larca merely slotted himself into the existing structure.
- Sure, Let's Go with That:Larca: The Moche are an ancient people. Their arts and sciences rival the best of the Inca, yet they preceded them by one thousand years. Some of their traditions go back one hundred generations. They called me God. Who was I to argue?
- You Have Failed Me: Beheads his disciple Luke for refusing to kill a priest at his behest.
Col. William Everett Culbraith
Played by Robert Wisden
An Immortal who served as a Confederate Colonel in the American Civil War, William Culbraith was placed in command of the infamous Camp Sumter in Andersonville, Georgia. When Duncan MacLeod, aiding a group of runaway slaves, was imprisoned in the camp, Culbraith met with him and promised to have a gangrenous ex-slave named Jeffrey operated on by a surgeon. Unfortunately, Culbraith learned that his family had been killed by Yankee soldiers, and in his bitterness refused to aid Jeffrey, who MacLeod was forced to put out of his misery. In the present day, Culbraith challenges MacLeod, but their duels are continually interrupted by The Messenger, an Immortal claiming to be Methos.
- Defiant to the End: When impaled by Richie, he manages to sneer "Is this the part where I beg for mercy? Or where you say we don't have to do this?"
- Despair Event Horizon: Implied to have been a decent man prior to his family having been killed in the American Civil War, now he's a bitter nihilist with no empathy for people.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has scars to go along with a nasty personality.
- Noble Demon: Subverted. The fake Methos points out that Culbraith once had a reputation as a man of honor and decency, before losing his family and being in one war too many. He tries to draw this side out, but Culbraith has long since abandoned that and stopped caring.
- Shellshocked Veteran/Sociopathic Soldier: After he learned of his family's death at the hand of Union soldiers, he allows the Union prisoners of war at the camp he runs to die preventable deaths. When Richie tries to preach peace to him, Culbraith curtly cuts him off by saying "We were made for war."
- Ungrateful Bastard: The fake Methos saved Culbraith's life by invoking Darius' teaching and talking Duncan into sparing Culbraith, at least temporarily. Culbraith later killed "Methos" just for the chance to have the famous immortal's head.
Ingrid Henning
Played by Musetta Vander
A female Immortal once involved in the 20 July Plot to kill Adolf Hitler, Henning failed to kill the dictator and has blamed herself ever since. In the present day, Ingrid has become a terrorist, murdering politicians she feels are extremist in an attempt to prevent another Hitler.
- Been There, Shaped History: Was involved with the attempt made by Claus Von Stauffenberg and other conspirators to assassinate Hitler in 1944.
- My Greatest Failure: Not killing Hitler in 1944. After the bomb fails, she pulls a gun but is unable to bring herself to shoot.
- Politically Correct Villain: Kills both far-right and far-left extremists. She first shoots Igor Stefanovich, a Russian politician who wants to resurrect the Soviet Union, and then attempts to murder Alan Wilkinson, an American White Supremacist.
- Took a Level in Badass: In 1944, she was a kindly woman who couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger on Hitler. Now she's a cold blooded assassin, trained in the arts of espionage and assassination by multiple intelligence agencies.
- Trespassing to Talk: A nonthreatening example that establishes how skillful Ingrid has become. Duncan notes that his doors and windows are all locked, and his elevator requires a key.
- Undead Tax Exemption: A subversion: she claims that her paperwork not holding is why she's being chased by police when she arrives at Duncan's door, but it's really because of her latest assassination.
- Villain Has a Point: Both Duncan and and the Interpol agent chasing Ingrid disagree with her methods, but are at least somewhat sympathetic to her views.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: She has decided to kill off anyone who shows potential of becoming a new Hitler type figure before they can ever reach that stage.
Otavio Consone
Played by Anthony DeLongis
A Spanish Immortal and master of the fencing style known as The Mysterious Circle. In 1851, he tried to teach MacLeod his techniques, but the two had a falling-out when they found they both loved the same woman. In 1971, he taught Flamenco dancing to a woman named Anna Hidalgo, who he hoped to marry. But when Anna revealed that she loved another man and was carrying his child, a furious Consone murdered Anna's lover and ran her down with a car, crippling her for life and ending her dancing career. In the present day, Consone is romancing Anna's daughter Luisa, planning to kill her to further torment Anna. But Duncan MacLeod is a friend of the Hidalgos, and does not intend to let his former mentor carry out his murderous scheme.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Never mentioned on the show, but the Watcher CD Rom says his first teacher was Juan Ramirez, Connor MacLeod's teacher from the first movie.
- Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: An incredible fighter, and arrogant beyond belief.
- Badass Spaniard: His arrogance isn't without foundation; he beats Duncan in 1851 and the only thing that stops Consone from killing him is the offer of something he wants more.
- Berserk Button: If he wants you to be his woman, showing affection to anyone else drives Consone into a fit of fury.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: He murdered his wife when she wouldn't forget Duncan.
- Crippling the Competition: Runs Anna down with a car, crippling her for life and ending her dancing career.
- Dashing Hispanic: Consone cuts a picture of an elegant, cultured man and he's from Madrid.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Murders Anna's fiancee (and father of her child). Several years later, he hits her with a car, damaging her legs and ending her dancing career. Twenty-five years later, he seduces and marries Anna's daughter, Luisa, with the intention of killing her. When Duncan brings up the possibility of Luisa leaving him, he shrugs it off and says that he'll kill any man she marries and seduce any daughter that she gives birth to. In between all of this, he never stops mocking Anna or Duncan.
- Domestic Abuse: Any woman with Consone needs to fear for her well being. He's not above harming or killing them if they displease him.
- Dual Wielding: Rapier and dagger.
- Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Frequently seen puffing on a cigar.
- Hot Blooded Sideburns: He sported them in the '70s, although he's since moved on from the style.
- Master Swordsman: Indisputably. He's one of Duncan's most difficult opponents. He's one of the only ones to ever best the Highlander.
- Sharp-Dressed Man: He loves fancy clothes to supplement his slick styles and make him look good.
- Smug Snake: The smuggest. Consone is possibly the most arrogant villain in the series, which is saying something.
- This Cannot Be!: Unlike most opponents, he has enough time to comprehend his defeat when Duncan crosses his knives over Consone's throat. He cannot believe he's about to die to a 'pig farmer.'
- Underestimating Badassery: Consone is a master swordsman, but is also a classist snob and doesn't take Duncan seriously as he's just a 'pig farmer.' This turns out to be a major error.
Bernie Crimmins
Played by: Michael Culkin
An English Immortal who worked as an executioner in the Tower of London in 1720, Bernie Crimmins later became a wealthy criminal and dealer in stolen artworks in the 1950s.
- Meaningful Name: Crimmins is a criminal.
Steven Keane
Played by: Chris Larkin
A morally upstanding but inflexible and stubborn Immortal who has only encountered Duncan during Duncan's more morally grey or darker moments. They first ran into each other sometime after the Battle of Culloden, where the English completely crushed the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland. A furious and broken Duncan responded by going on a self-appointed mission to assassinate the various English leaders who won the battle and brutally repressed the Scots afterward. One of those men was a friend of Keane. Keane thought Duncan was there to challenge him, but instead Duncan casually shot Keane and killed his friend before Keane could recover.
- Avenging the Villain: The term "villain" may be somewhat murky, but one of the reasons he holds a grudge against Duncan is because in the wake of a failed Scottish rebellion Duncan murdered a mortal friend of Keane's who crushed the Scots.Methos: Do you remember what happened after Culloden?
Duncan: [Looks away, then back] Yeah. I went after innocent men and slaughtered them.
Methos: No, that's how Keane tells it. I want to know how you remember it. Because they weren't innocent, were they? There were murderers. They were the English bastards who had destroyed your people, and they deserved to die, all of them. - Black-and-White Insanity: According to Methos, this is what Keane's worldview is. (And Duncan's too.)
- Cycle of Revenge: In the past, Sean Burns talked him out of this by convincing him the war and its aftermath was essentially a case of Grey-and-Gray Morality. In the present, he rejects any attempts by Amanda and Methos to talk him out of a duel, despite the fact that, as Amanda points out, the friends of each man will probably just get caught in a never ending attempt to avenge their loved ones if either he or Duncan dies in a duel.
- The Dandy/Fashion-Victim Villain: Keane likes his clothes, and he seems to go nowhere in the modern day without a suit and tie on, but he seems deeply averse to wearing muted colors. His first run in with Amanda features him wearing a red suit and bright red, fur-trimmed overcoat. It's just as garish as it sounds. Over the course of the episode his suits calm down a bit, but his shirts and ties remain eye stabbingly bright.
- Face Death with Dignity: When Keane believes he is defeated, he simply closes his eyes and exposes his throat for Duncan.
- Foil: If Duncan was English and had even more of a self-righteous stick up his ass, he'd be Keane, or at least very much like him. Neither man enjoys those inevitable comparisons, however.
- Hero Antagonist: He's essentially a mirror image of MacLeod, who comes looking to kill Duncan for the exact same sort of reasons Duncan would kill an evil Immortal. Duncan himself points this out by saying that Keane is judging him on similar criteria to how Duncan has judged any number of Immortals.
- Hero of Another Story: Keane is just like Duncan: he's a heroic immortal who helps others, and has presumably saved many, many people and defeated many evil immortals. But in this story, he's after Duncan to punish him for his sins.
- Honor Before Reason/Revenge Before Reason: Nothing can get him to back off from fighting Duncan, no matter what. Although he was talked out of it in the past by Sean Burns, but MacLeod killing Burns under the effects of the Dark Quickening was the final straw for Keane.
- I Gave My Word: Swore to his friend's family that he would avenge their father's death and spent 30 years hunting MacLeod around the world, but always a step behind Duncan. Sean Burns points out that Keane would have done a lot more good if he'd spent those 30 years helping the family instead of wasting it seeking revenge.
- Interesting Situation Duel: In a way, he presents one for Duncan. Both Methos and Amanda are very confident Duncan could take Keane under normal circumstances, but with Duncan's mind clouded, distracted, and burdened by his own guilt, that creates an element of doubt for them that makes them worry about the outcome of the fight.
- It's Personal: Duncan murdering his friend and English soldiers made it pretty bad already. But what seals Keane's undying hatred is the death of his teacher Sean Burns, and it's a bit hard to explain the whole 'Dark Quickening' thing away.
- Nice Guy: Amanda first encounters him at a club he owns, and the two have a friendly and amiable chat. Things stay that way until Keane starts asking if she's ever heard of someone named Duncan MacLeod, at which point Amanda tries to set him up for an ambush.
- "Not So Different" Remark: MacLeod and Methos both talk about the fact that Keane is in some ways a mirror image of Duncan, and Amanda tries to convince Keane of this, but Keane has only seen the worst in Duncan and hotly denies it. By the end, however, Duncan is convinced Keane will not return for another fight, because Duncan wouldn't either.
- Perspective Flip: Keane is a noble, decent man. For once, it's Duncan who's the villain and murderer, and Keane is seeking to punish him for his misdeeds, unwilling and unable to see that he's long since repented.
- Trial by Combat: Duncan eventually comes to see their duel as a form of this.
- Unknown Rival: After their first encounter he spent 30 years chasing Duncan around the globe but never actually encountered Duncan because Duncan kept moving on before Keane could catch up. He shows up in the present with a fresh grudge and filled to the brim with righteous anger at Duncan, but to Duncan, Keane is just a random guy he encountered for about a minute 200 years ago.
George Gordon Noel Byron
Played by: Jonathan Firth
Lord Byron. Yep, the historical one. He was a friend of Methos back in the day, and in the present is a rock musician with serious drug problems. He gets on the bad side of Duncan and Joe when he causes a young musician who was playing in Joe's club to overdose due to not having Byron's tolerance or Immortality to fall back on.
- Addled Addict: Centuries of partying and a couple of decades of Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll have not done his mind any favors.
- Badass Longcoat: A constant part of his look.
- Been There, Shaped History: By virtue of being Lord Byron. Mary Shelley witnesses him being "resurrected" by a Quickening and is inspired to write Frankenstein. Supplemental materials state he was also Jim Morrison.
- Beethoven Was an Alien Spy: Lord Byron was an Immortal. All There in the Manual indicates he was also Jim Morrison
- Berserk Button: He greets Kershner cheerfully, and blithely declines his challenge, but immediately picks up his swords once Hans calls him a cripple.
- Combat Pragmatist: His swordcane gives him an advantage in a fight, and he's not above pulling a gun to wound his opponent if he's out of his depth.
- Death Seeker: Strongly implied. Byron died his first death of suicide and clearly despises himself. His ending voiceover even seems relieved that his end has finally come.
- Drugs Are Bad: He's an especially anvilicious example of this Aesop.
- Dual Wielding: Fond of using multiple swords.
- Dude, She's Like in a Coma: He needs to be reminded that trying to molest an unconscious Mary Shelley would push the bounds of decency.
- Evil Cripple: Only mentioned passingly on the show, but Byron had a malformed right foot which explains why he's so often seen with a cane and likely shaped his choice of weapon.
- Historical Domain Character: By virtue of being both Lord Byron and Jim Morrison.
- I Am a Monster: "What do you do when there's nothing left but the deep, cold emptiness that stretches for centuries behind us... when you look in the mirror and all you see is the abomination that you are?"
- Interesting Situation Duel: He's no match for Duncan in a straight fight... so he shoots Duncan in the leg right at the start and tries to defeat Duncan before the wound can heal.
- Julius Beethoven da Vinci: Byron and Jim Morrison are the same guy. Who knew?
- Nothing Up My Sleeve: Pulls a derringer on MacLeod during their fight.
- Pretty Boy: Verging on long haired pretty boy.
- Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll: He has been living this life since before rock'n'roll existed. We see him giving poetry readings in the 1800s and indulging in opium and groupies.
- Straw Nihilist: No longer believes in anything, he just wants to create art and party hard.
- Sword Cane: He uses one of these to cheat during duels, which is how he defeated Hans Kershner.
- Toxic Friend Influence: It's very dangerous to know Byron, who will try to drag you into his hedonistic lifestyle. This can go very poorly for mortals who can't take that amount of drugs without an overdose.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Byron is a beloved rockstar, and a destructive nihilist who's poison to everyone around him.
- Waistcoat of Style: Wears a variety of them in both past and present.
- Warrior Poet: Byron spends his duel with Duncan screaming lines from The Bullfight section of Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.
Devon Marek
Played by: Andrew Bicknell
A spoiled English aristocrat who was killed by a poacher in Scotland in 1634, triggering his Immortality. MacLeod tried to explain the Game to him, but Marek felt the rules didn't apply to him and attacked MacLeod, who killed—but did not behead—Marek in front of witnesses. Pronounced dead and deprived of his life and lands, Marek swore vengeance on the Highlander. In the present day, he owns a toy company and plans to use his massive wealth in an elaborate scheme to take revenge on MacLeod.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Okay, so he was only Duncan's pupil for like a hot minute, but it still counts.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Marek is the first born son of the Duke of Willoughby, and feels that gives him the right to do whatever he pleases, however cruel and bloodthirsty.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Marek is one of the most shameless cheaters in the series, constructing an elaborate trap in the 'Black Tower' to corner Duncan and weaken him. It ends with Duncan giving him a brutal beatdown and taking his head.
- Combat Pragmatist: Will use hitmen and deathtraps to kill MacLeod, completely in violation of the rules of The Game.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: A wealthy CEO who hires assassins to murder his enemies.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Marek puts up more of a fight than Lucas Kagan or Johnny Kelly, but he's still absolutely no match for MacLeod. Mac is battered, bloody, and is mostly limited to using one arm at the start of the duel and he still manages to disarm Marek less than fifteen seconds after the fight starts. He then lets Marek have his sword back just to show the true difference between them and kicks Marek's ass a second time before beheading him.
- Evil Mentor: He mentored Kanis from Season 4 after murdering him for fun.
- Hate Sink: Is obviously intended by the writers to be the most smug, elitist, unlikable prick of all time.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Played with in that he's trying to exploit this trope, but he pretty obviously doesn't mean a word of what he's saying and is just doing it to goad and "trick" Duncan into letting him take his sword back. It's equally obvious that Mac is neither moved or fooled by Marek's words, but he allows Marek to take his sword back anyway, after which Duncan gives him another beating before killing him.Marek: Now you wouldn't kill an unarmed man, would you? And I was telling Dice what a hero you are. How different are we really?Duncan: Go ahead. Pick it up.Marek: [after grabbing his sword] That was a really big mistake, Duncan. You can rest assured I wouldn't offer you the same courtesy.Duncan: Yeah. That's the difference between you and me.
- Serial Killer: Strongly implied. Marek was the teacher of Peter Kanis, who he hunted down and murdered for sport.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Marek in a nutshell. He believes that the law, the rules of society, and even the rules of The Game don't apply to him due to his noble status.
- Smug Snake: Gives Otavio Consone a run for his money, but at least Consone is a master warrior. Marek's arrogance is far out of proportion to actual ability.
Morgan Walker
Played by: Benedick Blythe
An evil Immortal who worked as a slave trader in the early 1800's. Walker became enamored with his slave Charlotte and took her as his concubine, believing that he was truly in love with her. When he discovered that she was having an affair with Methos, Walker murdered Charlotte in a rage and challenged Methos, who refused. In the present day, Walker runs a modeling agency, which is actually a front for a sex slavery ring, and still bears a murderous grudge against Methos.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: Walker owned a woman named Charlotte who had an affair with Methos. He went insane and murdered her as a result.
- I Have Your Wife: He tries to use Joe's daughter as a hostage to force Joe to give up Methos.
- Never My Fault: Sure, he threw Charlotte out a window in a jealous rage, but that's not his fault. Dr. Adams/Methos forced him to do it, you see. And the women who he sells into sex slavery? They have it coming. To say Walker has issues with deflecting culpability may be underselling it a wee tad.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: Was a slaveowner in the early 1800's, and forces women into sexual slavery in the present era.
- Underestimating Badassery: His fatal mistake? Assuming Methos's 'cowardice' is a sign of a lack of skill. When he's bested, Methos drives it in.Methos: "Just because I don't like to fight, doesn't mean that I can't."
- Villain of Another Story: Is not one of Mac's enemies, functioning solely as an antagonist to Methos.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Walker runs a modeling agency and uses it as cover for a sex slavery operation. He's so good at covering his tracks that even The Watchers don't realize what he's up to at first.
Liam O'Rourke
Played by: Martin McDougall
An Immortal Irish terrorist, Liam O'Rourke and his wife Tara Fitzgerald were responsible for a 1946 bombing that killed several innocent bar patrons. MacLeod turned them in for the crime, and Tara died in prison. In the present day, O'Rourke seeks revenge on MacLeod by targeting his friends.
- Avenging the Villain: Wants to avenge his wife Tara, who was a fellow terrorist.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He truly loved Tara, and stayed in prison with her until her death, despite Duncan's belief that he could have escaped.
- Evil Former Friend: Duncan was on reasonably good terms with O'Rourke before the bombing.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Walks around in a barely-concealed rage at all times.
- Hellbent For Leather: Is always seen wearing a black leather jacket in the modern day.
- Never My Fault: He is unwilling to accept responsibility for his wife's imprisonment, even though he's the one who turned her into a terrorist murderer. When Duncan calls him on this, O'Rourke's reaction is to angrily order his henchmen to kill Amanda.
- Revenge by Proxy: Like Horton and Kalas before him, O'Rourke attacks Duncan through his loved ones.
- Revenge Myopia: O'Rourke seeks revenge on Duncan for turning his wife over to the police, who jailed her for life. The fact that he and his wife were murderous terrorists doesn't bother him.
- Western Terrorists: He and his wife were Irish terrorists, responsible for a bombing in the 1940s.
