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Doviculus
Emperor of the Tainted Coil
Doviculus
Gender Male
Race Demon
Faction Tainted Coil
Skin Tone White
Special Features Can fly using shredded butterfly-like wings, chest can open and close, where he keeps his guitar and a heart.
Weapons Double Staff Axe and Hydra
Personal Vehicle Chariot
Voiced By Tim Curry
“Come and see me when you grow a pair as big as your mother's.” — Doviculus


Emperor Doviculus is the main antagonist of Brütal Legend. Doviculus is the leader of the Tainted Coil faction, and is the avatar the player adopts when playing as that faction in multiplayer. He has two weapons: the Double Staff Axe and the Hydra, a quadruple-necked electric guitar.

Story[]

Spoiler
The Season of Pain is upon us....
This article contains spoilers for Brütal Legend. Click here to reveal them.


Background

Before Doviculus's reign, Succoria ruled the Tainted Coil, and Doviculus was a demon under her command (his exact rank during Succoria's rule is unspecified, though it is assumed that he was high in rank). When Succoria left for the future, Doviculus seized his chance and took the demonic throne for his own, replacing Succoria as ruler of the demons. Even so, he stated that when she did not return, he mourned her.

Season of Pain

“The Season of Pain is upon us.” — Doviculus


After Eddie first arrives in the Age of Metal, Doviculus goes to the Temple of Ormagöden, and finds what he believes is Succoria's scent on the dagger that Ophelia left behind. Believing that his old mistress had returned, Doviculus plots to take her out. Convinced she had sided with the humans, the Emperor moves to stomp out the human rebellion. In the course of stopping the rebellion, Doviculus murders Lars, leader of Ironheade, who had jumped up to defend the honour of his subjects.

During the confrontation between Eddie Riggs and Doviculus, Eddie states that Doviculus had referred to Ophelia as Succoria - to which Doviculus laughs. He explains that Succoria was the most fierce and bloodthirsty warrior of the Tainted Coil, and that Eddie is in fact the person whom he had mistakenly assumed to be Succoria. Doviculus explains that he had smelled her blood, and indeed smelled it at that moment, for her blood flows through Eddie, her son.

In reaction to Eddie's disbelief, Doviculus points out that Eddie is wearing her shirt (the black shirt he wears says "Succoria" on it in very twisted letters) and is wielding her axe, the Separator. At that moment, Doviculus kills Drowned Ophelia by tearing out her heart, which he places in his chest next to his own heart. He then summons a huge monster made of the cathedrals surrounding the Sea of Black Tears, and an apocalyptic battle begins between the dreaded demons of the Tainted Coil and the fiery force of Ironheade.

When Eddie destroys one of the demon heads in the battle, Doviculus comments that he's glad Succoria refused to mate with him because now he knew he wasn't Eddie's father. "There aren't many who can say that," he says, hinting at his own indiscriminate nature. This could also be construed as a jab to incite Eddie, by suggesting that his mother was extremely promiscuous.

The Tainted Coil's forces are not able to stop Ironheade, and Eddie confronts Doviculus. After a fierce battle, Eddie lops off Doviculus's head and tears out his heart, killing the demon Emperor.

Appearances

Characteristics

Doviculus is cruel, sadistic, and cunning. He does not hesitate to play his enemies against each other or wipe out a potentially dangerous foe when the chance is presented to him (as shown with Lars). The emperor of the Tainted Coil is amoral like the vast majority of demons on every front. He is lustful to the point where he is sexually attracted to his own children (though this may be normal behaviour in the Coil's society).

He is extremely proud, thinking of humans as pitiful creatures that should be treated as beasts. He is confident in his abilities, left in disbelief if he is nearing defeat. He treats his subjects with a mix of affection and expendability, more like valuable tools than his children, peers, and/or lovers. Doviculus, despite his demonic vileness, is one of, if not the most eloquent speaker in the game, showing his position in the Coil's hierarchy.

Doviculus was a terrifying warrior even before the secrets of the Titans were revealed. As proof of this, he is greatly feared by human and demon alike. He has undying loyalty and command over the legions of the Tainted Coil, having access to their full arsenal. His military intellect is impressive; his ability to manipulate others for his own gain even more so. He wields his staff axe with deadly speed and proficiency despite its great weight. He possesses a great deal of strength, having impaled with his spear, picked up, and thrown Lars Halford with no apparent effort.

His only apparent weakness is a lack of eyesight. He seems to have no eyes, and his head is almost entirely bound in leather. He was unable to see (or simply ignored) Eddie and the others whilst they hid in a fountain at Lionwhyte's Pleasure Dome, and was unable to tell that the scent of Succoria's blood came from within a human until much later in the story. He apparently compensates for his lack of vision with a powerful sense of smell, and has no troubles on the field of battle.

Upon learning the secrets of the Titans, the Emperor was able to harness the power of the Sea by stealing Ophelia's heart, calling forth a behemothic beast from the Sea of Black Tears using his Hydra guitar. With metal, he's also capable of calling plaguing diseases, summon his minions, and chain powerful foes to the ground temporarily.

Quotes[]

  • "Come and see me when you grow a pair as big as your mother's."
  • "I am, The chosen one!"
  • "You dare burn me!?"
  • "You know, I'm glad now that your mother refused my advances all those years ago, because at least I know, you're not my son. There aren't many who can say that."
  • "Oh give it up. Whatever victories your demon blood grants you will soon be unravelled by your human weakness."
  • "I feel like ten times the demon I was before!"
  • "When will this horrible day end?"
  • "My child, come out and play."
  • "Why did you make that noise? I don't weigh that much, do I?"
  • "How dare you! I made you possible!"
  • "They fall for that one every time."
  • "You turned her into a little monster. Now, let me show you how to make a big one!"
  • "Your motion pleases me."
  • "Can you hear me? I am your master!"
  • "Let your veins run thick with my disease!"
  • "I am wrapped in a shield of your screams!"
  • "Move as you are told."
  • "Give them your mercy, until they can take no more."
  • "Release the medial waste!"
  • "You only make me stronger, human."
  • "I will skin you alive for that!"
  • "Give me your pain."
  • "You think you can hurt an Emperor?"
  • "It's harder for me - mine has four necks!"
  • "Scream on! No one can touch me."
  • "Your own hearts will force the poison into you."
  • "Yes, the skies boil my blood!"
  • "Keep screaming! It's music to my ears..."
  • "What an inspiring scream!"
  • "Oh, do come back. I was hoping to study your organs."
  • "Now, there's a transfusion that nobody wants!"
  • "Why must the sun play along with the insects?"
  • "Launch the suffering!"
  • "How dare you ignore me?"
  • "These seem to make everyone more excited about killing... which I love."
  • "You cannot kill me that easily!"
  • "Can you feel my infection?"
  • "There is no more suffering left for me."
  • "I can end your screams..."
  • "Time for a hate parade!"
  • "I am the chosen one!"
  • "Let's share your pain with the world."
  • "Let me raise your agony."
  • "Do not cling to me."
  • "I can feel no pain, for YOU are feeling all the pain in the world!"
  • "Drive your dagger into me!"
  • "Let's put all this hate to use!"
  • "The Coil will surely fall today."
  • "I'll tear your heart out!"
  • "You rotten, cursed soul."
  • "We need more offerings."
  • "I'll turn you back to tears for that."
  • "Crawl back into the Sea."
  • "When I hear that scream, I know no one will ever hurt me like that."
  • "The Tainted Coil shall rule forever!"
  • "The battle is ours! Let us spill blood under this beautiful sky."

Trivia[]

The concept art for Doviculus.
  • Doviculus was originally going to be voiced by American rock singer Ronnie James Dio. However, he was later replaced by renowned actor, Tim Curry.
  • Since there are no visible openings on Doviculus' mask, it is logical to assume that Doviculus doesn't rely on sight, or possibly even lacks eyeballs entirely. This theory is supported by Drowned Ophelia, who refers to him as "eyeless" when fighting him in multiplayer mode (however, she may be speaking metaphorically, or simply attempting to mock him). If Doviculus indeed lacks eyes, it suggests that he is accustomed to using his sense of smell, hearing, and touch for navigation. This is supported by the fact that he constantly employs his sense of smell at several key points in the story. However, the fact that he makes numerous visual observations throughout the game seems to suggest that he CAN in fact see his surroundings. While it may only be an oversight on the part of the story writers, it is also possible that Doviculus (and possibly other members of The Tainted Coil) have another means of visual perception.
  • It is believed that the heart seen in Doviculus' torso is not his own. When he uses his Double Team with a Heart Cutter, the player can sometimes hear Doviculus tell The Druid that it's not his heart. It is not specified where his real heart is, or if he even has one. He is also able to use it as a guitar pick during The Martyrdom Solo to inspire nearby troops, at the cost of health. Strangely, The description of The Martyrdom Solo claims that it is indeed Doviculus' heart. This could indicate that Doviculus' remark about it not being his heart was added as a feature after the descriptions for the solos had already been programmed, or that the heart in question during the Heart Cutter Double Team refers to a different heart entirely.
  • In Multiplayer, Doviculus and his minions are given a green or purple hue under certain circumstances.
    • If The Tainted Coil is selected as the faction for both The Player and the opponent, one team will be colored purple, while the other is colored green. Interestingly, if The Player selects The Tainted Coil as their faction when facing the Ironheade faction, The Player's team will sometimes still be colored green.
  • Doviculus has unique avatar features when compared to Ophelia and Eddie. While Ophelia's wings are made out of Black Tears and Eddie possesses demonic muscular wings (both of which resemble wings with a stem such as bird or dragon wings) Doviculus' sprout out in a triplet structure and resemble a pair of grotesque butterfly wings.
  • When Doviculus starts a Solo, he seems to kneel down on both legs, probably because of the lack of suitable grip and sheer weight of The Hydra itself, as opposed to Eddie and Ophelia who perform in a standing position. Alternatively this pose may stem from the religious overtones of The Tainted Coil's hierarchy, or it could simply be a reference to a tradition in rock music where the guitarist will kneel on the ground while playing a particularly intense solo.
  • Doviculus, as well as The Tainted Coil in general, seem to show a resemblance to the Cenobites from Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart and its film adaptation Hellraiser, due to their sadomasochistic themes, appearance, and demonic nature.
    • Doviculus also shares similarities (namely his voice and legs) with Darkness from the film Legend, another character portrayed by Tim Curry.
  • Early concept art for The Tainted Coil shows a gigantic demon in the background, resembling Murray (the iconic mascot of the heavy metal band, Dio). As Ronnie James Dio was to be the original voice actor for Doviculus, it's possible that something along these lines was considered as an early design for Doviculus himself.
  • The game's director, Tim Schafer, hinted in an interview that, were a sequel ever to be made, that Doviculus may return and could have been changed by The Sea of Black Tears.

Gallery[]

Related Content[]

The characters of Brütal Legend
Allies

Eddie RiggsOpheliaLars HalfordLita HalfordMangusKill MasterThe BaronRimaKage the KannonierJack the Lift-OpKeeper of the Sacred Beer TreeSuzie

Antagonists

MittensLionwhyteDrowned OpheliaDoviculus

Neutral

Guardian of MetalThe HunterDadbatFletus

Historical

OrmagödenRiggnarokSuccoriaAetuliaFirst KingOphelia's Parents

Bosses

LampreyMittens Metal Queen Chrome RecluseBlack Tear TolluskBlack Tear MonsterDoviculus

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