Hi. This is Thesecret1070. I am an admin of this site. Edit as much as you wish, but one little thing... If you are going to edit a lot, then make yourself a user and login. Other than that, enjoy Villains Wiki!!!
Pay a man enough, and he'll walk barefoot into Hell.
„
~ David Xanatos to Owen Burnett and his most famous quote.
David Xanatos is one of the main antagonists of the Disney cartoon series Gargoyles.
He is an extremely wealthy businessman and the founder, owner, and president of the vast and powerful Xanatos Enterprises, which deals in media entertainment, genetic engineering, robotics, construction, and advanced weaponry. Xanatos is the one who is responsible for the Manhattan Clan's reawakening.
He was voiced by Jonathan Frakes, who also played J'son in the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series.
Xanatos usually wears a regular black suit, but during his first battle with the Gargoyles, he wore a red Goliath-inspired exoskeleton that was part of the Robot Steel Clan. He has a goatee and ties his brown hair into a loose ponytail.
History[]
David Xanatos is the founder, owner, and president of Xanatos Enterprises. He is a wealthy and ruthless individual and master of manipulation who rarely got himself involved personally with a battle, preferring to utilize his wealth and power as weapons of their own - he also created the Steel Clan, robotic versions of the Gargoyles and he personally donned a Steel Clan robot suit on several occasions in order to make himself a physical match for Goliath and his clan.
However, Xanatos' most dangerous weapon was always his mind; he was knowledgeable in many ways and held enough influence that he could get away with his illegal dealings (though even Xanatos is not fully immune to the law as he has spent a few months in prison due to being in possession of stolen property - his sentence greatly reduced due to his network of lawyers). Throughout his career, Xanatos was aided by his henchman, Owen Burnett (who is really Puck in reality), who was willing to do anything for his superior.
Xanatos's efforts to create his own clan of Gargoyles resulted in the creation of the Mutates and Thailog. However, Xanatos made a mistake in creating Thailog as the clone learn a little too much from Xanatos, proceeding to rob him for twenty-million dollars before breaking off to become a new rival.
Shortly before his marriage to Fox, David Xanatos became a member of the legendary Illuminati, though one of the lowest ranked. Then, when Demona finally betrays Xanatos to advance her scheme of turning all humans in Manhattan into stone, he was forced to call a truce with Goliath to stop her.
Afterward, Xanatos' goals have shifted toward obtaining immortality for himself and his family. He seeks out many methods like using Hudson as a test subject for the Cauldron of Life, having a priest invoke Anubis the death god, and taking the Coyote trickster spirit hostage to give Xanatos what he wants.
Xanatos's war with the gargoyles would only truly come to an end after the birth of his son, Alexander. The clan helped rescue Alexander from Oberon (though they had little success; rather, the day was saved by negotiation on Goliath's behalf). Xanatos was thankful to his former enemies for saving his son, so he finally put aside his long-running rivalry with the clan and dedicated himself to helping them. However, the third season, which portrayed Xanatos as an ally to the gargoyles, while compelling, is considered non-canon by the series main writer and fans.
Personality[]
“
He doesn't have to hide his plans from you. There's not a thing you can do to stop him. He's the most brilliant man on the face of the earth.
„
~ Fox praising Xanatos for his intellect and cunning.
David Xanatos is extremely practical and business-like, who thinks of grudges and revenge as foolish concepts. He concerns himself with empowering and advancing his current position and business purely for its own sake (creating his own clan of Gargoyles, new technologies, acquiring magical artifacts, seeking immortality, etc.). Xanatos has no interest in world domination, confident he can fulfill all his desires and goals under the current system. In the end, he could be considered a knowledgeable and intellectual businessman but would sacrifice ethics and morality to attain such expertise.
Also, despite his polite nature, there have been a few times where he was blatantly cruel. An example would be when he mocked Derek after the latter found out he was the cause of his mutation. There have also been rare instances where he has lost his temper.
Unlike many of the Gargoyles' enemies, Xanatos is best described as more "amoral" than "evil." So much so that he bears his main enemies, Goliath and his gargoyle clan, no malice, but regards them with interest and amusement. His pursuit of them was motivated purely by how unique and valuable they are, wanting to win them over to his side and considers destroying them to be wasteful, which explains why he stopped Demona from killing them one time. In addition, he had no problem making peace with them after they saved his son, Alexander. His various schemes are based on practical goals, rather than truly evil deeds, even though his plans rarely show any regard for the welfare of anyone other than himself.
Despite his ruthless and undemonstrative personality, Xanatos is a genuinely caring and compassionate father and husband. Where his family is concerned, David Xanatos is a much more sympathetic individual. Furthermore, he does have a sense of honor as even in the first-season finale, he agreed to fight the Gargoyles elsewhere in order to avoid damaging the city and helped them thwart Demona's scheme to turn all the humans of Manhattan to stone, if not the world. Xanatos ensured the Gargoyles' safety after they helped him in stopping Oberon in abducting his newborn son, telling his father that the creatures had their uses. He also thanked Goliath for his aid, stating that was a debt he couldn't hope to repay.
In the non-canon third season, Xanatos has truly abandoned all his past ambitions and cruelty and allows the Gargoyles to move back into their ancestral home when their existence was revealed to the world.
In the canon comic continuity, Xanatos keeps his cool and scheming side; primarily when he is called on by the Illuminati to steal the Stone of Destiny. He also states endangering a child is a crime he wouldn't commit, which even Goliath supports, stating that Xanatos is no saint but his love for Alexander is real. Xanatos does, however; feel the Manhattan Clan are dimwitted at times, needing to prompt them to realize the real culprits in the abduction of the pregnant Maggie were Thailog and Sevarius.
Quotes[]
“
Death and old age have their prices too. And it's too expensive for me.
„
~ Xanatos, on why he wants immortality.
“
I was a little worried that I might be getting soft. But I was able to stand up against Goliath, the greatest warrior alive. I'd say I've still got the edge.
„
~ Xanatos to Owen after the former engaged in battle with Goliath.
“
It's alive! Alive! [calmly] I've always wanted to say that.
„
~ Xanatos after bringing Coldstone to life.
“
Petros: What are you hatching now? David:That envelope contains my personal instructions for the Illuminati Society, plus two smaller sealed envelopes. The Society is to wait one thousand years and then deliver the first envelope to a young David Xanatos of Bar Harbor, Maine. It contains one of the coins Prince Malcolm gave me earlier. It's practically worthless now in 975 A.D., but by 1975 it will be worth about 20 grand. The second envelope is to be delivered 20 years later. It contains a detailed account of how the coin was obtained. That's how I knew how to set this all up. I received instructions from myself last week. So you see, pop, I am indeed a self-made man.
„
~ David Xanatos explaining to his father how he created a causal loop that led to him having his wealth in the present.
“
Long time no see, Goliath. I'm flattered you showed up just so I could use you as bait. This trough is filled with acid. In 10 minutes it's going to do a rather nasty job on that soil carving, not to mention your rugged good looks. It's my first real stab at clichéd villainy. How am I doing?
„
~ Xanatos to Goliath after placing him in a death trap.
“
David: Of course, they're safe, Detective. Goliath just saved the world. More important, he saved my son. The least I can do is reinstate his clan to their ancestral home. Elisa Maza: What's the catch, Xanatos? David: No catches. No tricks. No strings. The feud is over, Detective. He's waiting for you.
„
~ Xanatos putting an end to the feud between him and the Manhattan Clan.
Gallery[]
David Xanatos
Xanatos in a trenchcoat.
Xanatos' evil grin.
Xanatos' only evil laugh.
Xanatos overjoyed to see the gargoyles awaken.
Xanatos during his alliance with Demona
Trivia[]
Xanatos' voice actor in the series, Jonathan Frakes is the same actor who also portrayed Commander William T. Riker in the Star Trek franchise (this has led to him being referred to as "Evil Riker" by fans in a recurring joke).
During the show's development, Xanatos was originally known as Xavier, and he was the descendant of the wizard that originally cursed the gargoyles to sleep for a thousand years. According to Greg Weisman, he was, "rich, powerful and petulant. Very Captain Hook." This idea of a descendant of an ancient enemy was eventually used for Wolf and Hakon in "Vendettas". The name "Xavier" was eventually dropped because of the similarity to Professor X (Charles Xavier) in Marvel Comics' X-Men. Still, Greg Weisman wanted a name with a similar sound to it. Thinking of Thanatos, the Ancient Greek God of Death, and since X and TH sounds are often interchanged, he tried the name Xanatos, which was quickly accepted by other crew members. Sometime later, he checked the phone book and found that Xanatos was in fact a real name. The character's first name, David, was chosen specifically because the master gargoyle had been named Goliath, thus echoing the Biblical story of David and Goliath, but with the hero and villain roles reversed.
Even though Demona was the main antagonist of the series, Xanatos served as The Heavy and possibly turned out to be more dangerous than she because it was his quest to awaken the gargoyles and use her that drove the plot. However, this changed when Demona proved to be far more ruthless and wicked than David ever was.
He is the first animated character to be voiced by Jonathan Frakes.
He is the namesake of the trope, the Xanatos Gambit, in which a character manipulates and orchestrates multi-layered schemes in which the success of even a single part is considered advantageous to the schemer.
He is considered a perfect example of a Type B Magnificent Bastard.
Xanatos managed to impress Puck with choosing a lifetime of service from his alter-ego Owen over a magic wish. Befitting his practical thinking, Xanatos saw the potential of a truly loyal right-hand man that would never betray him and help further his plans without hidden agenda; magic, on the other hand, is very unpredictable.
Villains