Races of Underworld universe

Underworld, Underworld: Evolution, and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, depict two humanoid races living among humans in secret, Vampires and Lycans (werewolves) and the creation of a Lycan-Vampire hybrid.

Vampires
After William was imprisoned, Viktor, Markus and Amelia settled in as rulers of the Vampires, becoming the Vampire Elders, creating the covens as the main organization of the Vampires. However, Viktor took control from Markus, ensuring he would never have the strength to free his brother. The coven later embarked on an ill-fated scheme to turn the surviving Lycans into slaves, using them to guard their castle in the daylight. They did not have human form until Lucian was born, he was the first werewolf born in human form, as seen in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. However, after the romance and subsequent pregnancy between Viktor's daughter Sonja and the Lycan slave Lucian was discovered, Sonja was executed, along with her and Lucian's unborn child, and the war began.

After some time, it was believed Lucian had been killed, and the Death Dealers were charged with hunting down any and all surviving Lycans. By the time of the first film, Amelia and the Vampire council were in control. However, nobody suspected the truth: Kraven had struck a deal with Lucian, allowing him to gain power and a position as regent in the Coven. In the present day, the coven had become increasingly decadent under Kraven's leadership, with Amelia ruling from the New World branch of the coven. It was then that Lucian struck, killing Amelia and the Vampire Council, and increasing his search for the human descendant of Corvinus (Michael Corvin). In him the two races could be merged, creating a Hybrid, leaving Kraven to rule the Vampires. However, his plan was derailed when Selene awakened Viktor and alerted him to Kraven's treachery. In the ensuing battle, Kraven betrayed Lucian, killing him with silver nitrate bullets. Then, after the truth about the killing of Selene's family was revealed, Viktor was slain by Selene and the Hybrid Michael Corvin. With these events, along with the destruction of Ordoghaz, and the slaying of Kraven by the newly hybridized Markus, it is unclear what will become of the clans.

Ördögház (literally: "Devil's House") is an ancient building in Hungary which houses the Old World vampires. Every century, a Vampire Elder returns to the crypt in Ördögház to hibernate for the next two centuries, while another Vampire Elder is awakened to lead the Vampire realm. In Underworld: Evolution, Markus Corvinus razed Ördögház to the ground; it is presumed that all within the mansion perished in the blaze.

Powers and abilities
A Vampire's transformation is not nearly as startling as their Lycan counterparts. When they transform, their eyes turn a startling shade of electric blue or bright gold, while their canine teeth lengthen to become pointed fangs. At all times, the lateral incisors on all vampires are elongated and come to a sharp point. The Underworld vampires display most of the prominent vampire traits seen in myth and in popular culture: superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility, coordination, endurance, regeneration process and heightened senses. Selene and several other Death Dealers have been seen leaping from very high places; at least 10 stories in some places, and landing without injury or harm. Selene has been shown moving with enough speed to evade gunfire in Evolution, and to outrun an enraged Raze in the first film. All vampires, on the other hand, share a common weakness to sunlight, due to a fatal allergic reaction to Ultraviolet radiation. The Lycans, at the beginning of Underworld, take advantage of this weakness by filling their bullets with a photogenic solution. It was theorized that they were of military development, but it is later revealed they were made by Andreas Tanis.

It can be assumed that the other vampires possessed various degrees of these abilities, due to their age and experience. Their heightened senses manifest in acutely increased depth perception, sense of smell, hearing, etc. Erika, a low-level vampire, is shown to have the ability to cling to the ceiling and jump at superhuman speed.

Their bite releases the vampire virus, which can aggressively overtake a normal human's physiology, causing them to become a Vampire as well. Biting humans is not the only way for vampires to "reproduce" as it is shown that vampires can interbreed with each other.

Vampire Elders
Markus first turned the Hungarian Warlord Viktor in exchange for his military intelligence, and Amelia was turned sometime later. They were to aid him in capturing his brother William. Viktor's army was made into the original Death Dealers. As the oldest and strongest vampires, they became the three Vampire Elders. Viktor was considered the strongest, but Markus in exchange for his military prowess and large army to assist him in dealing with the ravenous Lycans, allowed the coven to believe this since they were loyal to Viktor (and believed him to be the oldest) and any such attempt toward him would have been met with fierce and deadly aggression. This was believed for centuries until Andreas Tanis revealed the truth in Evolution. Amelia was the most diplomatically powerful, aiding in spreading the coven's influence. Markus, however, was undermined and over-shadowed, even though he was the first-ever vampire, and presumably the most powerful. The prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans shows that the Elders were once aided by a larger council that could exert some influence over their chief; this council was killed near the end of the film. In Underworld, when Amelia was assassinated her Council died with her.

Politics
Viktor and Amelia both sought to undermine Markus' authority, but Viktor believed the lie that, should Markus or William die, the rest of the species would die with them. Thus, he never sought Markus' death.

The Vampire Elders have an intricate system known as the 'Chain', during which one Elder rules while the other two slumber in the crypt in Ordoghaz, for every century. Only an elder is allowed to awaken another, for they have the ability to organize their thoughts into a cohesive record for the next Elder to refer to; however, it is possible for any blood to provoke an awakening.

Characteristics
Elders look like other vampires, however, they possess superior strength, speed, stamina, and senses that are far above those of the average Vampire. Viktor, as seen in the first film, was able to stop Raze in his Lycan form; with one hand around the throat, and the other being used to break his arm, before violently breaking his neck and impaling him with his sword. He was also shown to be able to take on Michael once he was in his hybrid form, with the two appearing evenly matched. Michael, however, having only recently become a hybrid and being severely weakened by an onslaught of gun-fire from the Death Dealers, was slightly out matched due to Viktor's experience.

Elders also have the skill to organize their memories into a cohesive vision, a detailed record of their reign and the reign of the previous Elder who ruled, when passing their blood to another. This was known as the Chain, which aided in their ability to 'leapfrog' through time. If someone else that is not an Elder awakens an Elder, the awakened Elder can be plagued by incoherent thoughts and memories which are difficult for a non-Elder to organize.

As of the end of Underworld: Evolution, all three Vampire Elders are dead and their covens destroyed.

Other vampires
The Aristocrats and Nobles are the only other group of normal Vampires seen within the covens. They enjoy the high life, such as sex, parties, and taking full advantage of their immortality. They were often shown dawdling around the mansion in the first film, doing little but being hangers-on to Kraven. In contrast to the leather uniforms of the Death Dealers, they wear fine clothing of silks and velvet. Amelia is seen on the train with the Vampire Council, a powerful group of vampires who judge those who break Coven Law. The Vampire Council consists of the 12 most powerful and influential vampires, ranking below the Elders of course. In Underworld, Amelia and the Council members are assassinated by the Lycans while on a train to the ceremony to transfer current leadership from Amelia to Markus. While in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, the High Council members, along with their aides and lesser council members, are killed by the Lycans while trying to flee the oncoming Lycan army.

Death Dealers
The Death Dealers originally were created by the first vampire Markus Corvinus, to put down the threat by his twin brother, the werewolf William Corvinus. However, the original batch of Death Dealers came largely from Viktor's troops during his years as a Hungarian General. The Death Dealers, thus, were loyal to Viktor, instead of Markus. The Death Dealers were successful in capturing William, as was their original purpose, but they skirted near to treason when they threatened to fire on a protesting Markus. Death Dealers were also crucial in tracking down the band of lycans led by Lucian, and his right-hand-man, Raze. The Death Dealers of the Old World Coven are led by Kahn, who is also the Weapons Master. After the werewolves manufactured UV bullets for their guns, Kahn took the idea and made a silver nitrate bullet that sent silver straight into their blood stream, making the silver impossible to dig out.

Through the years, the Death Dealers constantly upgraded their arsenal of weapons. From silver crossbows especially effective against lycans, to guns with silver bullets. With the fall of Lucian and the rise of decadence and complacency in the vampire covens, the vampire race was split into Death Dealer warriors and aristocratic merrymaking types.

At the time of Underworld, the Death Dealers of the Old World Coven, Ordoghaz, were led by Kahn, the weapons master. There was infighting between the Death Dealers and Kraven's team of thugs led by Soren. Whether any of the Death Dealers survived the final battle in Lucian's lair at the end of the first film is unknown.

Notable vampires

 * Markus Corvinus - First vampire and Vampire Elder
 * Viktor - Vampire Elder
 * Amelia - Vampire Elder
 * Sonja - Death Dealer, Vampire Council member, daughter of Viktor
 * Andreas Tanis - Coven Historian
 * Selene - Master Death Dealer
 * Kraven - Coven Leader, Ordoghaz regent
 * Erika - Seductress and socialite
 * Kahn - Chief Death Dealer and Weapons Master
 * Soren - Bodyguard and Soldier
 * Nathaniel - Death Dealer
 * Rigel - Death Dealer
 * Dominique - Maidservant
 * Dmitri -  Diplomat
 * Luka   -  Lady In Waiting
 * Coloman - Past High Council Member
 * Orsova - Past High Council Member
 * Ulrik  - Past High Council Member
 * Kosta  - Past Overseer
 * Sandor - Past Death Dealer Captain
 * Malvina - Chambermaid

Lycans
In the films, they have the ability to transform into bipedal, humanoid wolf-like creatures. They are a variation of werewolves, and the term Lycan is derived from the Greek lycanthrope. In the films, Lycans are opposed by vampires.

Powers and abilities
In the Underworld films, Lycans display a number of greatly enhanced physical attributes. As with their rivals, the vampires, Lycans are immortal (William survived over 800 years of captivity with no food). They possess enhanced superhuman strength, reflexes, coordination, speed, agility, durability, endurance and regenerative abilities superior to that of most vampires while in their Lycan forms and are able to crawl across walls with great ease and speed, and have equal or greater physical abilities to Vampires in their human forms. As with wolves, Lycans possess greatly heightened senses and excellent tracking skills due to their highly sensitive sense of smell. Lycans have shown that in close quarters combat they are vastly superior to vampires as seen when very few of them, killed many more vampires in close quarters in Underworld: Rise of the Lycans.

Their bite releases the Lycan virus, which can aggressively overtake a normal human's physiology, causing them to become a Lycan as well. As explained by Selene in the first Underworld film though, a bite by either a Lycan or Vampire is typically lethal, suggesting that the majority of those bitten die rather than transform into either immortal race.

Similar to vampires, Lycans have the ability to easily survive falls from great altitudes by landing on their feet. Newly turned Lycan, Michael Corvin, displayed this ability in the first film, as well as several newly turned Lycans in the prequel film.

The difference between Lycans and werewolves as depicted in the film is the Lycans' ability to transform at will between human and beast, where as werewolves are a permanent transformation from human to man-wolf. Slight physical differences are found as well; a werewolf's snout is longer than a Lycan's.

William: The First Werewolf
William Corvinus' form of lycanthropy is the most primitive, and also the most powerful. He has the most lupine features, with a long muzzle and pointed ears giving him a marked resemblance to a real wolf. He is also far larger than his offspring. William is the most savage Lycan seen, with an insatiable appetite for rampage, according to Andreas Tanis. He is unable to revert to his human form, something Alexander Corvinus attributed to his uncontrollable rage, and remained in werewolf form for centuries. Unlike later Lycans, he has a full pelt of fur all over his body. It should also be noted that while every other Lycan seen in the films has black or gray fur, William's is mostly white with a blue tint to it. He also has solid white eyes.

First Generation Werewolves
These Lycans were created after being infected by William and his victims. Similar to William, they are complete savages and thought to have no control over themselves and the inability to revert to a human form. Physically, they are more humanized facially, with a shorter snout (although still longer than the second-generation Lycans) and a lack of pointed ears. They have less fur than William, but more than their second-generation Lycan descendants, with more fur around the neck and arms. They were also never able to take human form again unless by death.

In the era of Lucian's early adulthood they seemed to gain a lot more of their original rational/human way of thinking. After several attacks by the Death Dealers, they began to create traps to better help them defeat the vampires and strategize. When he outright confronted them during a Vampire attack, roaring loudly, they retreated. Later when Lucian came into their main den in human form, the older werewolves inspected him and understood that he was a Lycan. They even accepted him into their pack and aided him when needed against the Vampires. During this aid, they came into contact with even more second generation Lycans in human form and seemed to understand that they were their brethren. It seems by the 21st century only a few were left.

Second Generation Lycans
These are modern Lycans descended from Lucian. Being born human and less animalistic than the first generation, Viktor forced Lucian to propagate more of this type. Due to their scent, first generation Lycans seem to recognize them as their brethren rather than human beings, even when untransformed.

They are able to transform back to their human forms, and change into Lycan form when the moon is full. Older Lycans have learned to transform at will. They resemble 1st generation Lycans, but their faces are shorter, and the least wolf-like in appearance. They also have far less fur than the first-generation Lycans - they are mostly hairless, aside from a thin mane of fur running down the center of their backs.

More Notable Lycans

 * William Corvinus - First, true and most powerful Werewolf
 * Lucian - Lycan leader and first of the Lycans
 * Raze - Lycan Enforcer and second in command
 * Singe - Lycan scientist
 * Pierce - Lycan Lieutenant
 * Taylor - Lycan Lieutenant
 * Trix - Lycan Lieutenant
 * Sabas - Lycan warrior
 * Xristo - Lycan warrior
 * Samuel - Cleaner turned Werewolf
 * Greenway - Cleaner turned Werewolf
 * Werewolf mother - Lucian's Werewolf mother
 * Vasily - Lycan slave
 * Ferenz - Lycan slave
 * Nasir  - Lycan slave
 * Zoltan - Lycan slave
 * Fearful Lycan - Lycan slave
 * Rainar - Lycan slave
 * Big Werewolf - Werewolf warrior
 * Thrasos - Lycan slave
 * Gyorg - Lycan slave
 * Leyba - Lycan slave turned insane serial killer

Hybrids
While not a third race, a Hybrid is a fusion of Vampire and Lycan at a cellular level. As such, it is far more powerful than either species, with none of their weaknesses except for having the craving for blood. The physical appearance of a Hybrid varies between the two shown in the series, however, commonalities exist: grayish blue skin, talons, black eyes, little fur. Also, even though it is part Lycan, a hybrid has little increased mass. Michael appears humanoid but with Lycan posture, facial features, and their signature roar. Markus had bat like features (wings, snout, bat-like screech, etc.).

In the first film it is said that for the bloods to successfully produce a hybrid, blood had to be from a pure source, such as a direct descendant in the Corvinus line, and infused with the other strains. The Corvinus Strain has the only known gene able to combine the bloodlines of both Vampires and Lycans, which would normally destroy one another due to incompatibilities on the cellular level.

In terms of sheer strength, a hybrid, even newly-turned, is far superior to either species; immediately after being turned, Michael demonstrated enough raw power to go up against the vampire Elder Viktor, with only Viktor's superior knowledge of combat allowing him to almost win. Later Michael went on to easily dominate the various lycans he encountered in physical combat, even killing the original werewolf, William Corvinus, despite having only recently recovered from a near-fatal wound. Michael similarly possesses nearly unparalleled strength and speed, being able to move faster than the eye can follow and the ability to regenerate even from death.

The true levels of regeneration of a hybrid is unknown at this point, as it is able to regenerate from seemingly deadly injuries. Michael was impaled through the chest by Markus and apparently died, but managed to survive despite the severity of the injury.

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